Weeping, Fear, and Skepticism: When We Weep

April 4

Read: John 20:11-29

Weeping, Fear, and Skepticism:

When We Weep

When Jesus arose from the grave his first three stops were to one who was weeping, ones who were afraid, and to one in particular who was skeptical and seeking proof. I don’t know about you, but it is comforting to me to see our savior meeting his brothers and sisters where they are in this world. I can relate to all of these characters in one way or another. There are times in life when one’s eyes are filled with tears of sadness… times when we are scared about what is going on around us… times of fear regarding what the future holds… and even times that we doubt the messages of goodness that others tell - we are hungry for PROOF that God is indeed real and good! The RISEN and LIVING Jesus meets God’s people in every one of those circumstances.

Mary was weeping at the tomb when Christ appeared to her. (v.11) Even a pair of angels speaking to her doesn’t stop her crying! (v.13) Mary was weeping because she didn’t know where to find Jesus. I can relate. Some days I feel like I don’t know where to go or where to look to “find Jesus”. The place(s) that I expect to find him turn up empty (like the tomb here for Mary) and in those moments I become desperate… sad… I feel hopeless. The irony is - like Mary here in the story - Jesus is actually right there with me… standing behind me. Look at what it says:

"Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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.” (v.14,15)

We don’t always recognize Jesus when he approaches us… not even when he is standing right in front of us. But then something happens… it is NOT just that he speaks to us, but rather that he CALLS OUR NAME. (v.16) As soon as Jesus said Mary’s name she recognizes him! Her weeping stopped and she called out with JOY to her “Rabbi” and friend.

When Jesus speaks our name to us… calls us by name… our weeping will stop and joy will come in. When Jesus speaks our name, it comforts us. The voice of Jesus calms Mary in a way that not even 2 supernatural beings (the angels) could calm her down. This is what Jesus does - he meets us in our weeping and sadness - in those moments when we fear not being able to find him - and he speaks to us. We may miss it at first or not recognize that is ti him we are speaking to … but then he says our name and we realize who it is. In these moments we need not be afraid anymore.

Remember this the next time you don’t meet Jesus where you expected to find him. Remember this when your eyes are filled with tears and you are afraid you have lost track of Jesus and won’t be able to find him again! He is standing right behind you! He is near to you. In fact, he may even be speaking to you and you do not recognize him. Listen for your name… for Jesus to call out to you PERSONALLY - he will! He knows you and loves you. Tomorrow we will look at how Jesus meets us in fear and in skepticism… today remember that he meets us in our sorrow and weeping. Love you guys. - JDP