Experiencing God - Witness to Christ 44

"He has risen. He walks among us. I have seen the Lord."
Gospel of John

I remember from my high school years when I discovered  the story of Jesus of Nazareth in my history book. He was described there as a man who changed history by His teachings, His mission, and, in accordance with Christian beliefs, His resurrection from the dead. I remember at the time being somewhat surprised that Jesus was an actual historic figure who change history, albeit differently than the other people in my history book. This was the way that I understood the person of Jesus for many years after that; as a person of history.

In my mid twenties, during a time of struggle, I encountered Jesus in an entirely different way. I encountered Him as one who was active, present, and alive in my life.

Many of the Gospel stories that follow Jesus' crucifixion and death are stories that speak of Jesus' disciples and friends who had to re-discover Jesus in a new way. Jesus was no longer the historic person that they saw with their eyes, heard with their ears, and touched in the normal physical manner. He was different. And because He was different, they didn't always recognized Him immediately.

The story of Mary Magdeline's encounter with the risen Christ is a vivid example. Mary loved Jesus very much, and was very distressed by His death, and later, His disappearance from the tomb. Everything seemed lost to her. She probably wondered how she would be able to regain equilibrium in her life again? And then a voice from someone who she thought was a gardener. "Mary, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" Still distressed, her response: "If you have taken Him, then tell me where you have put Him."

And then she heard a response that enabled her to recognize who was speaking to her: She heard her name being called as she had probably heard many times before. She heard: "Mary", to which she responded: "Master". And she was asked not to cling to Him as she might have done before. Mary encountered Jesus, not as before, but in a new way. She recognized Jesus when He called her by name.

So important it was for Mary to give witness to Jesus: "He has risen. He walks among us. I have seen the Lord".

So important, if we wish to give witness to Jesus, is our own personal discovery of the risen Jesus in our own lives. 

It is difficult to witness to that which we have not experienced ourselves in a real way. And we can only witness to that which is experienced internally in our heart.  We need to move beyond an understanding based only on our outward senses. It must be something that has changed our hearts and our lives and given them new meaning.

Jesus said: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments, and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever.  This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him or knows Him. You know Him because He abides with you and He is in you."