I was reading John's version of Jesus' resurrection and something caught my eye. Mary Magdelene went to the tomb and noticed that the stone had been removed. Peter and John run to the tomb and look in. Even though they noted that Jesus wasn't there and believed that He had risen, they left. Verse 10 of Chapter 20 says, "Then the disciples went back to their homes." Peter was never one known for his patience. I don't know about John. But it was a kind of "we've seen all we can see here" mentality and they left.
Mary on the other hand hung around and was weeping. Jesus showed up. She didn't know it was Him and she thought He was the gardener. All Jesus had to do was to say her name. "Mary." What a moment! What joy must have run through her bones at the moment. Fact is, had Peter and John hung around, they would have seen Him, too. Instead, a little while later, they were locked in a room when Jesus showed up to them.
I wonder how many of us become impatient, wanting to see Jesus right there and they way we want and envision the way He should show up. We wait a minute or two and then leave, missing the entire visitation. I wonder how many times Jesus has shown up in our lives and we either didn't see Him or we left before He came. Patience is not one of our virtues. The culture of now seems to have overtaken us. It happened again with the gentlemen on the road to Emmaus. In that case, He was with them and they didn't notice. May we never become so involved, so faithless, so impatient, that we won't wait long enough to see our Lord.
Dear Lord, forgive our crowded lives. Help us just to wait, to be still, to slow down and wait for your appearing. Open our eyes that we may see you in the little moments as well as the big ones. Give us the sense to know it's You. In Jesus name, Amen. I hope your day is a good one. JW
1 comment:
It happens at church, the last to leave the sanctuary is the angels...gathering up the blessings that the congregation let fall to the ground. (12 baskets full)
Post a Comment