Mary Magdalene

Scripture Reading:  John 20:1-18

[1] Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. [2] So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” [3] So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. [4] Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. [5] And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. [6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, [7] and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. [8] Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; [9] for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. [10] Then the disciples went back to their homes. [11] But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. [12] And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. [13] 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.” [14] Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. [15] 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.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). [17] 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.’” [18] Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

After the Lord Jesus resurrected from the dead, He manifested Himself to many people, but it was to Mary the Magdalene that He first appeared. He had reason to be eager to manifest Himself to His disciples: to Peter because he was in the midst of weakness; to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus because they were heading in the wrong direction; to John because He loved him; to Thomas because he did not believe His resurrection. However, the Lord did not manifest Himself to these first but to Mary the Magdalene. Why did He do this?

HER LOVE FOR THE LORD

Mary the Magdalene was the last to leave the site of the cross and the first to come to the tomb. Many others had been saved and had demons cast out, but only Mary came to the tomb early in the morning to seek the Lord. No doubt, she did not understand many things. Some may even have thought that she did not have a good mind. Yet she received the best portion, a portion which we may not have, which was her love for the Lord. Every Christian should desire and seek after this.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ). John the Baptist said this when he saw the Lord for the first time. When John saw the Lord Jesus again, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (v. 36). John did not say “who takes away the sin of the world” the second time. Had he forgotten? No. This is the experience of a saved person. When we see the Lord for the first time, we think about ourselves as well as the Lord. We think of the Lord as the Lamb of God who takes away our sin. When we see the Lord for the second time, we forget about ourselves and only see the Lord. The first time, we thank Him because of the grace He gives. The second time, we draw near to Him because of Himself.

Our baptism is our union with the Lord, while the breaking of bread is our remembrance of the Lord Himself. First, we become the Lord’s believers, and then we become His lovers. First, we believe in the Lord’s work, and then we are drawn to His person. Many of us only know the preciousness of the Lord’s work and the grace we have received but not the loveliness of the Lord Himself. The difference between Mary the Magdalene and the others was that she not only appreciated salvation, but she also treasured the Savior.

Although other women sought the Lord, the very first to come to the tomb was Mary. On the first day of the week, early in the morning while it was still dark, she came to the tomb seeking the Lord. Concerning Mary, a brother once rightly said, “Once the Lord Jesus died, the world in the eyes of Mary had become nothing but a void!” The whole world could not draw her heart because One had already completely captivated it. Oh, the heart of Mary the Magdalene was seized by the Lord!

When Mary came to the tomb, she thought, “My beloved Lord has died. Today all I want is to have a look at His body.” However, the body was gone! She could only run to Peter and John and say to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Peter and the other disciple, John, then ran together to the tomb. John outran Peter and came first to the tomb. Stooping down and looking in, he saw the linen cloths, yet he did not go in. Simon Peter followed him, went into the tomb, and saw the linen cloths; the handkerchief that had been over His head was not lying with the linen cloths, but was folded up in one place apart. Then the other disciple went in, saw, and believed.

After the two disciples saw this, what did they do? The Bible says, “The disciples therefore went away again to their own home” (John 20:10). In the world, they still had a place that they regarded as the best thing they had—their home. They could still go back to this home. Once they found that the Lord was not there, they felt that going back to their own home was the best thing to do. Besides the Lord, they still had a place to go.

A WIDOW’S HEART

What did Mary do? “But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping” (v. 11). She had nowhere to go! She could not go away! How profound is the word “but”! Mary thought in her heart, “You have a home to which you can go, but I do not because the Lord is not here. You think that the disappearance of the Lord is not important, but I cannot feel the same. Who has taken Him away? How can I leave?” She stood outside of the tomb weeping. The world had become an empty place to her, for the Lord was not there. What else could she do? She stood outside of the tomb and wept.

Mary’s heart was the heart of a widow. The disciples who had followed the Lord went away. The disciples who had some knowledge went away. John, whom the Lord loved, went away. Peter, who was so bold, went away. But Mary, a simple woman out of whom the Lord had driven seven demons, was caught by the Lord. She had no peace or comfort. She could not go away. The Lord was not there. Her heart was empty, and she could only weep.

“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” (vv. 11–13). Mary’s heart was so single in thinking about the Lord that when she saw the angels, she was neither surprised nor frightened. She did not care for what the angels were doing. Her heart was only for her Lord.

Some may think, “The Lord loved John so much, and Peter was dealt with by the Lord so much. If I could only follow after them, it would be wonderful.” But Mary’s heart was not concerned with these things. Being with Peter and John was not enough. Angels in such white, shining clothes would have been special and attractive to some, but even when the angels talked to Mary, she did not feel anything. She thought only about her Lord being taken away. She could only weep, for her Lord was gone.

The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (v. 13). Even though the Lord was dead, His body was still precious to her. It did not occur to her that the Lord had resurrected. In Matthew the Lord told the disciples four times that He would be raised on the third day after He died (Matt. 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 26:32), but she did not know anything about this. On that day she was without hope. It would be good enough if she could only have the body of the Lord. Although she was so ignorant, her singleness in wanting the Lord caused Him to reveal Himself to her.

The reason the Lord manifested Himself to Mary was to satisfy a heart that was hungry and thirsty for Him. Peter and John went back to their own home. The Lord did not go to find them. However, He sought out Mary because her heart was single and wholly for Him. Brothers and sisters, what matters most is not how much we know but whether we have a heart which moves the Lord to look for us. This is the most precious thing.

ONLY “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” (vv.14–15). She saw the Lord Jesus, but she thought He was the gardener.

The Lord asked her whom she sought. She said, “If you have carried Him away.” She forgot to say she was seeking the Lord, Jesus the Nazarene. She only said, “Him.” In Mary’s eyes, there was only one “Him” in the world. In her heart, she supposed everyone knew who “Him” was. Mary’s heart did not care for anyone but the one “Him.”

Song of Solomon 1:2 says, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” These were the words of the Shulamite who longed for Solomon. The One Mary’s heart longed for was “Him.” What she said with her mouth was also “Him.” In her heart and mouth there was only “Him.” If there was “Him,” she had enough. Having only “Him” should be enough for our heart also. It is not necessary to have more knowledge. What we need is a heart that is wholly for Him.

“If you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Mary did not consider if she was strong enough or how far the way was. Her only thought was that she wanted to take Him away. Love does not know the meaning of “difficulty.” Love makes everything easy. Mary only wanted to know where others had carried Him so that she could take Him away. This was Mary’s heart.

Under this circumstance, the Lord had to reveal Himself to her. He could not let her weep anymore. He could not first go to find Peter and John, nor could He go to find the two disciples who were on the way to Emmaus. He could not go to find Thomas. The Lord first had to fill a heart that was hungering and thirsting for Him. He had to manifest Himself first to Mary.

THE VOICE OF THE LORD

How did the Lord manifest Himself to her? “Jesus said to her, Mary! She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, Rabboni! (which means Teacher)” (v.16). Have you heard the Lord speak “Mary” with such a voice? At the time of your prayer, in your chamber, if you hear this voice say, “Mary,” it will be enough. Mary immediately recognized Him. This was a revelation. When the shepherd calls his sheep, their eyes are opened. Once Mary heard the voice of the Lord, she knew that it was not the gardener but the Master. She did not need to weep anymore. The Lord only said “Mary” once, and she immediately recognized that it was the Lord. Once the Lord reveals Himself to us, there is no need to say anything more. Brothers and sisters, do we recognize the voice of the Lord?

There was one brother who knew of a family with only a mother and her son. Every evening the son rode home on a bicycle. When he was near home, he always whistled to let his mother know he was back. One day this brother was talking to the mother in her home. As he was preparing to leave, she asked him to stay because her son would soon be home. He asked how she knew, and she replied that she had heard the sound of her son’s whistling. To other people this sound had no meaning, but to his mother it was especially meaningful. The Lord said, “Mary.” Other people may not have felt anything, but Mary recognized this voice. Once she heard it, she recognized that this was the Lord.

Following this, “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” (v. 17). In Matthew 28, because the women were worshipping Him, the Lord allowed them to touch Him. Here the Lord did not allow Mary to touch Him. What does this mean? Mary had a strong desire to keep the Lord on the earth. She wanted to catch Him and not let go of Him. What the Lord received on the earth, however, was nothing more than the crown of thorns, the cross, and the tomb. Now the Lord would ascend to the heavens, to the place of “My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.” This is why He said to Mary, “Do not touch Me.” Do not keep Him on the earth. The Lord not only resurrected, but He also ascended, becoming the Head of the new mankind and the representative of man.

Man had never been in the heavens. By the ascension of the Lord Jesus, the first man went there. Now, those who believe in Him will also go there. Hebrews 2:9–10 says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little inferior to the angels because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.  

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in leading many sons into glory.” Because of the suffering of death, the Lord received glory and honor, and many sons will also be brought into glory. The Lord has gone. The disciples will go too. After resurrection the disciples were called brothers by the Lord for the first time. In other words, the Lord is the firstborn, and we are the many sons. The Lord resurrected and ascended. His Father is also our Father; His God is also our God. Therefore, the Lord said to Mary, “Go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”

After this, Mary had nothing more to say. She was satisfied—truly satisfied. Now she could go back. Brothers and sisters, if you lack this revelation, if you have not seen the Lord and heard His voice, can you blame Him? No. It is not because of the Lord, but because you do not have Mary’s hunger. Have you deeply longed for the Son of God from the heart? The heart of the Lord will never be touched by your rank or reputation, but if you truly long for the Lord, even if only for a short time, His heart will be touched! May God grant us to long after the Son of God and to love Him with a single heart.

