04/06/2026
Jesus Among the Living
The resurrection of Christ is the joy and hope of Easter. It means Jesus specializes in bringing dead things and people back to life. For some people, however, it's just to good to be true...
"But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. Then they said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.' Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' She, supposing Him to be the gardener, 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, 'Rabboni!' (which is to say, Teacher)." (John 20:11, 13-16 NKJV)
Mary wanted to salvage the body of her Lord. At least she could show some honor and dignity to her beloved Teacher, to try and make some sense of this tragedy. I'm sure a thousand questions must have raced through her mind, bewildered about the whereabouts of Jesus.
Mary saw Jesus standing there, but didn't know this Man as Jesus. Most of us could identify with Mary. "Where is Jesus?" Surely we have all asked that question in life's darkest times. Mary was arriving at a conclusion purely based upon circumstantial evidence. She may have been thinking something like this: "This must be the end. He is gone. Everything He promised must have been a mistake. The best thing for me to do is simply grieve what could have been and make the best of things." But Jesus intervened, asking her two important questions: "Why are you weeping?" and "Whom are you seeking?"
It seems that Mary was looking for the buried Jesus, weeping for what was. Everything He taught and imparted was now just fond memories. I wonder if Jesus' question was meant to imply that Mary was needlessly grieving? That she was looking in the wrong place? Just as the angel asked, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"
"Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” (Luke 24:5-7 NKJV)
The angel reminded them of the promise of resurrection, and how Jesus had taught them this truth. This is the truth of the gospel message- death, burial, and resurrection.
We serve the living Jesus, our God Who is surely alive! He is no longer among the dead. His words are truth and life to those who seek Him. But if we are living our lives being daily confronted with the empirical and natural evidence of negative circumstances of life, and believing and trusting in only that which we can see, we will surely mistake Jesus for the gardener. If we are looking for Jesus and His promises among the ash heap of "been there, done that," we will absolutely not recognize His Divine Presence when He calls out to us with reassurance and comfort. Jesus redeems the ash heap, making all things new because He is among the living, and has risen from the dead.
How sweet it must have been for Mary to hear Jesus call her by name. Mary, in her brokenness and need, was able to distinguish that lovely voice from all other voices. She was able to make that step of faith from burial to resurrection. In doing so, her faith was renewed and her heart rejoiced, knowing that He was alive.
This is the Jesus we should be seeking - the Jesus Who is alive and forever interceding for us, and working on our behalf. I'm thankful for the message of the cross, but He is no longer suffering on the cross. He is risen and we are seated in heavenly places with Him.
