Mary Magdalene was the first person to find Jesus’ empty tomb on Easter and the first person Jesus appeared to after he rose from the dead.
This close friend and follower of Jesus can teach us a valuable lesson about letting go of the past. Many of us are familiar with the account of Mary Magdalene crying at the empty tomb. We’re going to look closely at that moment to see how, with Jesus’ help, she was able to loosen her grip on the past and find joy in the present (and how we can do this too).
John 20: 11 – 18, The Appearance to Mary of Magdala
Let’s take a look at Scripture and read about the moment Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb on Easter.
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. 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.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. 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.’” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.
John 20: 11 – 18
Recognize Your Empty Tomb
For us, the empty tomb in this bible passage can represent our attachment to the past.
Is there an “empty tomb” in your life still causing you grief? Sometimes we feel heartache over events from our past because we don’t recognize how God has already redeemed that situation.
Take Mary for example. When she saw Jesus, she didn’t recognize him or that he had fulfilled his promise to rise on the third day. She was still grieving his death and mistook him for the gardener. When we hold onto the past for too long, it can distort our view of the present.
Can you recognize an “empty tomb” in your own life? It’s probably different from mine or someone else’s. Perhaps it’s a relationship that ended badly, regret over a past mistake, or grief over a departed loved one. Dwelling on these losses prevents us from seeing how God has already redeemed them – he’s already at work designing a better relationship for you, he’s already forgiven your past mistakes, and he’s already set a place for your loved ones in Heaven.
Know You’re Capable of Letting Go | Turn Away from the Empty Tomb
When Mary turned away from the empty tomb, she did not recognize Jesus right away. She was still holding onto her understanding that Jesus was dead. She had been a witness to his crucifixion after all. It wasn’t until he spoke her name, “Mary!” that she recognized him.
Then he 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.’”
Jesus invites Mary to let go of her painful past. The man she thought was dead is in fact alive. In order to accept him as the risen son of God, she must stop holding onto him as a dead man.
After Jesus had spoken, Mary was able to let go of the trauma she experienced three days prior when she witnessed her Lord’s death. This doesn’t mean she completely erased it from her memory, but she was able to let go of it enough to accept the good news before her. She goes to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and shares with them what he told her.
Letting go of the past doesn’t mean you forget the past. Jesus specifically asked us to remember what he did for us on the cross [“Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:24)]. He does not want us to forget the past, but he does want us to rejoice in the way he redeemed us through the challenging times.
A tomb holds the body of someone who has died. There is no death with Jesus, so do as Mary did, and turn away from the tomb. Turn to Jesus and find new life in him.