Never Less ThanSample

I pictured Jesus traveling with His 12 disciples for most of my life. Isn’t that the picture in the Sunday school books? Only as an adult, the landscape in my mind dramatically changed. Jesus didn’t travel with only the 12 men. Luke lets us know some women traveled with them: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others.

We don’t know much about Mary Magdalene’s initial encounter with Jesus except that He delivered her from seven demons (Luke 8:1-2). From that point on, Mary’s mission in life was to do what she could to serve her Savior, Lord, Healer, Redeemer, and Teacher.

After Jesus’ arrest, His 11 surprised disciples scattered like church mice when the lights came on, but not Mary Magdalene. She watched in horror as He was beaten, crucified, and buried in a borrowed tomb. We get no stories of Mary Magdalene running away from the authorities, hiding behind locked doors, or denying her association with Jesus from curious bystanders.

On the third day after Jesus’ death, Mary traveled to Jesus’ burial site and discovered the stone had rolled away, and the tomb was empty. Once she told the disciples of her discovery, Peter and John ran to see for themselves, but Jesus remained hidden when His closest friends arrived. Once they left, Jesus appeared to a crying Mary. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who it is 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” (John 20:15-16).

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

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’” (John 20:16-17).

Jesus commissioned Mary Magdalene with the most important message in human history: He was alive. She is a breathtaking example that our pasts do not determine our future.

Just as God chose Mary of Bethlehem to bring the baby Jesus into the world, God chose Mary of Magdala to bring news of the risen Christ to the world. History considered women on the lowest rung of the social ladder, and their testimony was considered so worthless in a Jewish court of law, God handpicked Mary Magdalene to be the primary eyewitness to the most significant event in all of history. Then He commissioned her to go and tell about it, just like He commissioned me and you.

On that first Easter morning, when God rolled the stone away, it was to let Jesus out and let in the women. He still rolls away the stones to allow us to enter places we never dreamed possible, to go beyond barriers we never thought crossable, and to minister to people we never imagined reachable.

I hope you are seeing yourself through Jesus’ eyes right now. I hope you are catching a glimpse of your potential to impact your part of the world with the gospel. I hope you are getting a taste of the incredible significance you have as an ambassador to go and tell.

You are validated, redeemed, pursued, set free, and chosen by God. You are valued and adored—never less than, always cherished.

We hope you found this YouVersion plan helpful! You can read more from Sharon Jaynes in her book, Never Less Than, available here.