Happy Valentine’s Day!
The risen Savior, our Lord and King, first appeared to Mary Magdalene and she brought the news to the disciples. God always respected the marginalized of the culture in His time. There is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, slave or free that is elevated in His Kingdom.
No greater love exists. John 3:16-18
Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
We love because he first loved us. - 1 John 4:19
We serve a risen Messiah, Christ the Lord!
By faith we believe that Christ fulfilled everything we need for salvation and was given for ALL who believe.
The gift of rest in Christ is about restoring our minds and replenishing our hearts to serve in His Kingdom. Jesus lovingly longs for us to be His disciples, sit at His feet with willing hearts, and hope in Him. He is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). Jesus is God Himself, yet He is also a meek and kind servant who promises to carry our burdens … vastly different from the abrasive Pharisees. When we surrender all our circumstances and exhaustion to Jesus, He promises refreshment for our souls and sufficient grace for our every need and task. How sweet His tender care is!
Today, we can remember and embrace Jesus' yoke of grace every day instead of falling into legalistic mindsets that are not biblical. For example, pointing fingers and thinking we are holier than people who sin differently than we do proves we are yoking ourselves to legalistic mentalities that damage God's Kingdom. Instead, let's obey God with a "gentle and lowly" spirit like our Savior's (Matthew 11:29). First5
My friends, there are so many forms of love, starting with the love you show and bestow on yourself. Love is powerful like that.
Focus on loving those who love you, those who show up in your life in ways big and small all the time. Even love those who tried to love you along the way, and for whatever reasons, it didn’t work out. Show love to others—those you know, and those you may simply know from afar.
Watching love in real time warms the heart, softens the eyes, and calms the nervous system. Love is not just what individuals need to thrive; it’s also what our country needs to heal... So in this week that celebrates love, try to find the love that shines through the cracks of your own heart. Hold space for someone who might be struggling. Love yourself—your body, your shadow, your beautiful brain, all of you—and all of others. Know that so many amongst us are heartbroken. They are down on the mat of life, unsure how to get up, and unsure if anyone cares whether they do or not. You have the opportunity to share your love and marvel at it in someone else. You can stop and acknowledge all that you have been through in your life, and you can love where you are on the journey. This week, I hope you can make room for the unexpected, and when it arrives, show it some love.” (Maria Shriver)
John 20:11-18
11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. The New King James Version
Rabboni meaning “my teacher.” Mary recognizes Jesus for who He is and acknowledges His role as the one who taught her. Faithlife Study Bible
When Christ uttered her name, Mary recognized His voice. Mary addressed Christ as Rabboni, an Aramaic term which John translates for his Greek readers.
Cling means “to fasten oneself to” or “to hold.” Mary had grabbed Christ and was holding on to Him as if she would never turn Him loose. Christ explained to her that He could not stay because He had to ascend to His Father.
My brethren referred to the disciples. Jesus sent Mary to them with the first postresurrection testimony. Though it may be that Mary was a woman did not keep Jesus from commissioning her to bring the gospel message to the apostles.
God is the Father of Christ and of believers. The NKJV Study Bible
Christ, in manifesting himself to those that seek him, often outdoes their expectations. See how Mary’s heart was in earnest to find Jesus. Christ’s way of making himself known to his people is by his word; his word applied to their souls, speaking to them in particular. It might be read, Is it my Master? See with what pleasure those who love Jesus speak of his authority over them. He forbids her to expect that his bodily presence look further, than the present state of things. Observe the relation to God, from union with Christ. We, partaking of a Divine nature, Christ’s Father is our Father; and he, partaking of the human nature, our God is his God. Christ’s ascension into heaven, there to plead for us, is likewise an unspeakable comfort. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Matthew 28:9–10 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Mark 16:9–11 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept…
John 21:4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
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