Mary Magdalene stands outside the tomb weeping. She has already suffered the loss of Jesus, and now even His body seems to have been taken away. When she looks into the tomb, she sees the angels; then she turns and sees Jesus standing there, but she does not recognise Him. Thinking He is the gardener, she says, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
Then the Gospel gives us something very beautiful. Jesus does not give Mary a long statement or explain everything that has happened. He simply says one word: "Mary." Sometimes you do not need a statement because the way someone says your name itself becomes the statement. Jesus says, "Mary," and that is enough for her to recognise the voice, recognise the Lord and respond, "Rabbuni" (John 20:11-18).
Sometimes One Word Is Enough
I remember when I was small and our family would travel from Dubai to India for our holidays. We would get into the local buses, and very often they were packed, so my father, mother, siblings and I would be scattered in different places inside the bus. We did not know the language very well, and as children we did not always know where we were supposed to get off, so throughout the journey my ears would be open for one thing: my father calling my name.
In the midst of all the noise and all the voices, I could recognise his voice. Anybody else might call the same name, but when my father called me, I knew it was him, and I did not need a long explanation. Sometimes even the way he said my name told me everything. If he called it sternly, I knew I might be in trouble; if he called it gently, I knew something different was happening. The name was the same, but I knew the voice of the one who loved me.
That is what happens to Mary. Jesus says her name and immediately she knows, because she recognises the voice behind the name. Scripture tells us that this is how God relates to His people: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine" (Isaiah 43:1). God does not deal with us as anonymous people in a crowd; He knows us, He calls us, and He calls us by name.
The Sheep Know the Shepherd's Voice
Jesus uses the same language when He speaks about the Good Shepherd: "The sheep hear His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3). He says that the sheep follow because they know His voice (John 10:4), and later, "My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). The relationship is deeply personal because the Shepherd knows the sheep, and the sheep learn the Shepherd's voice.
There is, therefore, a voice of God calling us even in the middle of everything we are going through. The difficulty is often not that God has stopped speaking, but that there are so many other voices competing for our attention: noise around us, noise within us, fear, questions, plans, information, memories and worries. In the middle of all that, the Lord still calls us, and we need to learn to listen closely enough to recognise Him.
We can sometimes imagine that God calls only holy people, those who have done everything right or those who already seem spiritually strong. Certainly, in the Old Testament we see God calling His servants by name: Abraham, Moses and Samuel are each called personally. But when we come to the Gospel, we also see Jesus calling people whose lives are far from perfect, which means that being personally called by God is not a privilege reserved only for those who think they have everything in order.
Zacchaeus is sitting in the sycamore tree, and Jesus does not say, "You tax collector, come down." He says, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down" (Luke 19:5). Mary Magdalene had herself known deep deliverance, and yet the risen Lord calls her personally: "Mary." This is important for us because we can easily think, "Maybe God will never call my name because of what I have done or because my life is imperfect." But why would your Father not call your name? You are His child.
Listen in the Middle of Your Struggle
Mary was not standing at the tomb in a moment of peace. She was weeping and confused, believing that her Lord had been taken away and not knowing where He was. Yet it was precisely in the middle of that sorrow that Jesus called her name. Her pain did not prevent Him from speaking, her confusion did not prevent Him from knowing her, and even her failure to recognise Him at first did not prevent Him from calling her.
The same is true for us. He calls our name in the midst of sadness, pain, struggle and uncertainty, when we are troubled about the future, when we are going to work, when we are at home, and even when we are restricted in our homes and everything around us seems unsettled. The question is whether we are listening. Psalm 85 says, "Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people" (Psalm 85:8). He will speak, but I need to listen.
A young person once told me that he disliked his own name because he felt it sounded old-fashioned. During a retreat, however, he believed he heard Jesus address him by name on two occasions, and what amused him was that God used the very name he himself did not like. The Lord knows our name and does not need another name for us; the One who created us knows exactly whom He is calling.
Sit a While and Listen
We often want God to give us many explanations, answer every question, explain every difficulty and tell us exactly what will happen next. But there are moments when, like Mary, we may discover that what we need most is not a long speech but to hear the Lord call our name. Mary receives her answer, her comfort and even her mission when Jesus simply says, "Mary." She answers, "Rabbuni," and from that encounter He sends her to the disciples.
So listen. In the middle of all the clutter of noises around us, the thoughts playing through our minds and the things that disturb our hearts, give yourself the grace to sit a while and listen. Even when the world seems fast-paced, when there is too much information to digest and too many things to think about, plan and decide, the Lord is still speaking.
Let this be our prayer: Lord, give me the grace to listen. In the middle of everything that is happening around me and within me, let me recognise Your voice when You call my name. I know that You know me and that You call me personally; when I hear You, give me the grace to respond.
Perhaps He will not give you a long explanation. Perhaps He will simply call your name, and in that one word you may receive the comfort, strength and direction you need. As Isaiah says, "This is the way; walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21). Listen to His voice, because He knows your name. Amen.