Thursday 25 April, 2019

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 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.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 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.’” 18 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.

Mary is deeply distressed and confused because she does not know where Jesus’ body has been taken. In the midst of this Jesus appears to her, replacing her distress with joy and her confusion with peace. I can hear the joy and hope in her voice as she declares to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”

Jesus longs to do the same for me, that I would seek Him and invite Him into my distress and confusion, and trust Him to bring me joy and peace.

Jesus, please forgive me for all the times I have sought to bury my distress and confusion, or manufacture peace myself. Help me to quickly bring my distress and confusion before you, and trust that you will bring me joy and peace. Amen.

Written by Ps. Beth Waugh