At this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!"
John 20:14-16
OK, go back and read that again. Slowly.
Does anything in particular stand out to you?
When I read this passage, I was struck by what happened when Jesus spoke Mary's name.
At first she didn't recognize Him. She was distraught, thinking Jesus' body had been stolen. And though she saw Him, she thought He was only a gardener. Then Jesus said, "Mary."
That's all.
Not, "Don't be afraid. I'm right here!"
Not, "I haven't carried Him away. I am Him!"
Just, "Mary."
And with that one word, upon hearing Him say her name, Mary knew He was Jesus.
I sat and pondered awhile what it must have been like for Mary to hear Jesus say her name again. What memories did that sound bring to her? How many other times had she heard that strong, gentle voice utter her name? Had she thought she would never hear it again?
But there it was, "Mary."
And she knew her Jesus was alive.
Because He knew her name, and no one else spoke it the way He did.
Then I sat awhile longer and imagined what it would be like to hear Jesus say my name. Think about that one for a minute. Wouldn't it be amazing???
There is something so personal and intimate about your name, and to think of Jesus saying it, ahhhh. *peaceful, dreamy grin*
Jesus knows your name, and if you have received Him into your heart, one day you'll hear Him say your name, too. What a wonderful sound that will be!
I hope you have four minutes to "spare" so you can listen to this song. It's one of my favorites and when I was looking for a rendition of it on YouTube I chose this one because of the love that flows through this guy as he sings.
Listen - and let God love you through him.
8 comments:
And he has carved our name into the pal of His hand...blows my mind! Beautiful sister. Beautiful!
Karen,
That was a beautiful post. Thanks for the reminder. And that video was quite moving. You know what I love about that scripture besides the beautiful message you wrote about,Jesus knowing our name and us hearing him say it, is when Mary says "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him." You can just feel her heart in that and don't you really feel as though Mary actually believed she could just go and get him???? I just love that! So moving......
Jean
Gorgeous song! I put that video on my post today it touched me so deeply. If we are still enough before the Lord, we will hear the gentle whisper of our Father calling us...
Blessings! Heaven
Am new to your blog and have found such encouragement, especially today. I will listen to that song over and over today. Thank you.
THis song is so special to me...after we made the decision to adopt our little girl from China, I heard this song for the very first time & have always associated it with God's Hand in seeing my daughter's face for the very first time. LOVE IT!!!!
Thank you for this beautiful post!!
Patricia
That did stand out to me. Like she knew His very inflection. How amazing.
Now I'm going to listen to the song. :-)
Love that song.... and love that passage too. It's just another aspect of how personal Jesus is in our relationship with Him. So incredible!
I was really moved by what you said, especially reading it as the music was playing. I am thankful God created us to be emotional at times, to feel His tender Spirit tugging. Do you mind if I share your entry at church on Sunday before we sing "He Knows My Name"? bruce at brucekrieg dot com
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