Rich Towards God, pt.2

We continue our study of Mary Magdalene.

Mary is only briefly mentioned throughout the gospels, but she becomes a major character during the three most important days in human history since the creation: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Watch and Listen

Mary is often mentioned as “watching from a distance”. She observed and listened to Jesus as He taught, healed, cast out devils, and performed miracles. There are seasons in our lives when we need to just watch and listen to God. There are times when we need to stop talking, stop doing, and stop working for God and just watch and listen to Him. We need to see Him working in the lives of others. We need to hear Him speaking to us through others. We need to be observant.

Here’s a comparison of being observant to the natural, non-spiritual world. When you walk through a grocery store, are you aware of how long the lines at the register are, while you are still shopping? When walking down an aisle, are you aware of each person in that aisle? How many women? Men? Children? How are they dressed? And so on. I’ve observed many people who look only at the floor as they walk, look at the item they need on the shelf, and the conveyor belt at the register. Their awareness of what's going on around them is only a small fraction of everything.  

God wants his people to be alert. He wants us to watch and hear Him when He works in and speaks through the lives of other people.

No Fear

Without fear of man or for her own safety or reputation, Mary did what 11 of the 12 Apostles didn’t do: be with Jesus during His crucifixion. This is significant because Mary was not the closest disciple that leaned on Jesus’ breast during the last supper, nor was she one of the three in the inner circle, nor was she one of the twelve apostles. Her passion for her Lord exceeded those that were closer—in title—to Jesus.

Multitudes rejected and despised Him, yet Mary did not care if her association with Jesus brought reproach from those people.

Mary’s passion for Jesus took her where few were willing to go. Her passion for her Lord kept her with the Lord and not with, well, where everyone else was.

Sometimes we limit our spiritual growth because we allow ourselves to be influenced by the world or what others might think about our passion for our Savior. Sometimes we limit our spiritual growth by going only as far as our pastors and teachers. Our passion should be to be with our Lord, even if others in our life are not yet at that place.

No Matter What

Mary watched as the Person whom she loved the most was being put to death by the most torturous means of execution of that day. She was experiencing the greatest heartbreak of her life.

Mary did not leave Jesus when He was on the cross and dying. Her love for Jesus compelled her to remain with Him. She stayed until His death and watched as His body was being wrapped and then followed Him to the tomb.

Her love for Jesus exampled the love He has for us: he will never leave us nor forsake us. We must never leave nor forsake Him either.

The Greatest Revelation

John chapter 20 gives us the most detailed account of Mary at the tomb. We'll look at verses 9 through 18:

(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don't know where they have put him.”

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary came to the tomb expecting to see the body of Jesus—not a resurrected Jesus. Her intense love and longing for Jesus compelled her to immediately tell the others that the tomb was empty, but upon returning, she could not leave although Peter and John went back home. Mary did not want to follow the crowd. She wanted to remain where she knew Jesus last was, waiting with sorrow as well as hope to find the missing body.

Upon looking into the tomb a second time, Mary had a supernatural experience. She saw two angels. When the angels asked her why she was crying, Mary pressed them for the information she sought.

Without another word from the angels, Mary sensed the presence of another person standing behind her and turned around to see him—Mary turned from death (the tomb) and turned to life (Jesus).

She was asked the same question, this time from Jesus Himself. But, Mary did not recognize Jesus. Still, she pressed again to find the answer she so desperately sought but this time added that she wanted to go get the body of Jesus. Even though she thought He was dead, she still would not leave Him and wanted to continue to care for Him by anointing His body for burial.

Mary’s intense love for Jesus—her heartache from not finding Jesus, her longing to see him, her persistence in trying to get information about where He was—is revealed at this scene at the tomb. It was when Jesus spoke her name, “Mary”, that veil was lifted, the light shown in darkness, the blind received sight, and Mary saw the risen Christ.

Upon recognizing Jesus, Mary cried out, “Rabboni”, which signifies, “My Great Master” or “Lord”. (This is the same Greek word that blind Bartimaeus used to address Jesus—physical sight was given to Bartimaeus and spiritual insight was given to Mary.)

Mary’s love and devotion determined her natural response with a word that she associated Jesus with—her Lord and Master.

At this moment, Mary was given a divine revelation that had always been hidden from man and demons (1 Cor. 2:8).

Mary did not hold a titled position within the ministry. Some believers feel that if they are not a missionary, a pastor, an evangelist, or a Sunday school teacher that they are somehow farther from God’s voice than everyone else.

He is a sovereign God, full of grace, Who knows all men’s hearts and will reveal more of himself to anyone who earnestly desires it.

Fruit that Abounds to Her Account

In Philippians 4:17, Paul reveals the “heavenly banking system”: “(Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.)”

When we lead someone to the Lord, we increase our treasure in heaven. And when that person leads someone to the Lord, we receive some more reward in our heavenly account. Think about Mary Magdalene. She was the very first person to spread the news of the resurrection. You and I can trace our hearing of the good news all the way back to Mary. Can you imagine the size of her heavenly account? And it’s still growing!

Principles of Mary’s life

Love God with all your heart, soul, body and strength, yield to God’s power, serve Him faithfully, lose your life for His sake and find it in Him. Willingly follow Him through the valley of the shadow of death, for He is always with you. This heart attitude will unlock intimacy, blessings, and revelations from God in your life.

When it seems that God has left you, when you’re feeling alone and abandoned, wait for Him.

A Final Note

Mary ministered to Jesus from her own property and personal belongings—those things that she possessed (Matthew 27:55, Luke 8:3). She ministered to the Lord while He was in the flesh. Acts 13:1–2 says that the church at Antioch ministered to the Lord and this was after His resurrection.

We often think only of receiving ministry from the Lord, but Mary and those in Antioch are our examples of believers actually ministering to Him! You might wonder, “He wants my ministry?” Yes He does!

It is my prayer for you that Father will continue to help you to hear His voice, and more and more frequently.

With God’s grace and in His peace,

Gary

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