Not seeing but still going
John 20
She presumed Jesus was the gardener. Earlier the disciples on the road presumed Jesus was a visitor and the disciples in the house presumed he was a ghost and Thomas presumed the disciples were lying.
Sometimes when we ask the question where is God, we are looking for a certain type of aspect of God. We are conditioned into thinking of God in one way, and so look for him in that way.
Mary didn’t expect to see the risen Christ, because she had never seen him that way before, so would presume a man standing there was a gardener.
How many of us in our journey ask the question where is God?
God is there all the time, but perhaps we don’t recognise him, we are conditioned into seeing him in a certain way.
When Mary does see Jesus, he immediately tells her to GO from him. This is so important.
We ask the question where is God? But maybe the question should be: Where are we? Because in every case we have looked at today, Jesus was there. He was actually the one seeking them. It didn’t matter whether they were in hopelessness and confusion, fear and doubt, anguish and presumption, on a road, a house, a garden.
Where are you? How would you describe your situation?
All followers struggle to see Jesus at some point. The sick can’t see the healer, the confused can’t see the shepherd and the fearful can’t see the protector.
What’s important to Jesus is that we know our purpose, we live by the power of God, and we are his witnesses even unto death.
Don’t stress that you can’t find God in your situation. Seeing him won’t take you forward. But know you are purposed, commissioned, acknowledge you can’t see him but know he is still there.
The road, the house, the garden – these are just places we find ourselves in and we don’t have to be able to see Jesus to keep going, that’s what Jesus was saying.
Missions Paul 