Jesus Revealed (Easter Day 2)

Easter Tuesday: Jesus Reveals Himself

PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.

READ: John 20:11-18

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

UNDERSTAND: What is the main idea of this passage?

Why didn’t Mary and the other disciples recognize Jesus? There are a couple options. Jesus’ resurrected body could have looked different. Or Jesus was not allowing them to be able to recognize Him as we see in Luke 24 (specifically verses 31, 45). Once Jesus revealed Himself their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. In Mary’s case, once Jesus called her by name she understood that He has risen from the dead.

APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?

For those of us who believe, there was a point in our lives in which Christ revealed Himself to us. Even though we may have knew the Gospel all along, at some point our eyes are opened and we believe. And like Mary, our response is to tell everyone about it!

When did Christ reveal Himself to you? What was the experience like?

Who in your life needs to hear about your experience?

PRAY: Ask God to give you the courage to tell others about the Gospel.