Transformed by the MessiahSample

Day 3: Saying Farewell to Fear

Fear is a type of death. Remaining in fear is like remaining in the tomb. And when we live in fear, we become zombies, like the walking dead.

Mary Magdalene’s worst fears were realized in the death of Jesus. It’s no wonder that she clung to Him the moment she realized the “gardener” was really her Savior. The fear of losing Jesus again seems to have motivated Mary to grab hold of Jesus and not let go. In John 20:17 Yeshua says to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet gone up to the Father. Go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am going up to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

Why did Jesus not want Mary to cling to Him? Because she was clinging to Jesus for who He was, not for who He was becoming. She knew Him as a man but not as the glorified Son of God. She was cleaving to the past. She wanted to continue relating to Jesus as her teacher and friend, but He was so much more than that for her now. She had to learn that Jesus was always going to be near but in a different and even better way. He wouldn’t just be close—the risen Lord would reside in her (and all His disciples) through the Holy Spirit.

Mary needed to get to know Jesus differently to understand His true identity and destiny. And He could not allow His emotions and love for her to deter Him. He had to ascend to His rightful place at the right hand of the Father, who would then send the promised Holy Spirit. Mary had to learn, like we all do, that Jesus can’t be known by the flesh but by the Spirit.

Letting go of what we has become familiar and moving into what God has for us in a new season can be scary. Let us remember that “fear not” and “be not afraid” appear in Scripture some 365 times. Consider Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you . . .” Jesus arose to free us from the power of fear!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I surrender my fears to you today, asking You to fill me with shalom, Your peace, and to guide me by Your Spirit into greater confidence and hope. Amen.