One of the most beautiful moments in the Bible, to me, is that half-light encounter which Mary Magdalene has with the risen Christ. She is afraid and alone and angry and then out of nowhere everything is restored and whole for her. "Rabboni" she says in response to her name.
The power of that image which John paints for us is astounding and familiar. The times when we cannot quite find the dawn until we, stumbling around in the waiting light, find Jesus, on our part accidentally almost it seems - but He is waiting. We pour out our anger and frustration and fear as if he does not know us, as if he is a stranger and then He reaches out to us, with our name, or an action.
"You are mine, I know you, I love you," and all this comes to us in utter simplicity. In that moment we are restored again, as we were at the first. We are removed from the the snares and the rocks of the world - or at least from their effectiveness as our home is elsewhere.
"Teacher!" we reply and give our all in a simple act of letting go and embracing this God of ours all over again.
No comments:
Post a Comment