Ben Fourie 

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned towards him and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni.”  John 20:16
 
We first hear about Mary Magdalene in Luke 8:2, where we read about the women who accompanied Jesus and the Twelve on their travels to spread the gospel. Mary came from the town of Magdala on the western bank of the Sea of Galilee. She was the one from whom seven demons had been driven out.
 
The applicable footnote of 'Die Bybel: 2020-vertaling' mentions that she is always called Mary the woman from Magdala, so we do not confuse her with any other Mary. Along with the other women in the group, she used her own resources to help Jesus and his disciples. Some Bible commentators have tried to link her with the woman who anointed Jesus, but there are no grounds for that.
 
The next time we meet her is at the cross, where she is mentioned along with other women like Mary the mother of Jesus and her sister, as well as another Mary, wife of Clopas. Just for interest sake, the sister of Mary was most probably Salome, wife of Zebedee and mother of John and James. That would make John and James Jesus’ cousins. Luke also relates that the women who followed Jesus from Galilee accompanied Joseph of Arimathea in order to be present at the burial, so we can assume that Mary Magdalene was also present there.
 
The many months she travelled with Jesus, the many times the must have prepared a meal for him, washed his clothes, talked with him and witnessed the miracles that he performed, did not prepare her for the encounter early on the Sunday morning at the empty tomb. Of all the times that she had met Jesus, this was the most important one. To meet the resurrected Jesus is, for every one of us, the most important meeting we will ever have.
 
The moment that she finally recognised Jesus, when he called out her name, everything fell into place for her and for us. In unison with Mary, we can only say, “Rabboni, it is You, You are alive.”
 
Prayer: I want to sing with joy, “Jesus lives! The victr’y’s won. Death no longer can appall me. Jesus lives! Death’s reign is done.” Thank you for an empty tomb, thank you that you also called me by name, thank you that I am not afraid of death any more. Amen
 
 

Ben Fourie 

“Jesus sê vir haar: ‘Maria!’ Sy het omgedraai en - in Hebreeus – vir Hom gesê: ‘Rabboeni!’ Dit beteken ‘Leermeester’.” Johannes 20:16, 2020-vertaling
 
Ons hoor die eerste keer van Maria Magdalena in Lukas 8:2 waar vertel word van die vroue wat saam met Jesus en die twaalf apostels gereis het. Maria was afkomstig uit die dorpie Magdala wat aan die wesoewer van die meer van Galilea geleë is, en uit wie sewe demone uitgegaan het.
 
Die voetnota in Die Bybel 2020 vertaling noem dat in die bronteks sy deurgaans Maria, die Magdaleense vrou genoem word, dws Maria die vrou afkomstig uit Magdala. Ons kan haar dus nie verwar met een van die ander Marias nie. Saam met die ander vroue het sy uit eie bronne gesorg vir Jesus en die twaalf. Sommige verklaarders het al probeer om haar te identifiseer as die Maria wat vir Jesus met reukolie gesalf het, maar daar is nie regtig gronde vir die siening nie.
 
Die volgende plek waar ons haar weer ontmoet, is by die kruis van Jesus waar haar naam saam met 'n aantal vroue genoem word, onder andere Jesus se moeder en die se suster, asook Maria, die vrou van Klopas. Interessantheidshalwe was Maria se suster waarskynlik Salome, die vrou van Sebedeus en dus moeder van Jakobus en Johannes wat hulle twee dan Jesus se neefs maak. Verder vertel Lukas dat die vroue wat vir Jesus uit Galilea gevolg het saam met Josef van Arimatea gegaan het en gesien het waar sy liggaam in die graf neergelê word. Ons kan dus aanneem dat Maria Magdalena ook by die begrafnis was.
 
Al die maande wat sy saam met Hom gereis het, al die kere wat sy vir Hom kos gemaak het en sy klere gewas het, al die gesprekke en geleenthede wat sy Jesus se wonderwerke gesien het, het haar egter nie voorberei op die ontmoeting daardie vroeë Sondagmôre by die leë graf nie. Van al die baie kere dat sy Jesus ontmoet het, sou hierdie die heel belangrikste wees, want om die opgestane Jesus te ontmoet is vir elke mens die belangrikste ontmoeting wat jy ooit kan hê.
 
Op die oomblik dat Jesus haar daar buite die graf op haar naam noem en sy haar omdraai en Hom sien, val alles wat sy vir so lank saam met hom ervaar het, in plek: Rabboeni dit is U, U leef! Hy leef ook vir jou en my.
 
