Did Jesus' disciples await the Resurrection? Yes, of course they did. All their fellow believers awaited it, so why would they be an exception? And yet the resurrection of their Teacher was an enormous surprise for them. Perhaps an expected one, and yet still a surprise...
Did Jesus' disciples await the Resurrection? Yes, of course they did. All their fellow believers awaited it, so why would they be an exception? And yet the resurrection of their Teacher was an enormous surprise for them. Perhaps an expected one, and yet still a surprise. After all, the Resurrection was not supposed to happen like this, almost routinely. They simply came to the tomb, and the body was not there. The tomb was empty. The Resurrection is not like that; it is different. Everyone knows it is different. It will be majestic, solemn, unrepeatable... and here there is simply an empty tomb. He simply rose. He got up, came out of the tomb, and left. No, that does not happen. It cannot be. Surely someone must have stolen the body after all. The gardener, perhaps he knows... That is how the Encounter happens. And recognition.
But not at once. At first Mary is sure that the gardener is standing before her. It cannot be otherwise; there is nothing else to expect. And then everything depends only on openness. Whether one recognizes Him or not depends on how open a person is. Not simply open to Him, but open in general. How important, or unimportant, are one's expectations, opinions, stereotypes... how convinced one is that there is something that cannot be simply because it can never be. The stronger such certainty is, the fewer chances there are for recognition. Mary had no such certainty.
Perhaps because she did not think all that often about what could happen in her life and what could not happen in principle. Perhaps the feminine mind is generally less categorical than the masculine one. At least when it comes to postulates, schemes, and models. Fewer models mean fewer tests for conformity. And then He can be recognized: by a familiar word heard from Him before, by His voice, by His image... by an image greatly changed, yet still familiar. Familiar because an image is not only outward appearance.
An image is also everything that forms that appearance: its inner form, and not only its outer one. Outwardly, transformed humanity differs from untransformed humanity as heaven differs from earth. But inwardly it is akin to it, akin because from the very beginning God created our human nature so that it could be transformed. So that it could become completely new and at the same time remain itself. And therefore remain recognizable. At least for those for whom form is not only outward. As it was for Mary, who recognized her risen Teacher.
3 The church seeks Christ, finds him, and resolves not to displease him again, Sol 3:1-5.
Christ's coming out of the wilderness; his bed, guard and chariot, Sol 3:6-10.
An invitation of the church to the kingdom of glory, Sol 3:11.
3:1 By night - When others compose themselves to sleep, my affections were working towards him. I sought - I sought for Christ's gracious and powerful presence. I sought - This repetition denotes her perseverance and unweariedness in seeking him. Found him not - For he had withdrawn the manifestations of his love from me, either because I had not sought him diligently, or because I had abused his favour.
3:2 The city - The city of God, the church in which Christ resides.Broadways - Not finding him in private prayer, and meditation, I sought him in the places of public assemblies and ordinances. Found not - He saw fit still to delay the discoveries of his grace.
3:3 The watch - men - The ministers of Christ, and rulers of the church.Go about - To prevent disorders and dangers. Him - She does not name him, because she thought it needless, as supposing a person of such transcendent excellency could not be unknown to men in that capacity.Their answer is not mentioned, either because they gave her no satisfactory answer, or because by their silence she gathered that they were unable to inform her; and being eager in the pursuit, she would not lose time.
3:4 Found him - Christ met me, and manifested his love to me.Mother's house - As the spouse here, signifies particular believers, so her mother is the universal church, or the true Jerusalem, which hath its rise from above, which is the mother of us all, Gal 4:26, in which Christ and believers are united, and have sweet communion together in holy ordinances, into which believers are said to bring Christ, by faith and prayer. Conceived me - Christ is as it were the father that begets, and the church the mother that conceives and brings forth believers.