"20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going towards the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 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 round 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.” 16 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 20:1-18
An interesting point emerges here, in comparing the respective experiences of Mary and John. Mary met the risen Jesus and found joy and peace; John came to faith not by seeing the risen Lord, but by discerning the significance of what had happened. Are there, then, two different ways of coming to faith? No; it is not a matter of seeing the risen Jesus with the eyes of the flesh - in point of fact, when Mary saw Him she thought He was the gardener. It was only when He spoke her name and willed her to see, that she saw Who He was. In other words, her recognition was an inward illumination. It was not the literal, physical seeing of the risen One that brought rest and peace to her heart, but a spiritual perception, just as much as John's was. In that sense, she had the same kind of experience as John did. Later in the chapter (24-27), this lesson is further reinforced, in the experience of Thomas. He averred that unless he saw the nail prints in Jesus’ hands and feet, he would not believe. But in the event, all that he needed was for Jesus to speak to him. This called forth from him the wonderful confession recorded in 28, 'My Lord and my God'. And John is at pains to make it clear that the physical sight and touch of Jesus' hands and feet were not necessary. It is not thus that faith is produced. There is a lesson here for us. There are those who are convinced that if only they can have special, even supernatural experiences, this would deliver them from all manner of doubt. But this is never so. It is the illumination of the inward eye that brings faith and develops it.