Identity

During my week of silence, I jotted this note down after praying through John 20:11-18. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, but she does not recognize him until after he says her name. His question, "Whom do you seek?" reminded me of his same question to the mob in the garden of Gethsemane days earlier (John 18:1-8).

To those who seek Jesus but don't know him, he responds with a statement about himself. To the mob in the garden, he said "I am he," which surprised them because they knew God as "I AM."

To those who seek Jesus and know him, he responds with a statement about them. To Mary while she wept for his corpse, he spoke her name like he knew her, and she recognized him because she heard her name from him.

When we accept God's love, he tells us about who we are to him. As I experienced last week, we are loved, intensely and in ways we only begin to understand. He knows us best, loves us deeply, and gives us our identity in Christ. No more hiding or searching for the wrong things. He loves us, and when he calls our names, we recognize him.