The Spirit That Moves Mountains

Mary Magdalene - Chapter 13

It had been only an hour when excited knocks were heard on the door. Everyone in the room jumped at the intrusive rat-a-tat sounds. They had been sitting in the darkened silence for the past hour, consumed with their own thoughts and prayers.

Isaah looked over at me. I nodded for her to go over to the door, thinking that Roman soldiers would not make such gentle but hurried knocks. The men stood shoulder to shoulder in the small room in readiness to either rush to Isaah's aid or flee.

Isaah opened the door a crack, and all we could see were her shoulders rising in apparent happiness to greet more friends. She swung the door wide and threw her arms around all three women. "Mariam, Joanna, and Imma! You are a sight for sore eyes! Please come!"

The three women poured into the room with excitement. "Oh, my God! You have no idea what happened to us. It is unbelievable! I still cannot believe it!", they all said, talking over each other like cawing birds. They turned and saw me and hurried over to embrace me tightly, nearly knocking over my small frame.

"My sisters," I said, my laugh slightly muffled from their embrace. "What is it?"

Imma answered for the three women. "It was him. Teacher Jeshua. We saw him on the way into the city. He spoke to us! We touched him!" She beamed.

I touched Imma's cheek and then pressed my forehead to hers.

"What did the master say to you?" Thomas asked.

Imma's head lifted from my left shoulder. "We ... we did not recognize him at first," she said.

John shot a glance in my direction.

"He was so radiant," cried out Joanna.

"He was smiling so much, and it felt so wonderful to be in his presence again," Mariam said. Her back was against the door, and her eyes were looking up to the ceiling, as if she half expected Jeshua to come down from the rooftop.

"Yes, it was! He even let us touch his feet," Imma added.

"Were there marks upon his feet?" Stephen asked, getting up and walking over to Imma.

Mariam answered first. "No. Not a single mark upon him. He seemed as fresh and alive as any of us." Mariam's cheeks flushed as she stopped and looked over at me. She rushed toward me, almost bumping Imma onto the floor. "Mary. My teacher. I am so sorry. I should have thought about you first before blathering on about our meeting with Jeshua." She reached out and held my hand as if her life depended on it.

"Oh, my dear spirits. You are as fortunate as I am. I too met my love this morning. He surprised me on my way to the tomb," I said while grasping Mariam's hand.

Joanna blew out her breath. "Thank our Mother. I was actually wondering if I was going crazy!"

"Well, isn't that fine! He greets the women first! I should have known. He favored them more anyway," John yelled, banging his fists on his legs, only slightly reducing the effect of his anger as it spewed forth.

"Dear John. I suppose Jeshua is saving his most important visit for last. He most likely wants all of us in one place," I said, using my most compassionate voice. I also remembered that John was spirit in that moment.

He glanced up and looked into my eyes. His anger melted away instantly, as it always did, but his self-pity remained. "Well, I was just saying. It seems like he could have picked other people to appear to—people who have been with him longer." John again put his head down and wrung his hands.

Peter and Thomas looked at John and then at each other. Both shook their heads slightly, as if to say, "That's John. Always thinking others are getting more attention than he is."