Related Messages:

Song of Songs 1:2: Let him kiss me with his mouth! Because your love is better than wine. Chapter 1, verse 2, there is a “wish” here which expresses a hope and a request. Lord, kiss me with your mouth, for your love is better than wine. "who is he? "Who are you? "He" is "you" and "you" is "him". "He" is the Lord you love, and "you" is the Christ Jesus you love, and "you" are the King Solomon whom the Shulammite pursues. These two words are very interesting to use. Very few people can say "He" and "Let He"! When this Christ-loving pursuer says, "May He," it is as if she is making a declaration to her family, her friends, her relatives, her colleagues, her neighbors, and indeed to everyone in the universe: I am this People no longer belong to anyone else, my heart belongs to Him, my emotions belong to Him, my heart is occupied by Him, my person belongs to Him, and I must be connected to Him while living on earth! Oh, that He would kiss me with His mouth!

Let him kiss me with his mouth. Darby's English translation is "Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth", so this sentence can also be translated as Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth.

After she declared, "Let him kiss me with his mouth," the brothers and sisters asked her, who is "he"? But she was impatient and turned to the Lord and said, "Lord, for your love in all its forms is more beautiful than wine."

How does this Christ-loving pursuer describe the Lord? She said, "Let him kiss me with his mouth." "For all the face of your love is more beautiful than wine." "The sweet fragrance of your anointing oils." "Your name is a poured out ointment." "So All the virgins love you.” Two simple sentences said five things: first, Him, "May he kiss me with his mouth"; second, His love, "for your love in all its aspects is more beautiful than wine"; third, His love. Third, what He is, "the sweet fragrance of your anointing oil"; fourth, His achievement, "your name is the perfume poured out"; fifth, His church, "all the virgins love you" .

I would like to tell the brothers and sisters that everyone who follows the Lord must see these five wonderful descriptions at the beginning: the first is His attraction, the second is His love, and the third is Himself , the fourth is His accomplishments, and the fifth is His Church. Everyone who follows the Lord, everyone who loves the Lord, everyone who wants to live a valuable life, and everyone who wants to be united with God cannot leave these five descriptions at the beginning.

Please note that here it does not say that you need to believe in Jesus, otherwise you will go to hell, nor does it say that you need to believe in Jesus, otherwise God’s wrath will be on you. What is said here is that you have a Lord, your Lord is so good, your Lord is so beautiful, your Lord is rich in love, your Lord is a rich Lord, your Lord is a perfect Lord, your Lord has experienced Your Lord has accomplished everything, and your Lord has come to give you experience in the church life.

Now we can understand what a hymn says, "Lord, I love you. I really do love you. Without you, life is in vain. You are attractive and extremely fascinating." What it means is, Lord, I met I am fascinated by you; Lord, when I meet you and see you, I am fascinated. I am attracted to you to the point where I lose sight of everything else!

Dear brothers and sisters, how did Song of Songs begin? The song within the song begins with the Lord coming to draw. No one knows when the Lord will come to draw you. Who doesn’t have ambition? Who has no ambition? Who has no plans? Who has no hope in life? Who hasn’t struggled? Who doesn’t hope to achieve something in his life? I don’t know why, but one day you will feel, “Lord, I think You are so good!” Maybe right now, you get up and say, “Lord Jesus, I love You! Lord Jesus, You are so good!” When you do this When you say this, there is a kind of vibration inside you, as if your whole being is attracted by the Lord, and then you say, "Lord, I will get up and follow you. If you attract me, I will run and follow you!" This attraction comes from It comes from "wish". Is it the Lord who comes to gain you, or are you inspired to gain the Lord? have no idea. We only know that when a healthy Christian grows up normally, he will one day say, "Lord, I want you to kiss me with your mouth!" 

(Excerpted from "Maturity in Love" by Titus Chu, Part 1--"Your name is the balm poured out")

Enjoy the Hymns:

《耶稣，最爱救主》生命诗歌673首；选本诗歌67首

《细语》生命诗歌668首

《爱歌》生命诗歌287首

Questions:

1.Why did the Lord manifest Himself to Mary before any others?

2.Do you have only “Him” in your heart? Is having “Him” enough for you?

3.Do you recognize the voice of the Lord?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, grant me a heart that longs for You. Cause me to love only You. Give me a heart that is content with only You. I pray for a desire in my heart that would move You to manifest Yourself to me, that I could see You and be satisfied. O Lord, I long for You and for Your appearing. I want to see and gain You. I am hungry for You, Lord. I pray that You would reveal Yourself to me right now so that I can hear Your voice and see Your beauty.

Application and Practice:

Every morning, spend 20 minutes singing a hymn or praying, and say to the Lord: Lord, I love you! I am willing to seek only you all my life!

የመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ንባብ፡- ዮሐንስ 20፡1-18

ጌታ ኢየሱስ ከሙታን ከተነሳ በኋላ ለብዙ ሰዎች ራሱን ገለጠ፣ነገር ግን ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ የተገለጠው ለመግደላዊት ማርያም ነበር። ራሱን ለደቀ መዛሙርቱ ለመግለጥ የሚጓጓበት ምክንያት ነበረው፦ ለጴጥሮስ በድካም ውስጥ ነበርና፤ ወደ ኤማሁስ በሚወስደው መንገድ ላይ ለነበሩት ሁለቱ ደቀ መዛሙርት ወደ ተሳሳተ አቅጣጫ ስለሚሄ፤ ለዮሐንስ ስለሚወደው፤ ለቶማስ ትንሳኤውን ስላላመነ፡ ለእነዚህ ሁሉ ራሱን ለመግለጥ ጓጉቶ ነበር። ነገር ግን ጌታ በመጀመሪያ ለእነሱ ራሱን አልገለጠላቸውም ለመግደላዊት ማርያም እንጂ። ለምን ይህን አደረገ?

ለጌታ ያላት ፍቅር

መግደላዊት ማርያም ከስቅለቱ ቦታ የሄደችው በመጨረሻ ሲሆን፤ ወደ መቃብሩ  በመመለስ ደግሞ የመጀመሪያዋ ነበረች። ሌሎች ብዙዎች ድነዋል፤ አጋንንትም ወጥቶላቸዋል፣ ነገር ግን ማርያም ብቻ ጌታን ለመፈለግ በጠዋት ወደ መቃብሩ መጣች። ብዙ ነገር እንዳልተረዳች ምንም ጥርጥር የለውም። አንዳንዶች ጥሩ አእምሮ እንደሌላት አድርገው ያስቡ ይሆናል። ነገር ግን እኛ ላይኖረን የሚችለውን ከሁሉ የተሻለውን ነገር ነበራት እርሱም ለጌታ ያላት ፍቅር ነው። እያንዳንዱ ክርስቲያን ይህንን ሊመኝ እና ሊፈልገው ይገባል።

መጥምቁ ዮሐንስ ኢየሱስን ወደ እርሱ ሲመጣ ባየው ጊዜ፣ “እነሆ የዓለምን ኃጢአት የሚያስወግድ የእግዚአብሔር በግ” አለ። ( ዮሐንስ 1:29 ) መጥምቁ ዮሐንስ ጌታን ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ባየው ጊዜ እንዲህ አለ። ዮሐንስ ጌታ ኢየሱስን እንደገና ባየው ጊዜ ግን 

“እነሆ የእግዚአብሔር በግ” አለ። (ቁጥር 36) ዮሐንስ ለሁለተኛ ጊዜ “የዓለምን ኃጢአት የሚያስወግድ” አላለም። ረስቶት ይሆን? አይደለም ይህ የዳነ ሰው ልምምድ ነው። ጌታን ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ስናይ ስለራሳችንም ስለ ጌታም እናስባለን። ጌታን ኃጢአታችንን የሚያስወግድ የእግዚአብሔር በግ ነው ብለን እናስባለን። ጌታን ለሁለተኛ ጊዜ ስናይ እራሳችንን ረስተን ጌታን ብቻ እናየዋለን። በመጀመሪያ ጊዜ, እርሱ በሚሰጠው ጸጋ ምክንያት እናመሰግነዋለን፤ ለሁለተኛ ጊዜ ወደ እሱ የምንቀርበው ስለ ራሱ( ስለማንነቱ ) ነው።

ጥምቀታችን ከጌታ ጋር ያለን አንድነት ሲሆን የጌታ እራትን መቁረሳችን ደግሞ ጌታን ማሰባችን ነው። በመጀመሪያ የጌታ አማኞች እንሆናለን፤ ከዚያም አፍቃሪዎቹ እንሆናለን። በመጀመሪያ፣ በጌታ ሥራ እናምናለን፤ ከዚያም ወደ ማንነቱ እንሳባለን። ብዙዎቻችን የምናውቀው የጌታን ስራ ውድነት እና የተቀበልነውን ጸጋ ብቻ ነው ነገር ግን የጌታን ፍቅር አናውቅም። በመግደላዊቷ ማርያም እና በሌሎቹ መካከል ያለው ልዩነት እሷ መዳንን ማድነቅ ብቻ ሳይሆን አዳኙንም ከፍ አድርጋ ትመለከታለች።

ምንም እንኳን ሌሎች ሴቶች ጌታን ቢፈልጉም፣ ወደ መቃብሩ በመጀመሪያ የመጣችው ግን ማርያም ነበረች። በሳምንቱ የመጀመሪያ ቀን፣ ገና ጨለማ ሳለ በማለዳ ጌታን ፈልጋ ወደ መቃብሩ መጣች። ማርያምን በተመለከተ አንድ ወንድም በአንድ ወቅት “ጌታ ኢየሱስ ከሞተ በኋላ፤ ዓለም በማርያም ዓይን ባዶ ሆነች!” ብሎ ተናግሯል። አለም ሁሉ ልቧን መሳብ አልቻለም ምክንያቱም አንድ ሰው ሙሉ በሙሉ ስለማረካት። ኦ የመግደላዊት ማርያም ልብ በጌታ ተይዞ ነበር!

