This is John 20:11-18.
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). Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"--and that he had said these things to her.
Somehow, Peter and John, discovering the things that they discovered, had not yet communicated to Mar. Mary goes back to the tomb for another look. And when she does, she doesn't see, just an empty tomb with grave clothes, she encounters angels that are asking her why she's weeping. And she says, "Well, because they've taken Jesus, and I don't know where he is."
At that point, Jesus appears as the first recorded appearance of a real, alive, physical Jesus. This is not a ghost. This is a physical man to Mary. And maybe it's because of the torture of Jesus and the changes of his body as a result, she doesn't recognize Jesus. Maybe it's through her tears and her grief. But it's not until Jesus says her name that Mary realizes it's Jesus. And she says, "Teacher!"
Now, there are two things in this passage that you just don't want to miss. One is the fact that this is a resurrected body. We know that Jesus was dead-dead, really dead! That's why they didn't break his bones on the cross. So, he wasn't just swooning for a moment-He was dead! And we know now he therefore is alive! He has conquered death-this is a true resurrection! This is a physical appearance of Jesus.
But there's something else in the passage that you shouldn't miss. He says to Mary, "Don't cling to me for I've got more work to do." He's talking about his ascension. You see, you can't miss the fact that there are four aspects to the work of redeeming grace. First is the righteous life; Jesus had to live a perfectly righteous life on our behalf. There is His substitutionary death; he pays the penalty for sin on our behalf. Now, there is the resurrection where he defeats death on our behalf.
But he must ascend to the Father in royal reign and as a royal priest to rule and intercede, here are the words again, "on our behalf." And so, he has accomplished three of those things, but he hasn't yet done the fourth. So, he says to Mary, "I'm not going to be around for long." Righteous life, substitutionary death, victorious resurrection, royal ascension-the work of Jesus on our behalf!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. After Jesus has made it possible for people to be reconciled to God, he takes the time to personally talk with (and use her personal name) Mary. Why do you think that might be significant? How do the other details within this piece of Scripture give weight to its credibility and significance?
2. How does the physicality of Jesus' resurrected body give us a preview of what the physicality of our future will look like in eternity? Why is the physical appearance of Jesus in a resurrected body matter for you as a believer today? How can his resurrection impact your daily life?
3. Why do you think the ascension of Jesus isn't highlighted much when we talk about him today? Why is the ascension such a vital part of who Jesus is? Why should his ascension be significant to you today?
4. Why is the short phrase, "on our behalf" a good summary of the gospel message? How does "on our behalf" affect you and the way you live your life as a follower of Christ? How can "on our behalf" help you communicate the gospel to other people who are not believers in Christ? How is "on our behalf" changing you today?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why do you think it's important that Jesus rose from the dead? Why do you think the Bible tells us that he had a physical body?
• What do you think the phrase "on our behalf" means? Why is that phrase important to us today? How can we pray and thank God for sending Jesus to be our "on our behalf" as his children?
For Older Children:
• Why do you think it's such a big deal that Jesus rose from the dead as a physical person in a physical body? How is that important for us today?
• What does the phrase "on our behalf" mean? Why is Jesus our personal "on our behalf"?
• Why is the ascension of Jesus so important to how we view him now?
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