Reflection on Easter

I'm back! We had a wonderful trip to Kansas to visit my grandmother, and now I'm happily settled back into home. I'm going to write some thoughts about our trip later, but today I want to share something I wrote a while back after studying the passages about Mary Magdalene. I hope you had a great Easter and that this will stretch out the celebration one more day for you.

She was finally free. After years of losing to the terrible torment of the demons within, she was free. Memories of acts that had fueled her overflowing reservoir of shame faded away as she looked back into those eyes. His eyes. They were filled with an unearthly intensity and a depth of love that washed away every stain, every hurt, every haunting memory and every vestige of self-loathing. The truth about her past life was dead and buried. All she knew now was how she loved the man who had saved her.

Jesus—what a name. Jeshua, the Lord saves. She had heard about His teaching. She had touched friends who He healed. She listened as others told her about His multiplication of bread and fish, but she was sure that she was far beyond her reach. He didn’t know what she was hiding. He didn’t see the dark places in her heart. He couldn’t hear the voices that taunted her and directed her. She was lost, and no one could save her.

That’s what she thought until she saw Him that day. He was indescribable. He was just average looking at first glance, but as she watched Him she realized that He contained in His face everything that she longed for—love, grace, strength, peace. She thought to herself that surely He was the embodiment of what every human was created to be. Then she corrected that thought. He was the very image of God.

People around her had whispered. “He claims to fulfill the prophecies. Could He be the Christ?” In one glance she knew the answer. He was the Christ and the fulfillment of every hope that her wounded and longing heart had ever had.

Suddenly, He came over to her. He placed His hand on her head, called her by name, looked into her eyes and began calling out the demons one by one. Her faith in Him broke the demons’ death-grip on her, and they fled. When it was over, she sat in the dirt trembling and weeping. Finally, joy swept over her face like a run-away fire, and she clung to Jesus’ feet laughing even while the tears streamed down her face. She was free!

Life was never the same again. She packed up her belongings, gathered some food and began following Jesus and His disciples along with the other women like Joanna and Susanna who made sure that the little band of men was fed, clothed and cared for. It was an unconventional arrangement, and there were lots of whispers. But she didn’t care. Her love for Jesus was far beyond what she would feel for any mere man. He was her Savior. He had redeemed her life, and He had released her into freedom. His love was enough was Life to her. She and the others who followed Him knew that they could never repay Him, but they all wanted to give Him everything.

While she was serving the group, she strained to catch every word that Jesus spoke. He told stories, explained the nature of God and encouraged His followers to tell everyone about God’s great love for man. He healed the sick, caused the blind to see, fed the hungry and forgave the sins of many. He was glorious.

There was only one part of Jesus’ message that puzzled her. He kept talking about dying. He told the disciples that He would die and be resurrected in three days. One time Peter even tried to get Him to stop talking about it. None of them really understood, and she always felt afraid when He’d talk that way. She tried to remember everything He said, though, and it wasn’t long before all His words came flooding back into a terrible reality.

The capture, the trials and the beatings struck suddenly and progressed like a nightmare. Surely, she thought, is can’t be happening to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. “He’s Jeshua!” she wanted to scream. “Can’t you see who He is?” she sobbed over and over as she knelt with His mother near the foot of the cross. The soldiers eventually pushed them away so that all they could see was the outline of His body as He hung bleeding and dying on the cross. Through the darkness, Jesus’ cry rang out, “My God, my god, why have you forsaken me?” She heard his voice one more time and watched as His body slumped lifeless against the cross.

An earthquake rocked the earth under her, and the rocks around her began to break. In terror, the panicked crowd ran wild. A thunderous rip was heard from the temple and later eye-witnesses told her of how the curtain that shielded the Holy of Holies was torn in two from top to bottom. Opened tombs revealed resurrected saints and even the centurions who had mocked Jesus just moments before believed the truth.

The spectacle made her heart soar with God’s power, but it sank again later as she watched Joseph tenderly place Jesus’ linen wrapped body into the tomb. Her tears were unquenchable as the heavy boulder rolled and shuddered into place. As the sun set, she looked with dread toward the coming Passover. Had the One who saved Israel with the blood of the lamb in Egypt really forsaken them?

Sunday morning, she quietly slipped out into the dark and started down the road toward Jesus’ tomb. What was she to do now? He was her whole life. She had given up her whole life for Him, because He had given her Life that was beyond what she had ever hoped and dreamed. Her need to be near Him drove her on until she found herself staring at the gaping hole of Jesus’ tomb. In despair, she flew back to the home and pounded on the door until a sleepy Peter appeared. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” she sobbed as John and Peter grabbed their cloaks to join her.

The three followers ran to the tomb. John looked in at the linen strips lying on the floor, but Peter boldly entered the tomb, saw the empty, folded linens and returned home believing but puzzled. She still couldn’t tear herself away from the spot. In consternation, she bent over to look into the tomb again and almost fell over with surprise. Two angels perched on either end of where Jesus’ body had laid were the very picture of the mercy seat from the arc in the temple. “Woman, why are you crying?” they asked. As she explained about her missing Lord, she turned to see the gardener standing near her. He gently repeated the question, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it that you are looking for?” She began to explain and to inquire of him, but He interrupted her. “Mary,” he said. That’s all it took. It was just as if He was appearing in her life again that first day and uttering her name for the first time. “Rabboni!” she cried out. For it was He, her teacher, her Savior and the lover of her soul.

Suddenly she knew. Now she was really free. He had freed her from the demons at their first meeting and forgiven her sins, but now the redemption of her life was complete. He had completely paid the price. She was free from the ravages of sin and death, and free to walk hand-in-hand with her loving Father in unbroken fellowship. She worshipped Him and ran to tell the others.