23rd Question Jesus Asks (From the Gospel of John)

She wept because the Lord’s corpse was missing—a cause for rejoicing.

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23rd Question – Why Are You Weeping? Whom Are You Seeking?

Mary Magdalene naturally wept but uncharacteristically doubted.

As one of the small group of devoted followers who watched the crucifixion and burial, she witnessed the horror of man’s brutality against God’s Son. Following the “funeral” procession to the tomb, it was natural for her to grieve.

But as one of Jesus’ most steadfast supporters, her misled emotions made her doubt. On at least three occasions, Jesus foretold His death and resurrection [Matthew 16:21; Mark 9:31; Mark 10:33-34; Luke 18:31-33]. He also told them to meet Him in Galilee after His resurrection [Matthew 26:32; Mark 14:28]. Additionally, the angels at the tomb reminded them of His promise to come back to life [Luke 24:6-7].

Yet Mary Magdalene proceeded to His tomb. Finding it empty, she spread her doubt by telling Peter and John. “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” [John 20:2].

After returning and confirming the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene stayed while Peter and John left. She remained—alone in her grief and doubt. However, she soon had some supernatural visitors with two supernatural questions.

And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” [John 20:12-13, bold text added].

Then Jesus appeared.

She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” [John 20:13-14, bold text added].

Response

It wasn’t until Jesus called her by name that she recognized Him. Yet His questions truly remained unanswered. She wept because the Lord’s corpse was missing—a cause for rejoicing. The second question should have awakened His previous promises of rising from the dead. The first question prompted a reason; the second, a Person.

Oh, how frequently we allow circumstantial logic and observed “reasons” to cloud God’s Word and His leading. But when reminded of Who we truly seek and follow, our response must confront the Person of Jesus. “He is not here—why are you looking for Him here?”

May our steps of faith be directed toward the Galilee of promise, not the tomb of our doubt-fueled expectations. He waits for us where He promised to be—may we diligently seek and find Him there [Hebrews 11:6].

 

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This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Nate Stevens

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About the Author

A lifelong student of Scripture, Nate Stevens has also enjoyed a banking career in a variety of leadership roles. He is the author of Matched 4 Life and Deck Time with Jesus as well as a contributing author on several of the Moments Books (Billy Graham Moments, Divine Moments, Spoken Moments, Christmas Moments, Stupid Moments, Cool-inary Moments, etc.). He writes online devotionals for ChristianDevotions.us and SingleMatters.com as well as articles for several other publications. Additionally, he leads Fusion, a Christian singles ministry he co-founded. A popular speaker and teacher at conferences, seminars and Bible study groups, he speaks on a wide variety of topics. He currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, with his beautiful wife, Karen, and is a proud dad of two awesome kids, Melissa and Mitchell.