The Rev. Joseph Farnes
All Saints, Boise
Easter Day
April 9, 2023
“Whom are you looking for?” Jesus asks Mary Magdalene. The question Jesus poses to Mary Magdalene is the same question we are asked today. We might frame it a little differently – what are you seeking? What are you pursuing? What are you aiming toward? But at heart we’re all looking for something.
It’s the same question that Jesus asks at the beginning of John’s Gospel. “What are you looking for?” he asks of two disciples of John the Baptist. John’s Gospel is about seeking, looking, finding. John’s Gospel keeps pointing us toward Jesus. Jesus is the one we’re looking for. In John’s Gospel, nothing less will do.
Notice what happens in the Gospel story. Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb – the stone is rolled away. She rushes back and finds Peter and the other disciple, and they all rush back to the tomb. They poke their heads in, they look inside, they see the linens sitting there.
Then Peter and the other disciple go back home. The one disciple believed something, but John is quick to point out that as of yet they did not understand that Jesus must rise from the dead. This other disciple believed something had happened, something miraculous signifying something about why Jesus’ body was gone, but the connection was not … fleshed out, if you’ll forgive a pun.
But Mary Magdalene? She’s not leaving. She came here to this tomb to care for Jesus, and she’s not leaving until she can take care of someone she loves deeply.
And so while Peter and the other disciple saw the empty tomb, they were ready to go back home, to daily life. Mary Magdalene shows her deep love. She seeks Jesus, and no one else will do.
Not even angels. Did you notice that? Peter and the other disciple show up, see the cloths rolled up nicely, and go home. Mary Magdalene sees angels.
Mary Magdalene cries outside the tomb, then she pokes her head into the tomb and sees these two angels. They ask her why she’s crying. Very sensitive, these angels. I wonder why someone might be crying at a tomb. She replies that she’s seeking her Lord, that someone has taken away the body.
And then she turns around.
She sees angels. Figures who were not there a moment ago. Angels who generally have to say “Do not fear!” when they show up because they’re that intense. Mary Magdalene sees angels, and she doesn’t wait for them to share any news. If it’s not Jesus, she’s not interested. These two mysterious figures, she’s not interested. They asked a pretty obvious question, and she doesn’t have time for this.
Mary Magdalene doesn’t have time for spiritual shenanigans. Don’t give me some lofty prophecy, don’t give me some spiritual aphorisms that could have come from a self-help book, don’t distract me with “living my best life now”, and definitely don’t try to explain away my grief. Mary Magdalene doesn’t have time for any of this – she’s seeking Jesus, and she will not rest until she finds him.
If these mysterious figures aren’t going to be of help, she’s leaving. And then she is accosted by another figure. We know it’s Jesus, but she doesn’t. And the figure asks: “Why are you weeping?” So far no different than the angels. But then this figure adds “Whom are you looking for?”
Now there’s a good question. Mary Magdalene answers it. “Sir, if you’ve taken away the body that was supposed to be here in this tomb, tell me, and I will take him away.” She’s pleading – if the body of someone I love is an inconvenience to you, and you’ve taken him away, just tell me where you’ve put him, I’ll take care of him.
The restraint and the devotion of Mary Magdalene! Let’s be honest, if you or I found out that someone had taken the body of a loved one out of their tomb and just callously put them somewhere else, you and I would probably be furious.
But Mary Magdalene holds back. She’s not distracted by what seems to be a heartless deed by a gardener. Instead of being distracted by anger toward someone moving her beloved teacher’s body, she’s focused: find the body, care for Jesus.
But when this figure says her name, it all becomes clear. Mary! And she knows who it is. Her name spoken by that voice cuts through grief and her single-minded focus. She is given what she seeks.
Thus John’s Gospel comes full-circle. The one who is looking for Jesus will find him. This question resonates down through the ages to us. What is it, or who is it, that we seek?
And now to flip the question: what is it, or who is it, that God seeks?
God seeks justice and peace, compassion and mercy.
God seeks truth, honesty, and humility.
And, most of all, God is seeking you.
God calls out your name. God is seeking you with a devotion even stronger than that of Mary Magdalene. Do you believe in this?
Jesus Christ is looking for you. Jesus is seeking you.
Want proof? Next Sunday we read the next part of this chapter of John’s Gospel: Jesus seeks out his disciples who have hidden themselves away out of fear, and Jesus seeks out Thomas who has his doubts.
John’s Gospel is not just about our seeking; it’s about God’s seeking.
God’s search for you takes Jesus through life and death and resurrection to find you. None shall be lost. All shall be found.
Christ is looking for you, and nothing will thwart his search. Not fear, not confusion, not sin, not even death – nothing will stop Jesus’s loving search for you. Christ is looking for you.
Listen for the sound of his voice calling out your name, and rejoice! Alleluia, Christ is risen!