One of my favorite older praise songs declares:
“One day, Jesus will call my name
As days go by, I hope I don’t stay the same.
I wanna get so close to Him that it’s no big change,
On that day that Jesus calls my name!”*
When Jesus first called the name of Mary Magdalene on that first Easter Sunday morning, she did not remain the same. Mary had been a devoted follower of Jesus ever since He cast seven demons out of her. Her life had been gloriously transformed by Christ, who taught that those who love Him much “are forgiven much” (See Luke 7:47). Perhaps no one loved and appreciated Jesus more than Mary.
Imagine her frustration as she stood alone outside Jesus’ tomb, weeping and wondering why His body was missing. Was it not enough that His enemies had murdered and mocked him? Was their hatred so intense that now they had taken His body to desecrate Him even more?
Just then, angels appeared inside the tomb and asked her why she was crying.
“…‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus” (John 20:13-14).
Why didn’t she recognize Jesus? Maybe it was still too dark, or she was blinded by the rising sun, or her vision was blurred from weeping, or perhaps Jesus’ resurrected body appeared somewhat different than His earthly body. Nevertheless, she did not immediately recognize the figure standing before her. John 20:14-16 continues:
“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.’
Jesus said to her,
‘Mary.'”
Jesus simply called her name. And from that moment, Mary Magdalene did not stay the same. We easily recognize distinct voices. Your mother can call you on the phone and simply say your name, and you immediately know who it is. Or you hear a brief phrase from an old Billy Graham sermon or a Paul Harvey replay, and you know exactly who that voice belongs to.
When Jesus called Mary’s name, she instantly recognized Him and was awestruck! “She turned toward the Lord and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabonni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’)” (v. 16).
The Bible almost always understates dramatic events. There is no embellishment, just a simple reporting of facts. The Apostle John closed his gospel by stating if everything Jesus did was written down, “…I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written: (John 21:25).
I wish we had more information about this specific part of the Easter story. I want to know how astonished Mary appeared. Did she scream in fear, gasp for breath, or squeal delightfully? What else did she say? What was her body language? Did she stutter and stammer in disbelief or fall to her knees as Thomas did and exclaim, “My Lord and my God!”?
Maybe someday in heaven, we will get to see a replay of Mary’s initial reaction to the risen Christ. Did she babble on and on? “Oh, Teacher, Teacher, my sweet Jesus! Look at you! I can’t believe it! My Lord! My God! You’re alive! Oh,sweet Jesus!”
This was the most glorious, most joyous moment of her life! This meant Jesus was the Messiah, after all. It meant everything He had taught them was true. It meant she really was forgiven. It meant she also had the hope of resurrection, and her life had an eternal purpose. That’s why I want to know more details than, “She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’”
No wonder she embraced Jesus and wouldn’t let go until “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, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17). What a marvelous moment Mary experienced that day when Jesus called her name.
Someday, whether it is when we die or when Christ returns, Jesus will call our name and inform us it’s time to come home. He promised, “…I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3)
When I was a boy, our elderly preacher’s wife got up from her chair, looked upward, and murmured, “I’m coming!” and then slumped to the floor, having died of a stroke. Our church was confident Mrs. Shaffer heard Jesus call her name.
Tom Ellsworth, who preached for decades at the Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in Bloomington, Indiana, tells of a 12-year-old boy in his congregation who wasted away with leukemia. In his final hours, he drifted into a coma. But in the last few seconds, his eyes opened, he brightened up, looked toward the ceiling, and quipped, “Well, Hi! How are you doing? It’s good to see you!” And then he was gone. His parents and loved ones were comforted by the thought that the boy had heard Jesus call his name.
Jesus said I am the good shepherd. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
If the resurrected Christ is our Good Shepherd, His voice will be an irresistible, welcome invitation to join Him forever in heaven. When that moment comes, we will respond with jubilation, as Mary did beside the garden tomb.
In the meantime, “I wanna get so close to Him that it’s no big change, On that day that Jesus calls my name.”
*”One Day” by Phill McHugh – Published by BMG Sapphire Songs/BMI / Group Seven Publishing/BMI / Reservoir One America/BMI + additional non-BMI publishers.
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