Today we read John's Gospel (John 20:11-18) and His account of Mary Magdalene and the empty tomb.
Even thought Jesus told His followers He would rise up from the dead, I get the impression over and over again that they didn't really understand and perhaps they didn't fully believe Him.
Mary is in the tomb weeping because Jesus is not there, a very stark contrast to what we just celebrated on Sunday about Jesus not being in the tomb!
She doesn't see the empty tomb and immediately think Jesus must be alive, instead she thinks He had been taken away.
When Jesus asks her why she is weeping, she has no idea that it is Him. She assumes He is a grounds keeper. In her sorrow and grief she doesn't recognize Jesus in her midst. Sound familiar? How often do we miss Him when He is right there in front of us? How often are we so consumed by our own emotions that we don't see Him?
She wasn't expecting Jesus to be there and assumed He was just a gardener.
Again, sound familiar? How often are we not expecting Jesus presence in a situation and totally miss Him?
When Jesus spoke her name, however, she immediately knew who He was.
My Sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. ~ John 10:27 (NABRE)
Jesus has a short exchange with Mary telling her that she must not on hold on to him so tightly becuase He hasn't ascended yet. He would be leaving and she needed to go and let the disciples know. When she found them she declared "I have seen the Lord."
She didn't just know who He was, she truly saw Him! She saw him through eyes of faith.
Have you seen the Lord? Do you look at Him through eyes of faith and have a relationship with Him?
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