At The Empty TombSample

It doesn’t make sense!

“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?’” (John 20:14,15).

Mary Magdalene was grieving for three days. She was spent. When the Sabbath was over, she was determined to help give her healer and teacher a proper burial. When she looked in the tomb, she saw heavenly beings instead of a dead body. Perhaps she lost her mind as well as her Master after all.

Mary, muddied by grief, drew conclusions based on circumstantial evidence and not on Jesus’ promises. The last thing on her mind was seeing him alive, let alone standing near her in love—once again ready to heal her pain and give her the greatest news.

Assuming Jesus Christ was a gardener, she asked for an explanation. He patiently encouraged her to remember who called out the demons, healed bodies, calmed storms, walked on water, and raised the dead all the while he spoke of his prophetic identity and mission.

But she saw her Savior die! Nothing about this made any sense! Her grief and confusion clouded over the memories of miracles and messages of messianic fulfillment. 

How many times do we struggle with our own expectations and wisdom over God’s? It’s wasted energy. As C. S. Lewis once put it, “I gave in and admitted that God is God.”