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Blind Grief

John 20:10-14
Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus. (NIVUK)

The tomb was empty!  Peter and John had gone to investigate the women’s report of the grave stone being moved. They found that the body of Jesus had gone (John 20:1-10).  After the men had gone back home, Mary Magdalene stayed to grieve alone.  As she stooped to look into the cave-tomb she saw two angels sitting on the rock shelf where Jesus had been laid.  Speaking kindly to Mary, they asked why she was crying.  Surely it should have been obvious: Mary’s Lord and Master had been crucified, and then His body had been removed, compounding her grief.  But despite remembering Jesus’ words about how He would be killed and then rise to life again on the third day (Luke 24:6-8), she never thought it was possible.
 
The she turned around and saw a man was standing there.   Mary did not associate the stranger in the garden with the promise of His resurrection.  Grief had overwhelmed her.  But it was Jesus.  However, Mary was consumed with her own painful sorrow.  She had no idea that the person she thought she had lost had come to find her.  
 
In the same way that love can be blind, so can grief.  Love often stops us thinking critically, so that there is no problem which cannot be solved and no fault that matters.  However, in grief the opposite is true.  Every problem is often magnified so that no logic, promise or comfort is enough; the right decision is difficult to see because grief blindfolds our hearts to protect us.  But it can also blind us to the presence of Jesus.

When that happens, Satan takes the opportunity to remove us from Christ’s comfort and strength, allowing us to immerse ourselves in private misery, anger or despair.  These feelings are common whatever the cause of our personal loss: our job, a loved one, our home, or serious illness.  Grief is a real reaction to loss and is not wrong; but it should not be the only reaction.  We should remember to turn around, because although we may be lost in our grief, Jesus has found us and is standing behind us.

Prayer 
Gracious God. Thank You for Your kindness in dealing with grieving people. The consequences of sin being in the world make it inevitable that I will suffer loss. Please forgive me when I get so absorbed in my personal world of grief, and when I inadvertently allow Satan to blind me from seeing Jesus. Please help me to know that the Lord Jesus is so near to me and wants to bring me into the real world of His loving purpose with comfort and joy. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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© Dr Paul Adams