The Angel said to the women who came to the graveyard to anoint Jesus’ body, “Why do you search for the living among the dead.” I’m afraid that we too often look for the living among the dead. They were worried about who would roll the stone away so they would have access to Jesus’ body. The stone was already moved. We worry about things that God has already taken care of. When the angel appeared to them, the first words out of his mouth were, “Don’t be afraid.” Why? Because they were afraid. We are also afraid of things we need not be afraid of. Situations in life can cause us great grief, and we will often find ourselves wallowing in it. It appears that Jesus’ disciples were wallowing in their grief. When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus after His resurrection, she hurried to find His disciples. Mark 16:13 says, “She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.”
I guess they hadn’t paid close attention to Jesus’ words to them. Jesus had spoken to His disciples regarding His resurrection on several occasions, but they were not listening. Well, I think they heard him, but they did not hear him. He even made it fairly specific that He would take them to be with him. He said, “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you may be also.” But we still find them mourning and weeping! What’s up with that? If I’m an example of one of Jesus’ disciples today, I like to think of myself as one; I follow in their footsteps often! We hear Jesus’ promises, yet we still mourn. We celebrate the resurrection every year, and yet we weep over the loss of our loved ones. We hear, but we do not “hear.”
Grief is a legitimate emotion, and we should not deny it or reject it, but our faith in Jesus’ promises should make it short-lived. We should never wallow in grief and let our sorrows overwhelm us. When we do, we illustrate a lack of faith and confidence in the one who has made everlasting promises to us. When the great Christian scientist Sir Michael Faraday was dying, some journalists questioned him about his speculations about life after death. He purportedly replied: “Speculations! I know nothing about speculations. I’m resting on certainties. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and because He lives, I shall live also.” According to the Gospel of John, One of the questions that the Angel asks Mary Magdalene at the garden tomb is, “Why are you weeping?” (John 20:14-15). The one promising eternal life had been buried. He died, and that put an end to all of Jesus’ promises. Even though the tomb was empty, she assumed that someone had stolen the body! She just couldn’t grasp what had happened. When a voice came from behind her, Mary assumed that the person speaking to her was just another man. She actually thought he was the gardener. Even when she looked at him, she didn’t recognize him. A lot of the time, we hear without hearing. In Mary’s case, she saw without seeing. It wasn’t until Jesus called her by name that she recognized him. The Epistles are full of the truth of our individual “calling.” Gary Demarest explains this. He writes, “The idea of God’s calling inevitably leads to a discussion of election and all of the perplexities associated with predestination. While these are questions that rightly concern Christian theology, I prefer to focus on a different aspect of God’s calling us. The call, says Paul, is “not according to our works.” This means that it is for everyone. But it is not a call in general over a universal loudspeaker. It is a call to each of us by name. I find it awesome to ponder the fact that God calls me by name! The great God of the universe, the Creator and Cosmic Ground of all being, calls me Gary. That He calls each of us by name is the mark of His care for us. The gospel is grounded in the reality of a personal relationship with the living God. It is personal because God calls us by name.”[1] Until we hear him call us by name, we will hear without hearing and see without seeing.
[1] Demarest, Gary W., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1984. 1, 2 Thessalonians / 1, 2 Timothy / Titus. Vol. 32. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.