John 20:14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
The tomb is empty, and the Christ is gone. This has to be the lowest point in Mary, and the disciples lives. Could you imagine the despair, the utter feeling of being totally lost they must have felt? Yet Mary turns, and there is Jesus. Folks, that is the way life is every single day and twice on Sunday. Every day Christ is at our side, yet so often we never turn to see Him. We get lost in the moment, lost in the pain, and disappointment of the day. We get wrapped up in the deals, the bargains, the hectic schedule, and we pick up so much speed that it feels like either the wheels are going to fall off, or we will be crushed by the weight of the day. At that moment, we need to turn to the Lord. The knee jerk human, worldly reaction is to reach out, grab another gear, and hope it all holds together for another day, that is not the way we were built. We were made to live, laugh, and love, not stress, cry, then die. Each day we should find some time to turn and see that Jesus is walking with us. We should remind ourselves that even at our lowest point we are not alone. Jesus is there to take the burden, the confusion, the pain, and the frustration. He never asked you to carry it, nor did His Father, all they have ever asked is that you live for them, and allow them to carry all of your weight.
There is more to this verse though, a little bit of symbolism I believe. You see Mary turned, and saw Jesus, but she did not see, nor understand that this was Jesus at first. Now there are a number of reasons why this could have happened, perhaps Jesus did not want her to see that is was Him immediately, in this case I believe it is more of typical grief. Jesus was dead, Mary saw Him die, She could not get her head around the fact that He was actually standing in front of her. So at first she thought that He was the gardener. And here I find the symbolism. If it were just the gardener standing there, and that gardener was a believer, then would that not mean that there was in fact a part of Christ standing there? When someone is at their lowest point, and they turn and see you, should they not see Jesus staring back at them? Should they not feel the love, compassion, and help, that we expect, and enjoy from the Lord? Are we not told that we are the Church, we are the living breathing body of Christ? Are we not the living examples of Christ here on Earth? I think you know the answer to those questions. Which means that it does not matter if you are just a gardener, or the President, CFO, CEO, COO, VP, or any fancy initials you want to hang after your name, we all carry the same prefix J.C…..Jesus Christ. We are here for each other, to help out, to carry the load, to build up the broken, and tear down the walls that hinder. Today Mary might turn and instead of Jesus she might see you, or perhaps today is the day that you turn and see the outstretched hand of another. Give the help that is needed, and take the help that is offered. With God above, the Spirit within, Jesus at our side, and the living breathing body of Christ around us, we should never feel alone, or left behind.
God Bless,
Brian Thetford
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