On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
11 But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.
Our recent Gospel readings have followed Jesus during His public ministry in Matthew. Today, on the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the Church brings us to Easter morning in John's Gospel. There we witness the moment when the risen Christ reveals Himself to Mary and entrusts her with the first proclamation of His Resurrection.
Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb before sunrise, “while it was still dark” (v. 1). John is certainly describing the early hour, but throughout his Gospel darkness also symbolizes a lack of understanding (John 1:4-5; 8:12). Mary deeply loves Jesus, yet she does not yet understand that He has risen. When she sees the stone rolled away, she assumes that someone has taken His body. Her words, “We don’t know where they put him” (v. 2), also suggest that other women had accompanied her to the tomb, even though John now focuses his attention on Mary.
The empty tomb is the first sign that something extraordinary has happened, but by itself it does not produce faith. Mary repeats three times that someone has taken the Lord's body (vv. 2, 13, 15). Even after seeing two angels, she continues to search for the body of Jesus. Like the other disciples, she must be led beyond grief and confusion to the joy of the Resurrection. The empty tomb raises questions, but only the risen Christ reveals what it means.
One detail reveals the depth of Mary's love. Peter and the beloved disciple leave after examining the tomb, but Mary remains. She stays outside weeping, unwilling to abandon the place where she last knew her Lord to be. St. Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), one of the early Church Fathers, observed that she alone saw the risen Christ because she remained searching for Him with persevering love. Her steadfastness becomes an example for every disciple who continues to seek the Lord even when His presence seems hidden.
The turning point comes with a single word. Jesus says, "Mary!" (v. 16). Immediately she recognizes Him and replies, "Rabbouni," meaning "Teacher." John has prepared us for this moment earlier in his Gospel when Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd: "He calls his own sheep by name... and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice" (John 10:3-4). The risen Lord fulfills His own promise. Mary does not recognize Him merely by seeing Him; she recognizes Him because the Good Shepherd calls one of His sheep by name.
Jesus then tells Mary, "Stop holding on to me" (v. 17). He is not saying that His risen body cannot be touched. Matthew records that the women took hold of His feet and worshiped Him (Matthew 28:9), and later Jesus invites Thomas to touch His wounds (John 20:27). Rather, Mary must not cling to Jesus as though He were simply going to continue His earthly ministry. Through His Death and Resurrection everything has changed. He is returning to the Father, and after His Ascension He will remain with His disciples through the Holy Spirit and in the life of His Church (John 14:16-18, 23).
Jesus then announces a new relationship made possible by His saving work: “I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (v. 17). When Jesus says, “my God,” He is speaking as the Son of God incarnate, who truly shares our human nature; these words do not deny His divinity. By nature, He is the eternal Son of the Father. Through His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, His human nature is glorified and exalted, and He is seated at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:32-33; Philippians 2:8-11). Those who believe in Him become God’s adopted sons and daughters by grace (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-17). Jesus now calls the disciples “my brothers,” not because they are His biological brothers, but because His saving work has brought them into the family of God. His victory over sin and death has opened the way for us to share in the life of the Father through Him.
Mary does not keep this encounter to herself. Jesus immediately sends her to the disciples, and she faithfully announces, “I have seen the Lord” (v. 18). The woman who came to the tomb in sorrow becomes the first witness sent to proclaim the Resurrection. This mission anticipates the command recorded at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). From the beginning, those who encounter the risen Christ are sent to bear witness to Him.
Mary does not keep this encounter to herself. Jesus immediately sends her to the disciples, and she faithfully announces, "I have seen the Lord" (v. 18). The woman who came to the tomb in sorrow becomes the first witness sent to proclaim the Resurrection. This mission anticipates the command recorded at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). From the beginning, those who encounter the risen Christ are sent to bear witness to Him.
The same risen Lord still calls each of us by name. He meets us in His living Word, which is “living and effective” (Hebrews 4:12), in the sacraments He entrusted to His Church, and in the life of His people, among whom He promised to remain always (Matthew 28:20). As He transformed Mary’s grief into faith and her faith into joyful witness, so He calls us to recognize His voice, remain faithful to Him, and proclaim by our words and our lives, “I have seen the Lord.”
Heavenly Father, thank You for raising Your Son from the dead and opening the way for us to become Your children through Him. Help us to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd, remain faithful when our faith is tested, and joyfully proclaim the hope of the Resurrection to others. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. John 20:1-2, 11-18 and notes.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Notes on John 20:1-20.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Notes on John 20:1-18.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. John 20:1-18, pp. 982-983.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. John 20:1-18, pp. 1176-1179.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. John 20:1-18, pp. 1438-1439.
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