She awoke again. It was the second night of poor sleep for the woman from Galilee. This was not the first time that she had wakened this night. Light from the waning gibbous moon came through the western window. Before long the sun would rise. Even now, she could complete her mission.

The teacher had changed her life, even as he had changed the lives of others. She had been a woman of the street. She had no good reputation. She had made bad choices and the consequences had multiplied as she slipped deeper and deeper into a life of degradation.

Then the teacher found her. He had cast seven demons from her. Having been physically, mentally and morally delivered, she had faithfully followed his teaching. She became part of a community of people who had been delivered.

She rose from the mat on which she had slept and made ready to visit the tomb where the teacher’s body lay. Two days ago, she had watched the rich man and his timid friend as they placed the teacher in the tomb. Then soldiers came and rolled a stone in front of the entrance. Then they sealed it and set a guard over it.

As she prepared to leave, two other women from the group joined her and together the three approached the tomb. To their great surprise, the stone no longer blocked the entrance. Inside, the tomb was empty. What did it mean? Her feet swiftly carried her back to the place they were staying and she reported what she had seen to the bold one. He and the youth ran back the way she had come to find that the stone had been moved and the tomb was empty. They saw this, but still didn’t understand that the teacher had risen from the dead — just as the prophets had foretold.

The men returned to tell the others. The woman remained and wept. Through her tear-filled eyes she looked inside the tomb and there were two angels dressed in white. They asked her why she wept. Her tearful answer was, “They have taken him away, and I don’t know where.”

Then a kindly voice spoke from behind her. At first she didn’t recognize him. Then he called her by name, “Mary,” he said. She turned, and recognizing him cried out, “Teacher.”

Shortly after this, the teacher showed himself to others of his followers. They received him with joy as folks still do today.

With this, the woman left the pages of history, and we have no further reports concerning her. She remains for us as an example of faith, devotion and dedication to the teacher and deliverer.

The teacher still lives.