Do not cling to me - 02

We're talking about the resurrection scene with Jesus and Mary in John 20:11-18. I'd like to go through this passage and just think about what was going on in the scene. I know we can all relate to much of this in our own lives.

The story starts with Mary weeping as she stands at the tomb. Obviously, she was mourning the death of her beloved teacher and friend, but I feel there was more going on here. Mary was facing the end of this wonderful season of life. Jesus set her free and taught her so much. She witnessed the miraculous and saw God's love poured out. She heard the good news of the Kingdom and felt there was so much more to come. Now she stands before a tomb lost and confused mourning the death of this season of life. John contrasts Mary's loss with the angel's joy. They ask why she is weeping as if they know this is a time to rejoice for the light has come, death has been defeated, and the king has risen. I think maybe the fact that she is looking for the body of Jesus further indicates to us that she is searching for the life she enjoyed just a few days earlier.

We can all place ourselves in that scene. When these seasons of life come to an end, we are desperate to get back to where we were. We mourn the loss and have no choice but to move into the confusion and uncertainty of that empty space between seasons. We will keep looking for ways to find what we lost and get things to make sense again. 

If you find yourself there now, stop and take a deep breath. Its ok to mourn the loss. Rember, you don't have to understand everything right away. This is not the end. Be patient and think back on the things God has done in your life. Take some time to thank the Lord for his grace and his many blessing on your life. Let the tears of sorrow turn to tears of rejoicing. Don't rush into something just to fill the void. The empty between space is crucial to our growth and our ability to move into the next thing. This is a time when God wants to prepare you and impart to you all you need to carry forward. Stay in the empty space as long as it takes. Breath in the calm assurance that Jesus is there with you. This space is not nothing, it's something very special. Don't miss your time alone with the Lord. Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. Be ready, listening and waiting because one day soon, you will hear Jesus call you name. Then you move! Then everything changes!

John 20:11-18 (ESV) "But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she 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 in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her."


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