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John 20:1-18 is concerning the Lord’s appearing to Mary the Magdalene after His resurrection. “Now on the first day of the week, Mary the Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was yet dark and saw the stone taken away from the tomb. She ran therefore and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him. Peter therefore went forth, as well as the other disciple, and came to the tomb. And the two ran together, yet the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came first to the tomb. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there; however, he did not enter. Then Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he beheld the linen cloths lying there and the handkerchief which had been over His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in one place apart. At that time therefore the other disciple also, who came first to the tomb, entered, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He had to rise from among the dead. The disciples therefore went away again to their own home. But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping. Then as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb and beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him. When she said these things, she turned backward and beheld Jesus standing there, yet she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She, supposing that He was the gardener, 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 Hebrew, Rabboni! (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. Mary the Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, and that He had said these things to her.”
This portion reveals a person who loved the Lord and sought Him. There are three key points in this portion. First, this person was attracted by the Lord to love Him. Second, the issue of loving the Lord was a new discovery, a new revelation, concerning the Lord. Third, this lover of the Lord took action based on the new revelation that she received from loving the Lord.
The four Gospels show that not many people appreciated or loved the Lord Jesus when He began His ministry. People were touched by His words and revered Him because of His miracles, but not many people had a loving response to the Lord. In other words, not many people were attracted by the Lord’s love when He began His ministry. At the end of the Gospels, however, there were a few people who had been attracted by the Lord’s love and had an inner response to His love. The Lord’s love was like a strong magnet that drew people to Him. In the Lord’s last journey on earth He went to Jerusalem. For three and a half years the Lord’s work had been contrary to the Jewish tradition; hence, the atmosphere in Jerusalem was against Him. What the Lord did on the earth was also incompatible with earthly politics. Eventually, the Jewish rulers, the Herodians, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the rulers of the Roman government all joined forces to oppose the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus was a lowly carpenter from Galilee, but His words and deeds in the three and a half years of His ministry caused an intense reaction in the land of Judea. We may say that He upset the whole Jewish society. Many people were moved by Him, many were helped by Him, and many feared Him. The rulers of the Jewish society were very jealous and opposed Him because He had an indescribable attracting power. When we read the four Gospels, we can sense that the atmosphere in Jerusalem was against the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus died on the cross during the Jewish Passover. According to the custom of the Jews, every male was required to go to Jerusalem to keep the feast. Because the Jewish rulers had conspired to kill Jesus while He was in Jerusalem to keep the feast, this talk spread through the Jewish society before the Lord Jesus arrived in Jerusalem (John 11:55-57). Being a man of God, the Lord Jesus was neither dismayed nor intimidated; rather, He obeyed God’s will and went up to Jerusalem. The disciples sensed the atmosphere and knew that it was dangerous to go up to Jerusalem (Mark 10:32). The disciples would not have dared to follow the Lord into Jerusalem had they not been attracted by the Lord’s love. This shows that the disciples were attracted by the Lord.
For three and a half years the Lord Jesus’ deeds attracted a few people, including some women, to love Him (15:40-41). According to Jewish custom, only the males had to go up to Jerusalem three times a year to keep the major feasts—the Feast of the Passover, the Feast of Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The women did not have to go up to Jerusalem. Hence, it sufficed for Peter, James, and John to go up to Jerusalem with the Lord Jesus. The women did not have to go; it might seem superfluous for the women to go up to Jerusalem. But these women were attracted by the Lord’s love.
Some of these women were probably clearer than Peter, James, and John that the Lord would be arrested and put to death. The women understood that it was their last opportunity to contact the Lord and were reluctant to leave Him; thus, they accompanied the Lord to Jerusalem together with the disciples. The atmosphere in Jerusalem was antagonistic toward the Lord Jesus, but these women did not fear the threatening situation; instead, they followed the Lord Jesus because they were attracted by the Lord’s love.
Six days before the Passover the Lord Jesus went to Bethany. As He reclined at table, Mary came with an alabaster flask of costly pure nard, broke it, and poured the ointment over Him (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). Mary poured out her love on the Lord Jesus because she was attracted by His love.
