Mary Magdalene
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with an afterthought about Easter.
It’s just one of those thoughts that’s been lingering since last week; because one of the most poignant parts of the Easter story, for me, is that moment in the Garden when Mary Magdalene, overwhelmed with grief, thinks all is lost, Jesus has died, now they’ve stolen His body. Everything looks hopeless…well…not quite. Because there is that marvelous moment when, through her tears, she encounters Jesus in the garden. I have pictured that scene time and time again, because it speaks to anyone who is full of grief; anyone who thinks all is hopeless, all is lost. But then? Oh my goodness, through our blurry eyes we see Jesus; we recognize Him. Through our ears, although ringing with pain, we hear the voice of Jesus. Kind of a moment of revelation, it is.
And it’s why I want to read to you today this little passage from Ken Gire’s book, “Intimate Moments with the Savior.” It pictures Mary Magdalene when she sees the empty tomb… and then, sees Jesus. And you tell me if this doesn’t speak to you as Mary Magdalene, stunned with disappointment to see the empty tomb, she inasmuch says:
“Dear Risen Lord… How hard it is to see clearly when devastating circumstances fill my eyes with tears. How blurry everything gets. Even you get blurry, and the sound of your voice becomes unfamiliar. Help me to blink away those tears to see that you are standing beside me, wanting to know why am I crying… wanting to know where it hurts…. wanting to wipe away every tear from my eyes. Thank you, Jesus, for being there, for never leaving me or forsaking me, even in the darkest and chilliest hours of my life. From those circumstances that have shrouded my heart and entombed me, I pray that you would roll away the stone. It is so heavy, it is too heavy and I am too weak to roll it away myself.
“Where there is doubt, roll away the stone and resurrect my faith. Where there is depression, cast aside the grave clothes and release my joy. Where there is despair, chase away the night and bring a sunrise to my hope. Yet in my doubt, in my depression, in my despair, help me to continue to love you. Even if I do not understand how you are working in my life. And I rejoice that no matter how dark the Friday or how cold the tomb, that with you as my risen Savior, there is always the warm hope of an Easter morning…”
Wow! I wanna thank Ken Gire for writing this beautiful essay. I touched me so deeply last week when I read it. Because at times, like you, it is so hard to see Jesus when you’re hurting… you feel like Mary Magdalene looking at Him and mistaking Him for the gardener; for somebody else. She didn’t know who He was and almost did not recognize His voice. And it is so like that for me, and maybe you too when you are focused inward. You see an empty tomb, you see your devastating circumstance, you assume the worst (like Mary Magdalene), you jump to conclusions, you look at the glass half empty… soldiers must have taken the body of Jesus away. Never crosses your mind that there could be a miracle; that from time immemorial, God planned the resurrection to give you hope and a happy future. No matter how hard your times are right now, how difficult, there’s always the warm hope of Easter. There’s always the hope of the Resurrection! That is something to take with you, and don’t forget it as we continue to reflect on the resurrection of our wonderful Savior from this past week… and into every week of this year. When you have a chance today, drop by joniandfriends.org.
© Joni and Friends
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