After Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph discovered the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene ran to inform Peter and John, while the other Mary informed others, most likely the other women who were on their way to assist them in their burial custom for Jesus’ corpse. We surmise that the two Marys returned to the tomb with those they had informed, for after the appearance of the two angels announcing the resurrection to the other women, and after Peter and John had left the tomb finding nothing but the empty grave wrappings, Jesus made His first resurrection appearance to them there (Mat 28:9, Joh 20:11-16). John reports that Mary Magdalene was standing outside the tomb weeping. For although they had been told by an angel that Jesus had risen (Mat 28:6), the vision quickly faded like a dream so that the only rational thing they could imagine was that His body had been removed. And if by some miracle He had been raised from the dead, because they had no understanding of the actual resurrection body to which He had been raised and could only imagine it in terms of Lazarus’ resuscitation, then the fact that His body was missing was most likely because He had fallen again into the hands of His enemies. For the Roman guard was right there, and how could Lazarus have escaped such a situation (Joh 11:44), much less Jesus considering the greater degradation of His physical body? Such thoughts would heap all the more sorrow upon His followers, especially these women who had stuck closest to Him.
What does John say that she did while weeping in front of the tomb? See Joh 20:11. Although the angel who had earlier appeared to her and the other Mary was not there when Peter and John entered the tomb, which would have caused her to doubt her earlier experience all the more, what did she see this time as she stooped to look in? See Joh 20:12. Is this possibly the same vision of two angels seen by the women that Luke records? See Luk 24:3-7. Although clearly a different event, is it possible that it was the same two angels? Although the angels did not appear to Peter and John, was that necessarily because they weren’t there? Cf. 2Ki 6:17. Even if they weren’t there, it is clear that they could have appeared to them had God so willed; what does this remind us about the greater faith required of those to whom more has been entrusted? Cf. Luk 12:48. What does it also teach us about dismissing the witness of those whom we suppose are not as spiritual as ourselves? Cf. Luk 24:11, 1Co 12:23-24. What does John’s description of where the angels were sitting strongly imply about what was between them, that was the one clue that Jesus’ raising was not like Lazarus’—clearly an enigma for the disciples, but offering a tiny glimmer of hope that perhaps He really had been raised, though in a manner different from Lazarus? See Joh 20:5-6 and consider that because she could clearly discern from the position of the grave-clothes where His head and feet had been, they must not have been disturbed in a manner consistent with someone unwrapping the body to remove it while leaving the wrappings in a heap. See also Joh 20:8.
What did the angels say to Mary, that was also echoed by the first words Jesus spoke to her when she saw Him just a moment later? See Joh 20:13,15. Why such a question? Were the angels perhaps just making conversation? Wasn’t it obvious why she was weeping? Cf. 2Co 7:10, Jer 17:10, and consider that while on a surface level it may seem clear, from an eternal, spiritual perspective, it isn’t necessarily obvious if one is simply sorrowful for his own loss, as Judas’ seems to have been (Mat 27:3-5), or if one has a godly sorrow based in righteousness and truth, as was Peter’s (Mat 26:75). And so the Lord probes our hearts; cf. 1Ch 28:9 and the Lord’s questions to Peter in Joh 21:15-17. What did Mary’s response to the two angels indicate about the nature of her sorrow? Was it of a selfish nature, along the lines of, “I had hopes and dreams that will no longer be fulfilled”? Or did her reply express a selfless concern for Jesus? How did she refer to Jesus in her response? See Joh 20:13. When our own spiritual expectations are not met or even shattered as were Mary’s, (think: what if the “rapture” so many expect doesn’t happen as they suppose?) do we still own Jesus as our Lord and is our sorrow for Him and His kingdom, trusting that He cannot be wrong? Or do such events reveal that our true motivation in following Him is not because He has the words of life, but because of what we think He can do for us? Cf. Joh 6:26-27,60,66-69. What is the significance that it was only after her heart’s desire had been revealed that she immediately turned and then saw Jesus, though not recognizing Him at first? Is it possible that in the same way one cannot even begin to see Jesus until his heart has been revealed as one that will love Him unselfishly and follow Him sincerely?
Besides asking her why she was weeping, what additional question did Jesus ask Mary in Joh 20:15 before she recognized Him? Even at that point, if Mary hadn’t been seeking Jesus with all her heart, would she necessarily have found Him, though He was standing right in front of her? Cf. Sol 3:2, 6:1, and Jesus’ words to the Jews in Joh 5:39-40. In the same way, is it possible that we could see Jesus, even as He is in Scripture, but not personally recognize Him as our intimate friend though He is standing right in front of us, precisely because we are not truly seeking Him with all our heart? What should we expect that He might look like if He were to stand right before us, that we should not miss recognizing Him? See Mat 25:35-40.