When Jesus Calls Us By Name

John 20:13-16

"They asked her, "Woman why are you 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.

"Woman," he said, "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."

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

Here Mary has just discovered the empty tomb of Christ and she's weeping. His body is gone and she is emotionally torn. She probably felt that since His body was gone, He was gone forever. She was looking for something left of Jesus to hold on to. Have you ever lost someone and you just want to visit their gravesite because you just feel they are there? It's the one thing that you have left of them. Well, this is what it was like for Mary. She wanted some sort of mark or grave where she knew Jesus would be so that she would feel at peace. She would feel that He didn't leave. But Mary didn't yet know what was about to happen. She didn't understand yet that one more thing had to happen in order for her to have Jesus forever.

So there she stands... weeping. And Jesus comes to her and asks, "Why are you crying?"   But she doesn't recognize the voice because she is so caught up in her sorrow. I think this happens to us often. God calls to us or is trying to speak to us, but we shove him aside because we're so focused on ourselves that we completely miss it. 

But then... Jesus calls her by name. Something in Mary clicks and immediately she knows the voice. She cries out "Rabboni! Teacher!" Her Lord was there. Wow... all God has to do is call us by our name and something profound happens inside of us. Have you ever been in this position? Where you just get hit with God's voice as He calls out your name? 

And have you ever noticed how significant names are? I mean, it's how people know us. We learn from childhood to define ourselves by our name. In kindergarten we're told to write our name on our name tag or to line up according to our name. It's the one word that is said almost every single day over the whole course of our lives. The sound of our name is one of the most powerful sounds in our lives. When people say you're name, you just feel a sense of acceptance...intimacy..a connection. When I'm aware of someone using my name in a conversation I suddenly become more alert and aware of what they are saying because they have opened up something inside of me. I feel more relaxed because I have allowed them to enter into who I am. When our name is said, a face, a personality, characteristics, and memories automatically pop into our head. It's amazing!

And here Mary is, weeping, and Jesus says one word to her, "Mary." 

Take a moment to stop, quiet your soul, your heart, and wait on God. Allow Him to say your name. With His words come power and life. Maybe He will add an "I love you" after your name. Just the other day when I was in worship, I quieted my heart. I said, "God I need to hear from You." And this is what he said.., "Tara,  I love you more than you will ever ever ever know. Tara...... I LOVE you." I couldn't help but hold back the tears.