Blake Allen
Dunbar Cave Campus Pastor
John 20:11-16
“11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 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).
Grief and sorrow are natural responses after losing a loved one. After all, who would be able to fight off tears when someone who has invested and enhanced your life passes away. It’s interesting that in this account, Jesus asked the same question the angels did: “Woman, why are you weeping?” “Whom are you seeking?” Did Mary not have the right to grieve? She had just experienced the loss of her teacher, friend, savior, Messiah, etc. The problem was not her emotional response to loss as much as it was her forgetfulness that the son of Man would be raised on the third day. And guess what, it was that day.
Jesus asked her an interesting question: “whom are you seeking?” She was seeking Jesus, but she was looking in all the wrong places. She was seeking a dead Jesus. But Jesus was alive. A stone could not hold Him. The ruling authorities could not stop Him. Death could not handle Him. The grave could not hold Him. Jesus is alive.
Mary’s vision of who Christ was is too small. Whom are you seeking? Such a question implies she believes death has won. This would make sense if Jesus was merely human and not the savior of the world. May our vision of Jesus never be too small. What kind of Jesus are we seeking and believing? We worship a resurrected savior who has conquered all things including death itself. Is there anything our God can’t do? Maybe grief, depression, sorrow, or pain has entered your life. I want you to know today our resurrected savior is powerful enough to overcome those things in your life. Do you have faith in Him or is your vision of Jesus to small?
Mark 10:13-16
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.