John 20:15-16 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). English Standard Version (ESV)
Our men's Bible study has been going through the gospel of John for over a year now and we're coming down the "home stretch". While we've gone through it I've been drawn in particular to the questions that Jesus asks directly of His disciples and others. He has asked questions such as "do you believe this" and "are you going to leave me too"? His questions get right to the heart of the matter.
In today's passage Mary Magdalene approaches the empty tomb. She had come back to the tomb with spices (Luke 24) to prepare Jesus body. She came looking for the Jesus who was and assumes that someone had taken the body. In her grief and shaken condition Jesus appears. He asks her two simple but penetrating questions "why are you weeping?" and "whom are you seeking?". She doesn't see clearly through the tears and suspects that the person approaching is the gardener and asks if she knows where she may find His body. Jesus speaks her name and she realizes that it is Jesus. The Jesus who IS, who still is "Teacher".
As with the other questions in the book the same questions may be asked today. In difficult times, people still may come to church seeking answers. Feeling hurt, with heartache and perhaps disillusioned about the circumstances of life they come looking for the Jesus who was. The thing that they need to see is the Jesus who still IS. He is Jesus, who was, and is, and is to come again. As with those who loved Jesus then, their grief was short lived, shortly they would realize that He is risen, He has risen indeed and is alive and will come again.
| O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free. | |
| | Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace |
Blessings,
Mike
John 20:11-18
11-13 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been laid. They said to her, "Woman, why do you weep?"
13-14 "They took my Master," she said, "and I don't know where they put him." After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't recognize him.
15 Jesus spoke to her, "Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?"
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, "Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him."
16 Jesus said, "Mary."
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" meaning "Teacher!"
17 Jesus said, "Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.'"
18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: "I saw the Master!" And she told them everything he said to her.
Blessings, Mike Follow the verse of the day at mikesvotd.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment