The risen Christ, standing alone a garden, was mistaken by a close disciple for the local gardener. He asked her a simple, penetrating question: “Whom are you seeking?” (Jn 20:15)
Whom are we seeking? How are we seeking Him? How can we tell? How do we know?
Mary was absolutely desperate to find Jesus Christ; she was simply beside herself. Not finding Christ wasn’t an option, no matter where He was. Perhaps that’s a start. Is not having Christ an option we’re willing to live with? or even entertain?
Well, wanting Him isn’t enough, evidently. Knowing Him as well as she did, she didn’t recognize Him when she found Him. She wasn’t expecting Him where He was, or in the state He was in. She vastly underestimated Him, having some lowly notion about where He might be and what He might look like. But she knew His voice, and was longing to hear Him. He had to reveal Himself to her, even though He was standing right in front of her. Do we know the voice of God? Are we longing to hear Him, as He reveals Himself to us?
In even asking us the question, Christ presumes we’re seeking some one, and not just some thing. If we’re content with toys and trinkets, I suppose He’ll leave us to them, and not even ask. (1Jn 2:15) But if we’re at least looking for God, He’ll help us. (Mt 7:7)
And in seeking sincerely, we ought to be walking in the light we already have. We call Him Lord, but are we doing what He said? (Lk 6:46)
How else do we seek after the risen Christ? How do we find Him, if it isn’t in obeying what we already know of Him, following after Him, and continually asking Him to show us more?