Of the four gospels that talk about the resurrection of Jesus, my favorite one is John, chapter 20. Jesus' body had been in the tomb for several days, with a huge stone rolled in front of the opening. Mary Magdala decided to visit the tomb, and found the stone rolled away. Disturbed, she ran to Simon Peter and John, telling them what she saw. They ran to the tomb, looked in, and found only the burial cloths, neatly folded. Jesus' body was gone!
While they went back to their homes, Mary remained. While she was crying, she looked into the tomb opening and this time she saw two angels. They asked her why she was crying, and she explained that her Lord was missing, and wondered where he had been taken.
At that same time, she turned around to see a man standing by her. It was Jesus but she didn't recognize him. When he asked her the same question, she told him that if he had taken the body of her Jesus, she would like to know where he put him, so she could get him.
Then, and this is what means so much to me: He said, "Mary."
Can you imagine what she must have felt? Days of intense grief over witnessing the brutal crucifixion of her beloved One was replaced by this! Jesus was back! Alive! He said her name! Instantly, then, she knew this man was Jesus. She wanted to hug him, but had to wait until later.
You know, Jesus does say your name! When He tries to get your attention, and you are listening, really listening, you can hear that inaudible voice, quietly calling your name. The closer your relationship is with Him, the clearer His voice is to you. And so sweet it is!
Just listen... do you hear Him calling your name?
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