Leader's Reflection

I have been participating in a bible study that Beth Moore wrote on John called “Beloved Disciple”. All through the weekly readings I have noticed times where Beth Moore says to look at a passage of scripture with a different set of eyes. Now, picture this with me. Mary Magdalene is walking on a very familiar path, towards where Jesus is buried. As she is coming up to the tomb, she notices that something is different. Not just anything, but THE STONE IS ROLLED AWAY! Who would open the mouth of a tomb? Stunned, she runs to find one of the disciples. Simon Peter and the disciple Jesus loved hears the news and follows her back to the tomb. They enter the tomb and see the linens folded neatly in a pile. Imagine with me what their reactions would be like. Bewildered, shocked, confused. Where could Jesus be? Mary stands at the mouth of the tomb in tears, wondering what could’ve happened to her Lord, when two angels appear on the bench where Jesus’ body was laid, one sitting at the head and one sitting at the foot. What would you be thinking in a situation like this? There are angels in front of me! Why and how are they so bright? They don’t look anything like the pictures! Then something crazy happens. They speak to her! “Dear one, why are you crying?” She says to them, “They have taken away my Lord and I don’t know where they have put him.” Disappointed, she turns around to leave, she sees someone standing. This man asks her, “Why are you crying, who are you looking for?” I imagine Mary to be under a lot of stress at this moment. “Please sir, if you have taken him away, tell where you have taken him so I can go and get him.” She still hasn’t recognized the man. “MARY!” She has just looked into the eyes of her loving Lord! What a treasure! “Don’t cling to me for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Whenever there is something that I need to do, I try to look as deep as I can to see what it is. I feel a lot like Mary in this situation. Sometimes we walk straight past Jesus himself when he’s trying to help us find what we are looking for. There are some things that we need to ask God to help us find, but when we get impatient and want to do it ourselves, that’s when we miss the point. How many times have you walked right past the thing that He is trying to show you? Run with me to the garden like Mary did and see the amazing story of our Lord ascending to take his place at His Father’s side.