John 20:1-18 (BBE)
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the place and saw that the stone had been taken away from it.
2 Then she went running to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple who was loved by Jesus, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the place of the dead and we have no knowledge where they have put him.
3 So Peter and the other disciple went out to the place of the dead.
4 They went running together, and the other disciple got in front of Peter and came first to the hole in the rock;
5 And looking in, he saw the linen bands on the earth; but he did not go in,
6 Then Simon Peter came after him and went into the hole in the rock; and he saw the linen bands on the earth,
7 And the cloth, which had been round his head, not with the linen bands but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple who came there first went in; and he saw and belief came to him.
9 For at that time they had no knowledge that the Writings said that he would have to come again from the dead.
10 So then the disciples went away again to their houses.
11 But Mary was still there outside the hole in the rock, weeping; and while she was weeping and looking into the hole,
12 She saw two angels in white seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet.
13 They said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I have no knowledge where they have put him.
14 And then looking round, she saw Jesus there, but had no idea that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? who are you looking for? She, taking him for the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have taken him away from here, say where you have put him and I will take him away.
16 Jesus said to her, Mary! Turning, she said to him in Hebrew, Rabboni! (which is to say, Master).
17 Jesus said to her, Do not put your hand on me, for I have not gone up to the Father: but go to my brothers and say to them, I go up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene went with the news to the disciples, and said she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

You know that feeling of waiting in line and thinking “oh, this is taking too long” and you change lines for another, only for the former to move faster than the one you’ve just changed to. I believe this will be that feeling for the disciples when they learnt that Mary saw the risen Christ.
Mary Magdalene, coming early to the sepulchre, finds it empty and runs to tell Peter and the others who couldn’t wait in line for Christ. Peter and John run to the tomb and finds all as Mary had reported. Mary’s patient waiting in line pays off, Jesus himself appears to her and sends her with a message to the disciples.
Sometimes we get distracted by our immediate situation, that we fail to see the glorious answer and solution of God right before our eyes. We magnify a situation to the point where think that the word of God is too small to deal with and change the situation when all we need to do is call out to “Rabbonni.”
Outwaiting a storm always brings its reward…Mary was at the tomb before anyone else, waited even when others left and were desperate and ready to do something for what she perceived was a problem, Vs 11-15.
Verse 10 is the most emphatic show of indifference, nonchalance and disinterest to the plight of others we could ever witness… “then the disciples went home again”. Really! Where is the passion, the zeal and fire instilled in them by the Master? Just like a lot of us today: they shrugged their shoulders, well, his body is not there, what’s our business, what can we do, why should we bother. They seem to have completely forgotten His promise of dying and rising back to life as stated in Matthew 16:21. The same way so many Christians seem to have forgotten all His promises, that they’d rather suffer than cry out to “Rabbonni.”
Mary’s diligence paid off in verse16-,17. She not only SAW the risen Christ and two Angels, but she was also actually the one to announce His resurrection. What a privilege!
Mary didn’t allow the attitude and indifference of the others to affect her passion and zeal for the master she followed whilst He was alive, she believes what He taught her which gave her the faith, hope and strength to wait for His resurrection.
She believed Romans 8:31-39 to be true, nothing, not even death could separate her from her master, and she was willing to wait at the graveside to prove that not only to herself but to the entire world that her “Rabbonni” is Lord and Master overall. How long and how far are we willing to go and wait to see the manifestation of the promises of God to us? He promised He will never fail, He is too faithful to fail, and Hid word in Isaiah 55:10-11 and Joshua 21:45 should fill us with confident assurance to call out to Rabbonni in time of need, difficulties and confusion.
There is an Evangelist Mary, a woman of diligence, desperation and zeal inside every one of us. Let her out, so she too can be rewarded when she cries out “Rabbonni”.
Keep searching, keep crying and keep calling for the Master. He will answer soon.
Shalom