When our group looked over this lesson, the term that best expressed the general feeling was “bewildered.” Why would Mary jump to the conclusion that the tomb was empty when all she saw was the open tomb and is not recorded as having entered? Why bother to mention that the other disciple outran Peter to the tomb? Was it a race? And when he arrived, why didn’t the other disciple go right in, but rather waited for Peter to take the lead? When Mary offered to move the body of Jesus, was she offering to move it all by herself? There appears to be a lot of information that is unnecessary or unexplained.
As we discovered, it is very easy to get caught up in the details and totally miss the point. A bewildered Mary wanted to get the details from “the gardener”-where the body was, what had happened to it-not even seeing the risen Jesus before her. And, just as our feeling of bewilderment very much mirrored Mary’s bewilderment, our group also initially missed the whole point: Jesus is alive! Because of this blessed event, we are called and empowered to follow the instructions given to Mary, to tell others this wonderful news.
Lord, when I am bewildered with life, help me to hear your voice calling to me so that I can focus on your work set before me. Amen. — LGR