Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 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.” 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).” John 20 V11-16

Imagine for a moment the river of emotions that flooded Mary’s heart in this instance. Her Lord and teacher, whom she loved and followed, was crucified. His disciples were hiding in fear of being arrested and ending in the same way. Grief, confusion, fear, and anxiety probably filled her heart as she approached the tomb carrying spices to anoint His body. But to her surprise, not only was the stone rolled away, but the body of Jesus wasn’t there.      

                                                               So she wept.

The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary explained that the reason she was crying was that someone had stolen the body of her Lord and she didn’t know where they had laid Him. This new set of events added to Mary’s already existing sorrows.                                                                                                    

     So she wept.

Jesus, whom she thought was the gardener, asked her the same question and added, “Whom are you seeking?” Instead of seeking the risen Christ, Mary was seeking the dead body of the Lord. She was seeking the living among the dead (Luke 24 V5). But He wasn’t there. He was alive and she didn’t know it.       

So she wept.

We weep because we live in a broken world. Painful circumstances fill us with grief, confusion, fear, and anxiety. Why are you weeping today? What are you seeking amid your sorrows? Maybe you’ve lost a loved one as Mary did, or maybe your very life is being threatened by an illness. Maybe you’ve lost your job, or there are tensions in your marriage or with your children. Maybe the church plant or the ministry you were so excited to be a part of has met a dead end and is draining you emotionally.                                                                                                        

  So you weep.

But just as the risen Christ called Mary by name, He calls us by name.  Just as children recognize the voice of their parents, do we recognize the One who calls us by name?  Because He is alive there is hope for us in our grief, our confusion, our fear, and our anxiety. The living Saviour is calling our attention away from our circumstances- as alarming as they may be - to Him. The One who suffered the most is the One who can truly identify with our sufferings. Because He lives, He can strengthen us, guide us, comfort us in our pain, and give us peace and joy despite the circumstances. So seek the living Christ! He is the true Gardener, the One who created the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-2), and the One who one day will restore all things (Revelations 21 V1-5).                                                                         

And on that day we will cease to weep.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelations 21 V4)