Wendy Rollin

By Wendy Rollin

Mary Magdalene stands outside the empty tomb as the risen Jesus calls her by name. — John 20:11–18

The sky was still dark when Mary Magdalene began walking toward the tomb.

Jerusalem lay beneath the quiet of early morning as she moved toward the place where Jesus had been laid.

Only days earlier, she had stood near the cross and watched Him suffer.

She had heard the voices of the crowd. She had seen the soldiers. She had watched the One who had rescued her take His final breath.

Now there was only silence.

Jesus had delivered Mary from a darkness that once held her captive. The Bible tells us that seven demons had gone out of her. He had restored her life, and from that time forward, she followed Him. Along with other women, she helped support His ministry and traveled with those who heard Him teach, watched Him heal, and witnessed lives change in His presence.

Though Mary Magdalene has sometimes been portrayed as a former prostitute, Scripture never identifies her that way. It remembers her as a woman delivered by Jesus, devoted to His ministry, and present at both the cross and the empty tomb.

She had remained near the cross when many of His followers were nowhere to be seen.

She had watched as Joseph of Arimathea placed His body inside the tomb. She had seen the stone rolled across the entrance.

And now, while it was still dark, she had returned.

But as Mary approached the tomb, something was wrong.

The stone had been moved.

She stopped.

The entrance stood open.

Mary believed Jesus’ body had been taken.

She ran to find Simon Peter and the other disciple.

“They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre,” she told them, “and we know not where they have laid him.”

The two men hurried toward the tomb. They looked inside and saw the linen cloths lying where Jesus’ body had been.

Then they returned home.

But Mary did not leave.

She stood outside the tomb and wept.

As she cried, memories of the cross and the sound of His voice may have filled her mind. She had come to grieve beside His body, and now even that appeared to have been taken from her.

Overcome with sorrow, Mary bent down and looked inside the tomb.

Two angels sat where Jesus’ body had been.

“Woman, why weepest thou?” they asked.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she answered, “and I know not where they have laid him.”

Then Mary turned and saw someone standing nearby.

Through her tears, she did not recognize Him.

“Woman, why weepest thou?” He asked. “Whom seekest thou?”

Believing He was the gardener, Mary pleaded with Him.

“Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”

Then He spoke one word.

“Mary.”

No further explanation was needed.

The grief, confusion, and darkness of the morning gave way in an instant.

This was not the gardener.

This was Jesus.

Alive.

The same Savior Mary had watched die was now standing before her.

“Rabboni,” she cried.

Teacher.

Jesus had called her by name.

Mary Magdalene, once held captive by darkness, now stood in the light of the resurrection. The woman who had remained near Jesus in His suffering became the first person recorded in John’s Gospel to see and speak with the risen Christ.

Jesus then entrusted her with a message for His disciples.

Mary ran from the tomb once more—but this time, she was not carrying news of loss.

She went to them with words that changed everything:

“I have seen the Lord.”

Mary Magdalene’s story is not a story of scandal. It is a story of deliverance, devotion, courage, and faithfulness.

She remained near the cross when following Jesus became painful.

She returned to the tomb when hope appeared to be gone.

And there, in the place of her deepest sorrow, she discovered that death had not won.

There may be moments when you feel as though you are standing outside the tomb with Mary. You may not understand what God is doing. What you hoped for may appear lost, and the future may seem hidden by darkness.

Remain near Jesus.

Mary could not yet see that resurrection was only moments away. She saw an empty tomb and believed something else had been taken from her.

But Jesus was closer than she realized.

He saw her tears.

He knew her sorrow.

And He called her by name.

The Savior who knew Mary also knows you.

Even in the darkness, remain near Him.

Even when you cannot see Him through your tears, the risen Christ is nearer than you realize.

Scripture references: Luke 8:1–3; Matthew 27:55–61; Mark 15:40–47; John 19:25; John 20:1–18