The tomb was empty! Peter and John had gone to investigate the women’s report of the grave stone being moved. They found that the body of Jesus had gone. When they went back home, Mary Magdalene stayed to grieve alone. As she stooped to look into the cave-tomb she saw two angels sitting on the rock shelf where Jesus had been laid. Strangely, they asked why she was crying. Surely it should have been obvious: Mary’s Lord and Master had been crucified, and then His body had been removed compounding her grief.
 
When she turned around, Jesus was standing there – outside the tomb, fully dressed, speaking kindly and very alive! Despite remembering His words about how He would be killed and then rise to life again on the third day (Luke 24:6-8), Mary did not associate the stranger in the garden with the promise of His resurrection. Grief had overwhelmed her.
 
In the same way that love can be blind, so can grief. Love often stops us thinking objectively, so that there is no problem which cannot be solved and no fault that matters. However, in grief the opposite is true. Every problem is often magnified so that no logic, promise or comfort is enough; the right decision is difficult to see because grief blindfolds our hearts to protect us. But it can also blind us to the presence of Jesus. When that happens, Satan takes the opportunity to remove us from Christ’s comfort and strength, allowing us to immerse ourselves in private misery, anger or despair. These feelings are common whatever the cause of our personal loss: our job, a loved one, our home, or serious illness. Grief is a real reaction to loss and is not wrong; but it should not be the only reaction. We should remember to turn around, because although we may be lost in our grief, Jesus has found us and is standing behind us.