John 20:11-18 (NIV)
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
I read that the songwriter Jim Steinman had passed away so I took the
opportunity to listen to his song 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'
I starts: 'Turn around' - In this Eastertime what immediately clicks in me is how Mary Magdalene 'turns around' when she is at the empty tomb. First she turns to see and then she turns again, and I suppose that this second 'turn' is an interior change of directions or she would be spinning on the spot.
So what if this song was not a lovers' song but a song of Mary Magdalene to her God and Master and Saviour. What if it was not 'lying in the arms' in a sexual way but like a child rests in the arms of a parent... oh wait... there is a line in the lyrics about that: 'And I'm lying like a child in your arms'
What if this is about the struggles of life and trust in God when things go crazy. What if this is a song about the One who truly sees and Mary Magdalene (or you, or me). Like the poem by Bo Setterlind: You are the only one who truly sees me. That poem that was actually about God but that a swedish singer, Lill Lindfors, made a lovesong of (and a hit) with the music of Romance d'Amour.
What if this is also a song of the spiritual struggles of Mary Magdalene and of her love to her Saviour in the years of service as a leader of the Church, struggling for the Kingdom and sometimes with those who didn't want a woman leader and minister. And she feels tired but then she's reminded to turn around, see that the grave is empty and look into the Saviour's eyes instead - Turn around-as a metanoia:
'Every now and then I get a little bit terrified
But then I see the look in your eyes
-Turn around, bright eyes-'
