Questions for Christians
Who are you looking for? That’s my paraphrase of a question asked of Mary Magdalene when she went to the tomb where Jesus was buried after the sabbath. BTW, the gospels give different details of the resurrection story, but they agree that Mary Magdalene was one of the women present. They also all agree that the disciples, the men, were held up somewhere hidden away. No doubt they were afraid, grieving, and wondering what would happen next. The women must have shared those emotions.
Who are you looking for? That’s a faith question about Jesus of Nazareth that people who claim Christianity answer at Christmas, at Easter, and during every day. That answer, it seems to me, is not grounded in creeds, confessions of faith, the definition of scared music, or mode of baptism. It is grounded, I think, in how one treats a stranger, family, friends, and enemies.
Some of us seek a savior that will balance our account with God. A balanced account might help us live a balanced life. Some of us seek a teacher who can help us connect with God; to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. Some of us don’t know who we are looking for, but follow the community or crowd because it is popular or comfortable. No matter what she believed, Mary Magdalene went out to do right by Jesus. Did someone ask her to go or tell her to go? The text doesn’t say. It does say that Magdalene returned to tell the disciples about who she had met and what she had seen. That sounds like what Christian tradition calls preaching.
When you look back at your life from the time you became conscious of others, and of right and wrong, what is the arc of your life bending toward? My guess is the answer to that question informs who you expect to find when you go with Mary Magdalene to the tomb. “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” (Unknown author often attributed to St Francis.)
God bless your journey in faith.