Not Seeing Jesus

At some point this past weekend I was in John 20 and came across the amazing verse that says: "At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus". The "she" in this verse is Mary Magdalene, someone quite familiar with what Jesus looked like. She was not the only person who experienced this phenomenon. In the next chapter, the same thing happens: "But the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus". We can't know for sure WHY these people who were very familiar with Jesus didn't recognize Him. Two explanations I have read have been A) He very well could have looked different after His resurrection or B) He intentionally prevented them from recognizing Him. I don't guess we will ever know. I guess what hit me was this.......how many times have I not recognized Jesus? I guess I am in some good company, but that still doesn't make me feel any better about it! I'm sure it has happened more times than I would like to know. Like these followers we read about in John, maybe I thought I knew what Jesus was SUPPOSED to look like......and He has shown up looking like someone entirely different. Even before His resurrection, there were many folks who didn't recognize Him for this same reason. They were expecting a great King, not a humble servant from Nazareth. Not such good company to be in this time, huh? There are a lot of applications we could all make, but I will just state the most obvious.....don't expect Jesus to meet your criteria as to what He is supposed to look like.

I love the way the incident with Mary ends! What happens to finally cause her to recognize Him? She has her back to Him, but hears His voice say ONE word.....her name, "Mary". That's all it took.........hearing without looking! See, she had already heard His voice, but that voice was skewed by the fact she was also looking at Him, and He didn't fit the bill for the Jesus she knew. It took hearing without seeing. Application? You might want to listen for Him instead of looking for Him. Didn't He tell us that the Sheep know the voice of their Master? If He said your name, would you know it was Him? Mary did. I'm convinced we can too.