Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. John 20:16
It's interesting to me that throughout the Gospels nobody really knows who Jesus is. There are multiple passages before the crucifiction when Jesus asks his followers directly and few have the answer. When Peter finally comes up with the right answer Jesus makes him keep quiet about it. Then after the resurrection it's even harder for people to recognize him. We see it on the road to Emmaus, on the shore when the disciples are fishing, and here outside the tomb.
I heard Fr. Richard Rohr speak about this passage of scripture not too long ago. Mary Magdalene thinks Jesus is the gardner until he speaks her name. That is when she finally recognizes Jesus. Not just as the man she loved and followed, but The Christ, the anointed one sent by God to redeem our sins. Jesus is calling each of us by name. Not to simply recognize him in the scriptures or in our church on Sunday. But in the lives of those around us. Christ is looking at us through the eyes of the gardner, the widow, the homeless, the displaced, the unloved and the forgotten.
How can I hear Christ's call on my life today?
God, grant me the strength to see Christ in those around me.
