Why Mary?

Reading: John 20:1-18
If you’re a Christian, you should know that your worst day—can never be your last day. Gethsemene, and Golgotha, and even the grave must yield to the glory of the resurrection—every time. That is, for those who follow in his steps. And during the past few days, while disciples were scattered and hiding—or following at a distance and denying any association with him, a small circle of ladies seemed to be constantly somewhere in the crowd. Following. Watching. Weeping. (Matt. 27:55-56, 61; Mark 15:40, 47; Luke 23:49, 55-56; John 19:25) And so it should be no surprise that as soon as the day dawned on that third day, the women were on their way back to the tomb.
The exact sequence of events on that morning is difficult to state with certainty, as the story in our Bible is told from four different perspectives. But this much is clear. Before Jesus appeared to any of the disciples—he appeared to the women. Specifically, he appeared to Mary Magdalene. (cf. Mk. 16:9-10) And I have to wonder why.
We know very little for sure about this woman. We do know that part of her testimony included the fact that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. We also know that she was among a small group of women who followed Jesus and helped contribute to his support during the days of his ministry on earth. Some have speculated that it was she who came to Jesus in the home of Simon, the Pharisee. That particular woman was described as a “sinner.” (A polite term) She was the one who literally washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. (Luke 7:36-50) Others vigorously deny any suggestion that this could have been Mary. The truth is, with no clear statement from the scripture, we can’t really know for sure who that woman was.
I am intrigued, however, by the story Jesus told Simon on that occasion. The point of the story was that those who have been forgiven much will just naturally love much. But those who have been forgiven little will love little. (Luke 7:42-43, 47) There can be no doubt that Mary Magdalene had many reasons to love much. And it was this love that compelled her to follow her Lord—every step of the way to Golgotha, and all the way to the grave. . . Even when others came to the empty tomb and looked around—and then left scratching their head, confusing themselves with endless speculation—Mary still hung around. She just couldn’t leave. Something held her there.
Why was Mary the one to meet the risen Lord—before Peter, or even John? Could it be that Jesus chose to reveal himself first to the one who had, perhaps, more reason to love him than any of the others? That would make sense.
Or was it simply because Mary was there? She was always around somewhere. We aren’t talking about luck here. We’re talking about persistence. Perseverance. Holding on, when there’s nothing left inside, except the stubborn will to hold on. Just showing up—and continuing to show up—because she had nowhere else to go. In some ways, she was like Jacob—locked in a life and death struggle with the one he was beginning to recognize as the source of every blessing. I’ll bet his theological understanding was pretty thin at that time; but he understood this much. I won’t let go until you bless me! (Gen. 32:26)
Mary must have been like that. She probably didn’t have a clear understanding of the doctrine of the resurrection at that time. She only knew she had to be there. She couldn’t leave. And Jesus came—to her. I’ll bet Mary never even thought in terms of being the first to see Jesus. That would have been to fall back into the old game of “Who’s number one?” Rather, true to her own nature, as soon as she saw the risen Lord, she ran with the message—just as Jesus told her to do.
Eventually, Jesus will appear to the other disciples. He comes to us all at the appropriate time. In the appropriate place. In the appropriate manner. And I have to believe that he comes first to those who have the most reason to love him the most. And to those whose love compels them to continually hang out in the places he’s most likely to visit. Anyway, that’s how it worked for Mary.
Selah