…he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. – John 10:2b
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”- John 20:16
One Year
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of my mother’s passing. It many ways it still doesn’t seem real.
It is often said that the first year after the death of a loved one is the most difficult. Not only are we trying to adjust without their presence in our lives, but each Holiday and special occasion serves as a reminder of the void they have left.
I still catch myself from time to time experiencing something and thinking that I can’t wait to tell mom. How sobering it is to have to remind myself that she is gone and we will no longer share any experiences.
Although the future holds no opportunity for new experiences, I am grateful for the memories of the past that I can share with others and cherish.
A Mother’s Voice
The morning of my mother-in-law’s bike accident that would eventually take her life, she had left a message on our answering machine. Thinking that hearing her deceased mother’s voice would be too painful for my wife I foolishly deleted the message. Later, when I told my wife what I had done she sighed and said she missed her mother’s sweet voice.
Who else loves us like our mothers, and what comforts us like their soothing voice when the world overwhelms us? The security that begins when they rock us and nurture us, tenderly calling us by name, forges a special bond. When they are no longer in our lives, it is only inevitable that their voices are a big part of our memories.
Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, I have saved on my cell phone the last voicemail my mother left me about a month before her death. Although her voice was very weak and her speech was slow and deliberate, it is unmistakably the one that called me by name and quieted my soul countless times. And although it is obviously not the same as having her with us, it is nice to know that at any time I can pick up my phone and hear her voice again.
Love and Death
Like the rest of humanity, Mary Magdalene was not exempt from the pain of separation. While we do not know a lot about her background, we do know that Jesus freed her from the bondage of seven demons (Luke 8:2) and that she became one of His most faithful followers.
How do you repay the “man” who exorcised your demons? How do you repay the Savior who freed your soul? You recognize Him as Lord.
Mary left her home in Magdala to become a disciple of Jesus. As He traversed the countrysides teaching and preaching, Mary was a model student, taking to heart every word Jesus spoke. Her soul that was once tormented by demons now found solace in the loving voice of her Lord.
As Jesus and His disciples incurred expenses, Mary gave from her personal funds to support them. Mary was blessed by Jesus and no cost was too great to facilitate His ministry. Jesus was Mary’s Shepherd, and to her He was worthy of all the honor and allegiance she could give Him.
Mary witnessed the mock trial. She heard the religious leaders thirsting for the blood of Jesus. She followed Him to Calvary and stood at the foot of the cross ministering to Jesus despite the fact that so many of His disciples abandoned Him out of fear.
Mary heard the voice of her beloved Savior cry out, “It is finished”! When He took His last breath, a part of Mary died.
Someone’s Missing
Ever faithful, Mary had to go to the tomb of Jesus on Sunday morning. Even when we know death is real, we have a hard time accepting it. Jesus was gone, so Mary went to the resting place of His body. In her eyes it wasn’t just the “next best thing”. It was the only thing.
It was still dark, Jesus was dead, and His body was resting behind a large stone, but Mary had to be near Him. Death may be a formidable enemy, but it cannot sever the bonds of love. A truth Mary was about to clearly see, despite the darkness that shrouded her.
Upon arriving at the tomb, Mary found it empty. Her sadness gave way to disbelief and confusion as she first ran back to tell the other disciples and later encountered two angels at the side of Jesus’ empty tomb.
Mary could only weep. Jesus was not only dead but now His body was missing and she did not know where they laid Him. Mary’s heart longed to be near her Lord. Even in death.
In life He sought her out, in death she returned the favor.
The Shepherd’s Voice
In her moment of greatest grief, Mary encounters someone she supposes to be the gardener. Like the angels, he too asks why she is weeping. In addition, he asks whom she is seeking.
Mary simply wants the object of her love. She humbly tells the gardener that the only thing she seeks is the body of her Lord.
The lost sheep is looking for the Good Shepherd.
And then the Good Shepherd speaks.
“Mary”
Upon hearing her Savior call her by name, Mary recognized Jesus. Just as He said we would.
By Name
When Mary was a lost sheep, Jesus left the fold to rescue her. Calling her by name as He did so.
May we learn from Mary never to take for granted the intimacy of the Good Shepherd’s love or the joy of hearing Him call us by name.
When she was held in bondage by seven demons, Mary heard the voice of her Lord cast them out.
As He hung on Cavalry’s cross bearing the weight of her sins and absorbing her wrath, Mary heard the voice of the Lamb of God shout, “It is finished!”
When she stood outside His empty tomb weeping, afraid she had forever lost the lover of her soul, she heard the Good Shepherd say, “Mary”!!
No Mary, death can never sever the bonds of love. Nor can it silence the voice of the Good Shepherd.
Like you, there are other lost sheep He must seek and save. In the midst of their deepest despair He will comfort them as He tenderly calls them by name.
What could be more special?