Even though the atmosphere was against the Lord Jesus when He was on the cross, one of His disciples, Joseph from Arimathea, dared to ask Pilate for His body. Furthermore, Nicodemus, who had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Joseph from Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the burying custom of the Jews (19:38-40). They did this because they were attracted by the Lord’s love.
Even after the Lord Jesus was buried, Mary the Magdalene was so attracted by His love that she had to go to His tomb. Everyone else went home, but she went to the tomb to find the Lord. On the first day of the week, the third day after the Lord Jesus had been buried, Mary the Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was yet dark (20:1). She did not go there to work; she went because she was attracted by the Lord’s love. She loved and missed the Lord so much that she could not help but go to His tomb. Mary’s going early, while it was yet dark, shows that she loved the Lord and missed Him so much that she did not wait until daylight. She eagerly went to the Lord’s tomb early in the morning with the hope of finding her Lord.
May we all see this picture. People followed the Lord Jesus to an antagonistic place, poured precious ointment upon Him before His death, followed Him all the way to the cross, requested the Lord’s body, and anointed and buried it in the midst of a frightful atmosphere, because they were attracted by the Lord’s love. It was because of this love that a sister went while it was still dark to find her Lord in the tomb.
There is an issue to having a loving heart and a loving response to the Lord. Something happens to those who love the Lord. Every lover of the Lord gains new knowledge, a new revelation. The disciples knew that the Lord had died and was buried, but they did not understand that He would rise from the dead. Their knowledge of the Lord included His death and burial. Peter and John knew the Lord only in His death and burial. Therefore, they could speak about the Lord being born in a manger, preaching, performing miracles, teaching crowds, manifesting His love, and being crucified and buried in a tomb.
Mary the Magdalene was a sister who loved the Lord, and the Lord gave her a discovery because she loved Him. Mary saw that the stone was taken away from the tomb (v. 1) and thought that someone had taken the Lord out of the tomb. Hence, she ran to tell Peter and John (v. 2). Because she had a new discovery, new knowledge, she had a new truth to proclaim and a new revelation to convey to others. Others had old truth concerning the Lord Jesus, but only Mary received new revelation. This new revelation came from her love for the Lord. A person who loves the Lord will receive new knowledge concerning the Lord. If we love the Lord more than others, we will surely know Him more than others. There were many disciples, but no one saw the Lord’s empty tomb before Mary the Magdalene did, because she loved the Lord very much. She must have felt perplexed when she saw the empty tomb and asked why He was gone. As soon as she made this new discovery, she went to tell Peter and John.
After hearing Mary’s story, the two brothers realized that this was something new and immediately ran to see (v. 3). Their love for the Lord was not as burning as Mary’s love for the Lord, but they still loved the Lord; they were not indifferent. The two disciples ran, but one was faster and the other was slower. John, who arrived first at the tomb, did not go in but waited for Peter, who arrived second, to enter the tomb (vv. 4-6). These two disciples were pursuing the Lord together, but one was ahead and the other was behind. John was ahead but was satisfied to reach the mark. Peter was behind but continued to move forward. Thus, the first became the last, and the last became the first. These details portray our own pursuit of the Lord.
Mary and the two disciples pursued the Lord. Mary was ahead but was afraid of entering into the tomb. She needed the help of Peter and John. They were bolder and entered directly into the tomb to investigate. However, they were clear as soon as they stepped into the tomb. They saw the linen cloths lying there and the handkerchief, which had been over His head, folded apart from the linen cloths (vv. 6-7), and they immediately knew that the Lord had resurrected. It was very clear. The disciples saw and believed (v. 8). But because they did not yet understand the Scripture, that the Lord had to rise from the dead, they went away again to their own home (vv. 9-10). These two disciples had a clear mind, but their love was not hot; therefore, they were satisfied with seeing the empty tomb. Mary, however, loved the Lord so much that she was not satisfied with seeing the empty tomb. She still wanted to find her Lord.
