Other than the Apostle John, I can’t think of anyone who was more grateful to Jesus and whose love for Christ was more endearing than Mary Magdalene.
So the resurrection weekend scene is a bit mystifying when she goes to the tomb. She is looking for the dead body. In fact, the same internal question surfaces three times: “Where is he? I’ll go get him.”
Once to herself and Peter. Once to a pair of angels. Once to Someone she thought was the gardener. Check it out:
“So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”…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.” (John 20: 2,11-15 NIV)
Wow! What love! What devotion! She’s going to go get her dead God and bring Him back to her.
If we’re looking for a dead god in Jesus Christ, we will never find Him. If she had asked, “Where is my alive God?”, she would have recognized Him when she saw Him.
It’s so easy to play Monday-Morning-Quarterback with biblical characters until we ask the same questions they did with regard to specifics in our lives.
Do we look for a dead god when we are scared, vulnerable, depressed, sick or needy? Or is He alive?
In one of the most touching scenes in human history, Mary recognized Him when Jesus simply said her name.
Isn’t that what we really want? To come across a God who understands our pain and confusion about what has just happened in our lives and calmly puts the fears to bed by simply saying our name?
Dead gods don’t talk like that.
Look for your alive God instead of trying to bring a dead one into your life.
May the glorious truth of the resurrection, complete with all the obvious springtime symbols God could muster up, make you also come alive.
Great word Bob. I truly am glad we do not serve a dead god, but One who knows everything about me and still loves me! God bless-FNW