He Appeared First 

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 

Mark 16:9 

When Christ arose from the dead, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. He gave no reason as to why He selected her. We may consider some things we know about Mary that perhaps made her His chosen one on this occasion. Mark mentions that she was the one, ‘out of whom He had cast seven demons.’ Christ had delivered her from the grip of evil. Because He had, she had great love for Him. She had been forgiven much, and therefore loved much. This argues for her place as the first to whom He showed Himself alive. Another thought is that she was not one of the twelve disciples. One of the behaviors of the disciples was a competitive spirit which they evidenced from time to time. Even on the night of the Last Supper, they were arguing amongst themselves as to which of them would be the greatest. Thus, for one of them to be the first to whom He revealed Himself could easily become a matter of pride of precedence. Instead, Christ chose Mary who, without pride of place, simply loved Him. These are conjectures, but they give us things to think about. How do we love Christ? How much do we desire to see Him, wherever He may be found? 

Our Glorious, Living Christ, 
we long to see You. 
We praise You that the Holy Spirit, 
still opens the Scriptures to us, 
and we find You there. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning