Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024
“I Have Seen The Lord!”
Happy Easter! If you and your loved ones are attending Church this weekend, you will almost definitely hear the following statement: “I have seen the Lord!” These five words, uttered by Mary Magdalene in John’s Gospel, comprise one of the most powerful quotations in the Bible. It may not be as well known as Psalm 23 or John 3:16, but this one statement says so much without needing to say anything else.
What does it mean to Mary when she says that she has seen the Lord? Per Scripture, she is referring to her personal encounter with Jesus following the Resurrection. But is she only referring to his physical presence or is she referring to something more?
Recognizing the presence of God is a big thing in anyone’s life. Seeing the physical presence of the LORD must have been an amazing moment, indeed. But contrary to what we might think, seeing isn’t a qualification of believing. Lots of people were about to see Jesus during the next few weeks, but billions of people throughout history will not have seen and yet they will still believe.
Why do people believe without seeing? Is it because we are desperate to have hope? Is it because we want to know that Someone Else is in charge? Is it because we are weak, illiterate, naïve or uninformed?
People who don’t believe in the LORD are making a choice to not believe. Those of us who believe are also given the same choice, except we are choosing to believe. The difference between these two statements is so slight yet so powerful. God gave us the option to believe. God gave us the choice of free will. We didn’t ask for God to make us independent thinkers; God just did it in His Own free will.
God knew that we would be better people if we chose to believe on our own. God knew that if He turned us into a bunch of robots or computer programs, we would never understand the love we experience with family, friends, and communities. God knew that if He controlled our thoughts, we’d never be able to experience the feelings of loving a special someone or the complete joy associated with the birth of a child.
God chose to give us a choice. God loves us so much that He provided life on earth with an option to experience life in Heaven. Yes, some pain will always exist because the world is an imperfect place. But God still loves us so much that he’s offering us an opportunity to continue with a new life that will not include sickness, pain, anxiety, or tears.
What do you choose? I choose to believe, not because I must, but because God gave me the choice. I haven’t seen Jesus like Mary Magdalene did that morning at the tomb, but I can still say, “I have seen the Lord.” I hope and pray that you can say the same.
Have a wonderfully Blessed, Happy Easter!
“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14, NLT)
