Thought for October 24th. “RABBONI!”

The Bible Channel - Discover the Bible. (By Christadelphianvideo.org)

We live in an age when scriptwriters, film and video makers employ very vivid imaginations to often create pictures of impossible scenes and events. We too can use our imaginations, but in a far more profitable way. Let’s take examples from our readings in John today. In Chapter 20, Mary Magdalene is weeping outside the tomb because it is empty. Through the veil of her tears she turns around to see a man standing there and assumes he is a gardener and thinks that he just might have removed the body from the tomb. “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away” [20 v.15]

What a request! What a distraught state of mind she had; a state of the deepest grief! She had come to touch the body of her beloved Lord for the last time and the body had been stolen. What anguish! Can you imagine it?

Jesus utters one word: her name. “Mary” Now imagine the compassion in his voice, a compassion she had heard before, many times. Does she instantly know it is him? “Rabboni” (teacher) this is the one word she exclaims – a huge question mark in her voice as her mind does a somersault trying to believe the “impossible”?

The A V version is not a good translation of the words of Jesus, “Touch me not” Modern versions have words like “do not cling to me … go and tell my brothers.” We can reasonably imagine that Mary almost threw herself at Jesus, scarcely daring to believe this person was real. What emotion, just imagine ….

Those who regularly read their Bibles get frustrated when they watch many of the movies, DVDs about some Bible story because the producers over dramatize and exaggerate and add things into it to make it more dramatic. But all who are regular and careful Bible readers can use their imagination properly, intelligently. Put your imagination to work on the climax to the fishing scene in Ch. 21 v.1 onwards. The dawn was just breaking, not easy to see … can you imagine yourself as one of those fishing?