ማርያም ወደ መቃብሩ በመጣች ጊዜ፣ “የእኔ ተወዳጅ ጌታ ሞቶአል። ዛሬ  ማየት የምፈልገው አካሉን ብቻ ነው።” ይሁን እንጂ አካሉ አልነበረም! እሷም ወደ ጴጥሮስና ዮሐንስ እየሮጠች ሄዳ “ጌታን ከመቃብር ወስደውታል፣ እና የት እንዳኖሩት አናውቅም” ትላቸዋለች።

ጴጥሮስና ሌላው ደቀ መዝሙር ዮሐንስም አብረው ወደ መቃብሩ ሮጡ። ዮሐንስ ከጴጥሮስ በላይ ፈጥኖ አስቀድሞ ወደ መቃብሩ መጣ። ዝቅ ብሎም ሲመለከት የተልባ እግር መጎናጸፊያውን አየ፥ አልገባምም። ስምዖን ጴጥሮስም ተከተለው፥ ወደ መቃብሩም ገባና የተልባ እግር መጎናጸፊያውን አየ። በራሱ ላይ ያለው መሀረብ ከተልባ እግር መጎናጸፊያ ጋር አልተቀመጠም፤ ነገር ግን በአንድ ቦታ ለብቻው ተጣጥፎ ነበር። ከዚያም ሌላው ደቀ መዝሙር ገብቶ አይቶ አመነ።

ሁለቱ ደቀ መዛሙርት ይህን ካዩ በኋላ ምን አደረጉ? መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ “ደቀ መዛሙርቱም ወደ ቤታቸው እንደ ገና ሄዱ” (ዮሐ. 20፡10) ይላል። በዓለም ውስጥ፣ እንደ ምርጥ ነገር አድርገው የሚቆጥሩት ቤታቸው አሁንም ነበረ። አሁንም ወደዚህ ቤት መመለስ ይችላሉ። አንዴ ጌታ እዚያ እንደሌለ ካወቁ በኋላ ወደ ራሳቸው ቤት መመለስ ከሁሉ የተሻለው ነገር እንደሆነ ተሰምቷቸዋል። ከጌታ በተጨማሪ የሚሄዱበት ቦታ ነበራቸው።

 የመበለት ልብ

ማርያም ምን አደረገች? “ማርያም ግን እያለቀሰች ከመቃብሩ ውጭ ቆማ ነበር” (ቁ. 11) የምትሄድበት ቦታ አልነበራትም! መሄድ አልቻለችም! “ግን” የሚለው ቃል ምንኛ ጥልቅ ነው! ማርያም በልቧ አሰበች፡- “አናንተ የምትሄዱበት ቤት አላችሁ፤ እኔ ግን አላደርገውም ምክንያቱም ጌታ በዚህ የለም። የጌታ መጥፋት አስፈላጊ እንዳልሆነ ታስባላችሁ፤ እኔን ግን ተመሳሳይ ስሜት ሊሰማኝ አይችልም። ማን ወሰደው? እንዴት ልተወው እችላለሁ? ” እያለቀሰች ከመቃብሩ ውጭ ቆመች። ጌታ በዚያ አልነበረምና ዓለም ለእሷ ባዶ ሆነባት። ሌላ ምን ማድረግ ትችላለች? ከመቃብሩ ውጭ ቆማ አለቀሰች።

የማርያም ልብ የአንድ መበለት ልብ ነበር። ጌታን የተከተሉት ደቀ መዛሙርት ሄዱ። ጥቂት እውቀት የነበራቸው ደቀ መዛሙርት ሄዱ። ጌታ የወደደው ዮሐንስ ሄደ፤ በጣም ደፋር የነበረው ጴጥሮስ ሄደ። ማርያም ግን ጌታ ሰባት አጋንንትን ያስወጣላት ተራ ሴት በጌታ ተይዛለች። ሰላምም ምቾትም አልነበራትም። መሄድ አልቻለችም። ጌታ በዚያ አልነበረምና። ልቧ ባዶ ነበር እና ማድረግ የምትችለው ማልቀስ ብቻ ነበር።

“እሷም ስታለቅስ ወደ መቃብሩ ቀና ብላ አየች፤ ሁለት መላእክት ነጭ ለብሰው የኢየሱስ ሥጋ ተኝቶበት በነበረው አንዱ በራስጌ አንዱም በእግርጌ ተቀምጠው አየች። አንቺ ሴት፥ ስለ ምን ታለቅሻለሽ? አሉኣት። እርስዋም ጌታዬን ወስደውታል ወዴትም እንዳኖሩት አላውቅም አለቻቸው።” (ቁ. 11-13)። የማርያም በሙሉ ልብ ስለ ጌታ እያሰበች ስለነበር መላእክቱን ባየች ጊዜ አልተገረመችም ወይም አልፈራችም። መላእክቱ ለሚያደርጉት ነገር ግድ አልነበራትም። ልቧ ለጌታዋ ብቻ ነበር።

