Reading Plan:
John 20:1-18

Author: Holden Hunt

Hello again! In case you don't remember me, my name is Holden, and I wrote a couple of daily devotions a little over a month ago. I'm back writing one more this week, and I'm excited to dive into today's reading with you.

Now, many of you don't know me, so here's some background information that will make our time together much more meaningful. Although my name is Holden, I go by many names. If you knew me in high school, or if you are aware of my socially dead Instagram page, you probably know me by both my actual name as well as my nickname, Hogey. I am called this at least once a day on average, and one of you reading this may call me by this name regularly. Another name that is newer and mainly used by people who I work with is "Bishop."

I bring this up because I was having a conversation the other day where someone asked me what I prefer to be called, and I think my answer may have caught them by surprise. I told them that I prefer people to call me by my actual name, because, so often, I am called by an alias instead of my actual name. I'm not opposed to somebody calling me by any of the names that I have previously mentioned, but I went on to explain to this person that when somebody calls me by my actual name it makes me feel known. I can't explain that feeling, or why being called by my own name makes me feel that way, but it's true for me.

Jesus did this same thing to Mary in verse 16 of today's reading, and that's where I believe the Holy Spirit is leading us to spend the most time today. There's a lot in today's eighteen verses of scripture; I encourage you to read them all, but I want to hone in on just how relational Jesus is in this moment. At this moment, Mary is mourning the death of her Savior. She had just spent the last three years of her life with Jesus who knew everything about her story, full of sin just like mine and yours. Jesus showed her life-changing grace, love, and freedom. She's mourning the death of Jesus to the point that she did not recognize Jesus according to His appearance. In verse 14 it says, "She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus." She didn't realize that it was Jesus, not because she didn't know what Jesus looked like, but because Jesus' death wrecked her. So, what did Jesus do? He didn't say "Hey, Mary, it's me, Jesus! You can stop crying now!" Jesus simply said her name. And when he spoke, she recognized who was with her. (I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall that heard how Jesus spoke to Mary at that moment.)

Did you know that Jesus knows you this well too? Do you know that Jesus loves you this well too? Did you know that Jesus knows you and your story fully, just like He knew Mary's? And He still calls you by name! This is how relational our Savior, our Jesus is. This is how relational and close to you He desired to be, in the past, the present, and the future. I want you to take a second to reflect on how close the love and the presence of our Savior Jesus is to you today.


Reflection & Response:

-Take 5-10 minutes right now to meditate on how present and close Jesus is to you in your life today. One way that I do this is by reminding myself of scriptures that speak on this directly, and I encourage you to do the same. You can use today's verses or some of the others that you may have memorized. Psalm 46:1 and Deuteronomy 31:6, verses that cross my mind often, remind me of God's presence in my life.

-Worship: For a final point, if what you need to be reminded of today is the presence of God's love for you, I encourage you to spend some time listening to "The One You Love" by Elevation Worship. John may have labeled himself as "the disciple who Jesus loved," but that's true for you too, and it always has been. If you don't believe me, read John 3 and remind yourself of the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross so that you could be with him. I pray that you know and believe that today.

Use the content below to dive deeper into the Bible Reading Plan with your family.

Family Application: The Best News Ever

-Mary was so sad. She missed Jesus so much. Mary thought Jesus was gone forever but the story didn't end there. Jesus came back to life. Jesus came to Mary when she was crying, and He called her name. Once Mary heard Jesus speak, she knew He was alive.
-How does it make you feel that Jesus is alive?
-The best news ever is that Jesus died and then came back to life. This is the best thing we could ever tell someone about. Find someone to tell that Jesus is alive.
-Prayer: God, you are wonderful! Thank you for letting me know the best news ever! Jesus is alive! Thank you, Lord, for letting me serve You. God, help me tell the world about you. Amen.