Recognizing Jesus

At Eastertime, I am always struck by the deep sadness of the scene by the tomb when Mary Magdalene does not recognize Jesus. In fact, she mistakes him for a gardener.

“… But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?’ She thought it was the gardener and said to him, ‘Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.’” (John 20:11-15)

You can feel the hopelessness and sense of abandonment Mary Magdalene experiences in this moment. Of course, shortly after, she is able to recognize God as He calls her name.

Are there times in our lives when we allow our own grief and sadness to distract us from recognizing Jesus?

On the road to Emmaus

Mary Magdalene is not the only disciple to miss knowing Jesus. In another incident following Jesus’s resurrection, two disciples are walking the road to Emmaus when they come upon Jesus. The Gospel of Luke tells us, “Their eyes were prevented from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). As they walk and talk, it is clear that the two disciples are “downcast,” discussing the events of the prior three days, the varying accounts of what occurred, and their own disappointment that Jesus did not “redeem Israel” (at least, not as they would have planned). Of course, it is not until they sit down to dinner with Jesus that they “recognize him in the breaking of the bread.” Even as Jesus “interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures” as they walked, they did not know they were speaking to the living God.

What causes our inability to see the Lord?

We can consider another example: In Luke 10 we hear the story of Mary and Martha serving Jesus at their home. Mary sits patiently and listens to Jesus speak, while her sister Martha hurries about, making dinner and, ultimately, feeling slighted as the only one doing any work. After Martha complains to Jesus about Mary’s inaction and the burden it places on her, Jesus responds, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Luke 10:41-42). In other words, Mary recognizes who Jesus is and stays with him, free of worry or haste for the future. Martha overlooks the person of Jesus for the pomp and circumstance of the occasion, immersing herself in worry, self-interest, and concern over how she will appear to others.

In both cases, wherein Jesus’s disciples do not recognize him, we see something in common: they are distracted by worry and grief. Additionally, they are overly concerned with the way they think things should be, or how Jesus and his kingdom ought to appear to them. We can be blinded by our own expectations of how we want God to work and look.

Who did recognize Jesus?

Luckily for us, the Bible is replete with examples of those who saw and recognized Jesus for who he was.

From the very beginning of Jesus’s life, there were those who recognized him. We think of the Magi who traveled a great distance or Simeon and Anna in the temple at Jesus’s presentation exclaiming the great news that the savior has arrived (Luke 2:25-38). 

One of my favorite examples of a disciple who recognized Jesus is the story of Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector of short stature:

“Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he came down quickly and received him with joy.” (Luke 19:2-6).

Zacchaeus hosts Jesus for a meal at his home and declares that he will give half his possessions to the poor. Zacchaeus has no question in his mind about Jesus’ identity, as shown by the generous response from his heart.

Another famous tax collector who recognized Jesus, evidenced by his immediate response to Jesus’s calling, is the apostle and gospel author Matthew: “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9) Matthew could only have done this if he understood precisely that Jesus is God himself.

Likewise, remember the story of the centurion who asked Jesus’s help in healing his servant. The centurion, finding himself unworthy to present himself before Jesus, says, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:8-9) In other words, his faith tells him that Jesus is the ultimate authority. The result? Jesus works a miracle, and the servant is healed immediately, from a distance.

Where do I recognize Jesus in my life?

While we may not have the opportunity to have a literal, face-to-face conversation or sit down to share a meal with Jesus, we know that he is present all around us. We know, for example, that God is present in the poorest among us, in the friends and family around us, and in the constant opportunities in life to grow in holiness.

If you want to become better at recognizing Jesus – look for him! Make an effort to serve and be with those in need of help: the poor, the hungry, the homeless, women in crisis pregnancies, and so on.

Likewise, emulate Jesus to find him. We are called on a daily basis to practice the virtues he taught: patience, mercy, justice, forgiveness, generosity, and humility. 

Lastly, speak to him. Prayer is our way to communicate with God, to share all the worries and doubts that distract us and to ask for his help in un-burdening ourselves so we are free to know him.

As we search for, emulate, and pray to Jesus, we will get to know him better. We in turn become better disciples and better able to answer the call to evangelize and share Jesus so that others may recognize him, too.