Monday's reading is John 20
"Who is it you are looking for?" That was Jesus' question to Mary Magdalene, and also the question that the gospel asks us today.
Mary knew exactly who she was looking for. She just was able to recognize Him when she saw Him. Why was that? Was it because Jesus, who she had seen dead with her own eyes, was the last person she expected to see. Was there some protocol that said women do not make eye contact with strangers, which kept her from looking and seeing. I don't know, but for a couple of seconds, Mary did not recognize her Lord, but when she did, she was filled with joy and rushed to tell the other followers.
And what about us? Who are we looking for? Oh, we know that the person we are looking for is Jesus. The key question is, are we looking for the Jesus that Mary and the disciples knew, or are we looking for some idea of Jesus that we have made for ourselves? Are we looking for a Jesus who will tell us to take no purse on the journey, or one who will tell us to play it safe. Are we looking for a Jesus who will over-turn the tables in the temple, or one who won't impact too much on what we choose to do. Are we looking for a Jesus who demands we give our lives to Him, or one who makes us feel good about ourselves on a Sunday morning?
Guilt trip or what !
Maybe we should be looking for the Jesus whose yoke is light; who invites us into a family where there are many brothers and sisters; who offers freedom from guilt; who promises us the ability to remove the burial shroud of sin; who asks of us everything knowing that if we approach our sacrifice by The Spirit we will find shalom.
Following Jesus does involve not doing some things, not submitting to some attitudes. But so often the physical comforts and mental comforts when obtained and preserved and protected for the sake of possessing them are not satisfying.
What does Jesus offer ? Peace. Not absence of war, hostility, tolerance but wholeness, unity, belonging, restfulness, ....
Why was this book written ? So 'you will have life'.