Seeking Jesus Through Tears
Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?” – John 20:14-15
Mary was seeking Jesus, but she was seeking Him through sorrow. She saw a man standing nearby and assumed He was the gardener. Her assumption makes sense. Resurrection was not on her radar. Grief shaped her expectations.
Jesus asked two questions. “Why are you crying?” and “Who are you seeking?” Those questions were not for His benefit. They were for hers.
Grief can narrow our vision. It can cause us to mistake the Savior for a stranger. Mary was standing face to face with the risen Christ and did not recognize Him because her heart was still locked in Friday’s pain.
Yet Jesus did not correct her immediately. He did not scold her for misunderstanding. He met her in her sorrow. In other words, Jesus does not demand clarity before compassion. He understands that grief takes time to process. He stands patiently with us until our hearts are ready to see clearly.
Many people are seeking Jesus, but do not recognize Him when He shows up. They expect Him to look one way, act one way, and move one way. When He does not match expectations, they assume He must be someone else.
But Jesus is closer than we think. He stands with us in gardens of grief, asking gentle questions that invite us to lift our eyes.
Do not mistake the Savior for a stranger. He is present, even when tears make it hard to see.
Mary was seeking Jesus, but she was seeking Him through sorrow. She saw a man standing nearby and assumed He was the gardener. Her assumption makes sense. Resurrection was not on her radar. Grief shaped her expectations.
Jesus asked two questions. “Why are you crying?” and “Who are you seeking?” Those questions were not for His benefit. They were for hers.
Grief can narrow our vision. It can cause us to mistake the Savior for a stranger. Mary was standing face to face with the risen Christ and did not recognize Him because her heart was still locked in Friday’s pain.
Yet Jesus did not correct her immediately. He did not scold her for misunderstanding. He met her in her sorrow. In other words, Jesus does not demand clarity before compassion. He understands that grief takes time to process. He stands patiently with us until our hearts are ready to see clearly.
Many people are seeking Jesus, but do not recognize Him when He shows up. They expect Him to look one way, act one way, and move one way. When He does not match expectations, they assume He must be someone else.
But Jesus is closer than we think. He stands with us in gardens of grief, asking gentle questions that invite us to lift our eyes.
Do not mistake the Savior for a stranger. He is present, even when tears make it hard to see.
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