Loving the Lord is a strength of the sisters. Mary loved the Lord, saw the empty tomb, but was not satisfied. She wanted to see the Lord. The tomb was empty, and it was obvious that the Lord had resurrected. The disciples should have celebrated and rejoiced. But Mary loved the Lord so much that it was painful for her to not be able to find the Lord. It was as if she would rather have seen the Lord’s dead body than know that He had resurrected. Because she yearned to see the Lord, she stood outside at the tomb and wept (v. 11). Her action seems to be very foolish, but it indicates that she was truly attracted by the Lord’s love.
Mary, a foolish lover of the Lord, not only found the empty tomb but also gained the fresh appearing of the Lord Jesus after His resurrection. After rising from the dead, the Lord appeared to Mary first, even before He ascended into the presence of the Father (vv. 14, 17). Mary was the first person in the universe to taste the freshness of the Lord’s resurrection. The Lord appeared to her because she loved Him desperately; the Lord had no choice but to appear to her. The Lord was supposed to ascend to God immediately after His resurrection, but because of Mary’s desperate love for Him, He had no choice but to appear to her. Hence, our love for the Lord results in our receiving new revelations and making new discoveries concerning the Lord. By loving the Lord, we can gain His fresh appearing. Those who are clear-minded do not have this kind of experience.
I have met some intelligent, highly educated, and knowledgeable scientists and philosophers. They can converse freely on any subject matter, but they are confounded when it comes to the things of the Lord Jesus. I have also met successful businessmen who are knowledgeable and full of insight in matters related to running a business. They are genuine believers in the Lord, but they are confounded when it comes to the things of the Lord Jesus. There are also some older sisters in the church who are illiterate and uneducated, but they love the Lord very much. They do not understand philosophy or science, nor do they know how to run a business, but they genuinely understand the things of the Lord Jesus and spiritual principles. They are completely different from the brothers. These sisters have spiritual understanding. They may not read the Bible, but what they say about the verses that they know is full of light and life. The Lord is very intimate with them. Their spiritual understanding is the result of their pure love for the Lord.
When a person loves the Lord, his spiritual understanding is opened. Hence, those who love the Lord receive new revelations and make new discoveries of the Lord. No one thought to look for the Lord Jesus after His resurrection, but Mary was the first person to see Him. When Mary met the Lord, she did not know that it was the Lord. The person she was looking for stood in front of her and said, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” (v. 15). She heard the Lord’s voice but did not recognize Him. She was blinded by love. Supposing that the person speaking with her was a gardener, she said, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away” (v. 15). Mary was speaking with the resurrected Lord, but she did not seem to know Him. A genuine seeker of the Lord will see light and receive revelation, but he may not think that he sees light or that he has received revelation. This is a genuine experience of seeing light and receiving revelation. Some people proclaim loudly that they have seen great light, when in fact they have not seen anything. If we see something but doubt what we have seen, we may have received light and revelation.
Mary was blinded until Jesus said, “Mary!” Then she turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (v. 16). Mary must have recognized the Lord’s voice when He called her name. She had heard Him call her name for the past three years. Hence, she knew that it was the Lord and wanted to touch Him. However, the Lord said to her, “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (v. 17). After His resurrection and before ascending to the Father and presenting the freshness of His resurrection to the Father, the Lord Jesus appeared first to Mary, who loved Him. Then the Lord charged Mary to go to the brothers and tell them what He had said to her.
There are three key points in the account of Mary seeing the Lord Jesus. First, Mary the Magdalene was attracted by the Lord’s love. Second, because Mary loved the Lord, she gained a new discovery, new knowledge, and new revelation concerning the Lord, and she also experienced the Lord’s new appearing. Third, Mary, a lover of the Lord, took action based on the revelation that she had received. Mary’s action was based on her discovery and revelation. Mary was the first one to discover the empty tomb. After she made this discovery, she took action by running to tell the brothers (v. 2). She was also the first one to see the resurrected Lord. After seeing the resurrected Lord, she went to tell the brothers what the Lord had said to her, according to His charge (vv. 17-18). Mary’s action was based on her knowledge of the Lord and was according to the revelation she had received from the Lord.
