Mark 15:39-40 NASB
When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” [40] There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome.
Luke 23:55-56 NASB
Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. [56] Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Matthew 27:59-61 NASB
And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, [60] and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. [61] And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
Mark 16:1 NASB
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.
As I ponder more as to why Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection, I am constantly confronted with her wholeheartedness for Him, and the degree of her “wasted” impacts my heart in ways that’s hard for me to explain. When you examine the movements of Mary on Good Friday and Easter morning, it is impossible to ignore her passion for the nearness of Jesus. We are told that she was with a group of women who were watching the crucifixion from a distance. They were likely watching from a distance because there were real risks involved in being seen as a devoted follower of Jesus, but at some point, she separated herself and made her way to the foot of the Cross where the mother of Jesus and John the Beloved were standing. She just could not stay away from His presence. It was not enough for her to look on from a distance, and she was willing to pay whatever price she might have to pay to be near Him. Are we willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to cultivate His nearness? Don’t get me wrong, I know that we are all in Christ and therefore every one of us are in union with Jesus, and you can’t get closer than oneness, but I’m talking about living in the conscious awareness of His nearness which can only be cultivated in the place of devoted intimacy. It is also important to remember when talking about living out our union with Christ practically it is only as we cultivate His presence in the Secret Place behind the veil will we consistently manifest His presence in the marketplace beyond the veil. Abiding in Christ in the blood and guts details of daily living has to have a history of abiding in Christ at His footstool.
After the crucifixion, the women who had been watching from a distance followed those who had the body of Jesus to see where it would be laid, and then they left before the Sabbath on that Friday afternoon to go and prepare spices and perfumes for the anointing of the body of Jesus, then they rested during the Sabbath. We are told that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary also went to see where they were going to lay the body of Jesus, but they stayed opposite the tomb. Then later, the next day on Saturday morning went to buy spices and perfumes for the anointing of Jesus’s body. How long did they stay sitting opposite the tomb? We are not told, but it could have been for many hours because Mary Magdalene couldn’t stay away. She had to be near. I think it is so important that the Scriptures added these little details so that we understand that Mary Magdalene was simply cut from a different cloth, and her love for Jesus drove her to seek Him in extravagant ways. Can’t you imagine the image of Mary just sitting there opposite the tomb, not wanting to leave? When I was younger, I found that prayer was hard to consistently do because I had been taught that it was all about formulas and discipline, but since I discovered that it was all about nearness and fascination, I find it hard not to pray. As Mary Magdalene discovered, His nearness is addictive.