John 20:13-16 AMPC And they said to her, Woman, why are you sobbing? She told them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him. [14] On saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing [there], but she did not know (recognize) that it was Jesus. [15] Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you crying [so]? For Whom are you looking? Supposing that it was the gardener, she replied, Sir, if you carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him and I will take Him away. [16] Jesus said to her, Mary! Turning around she said to Him in Hebrew, Rabboni!-which means Teacher or Master.
Grieving for someone you love is an intense pain that is all invasive. Although it is emotional, the pain feels physical - much like a dagger twisting in the deepest part of your being.
This week I've witnessed first hand the terrible agony of an elderly widower.
Seeing a grown mature man cry is a rare sight in our society of "stiff upper lips".
Yet losing his soul mate of 40 + years was too much to hold back the avalanche of grief.
Mary was in such a state of emotion at the empty tomb.
She thought only of burying Jesus' precious body in a dignified grave.
Her tears and grief prevented her from recognising Jesus.
Yet when He said her name: "Mary", she knew it was Jesus'.
Jesus brings blessed hope beyond the grave. Faith in Him rolls the stone away from our heart.
Yes we do grieve the loss of loved ones but we grieve differently:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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