Who are you looking for?

A little over a week ago it was Easter, and that’s a pretty big deal here at Northbrook. Not just because we see our one of our biggest crowds of the year, with so many first-time guests. And if you were a first-time guest, we’re so glad you chose to spend Easter with us. But that’s not it, although that’s a good reason to put our best foot forward and serve you.

But the real reason that Easter is such a big deal is because of what happened on the first Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. That’s the whole reason we exist as a church. That’s the whole reason we are Christians. That’s the whole reason that we put our faith in God. If Jesus had stayed in the grave, then there’d be no reason to keep meeting.

On that very first Easter, after the resurrection, John tells us that the first thing Jesus did was ask a question. “Who are you looking for?” He asked that of one of his followers, Mary Magdalene.

But I think that question is as relevant today as it was nearly 2,000 years ago.

This week we started a series about five questions that Jesus asked in scripture. Those questions have historical and literary contexts to them, sure. But they also represent questions we need to keep asking. If we are seekers, seeking God and his best for our lives, then you could say we’re on a quest. And every quest begins with a question, just like the word question begins with quest.

Jesus was great about asking questions. What I really love is how he would be asked a question, and then flip it and answer with another question. He stood trial against Pilate and the Jewish officials and was asked, “Jesus, who are you?” His answer was, “Who do you say I am?” We may find ourselves in that same situation.

“God, where are you?”

And he may reply, “Where are you?”

“Jesus, can you help me out here?”

And he may reply, “Can you help me out by helping one of my little ones?”

But let’s back to that first question he asked outside the empty tomb, “Who are you looking for?” He asked Mary that question because she was having trouble recognizing him. Maybe it was the early morning light, or perhaps it was the tears in her eyes. But she looked at Jesus and saw…a gardener.

When we look at Jesus, we often see all kinds of things. A ticket taker, stamping our ticket to Heaven. A businessman, managing our religious transactions. A lawyer, defending us before his angry Father.  These metaphors are incomplete.

One of the best pictures in all of scripture of Jesus is this one – the Gardener. Go back to the beginning of John’s gospel. What does he say about Jesus? That he was there before time began, and he was there at creation. In fact, he was the one who created everything. Adam and Eve in the garden. He was the first gardener.

What do gardeners do? They get their hands dirty. And Jesus did the same. He bent down, scooped up handfuls of clay, and shaped them into a man, Adam. That first act of creation was one of gardening.

But he’s still our gardener today. He bends down into our lives. He reaches into the dirt and clay of our sins and molds and reshapes us. He breathes life back into our hearts. He plants. He waters. He grows.

As we continue our look at these five questions of Jesus, remember that he is the one working in the soil of your lives. It can be intimidating to face tough questions. But it can also be freeing. So allow him to dig into the dirt and clay, let him shape and move you around a bit. And accept his breath of life. That’s the beginning of our quest together.