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John 20:11-17 (NLT)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.

12 She saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned toward him and exclaimed, “Teacher”! [1]
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.”

[1]
Greek, and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni”, which means “Teacher”.

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
“Early…John 20:1 (ANIV) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” I decided to have a fairly dark, pre-dawn orange & pink sky.

LIGHTING NOTES:
The pre-dawn pink & orange sky colours are also highlighting the left sides of Jesus & Mary, in the otherwise dark garden at the entrance to the tomb.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
Jesus, Mary Magdalene, 2 angels

ADDITIONAL/RESEARCH NOTES:
There are now two versions of this scene:
01) (Previous page) John 20 – The empty tomb.
In this one the angels are seated at either end of the tomb, looking towards the entrance.

02) (This page) John 20 – The empty tomb (Mercy Seat version).
This is a newer version of the scene where the angels are positioned kneeling & facing each other, like the cherubim statues on the mercy seat (aka atonement cover) & ark of the covenant, in the Tabernacle (see Exodus chp 25 [1]).

I decided to draw the angels as recognizable people, with bodies, arms, legs, heads, etc, but how to make them more than human?… I decided to add wings (as I’ve drawn them on the cartoons of the angel in Joseph’s dream (Matthew 1) & in the cartoons of the angel appearing to Mary (Luke 1) & the angel appearing to the shepherds (Luke 2.) I added a glow about them, in the cool darkness of the empty tomb, to add to their mysterious, un-earthly quality.

[1]
Exodus 25:17-22 (NIV)
17 [The Lord said to Moses] “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”