Who are you looking for?

After a night of travail languishing and praying - Jesus' time had come. Judas Iscariot, (one of the inner circle, and betrayer) knew where Jesus would be. He had guided a detachment of soldiers, some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees, carrying torches, lanterns and weapons, to where Jesus was at the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, knowing what was about to unfold, went out and asked, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am He," Jesus said. At the sound of His words, they drew back and fell to the ground. Again He said, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth", they replied. How incredibly charged, meaningful and significant this moment must have been. Here were representatives of Roman law and religious law coming face to face with Jesus. The one to whom all authority is vested in, the one to whom all authority both in heaven and earth belong. Scripture says, "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. (John 3:31)

Imagine a standoff between Grace and the Law? They threw the book at Him, they came at Him with superficial weapons, superficial authority and superficial lighting, having no realisation that He is the Light of the World; The Great I am! "Who is it you want?" Grace always outshines and dwarfs religious law and piety. Grace always makes a way, always offers a way and I do believe here was Jesus extending Himself to His 'enemies'. Bible says, "I have come that you might have life and life more abundantly. By just believing in Him you are promised eternal life, for this reason John 3:16 implores: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"

The Roman guards approached shoving and roughing Him up they bound Him, arrested Him and hurried Him along, but not before Simon Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the High Priests servant. "Put your sword away, shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" Jesus rebuked. Peter could not come to terms with them taking Jesus away, this was not how it was supposed to end? All that Peter gleaned from Jesus seemed to have dissipated at a moment's provocation. Jesus' entire mission hinged on surrender that night, nothing was going to stop Him; the power of Grace of love, of redemption of forgiveness of sins, of Salvation was far more compelling even if it meant death by crucifixion by the hands of brutal Roman authority.

Fast forward early Sunday morning when Mary Magdalene made her way to Jesus' tomb. 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 around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking He was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him." (John 20:11-18).

Who are you looking for? What a poignant question? A question Jesus continues to ask and continues to answer. In Peters desperation He could not imagine life without Jesus, yet He could not fully comprehend that there could be no crown without a cross. In Mary's desperation she could not perceive what could have happened to His body? Yet there could be no hope, no salvation, no victory, no healing without the Resurrected Body of Jesus. What is Gods will for your life? What or who have you been searching for? It's easy to be overwhelmed by what our circumstances dictate. It might appear that He is not who He says He is, that the surrendering at Gethsemane or the empty tomb leaves you feeling the same sense of loss and hopelessness that Peter and Mary experienced - Your search is over when you believe.

"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you" Romans 8:11.