<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>John 20;11-14<div><br></div><div><b>11. &nbsp;But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb;</b></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.</b></div><div><b>13. &nbsp;They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” &nbsp;She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”</b></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Our own emotions and false assumptions blind us to miraculous&nbsp;divine realities.</div><div><br></div><div>Mary had followed Simon Peter and John back to the tomb. &nbsp;She probably arrived while Peter and John were dejectedly leaving. &nbsp;Their own sadness and confusion probably reinforced her own grief and sorrow. &nbsp;As they departed, Mary stood overcome with her grief, she did not know what to do, so she just wept. &nbsp;After some moments, and after Peter and John were gone from sight, Mary Magdalene bent over to look into the tomb. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Instead of dark emptiness, two men in white (probably radiant)&nbsp;sat where Jesus had lain. &nbsp;I am amazed that she was not amazed! &nbsp;Where did these two white clad strangers come from? &nbsp;Why had not Peter and John seen them and spoken to them? &nbsp;None of this made any sense, something amazing had and was taking place, yet Mary mechanically clings to her own erroneous self-deceiving, assumption…like us all, our minds are made up, so&nbsp;don’t confuse us with the facts!</div><div><br></div><div>Once we come to think in a certain way, once we have given ourselves over to emotionalism (no matter how unfounded),&nbsp;changing our thinking and emotions&nbsp;is nearly impossible. &nbsp;It is like turning around&nbsp;a huge ship. &nbsp;It does not happen quickly, the massive&nbsp;weight moving in one direction continues on even after the ships rudder has been turned. &nbsp;Slamming on the brakes&nbsp;at 75 miles per hour does not stop the car instantly. &nbsp;So it is with God’s truth, it can be right there before us but we don’t stop.</div><div><br></div><div>I can not help but think the angels and our a Lord Jesus had incredible smiles on their faces, and were probably shaking their heads in wonder at Mary’s persistent,&nbsp;self-created grief, in the face of the mounting evidence! &nbsp;Not to mention her stubborn refusal to remember the many times Jesus told them all that this was going to happen!&nbsp; It is amusing to consider.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Our own understanding of who we think we are is much the same. &nbsp;The Lord is still smiling and shaking his head at us. &nbsp;The only difference is that Jesus is not standing unrecognized&nbsp;in front of us,&nbsp; he is dwelling unrecognized within us. &nbsp;<i>“I have been crucified with Christ; <u>it is no longer I who live, </u><b>but Christ who lives in me, </b>&nbsp;and the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” &nbsp;</i>(Galatians 2;20)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, deliver us from our own self-understanding, and enlighten us to recognize by faith who we&nbsp;really&nbsp;are, a&nbsp;new&nbsp;creation in Christ. &nbsp;Bless us to stop trusting in our own powers of&nbsp;reasoning and our own emotions. &nbsp;Bless us to truly believe the divine realities of&nbsp;your Word. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen<br><br>Love,&nbsp;</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”<br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


John 20;11-14
11.  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb;12.  and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.13.  They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”  She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”14.  Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Our own emotions and false assumptions blind us to miraculous divine realities.
Mary had followed Simon Peter and John back to the tomb.  She probably arrived while Peter and John were dejectedly leaving.  Their own sadness and confusion probably reinforced her own grief and sorrow.  As they departed, Mary stood overcome with her grief, she did not know what to do, so she just wept.  After some moments, and after Peter and John were gone from sight, Mary Magdalene bent over to look into the tomb.  
Instead of dark emptiness, two men in white (probably radiant) sat where Jesus had lain.  I am amazed that she was not amazed!  Where did these two white clad strangers come from?  Why had not Peter and John seen them and spoken to them?  None of this made any sense, something amazing had and was taking place, yet Mary mechanically clings to her own erroneous self-deceiving, assumption…like us all, our minds are made up, so don’t confuse us with the facts!
Once we come to think in a certain way, once we have given ourselves over to emotionalism (no matter how unfounded), changing our thinking and emotions is nearly impossible.  It is like turning around a huge ship.  It does not happen quickly, the massive weight moving in one direction continues on even after the ships rudder has been turned.  Slamming on the brakes at 75 miles per hour does not stop the car instantly.  So it is with God’s truth, it can be right there before us but we don’t stop.
I can not help but think the angels and our a Lord Jesus had incredible smiles on their faces, and were probably shaking their heads in wonder at Mary’s persistent, self-created grief, in the face of the mounting evidence!  Not to mention her stubborn refusal to remember the many times Jesus told them all that this was going to happen!  It is amusing to consider. 
Our own understanding of who we think we are is much the same.  The Lord is still smiling and shaking his head at us.  The only difference is that Jesus is not standing unrecognized in front of us,  he is dwelling unrecognized within us.  “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,  and the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (Galatians 2;20)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, deliver us from our own self-understanding, and enlighten us to recognize by faith who we really are, a new creation in Christ.  Bless us to stop trusting in our own powers of reasoning and our own emotions.  Bless us to truly believe the divine realities of your Word.  In Jesus we pray, Amen

Love, Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”

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