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WHY ARE YOU WEEPING? (JOHN 20:11-18) LENT DAY 15

REFLECTION
“Why are you weeping?” To weep means to express grief, sorrow, or any overwhelming emotion by shedding tears. Usually, we weep when we lose a person we share a special bond with. Mary and other followers of Jesus were already mourning the loss of Jesus but Mary wept uncontrollably when she discovered that the lifeless body of Jesus was missing from the tomb. Mary wept because of her love and faithfulness to Jesus. A faithful follower of Jesus gives total commitment, loyalty and support to Jesus in all situations. We shall consider two facts about a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
1. A faithful follower of Jesus remains fearless and steadfast in his or her loyalty to Him even in sorrowful moments.
2. A faithful follower of Jesus experiences the glory of the Lord as his or her reward.

Firstly, Mary was a faithful follower of Jesus because she was fearless and steadfast in her loyalty to Jesus even in her sorrowful moments. Beloved in the Lord, while all the male disciples and followers of Jesus were hiding, Mary, proved that she was a faithful, fearless and steadfast follower of Jesus. In John 20:1, we are told, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” Dear friend, It takes a faithful, fearless and steadfast follower of Jesus to walk alone in the dark just to see Jesus. Again, we are told that it is this same Mary who went back to inform the disciples about the disappearance of Jesus from the tomb. When they came and did not find Him they went back without looking for the body of Jesus. (John 20:2-17). After all the male followers or disciples of Jesus had left, Mary, a woman who was physically feeble in strength and vulnerable because of her loneliness at the tomb, fearlessly stayed behind to search for the missing corpse of Jesus. It is her faithfulness, sense of deep loss, helplessness and inability to find Jesus that made her weep until the Lord asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”)”(John 20:15-16). Dear friend, Jesus understands our sorrows and worries and He is always with us even in our loneliness, sorrow and state of vulnerability or helplessness. Let us remain faithful to Him in all situations and at the right time we shall hear His comforting voice of hope, joy and peace, for He has promised us that “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Beloved in the Lord, Mary truly demonstrated that she was a faithful follower of Jesus by being fearless and steadfast in her loyalty and commitment to Jesus even after His death. Mary’s faithfulness, fearlessness, steadfastness, loyalty and commitment to Jesus are worthy of emulation. Let us remember that she was only after the corpse of Jesus. She had no idea He had risen from the dead! Why would anyone be this faithful to the extent of risking her life for the corpse of a person she loved? Beloved in the Lord, are we also this faithful in following Jesus in all situations? Mary has truly proven her love for Jesus whether alive or dead. She was willing to risk her very life in the dark to find the body of her Master and Teacher, Jesus. Although the men had returned home out of fear, she was not discouraged, she was fearlessly steadfast in searching for Jesus! The faithfulness of Mary is hard to find among the followers of Jesus today. In our dispensation, many follow Jesus by convenience and often give myriads of excuses when it comes to serving the Lord faithfully. We hardly make time to serve the Lord with our bodies, time and resources. Coming to church and making time for midweek Bible studies and prayer meetings as followers of Jesus is practically impossible for many Christians but here is a woman who in her vulnerability walked in the darkness to honour and spend time with Jesus. What excuse do we have today?! Paul invites us to be faithful followers of Jesus when He wrote “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Secondly, what then is the reward of a faithful follower of Christ? A faithful follower of Jesus Christ experiences the glory or the presence of the Lord in his or her life. Mary the faithful follower of Jesus wept in sorrow but more importantly she faithfully, fearlessly and steadfastly looked for the corpse of Jesus. To her surprise, she found the living body of Jesus Christ instead of the dead body! The glory of God was revealed to her to prove that truly Jesus is the son of God who has power over death. Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ 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.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. (John 20:16-18). Beloved in the Lord, Jesus was referring to faithful followers like Mary when He promised us that “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8) Again, we are reminded by the Psalmist that “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.¹⁹ He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalms 145:18-19) In other words, the glory of the Lord is revealed to those who faithfully follow Him and call upon His name. We are greatly encouraged by Mary’s example as a faithful follower of Jesus. Let us never give up through faith and prayer, but continually remain faithful followers of Jesus. Paul admonishes us to “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Let us keep praying faithfully and remain steadfast in the Lord. In His own time, we shall experience the never-ending glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord gives us an assurance that we are not alone, God is with us. Mary received an assurance that she was not alone in the dark, the risen Lord was with her. Job in his faithfulness and afflictions yearned for the glory of the Lord when he said “And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. (Job 19:26-27). How hungry, ready and faithful are you to experience the glory of the Lord in your life. It takes a faithful follower like Mary to experience Jesus in our lives.

In summary, we have deliberated on the theme “Why are you weeping”. We have discovered that Mary wept because of her love and faithfulness to Jesus. A faithful follower gives total commitment, loyalty and support to Jesus in all situations. We have discovered two facts in our reflection, firstly, a faithful follower of Jesus even in sorrowful moments remains fearless and steadfast in his or her loyalty to Jesus, and secondly, a faithful follower of Jesus experiences the glory of the Lord as his or her reward. Shalom.

PRAYER
1. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to grant us the ability to demonstrate our faithfulness to Jesus during challenging moments of our lives by being fearless and steadfast followers.
2. Let us pray to experience the glory of God in our lives even as we continue to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit, strengthen and grant us the spirit of courage to overcome fear. Help us to go through thick and thin on account of our Lord Jesus Christ so that when He returns we shall be counted among His faithful followers. Amen.