John 20:11-17 :

But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They told her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

She, supposing him to be 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, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”

Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Here we see the first witness of Jesus after He resurrected. At first, I was surprised that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus. After reading much closer, I realized that Jesus was behind her. She must have turned quickly at first and then turned back away from Him again. Through the tears, she probably didn’t recognize Jesus. After all, Mary wouldn’t have assumed it was Jesus there since she wasn’t used to seeing people that recently died walking around.

Jesus cried before He resurrected Lazarus, I would not be too surprise if this broke his heart too and that He was pretty close to crying with Mary here. He was able to say one word, however and that caused Mary to realize who she was talking to. This tells me that Jesus had a way of loving people just by how he spoke that was so unique that it could be immediately detected.

Very quickly, Mary’s emotions changed! I believe that she must have gotten up and hugged Jesus so hard that Jesus had to ask to be released! He might have perceived that Mary didn’t ever want to let Him go! He explained to her that He needed to go back to the Father like He had been telling the disciples.

Jesus called His disciples “brothers!” Do you realize what that means to us as disciples? It means that Jesus considers us to be first generation sons of God!

1 John 3:1a :

Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!