Seek & Find
Have you ever wondered why Mary Magdalene got to be the first person to see Jesus after the resurrection?
If you think about it, there were several people that loved Jesus throughout His life and many that were completely heartbroken and shattered when they watched Him die on the cross.
His mother, Mary, stood completely heartbroken at the cross when He died, as did John, the disciple that “Jesus loved”.
And what about Peter? How devastated he must have felt when he denied Jesus 3 times right before his death. Surely Peter needed a pick-me-up after a really tough few days.
All of those people would have been perfect candidates to be the first to see Jesus upon His Resurrection…..so why on earth was Mary Magdalene the one that was privileged enough to see and talk to Him, first?
There are several commentators that give reasons for the importance of a woman being the one to first find Jesus, but if you really dig into it it’s still pretty unclear as to why Mary Magdalene, in particular, was the one who got to see Jesus, first.
Steve and I were talking about it as I cooked dinner one night, and after going around and around as to why we thought Jesus appeared to her, first, God hit us like a ton of bricks with this realization: Maybe Mary was the first to see Jesus because she was the one that was desperately seeking Him.
Mary Magdalene showed up early and didn’t allow disappointment, confusion, frustration, or any other barrier to block her or influence her to ‘go back home’ and stop looking for Him. She was the one who was fervently searching for Him with ‘all of her heart’ which is exactly what Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 29:13. It says, “we WILL find Him when we seek Him with all of our hearts.”
What is it that you’re searching for? An answer on how to move forward? A glimmer of hope in a hopeless situation? A fresh word from the Lord? Each day I become more aware and convinced that Jesus is often just waiting for us to seek Him in the midst of our situation with the promise that when we seek Him, He will be found by us... And His presence with us changes everything.
When Mary found Jesus, she ran to the disciples with the news that she had seen the Lord. In that early morning moment, while she was passionately seeking Jesus, she found her Lord and everything changed. Her brokenness turned to Hope, her sadness turned to Joy, and her spirit was filled with peace knowing exactly where her Savior was. Jesus’ presence changed everything for her.
I wonder…are you searching for Hope or needing Joy today? Do you feel forgotten or pushed aside, or maybe you’re just wondering where Jesus is in the midst of your situation? If so, are you seeking Him with all of your heart, today?
Oh how I want to be like Mary. Together, let’s be women that are not only quick to talk about seeking Jesus, but women that wake up early and fervently search for Him. Women that are committed to find Him and seek Him with all of our hearts in any and every situation. Women that don’t give up when things get hard or don’t make sense, but women that run to His tomb believing He isn’t finished, yet.
Because if we do, we have the best promise waiting for us. we are promised that we will find Him.
“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb”….(the disciples left after seeing the tomb was empty)…”But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).” John 20:1-2, 10-16