Lent 2021 - TURNING POINT

Friday, March 19th

Miracle, John 20:11-18 - Written by Jeremiah Jamison

 

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.” 
John 20:11-18

After reading this passage I went back and read the beginning of Chapter 20. It’s interesting to me that the disciples who came to the empty tomb left, but Mary Magdalene stayed behind—Why did she stay behind and weep? Maybe it’s because men and women are sometimes wired differently…maybe the guys went back home to figure out how to “fix” the problem while Mary was taking time to sit with her feelings. Who knows, but the fact of the matter is that Jesus revealed himself to Mary.  

Mary was so blinded by the worry about losing Jesus’ body that she didn’t recognize Him until he called her name. I guess the two angels sitting in the tomb where his body was laid looked normal? When she realized it was Jesus and what had happened, I’m sure that her relief and joy were immeasurable.

How many times in our lives have we been looking for Jesus and not seen Him? Maybe He was right there all along. I want to try to be more sensitive to the presence of Jesus in my life. When I evaluate my life and the events that have made me who I am, it is clear that God has been with me. It's funny how sometimes in the moment I didn’t realize it. Today, take a few minutes to reflect on the times when God walked beside you, and commit to looking around more often to recognize His presence.  

 

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