Who is it you are looking for?

All of us are looking for something – blessing, significance, belonging. But shouldn’t we be looking for Someone instead?

Jesus said if we look for Him, we will find Him, and then, all the good things we seek will be ours as well (Matthew 6:33). But how do we do this? Two questions in John’s gospel may give us an answer.

The first question, “…Who is it you want…” (John 18:4), was posed in a garden to some soldiers, before the crucifixion.

The second question, “…Who is it you are looking for…” (John 20:15), was posed in a garden to Mary, after the resurrection.

Both parties were looking for Jesus and both found Him, but the two stories have very different outcomes.

The soldiers drew back from Him when He revealed Himself. They were looking to accuse Him, and their search ended in death.

Mary turned toward Him when He revealed Himself. She was looking to worship Him, and her search ended in life.

I think the soldiers were looking for something (an arrest, a fulfillment of a command, perhaps even a commendation from their commander), but Mary had no such agenda. She wasn’t looking for something, she was looking for Someone. She wasn’t interested in things, she just wanted Him.

What about you?

Robert