When we speak of preaching the gospel or of living the church life, we are not promoting outward practices, because outward practices do not yield much success and are not of much value. Our actions must be because the Lord has attracted us again with His love and because we are willing to respond yet again to the Lord in love. When we respond to the Lord in love, we will gain new knowledge and make new discoveries concerning the Lord, and we will receive a burden and a commission from the Lord. We will know what the Lord desires to do and what He wants us to do. Therefore, we must spend time with the Lord every day. To rise up early and draw near to the Lord is not a regulation; rather, we love to rise up early to seek the Lord and come forward into His presence because we are attracted by His love. This is our response to His love. Even if we would make a resolution to be revived every morning, we should rise up with the feeling and sentiment of loving the Lord, just as Mary did. Mary’s going to the Lord’s tomb early in the morning was the best morning revival. This is a pattern for all the saints to follow in their morning revival.
Keeping morning revival should not be turned into a regulation. No one should be forced to keep it, nor should anyone feel obligated to keep it because everyone else is keeping it. The practice of morning revival is before the Lord. We love the Lord, and our goal is to approach Him, just as Mary went to find the Lord early in the morning. Our time for morning revival is for us to rise up early and appear before the Lord with the desire to see Him face to face. If we will rise up early to meet the Lord in the morning, we will receive fresh revelation concerning the Lord and receive a new mission and a new commission. We will be revolutionized within. There is something wrong with our morning revival if there is no change in our living after two months of reading the Bible and praying during our morning revival. It is impossible for a person to have no change in his living after keeping a time for morning revival for two months. A person must change when he meets the Lord, because the Lord will work in his being and teach him many lessons. When a person draws near to the Lord and sees the Lord, he will definitely be revolutionized. Such a person will mourn, grieve, repent, confess his sins, and feel convicted regarding his past. His temper and disposition will be dealt with, and he will experience a new revival. Then the Lord will give him a new burden and fresh feelings, enabling him to care about the affairs of the saints and of the church. This is the result of rising up early to draw near to the Lord.
When we rise up early to draw near to the Lord, we need to allow Him to touch us, our habits, and our preferences. When we draw near to Him, He will touch our love and our heart. He wants us to love what He loves and to hate what He hates. If we love something that He does not love, He will contend with us so that we have no peace, because He is a jealous God. If we would have such fellowship with the Lord, we will experience His work and receive the dealings from Him. If we do not practice morning revival or if we do it casually, the Lord will not be able to touch us. Then even if we do not commit gross sins, we will often be negligent of our minor mistakes. The meetings will become a pastime in which we watch others sing and pray, and we will listen to messages as if we were watching a show. The Lord will not have any effect in us, and we will be of no use in His hand.
If we keep a time for morning revival with a heart that genuinely loves the Lord, many things will follow. If we draw near to the Lord every morning, He will not let us go. He will not allow us to be an inappropriate or improper Christian. The Lord will thoroughly inquire about everything in our being; He will not cease until we are fully subdued. If we genuinely practice morning revival, we will have new knowledge, new discoveries, new visions, and new revelations concerning the Lord; we will also receive new dealings from the Lord. This is the meaning of meeting the Lord and touching Him. After He deals with us, He will give us a commission and a burden, and this burden will become our mission. A burden is a heavy weight within that presses us down and does not let us go so that we have no peace until we carry out God’s charge. Those who meet the Lord receive burdens.
Pursuing to know the Lord, fellowshipping with Him, and preaching the gospel must not become regulations to keep. Please do not consider this fellowship as a doctrine. Rather, we should respond in love to the Lord because we have been attracted by His love. May we all have the prayer of Hymns, #368: “More love to Thee, O Lord, / More love to Thee! / Hear Thou the prayer I make / On bended knee; / This is my earnest plea: / More love, O Lord, to Thee, / More love to Thee, / More love to Thee!” May the Lord grant such hunger and desperation to motivate us to draw near to Him. If we do not draw near to Him, we will be hungry and thirsty within, and we will not be able to go on or be satisfied. If we rise up early to draw near to the Lord daily, the Lord will meet us. We will have new discoveries of the Lord and receive many dealings in His hand. If we pass through these dealings in His presence, we will receive a burden for His work. Then others will not need to beg us to preach the gospel, because we will be burdened for the gospel and also compelled to preach the gospel.
