NO BIBLE NO BREAKFAST DAILY BIBLE REFLECTIONS AND MORE

REFLECTION
“Mary, a faithful follower” is the theme for our reflection. A faithful follower is one who gives total commitment, loyalty and support to another. We are going to consider two facts about a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
1. A faithful follower of Jesus is fearless and steadfast in his or her loyalty.
2. A faithful follower of Jesus experiences the glory of the Lord.

Firstly, Mary was a faithful follower of Jesus because she was fearless and steadfast in her loyalty to Jesus. Beloved in the Lord, while all the male disciples and followers of Jesus were hiding, Mary, proved that she was a fearless and steadfast follower of Jesus. Returning to John 20:1, we are told, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” Dear friend, It takes a fearless and steadfast follower to walk alone in the dark just to see Jesus. Again, we are told that it is this same Mary who went back to inform the disciples about the disappearance of Jesus from the tomb. When they came and did not find Him they went back. (John 20:2-17). After all the male followers or disciples of Jesus had left, Mary, a woman who was physically feeble in strength and also vulnerable because of her loneliness at the tomb, fearlessly stayed behind to search for the missing body of Jesus.

Beloved in the Lord, Mary truly demonstrated that she was a faithful follower of Jesus by being fearless and steadfast in her loyalty and commitment to Him even after His death. “Then the disciples went back to their homes.¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” (John 20:10-15) Mary’s fearlessness, steadfast loyalty and commitment to Jesus are worthy of emulation. Let us remember that, she was only after the dead body because she was not aware that He had risen from the dead. Why would anyone be this faithful to the corpse of a person she loved? Beloved in the Lord, are we also this faithful in following Jesus in all situations? Mary has truly proven her love for Jesus whether alive or dead. She was willing to risk her very life in the dark to find the body of her Master and Teacher, Jesus. Although the men had left her and gone home she was not discouraged, she was fearlessly steadfast in searching for Jesus. The faithfulness of Mary is hard to find among us the current follower of Jesus. In our dispensation, we follow Jesus by convenience and often give myriads of excuses for our work. We hardly make time to serve the Lord with our bodies. Coming to church and making time for midweek Bible studies and prayer meetings as followers of Jesus is practically impossible for many Christians but here is a woman who in her vulnerability walked in the darkness to spend time with Jesus. What excuse do we have! Paul invites us to be faithful followers of Jesus when He wrote that “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)

Secondly, what then is the reward of a faithful follower of Christ? A faithful follower of Jesus Christ experiences the glory or the presence of the Lord in his or her life. Mary the faithful follower of Jesus went fearlessly and steadfastly looking for the corpse of Jesus but found the living body of Jesus Christ! The glory of God was revealed to her to prove that truly Jesus is the son of God who has power over death. Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. (John 20:16-18). Beloved in the Lord, Jesus was referring to faithful followers like Mary when He promised us that “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8) Again, we are reminded by the Psalmist that “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalms 145:18-19) In other words, the glory of the Lord is revealed to those who faithfully follow Him and call upon His name. We are greatly encouraged by Mary’s example as a faithful follower of Jesus. Let us never give up in prayer but continually remain faithful followers of Jesus. Paul admonishes us to “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Keep faithfully praying and being steadfast in the Lord and your faithfulness shall be rewarded with the glory of the Lord. The glory of the gives us an assurance that we are not alone, God is with us. Mary received an assurance that she was not alone in the dark, the risen Lord was with her. Job in his faithfulness and afflictions yearned for the glory of the Lord when he said “And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. (Job 19:26-27). How hungry, ready and faithful are you to experience the glory of the Lord in your life. It takes a faithful follower like Mary to experience Jesus in our lives.

In summary, we have deliberated on the theme “Mary, a faithful follower” We have discovered two facts in our reflection, firstly, a faithful follower of Jesus is fearless and steadfast in his or her loyalty, and secondly, a faithful follower of Jesus experiences the glory of the Lord. Shalom.

PRAYER
1. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to grant us the ability to demonstrate our faithfulness to Jesus during challenging moments of our lives by being fearless and steadfast followers.
2. Let us pray to experience the glory of God in our lives even as we continue to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit, strengthen and grant us the spirit of courage to overcome fear. Help us to go through thick and thick on account of our Lord Jesus Christ so that when He returns we shall be counted among His faithful followers. Amen.