Gebed: Ons harte sing saam 'n lied: “Jesus leef en ons met Hom, dood wie sou vir jou nog bewe.” Dankie vir die leë graf, dankie dat U ons ook op die naam roep, dankie dat U ons vrymaak van die vrees vir die dood”. Amen

Ben Fourie 

One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” Luke 23:39
 
Crucifixion was nothing strange in the time of Jesus. It was practised in Babylonia as a means of execution from as early as 600 BC. After the invasion of Babylon by the Persians (the book of Daniel gives an account of this), they took over the practice from the Babylonians and eventually it was also used by the Romans.
 
This very cruel and humiliating way of execution was meant to frighten others from committing the same crime or plan a rebellion. Mostly slaves, political opponents and members of a conquered nation were crucified. After the slave revolt led by Spartacus failed, 6 000 of the insurgents were crucified together. With the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, they crucified hundreds of Jewish fighters.
 
When Jesus was crucified, there were two other men who shared the same fate. Matthew and Mark called them bandits while Luke called them criminals and John just tells us it was two others. We do not know what they had done to get this heavy penalty, but it had to have been very serious. They must have known about Jesus as can be seen from what they were saying while hanging there. One of them even knew, or maybe heard, from what the soldiers were saying that Jesus had made a claim of being the Messiah and mocked him for it. The other one asked to be forgiven. They had an equal chance of salvation, but one was lost and the other got the promise of being in Paradise with Jesus that very same day.
 
After all the ages, this has not changed. Those who mock Jesus and those who do not believe in him, remain with us today. By the grace of God, to those who meet and believe in him, even at the end of their lives, the promise of Paradise still stands.
 
Prayer: I thank you, Lord, that you went through the horror of crucifixion despite being completely innocent so that I could have one of the many rooms that you promised would be prepared in the House of our Father. Amen
 

Ben Fourie 

“Een van die misdadigers wat daar gehang het, het hom aanhoudend gelaster en gesê: ‘Jy is mos die Christus, of hoe? Red jouself, en ons!’” Lukas 23:39, 2020-vertaling
 
Kruisiging was niks vreemds in die tyd van Jesus nie. Dit is waarskynlik al so vroeg soos 600 jaar voor Christus in Babilonië gebruik as manier om die doodstraf te voltrek. Na die oorname van Babilon deur die Perse waarvan ons ook in die boek Daniël lees, is dit veral deur hulle gebruik, van waar dit verder versprei het en later deur die Romeine oorgeneem is.
 
Hierdie uiters wrede en vernederende metode van teregstelling was daarop gemik om as afskrikmiddel te dien om ander daarvan te weerhou om misdaad te pleeg of opstand te beplan. Dit was veral slawe, politieke misdadigers en diegene wat in 'n oorlog verslaan is wat gekruisig is. Na die slaweopstand onder Spartacus misluk het, is 6 000 van die opstandelinge op een slag gekruisig en met die inname van Jerusalem in 70 n.C. is talle Jode ook so deur die Romeine doodgemaak.
 
Saam met Jesus is daar op die dag ook twee ander gekruisig. Matteus en Markus noem hulle rowers, Lukas praat van misdadigers en Johannes praat net van twee ander. Wat hulle gedoen het om hierdie erge vorm van straf te verdien weet ons nie, maar dit was nie sommer net 'n kleinigheid nie. Dat hulle ook geweet het wie Jesus is lei ons af uit wat hulle aan die kruis gesê het. Die een noem pertinent dat hy weet Jesus maak aanspraak om die Messias te wees en spot hom daaroor. Die ander een vra vergifnis. Hulle het dus 'n gelyke kans gehad om gered te word, maar een gaan verlore en die ander een kry die belofte dat hy op daardie dag saam met Jesus in die paradys sal wees.
 
Na al die eeue het dit nog nie verander nie. Diegene wat met geloofsake en met Jesus spot, kry ons vandag nog. Deur die Here se genade is die belofte nog dieselfde vir die wat Hom ontmoet en in Hom glo, ja soms selfs eers aan die einde van hulle lewe.
 
Gebed: Dankie Here dat U heeltemal onskuldig die verskrikking van 'n kruisdood ook vir my deurgegaan het en dat ek ook 'n bespreekte plek in die hemel het. Amen
 
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