አንዳንዶች “ጌታ ዮሐንስን በጣም ይወደው ስለነበር እንዲሁም ጴጥሮስም ከጌታ ጋር በጣም ብዙ ነገሮችን ስላሳለፈ፤ እነሱን መከተል ብችል ኖሮ በጣም ጥሩ ነበር ብሎ ያስባል። ” የማርያም ልብ ግን በእነዚህ ነገሮች አልተሳበም። ለእሷ ከጴጥሮስና ከዮሐንስ ጋር መሆን በቂ አልነበረም። ነጭና የሚያብረቀርቅ ልብስ የለበሱ መላእክት ለአንዳንዶች ልዩና ማራኪ ይሆናሉ፤ ነገር ግን መላእክቱ ማርያምን ሲያናግሩት ምንም አልተሰማትም። ጌታዋ መወሰዱን ብቻ አስባለችና።

መላእክቱ፦“አንቺ ሴት፣ ለምን ታለቅሻለሽ?” ብለው ጠየቁት። እርሷም “ጌታዬን ወሰደውታል ወዴትም እንዳኖሩት አላውቅም” አለች (ቁ. 13)። ጌታ ቢሞትም ሥጋው አሁንም ለእሷ ውድ ነበር። ስለጌታ ትንሣኤ አታውቅም። በማቴዎስ ውስጥ ጌታ በሞተ በሦስተኛው ቀን እንደሚነሣ ለአራት ጊዜ ለደቀ መዛሙርቱ ነገራቸው (ማቴ. 16፡21፤ 17፡23፤ 20፡19፤ 26፡32) ነገር ግን ስለዚህ ነገር የምታውቀው ነገር አልነበረም። በዚያ ቀን እሷ ምንም ተስፋ አልነበረችም፤ የጌታ አካል ብቻ ቢኖራት ጥሩ ነበር። ምንም እንኳን የማታውቅ ብትሆንም በሙሉ ልቧ ጌታን በመሻቷ ጌታ እራሱን እንዲገልጥላት አደረገው።

ጌታ ራሱን ለማርያም የገለጠበት ምክንያት እርሱን የተራበና የተጠማ ልቧን ለማርካት ነው። ጴጥሮስና ዮሐንስ ወደ ቤታቸው ተመለሱ። ጌታ እነሱን ለማግኘት አልሄደም። ሆኖም ልቧ ሙሉ በሙሉ ለእርሱ ስለነበር ማርያምን ፈልጓል። ወንድሞች እና እህቶች፣ ከሁሉም በላይ ዋናው ነገር ምን ያህል እናውቃለን ሳይሆን ጌታ እኛን እንዲፈልግ የሚያነሳሳ ልብ አለን ወይ የሚለው ነው። ይህ በጣም ውድ ነገር ነው።

"እሱ" ብቻ

“ይህን ስትናገር ወደ ኋላ ዘወር ብላ ኢየሱስን ቆሞ አየችው፤ ነገር ግን ኢየሱስ መሆኑን አላወቀችም። ኢየሱስም። አንቺ ሴት፥ ስለ ምን ታለቅሻለሽ? አላት። ማንን ነው የምትፈልጊው? አትክልተኛውም መስሎዋት ፡- ጌታ ሆይ፥ ወስደኸው እንደ ሆንህ ወዴት እንዳኖርከው ንገረኝ እኔም እወስደዋለሁ አለችው።” (ቁ.14-15) ጌታ ኢየሱስን አየችው፣ ነገር ግን አትክልተኛው መስሏት ነበር።

ጌታ ማንን እንደምትፈልግ ጠየቃት። እሱን ወስደኸው እንደ ሆነ አለች። ጌታን የናዝሬቱን ኢየሱስን እንደምትፈልግ መናገሩን ረሳችው። “እሱ” ብቻ አለችው። በማርያም እይታ በአለም ውስጥ አንድ "እሱ" ብቻ ነበር። በልቧ ውስጥ፣ “እሱ” ማን እንደሆነ ሁሉም ሰው ያውቃል ብላ ታስብ ነበር። የማርያም ልብ “ከእርሱ” በቀር ለማንም ደንታ አልነበረውም።

 መኃልየ መኃልይ 1፡2 “በአፉ መሳም ይሳመኝ” ይላል። ሰሎሞንን የናፈቀችው ሱላማዊቷ ቃል ይህ ነበር። የማርያም ልብ የሚናፍቀው ነገር “እርሱ”ን ነው። በአፏ የምትናገረውም “እሱ” ነው። በልቧ እና በአፏ ውስጥ "እሱ" ብቻ ነበር። “እሱ” ካለ እሷ በቂ ነበረች። እርሱን ብቻ ማግኘታችን ለልባችንም በቂ ሊሆን ይገባል። ተጨማሪ እውቀት ማግኘት አስፈላጊ አይደለም፤ የሚያስፈልገን ለእርሱ ሙሉ የሆነ ልብ ነው።

