Scripture Focus: John 20:11–18
Devotional:
Have you ever felt overlooked, unqualified, or simply not “good enough” for God to use? If so, Mary Magdalene’s story in John 20:11–18 speaks directly to you. She’s living proof that God specializes in using the unlikely for His most extraordinary work.
Mary wasn’t a religious leader. She wasn’t part of Jesus’ inner circle of male disciples. In fact, her past included demonic oppression (Luke 8:2). Yet on that quiet morning outside the empty tomb, she was the first person to see the risen Christ. Think about that. The most important event in human history, the resurrection, was first announced to someone the world wouldn’t have chosen.
Jesus didn’t appear to a high priest or a Roman official. He didn’t go to Peter or John first. He appeared to Mary, a woman heartbroken and weeping. Her devotion drew her near to the tomb, and her pain didn’t disqualify her from encountering Jesus. Instead, it set the stage for a deeply personal moment when Jesus called her by name: “Mary.”
In that moment, everything changed.
He gave her a mission: “Go to my brothers and tell them…” (John 20:17). Mary didn’t delay. She obeyed. She became the first preacher of the resurrection, the one who told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).
What This Means for Us Today
Maybe you feel like your past disqualifies you. Or maybe you think you’re too ordinary to do anything meaningful for God. But Mary’s story reminds us: God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.
He sees your heart, not your résumé.
He values your availability more than your ability.
He uses people the world overlooks to do things the world can’t explain.
Real-Life Example
Think of people like Gideon, who called himself the least in his family, or David, the forgotten shepherd boy, or even Peter, the fisherman who denied Jesus. All of them were unlikely choices but all of them were used by God in powerful ways.
And that same God is still calling unlikely people today including you.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for seeing value in me even when I feel inadequate. Help me trust that You can use my life for something greater than myself. Give me the courage to say yes to You, just like Mary did. Remind me that my past doesn’t define me, Your calling does. Amen.
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