Mary
Magdalene Scripture: John 20:1-18
The
story of Mary Magdalene at the tomb has always amazed me. So engulfed in grief
over her Lord's death, she blocks out the reality of life. It takes a word from Jesus to
move her from the past (the crucifixion) into the present (the resurrection) so
that she can go forward into the future.
She
stands outside the tomb crying. Bending down she sees two angels in white
sitting in the crypt where the body of Jesus had been. The angels ask why she
weeps.
“Jesus’
body is gone and I don’t know where they have taken him.”
Hear
the despair in her words.
Gripped
by sorrow she focuses inward, seemingly unfazed by the angel visitation.
She
turns and sees Jesus - but she doesn’t know him. Why doesn’t she know this beloved
one? Could it be because his appearance
defied her expectation?
When
Jesus asks why she is weeping even his voice did not break through.
Seeing with
her eyes, she did not truly see.
Hearing,
she did not truly hear.
Assuming
him to be the Gardner, she pleads,
“If
you have taken him away tell me where you put him.”
Intent
on finding him dead, she did not know him alive!
Cutting
through her shell of despair and agony, Jesus speaks her name.
His
voice breaks through.
Her
eyes see Him!
Her
ears hear Him!
Joy,
joy, joy!
Comfort
received.
Her
heart is at peace.
The
news is shared.
Perhaps
sometimes we miss the miraculous because of our expectations.
We
don’t expect to find him near, so we fail to hear him when he speaks.
Focused
on our disappointment, we fail to see the power of the living Lord at work on
our behalf and in our world. Wrapped in the
garments of pain and uncertainty, we refuse the comfort that Jesus offers. We
need a word from the Lord to move us from our past into the present so that we
can walk victoriously into the future.
He’s given us his Word. Today I choose to hear him.
“Peace I
leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27.
Thank you, Ruth. I hung on every word. Such a comfort. And I am keeping to re-read when I am sinking into the past, to remind me the present doesn't always look like the past. I need to open my heart and mind, and trust Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I am glad you were helped. What a comfort it is to know that, because of the Resurrection, we can experience NEW life in Christ!
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