ወስደኸው እንደ ሆንህ ወዴት እንዳኖርከው ንገረኝ እኔም እወስደዋለሁ አለች። ማርያም በቂ ጥንካሬ እንደነበራት ወይም የመንገዱ ርቀት ምን ያህል እንደሆነ አላሰበችም። ያሰበችው እርሱን መውሰድ ነበር። ፍቅር “ከባድ ” የሚለውን ትርጉም አያውቅም። ፍቅር ሁሉንም ነገር ቀላል ያደርገዋል፤ ማርያም ሌሎች ወስደውት እንደሆነ ማወቅ የፈለገችው እሱን እንድትወስድ ብቻ ነው። ይህ የማርያም ልብ ነበር።

በዚህ ሁኔታ ጌታ እራሱን ለእሷ መግለጥ ነበረበት። ከዚህ በኋላ እንድታለቅስ ሊፈቅድላት አልቻለም። ጴጥሮስንና ዮሐንስን ለማግኘት መጀመሪያ መሄድ አልቻለም፣ ወይም ወደ ኤማሁስ የሚሄዱትን ሁለቱን ደቀ መዛሙርት ለማግኘት መሄድ አልቻለም። ቶማስን ለማግኘት መሄድ አልቻለም። ጌታ በመጀመሪያ እርሱን የተራበ እና የተጠማ ልብን መሙላት ነበረበት። በመጀመሪያ ራሱን ለማርያም መግለጥ ነበረበት።

የጌታ ድምፅ

ጌታ እንዴት ራሱን ገለጠላት? “ኢየሱስም፦ ማርያም! አላት:-  እርስዋም ዘወር ብላ በዕብራይስጥ፡— ረቡኒ፡ አለችው። (ትርጉም መምህር ማለት ነው)” (ቁ. 16) ጌታ "ማርያምን" እንዲህ ባለ ድምፅ ሲናገር ሰምተሃል? በጸሎትህ ጊዜ፣ በጓዳህ ውስጥ፣ “ማርያም” የሚለውን ድምፅ ብትሰማ ይበቃሃል። ማርያም ወዲያው አወቀችው። ይህ መገለጥ ነበር። እረኛው በጎቹን ሲጠራ ዓይኖቻቸውን ይከፈታሉ። ማርያም አንዴ የጌታን ድምፅ ከሰማች በኋላ አትክልተኛው ሳይሆን መምህሩ መሆኑን አወቀች። ከእንግዲህ ማልቀስ አላስፈለጋትም። ጌታ "ማርያም" ያለው አንድ ጊዜ ብቻ ነው ከዚያም ወዲያውኑ ጌታ መሆኑን አወቀች። አንዴ ጌታ ራሱን ከገለጠልን ምንም ተጨማሪ መናገር አያስፈልግም። ወንድሞች እና እህቶች፣ የጌታን ድምፅ እናውቃለን?

እናት እና አንድ ልጅ ብቻ ስላሉት ቤተሰብ የሚያውቅ አንድ ወንድም ነበር። ሁልጊዜ ምሽት ልጁ በብስክሌት ወደ ቤት ይሄድ ነበር። ቤት አጠገብ በደረሰ ጊዜ እናቱ መመለሱን እንድታውቅ ሁልጊዜ ያፏጫል። አንድ ቀን ይህ ወንድም እናትየውን በቤቷ ውስጥ እያወራት ነበር። ሊሄድ በዝግጅት ላይ ሳለ ልጇ በቅርቡ ወደ ቤት ስለሚደርስ እንዲቆይ ጠየቀችው። እንዴት እንዳወቀች ሲጠይቃት የልጇን የፉጨት ድምፅ እንደሰማች መለሰችለት። ለሌሎች ሰዎች ይህ ድምጽ ምንም ትርጉም አልነበረውም፤ ነገር ግን ለእናቱ በተለየ መልኩ ትርጉም  ነበረው። ጌታም “ማርያም” አላት። ሌሎች ሰዎች ምንም አልተሰማቸውም ይሆናል፤ ነገር ግን ማርያም ይህንን ድምጽ አውቀችው። አንዴ ከሰማች በኋላ ይህ ጌታ መሆኑን አወቀች።

