Jesus Discovered

What does it take to see Jesus in this world?

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’ - Matthew 28:1-10

In Matthew's Gospel, the two Marys do not encounter someone at the tomb who they don't recognize as Jesus.  Instead, they see and angel, and the angel tells them Jesus is alive.

As soon as they encounter him on the road, they know who he is, and they worship him.

For most of us, our encounters with Jesus are not as obvious.  We don't always recognize him in the people we meet on the road.

What do we expect?

Yesterday, I was on my way to a meeting when I walked by a wooded area near the train tracks.  At first, I didn't see anyone because the trees were thick there, but as I passed I could see a group of men sitting in the dark, keeping cool.

I thought, maybe I should go back to the office and get them some water and maybe sandwiches we had bagged for distribution, but I didn't want to be late for my meeting.

As it turns out, I was early and I had to wait.  During that time, I thought about the guys in the trees and I convinced myself I would go after my meeting and bring them back some food and drinks.

As it turns out, they were gone when I returned. 

Did I miss an encounter with Jesus?  I will never know.

In order to see Jesus, we have to believe he is among us.  The women were told and they believed, so when he approached, they recognized him.

I believe Jesus can be seen in this world, if our eyes are open to seeing him.  He may not look like what we expect, and we may not see him until we go out of our way to help someone in need, but he is there.

We just need to make it a priority.

More to come...