“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).” John 20:16
The word Rabboni appears only once in the Bible, and interestingly the meaning, Teacher, is provided for us.
The time is just after the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene has gone to the tomb and found it empty. Crying because she cannot find Jesus, she sees a man who actually is Jesus, but she does not recognize Him until she hears that familiar voice speak her name. She instantly recognizes His voice and responds, “Rabboni!”
While Rabboni means teacher, to Mary Magdalene it was also a term of endearment, a familiar name by which she adressed Him. Imagine the relief in her voice when she said Rabboni. Here was Jesus, whom she thought was lost to her forever. Here was Jesus, her Rabboni, alive and speaking to her!
Jesus was never truly lost to Mary Magdalene. He was there beside her even though she didn’t recognize Him. It is the same with each of us. Jesus is ever there beside us. We are often to busy to notice Him, or we don’t even recognize Him. It is often not until we hear His voice that we do, and that is often when we have sunk to the bottom and are crying out for Him to come to us. He is already there, and He speaks our name to get our attention. How do we respond? Do we hear our name and respond immediately, “Rabboni!”?
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