ይህን ተከትሎ፡ “ኢየሱስም። ገና ወደ አብ አላረግሁምና አትንኪኝ አላት። ነገር ግን ወደ ወንድሞቼ ሄደሽ፡— እኔ ወደ አባቴና ወደ አባታችሁ ወደ አምላኬና ወደ አምላካችሁ ዐርጋለሁ፡ በያቸው።” (ቁ. 17)። በማቴዎስ 28 ላይ ሴቶቹ ያመልኩት ስለነበር ጌታ እንዲነኩት ፈቀደላቸው። እዚህ ጌታ ማርያም እንድትነካው አልፈቀደም። ይህ ምን ማለት ነው? ማርያም ጌታን በምድር ላይ ለማቆየት ከፍተኛ ፍላጎት ነበራት። ልትይዘው እና እንዳይሄድ ፈልጋ ነበር። ጌታ በምድር ምን አገኘ?  የተቀበለው የእሾህ አክሊል፣ መስቀል እና መቃብር ብቻ ነበር። አሁን ጌታ ወደ ሰማይ፣ ወደ “አባቴና አባታችሁ፣ አምላኬና አምላካችሁ” ወደሚባለው ቦታ ያርጋል። ማርያምን አትንኪኝ ያለው ለዚህ ነው። በምድር ላይ አታስቀሪኝ። ጌታ ከሞት መነሳቱ ብቻ ሳይሆን የአዲሱ የሰው ዘር ራስ እና የሰው ተወካይ ለመሆን ወደ ላይ ማረግ ነበረበት። ሰው በሰማይ ሆኖ አያውቅም። በጌታ ኢየሱስ ዕርገት የመጀመሪያው ሰው ወደዚያ ሄደ። አሁን፣ በእርሱ የሚያምኑትም ወደዚያ ይሄዳሉ። " ከመላእክት ይልቅ በጥቂት አንሶ የነበረውን ኢየሱስን ከሞት መከራ የተነሣ የክብርና የምስጋናን ዘውድ ተጭኖ እናየዋለን።"

(ወደ ዕብራውያን 2:9)

ብዙ ልጆችን ወደ ክብር ሲያመጣ፥ ሁሉም በእርሱ በኩል ሁሉም ለሆነ ለእርሱ የተገባው ነበርና። በሞት መከራ ምክንያት፣ ጌታ ክብርን እና የምስጋናን ዘውድ ተቀበለ እና ብዙ ልጆችም ወደ ክብር ይገባሉ። ጌታ ሄዷል ደቀ መዛሙርቱም ይሄዳሉ። ከትንሣኤ በኋላ ደቀ መዛሙርቱ በጌታ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ወንድሞች ተብለው ተጠርተዋል። በሌላ አነጋገር፣ ጌታ በኩር ነው፣ እኛም ብዙ ልጆች ነን። ጌታ ተነሥቶ ዐረገ። አባቱ ደግሞ አባታችን ነው፤አምላኩም አምላካችን ነው። ስለዚህም ጌታ ለማርያም፡- ወደ ወንድሞቼ ሄደሽ፡- እኔ ወደ አባቴና ወደ አባታችሁ ወደ አምላኬና ወደ አምላካችሁ ዐርጋለሁ ብለሽ ንገሪኣቸው አላት።

ከዚህ በኋላ ማርያም የምትናገረው ነገር አልነበራትም። ረክታለች - በእውነት ረክታለች። አሁን መመለስ ትችላለች። ወንድሞችና እህቶች፣ ይህ መገለጥ ከሌላችሁ፣ ጌታን ካላያችሁና ድምፁን ካልሰማችሁ፣ እርሱን ልትወቅሱ ትችላላችሁ? ነገር ግን የማርያም ርሃብ ስለሌላችሁ ነው እንጂ ጌታ ሊገለጥላችሁ ስላልወደደ አይደለም። የእግዚአብሔርን ልጅ ከልብ ናፍቆት አላችሁ? የጌታን ልብ የእናንተ ማዕረግ ወይም ዝና ፈጽሞ አይነካውም ነገር ግን በእውነት ጌታን ከናፈቃችሁ ለአጭር ጊዜም ቢሆን ልቡ ይነካል! እግዚአብሔር አምላክ የእግዚአብሄርን ልጅ በአንድ ልብ እንድንወደው ይርዳን።

ጥያቄዎች፡-

1. ጌታ ለምን ከማንም በፊት ራሱን ለማርያም ገለጠ?

2. በልብህ ውስጥ "እሱ" ብቻ አለህ? “እሱ” መኖሩ ይበቃሃል?

3. የጌታን ድምፅ ታውቃለህ?

ጸሎት፡-

ውድ ጌታ ሆይ አንተን የሚሻ ልብ ስጠኝ። አንተን ብቻ እንድወድ አድርገኝ። በአንተ ብቻ የሚረካ ልብ ስጠኝ። ራስህን ለእኔ እንድትገለጥ፤ አንተን ለማየት እና እንድረካ በልቤ ውስጥ እንድፈልግ እጸልያለሁ። አቤቱ፥ አንተን እና መገለጥህን እናፍቃለሁ። ላገኝህ እፈልጋለሁ። ጌታ ሆይ አንተን እራባለሁ፤ ድምጽህን ሰምቼ ውበትህን ለማየት እንድችል አሁን ራስህን እንድትገልጥልኝ እጸልያለሁ።

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