I was surprised or maybe perplexed at first (though that’s not a word I often use), when I walked around the east side of my house yesterday afternoon and saw the daffodils about to bloom. I don’t know why I was surprised that spring had arrived… I had seen all the signs. The snow had long since melted. The weather was consistently warmer. There were buds on the trees, and the birds were singing.
I knew the daffodils would bloom, but when it happened, I was caught off guard.
It was a similar situation for the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee. After he had been laid in the tomb, Luke tells us (in Luke 24:2), they found, of course, that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was no longer there.
And they were perplexed about this.
Perplexed, I guess, that what Jesus had told them would happen, happened.
Perplexed, also, that what had been foretold by the prophets also happened.
And perplexed that all that had been written about Jesus in the Scriptures was now coming to pass.
Jesus was risen, just as he said. He was risen, just as had been foretold. He is risen, just as the Scriptures declare.
And yet they were perplexed.
Sometimes, I find myself in the same sort of situation. I see all the signs that God will fulfill his promises to me – his faithfulness, his mercy, his steadfast love – and yet when I see his promises fulfilled, too often I’m perplexed. Too often I’m surprised when I see God work—even though I know he has promised he would.
This Easter, like many before, we will celebrate the risen Christ. We will celebrate his triumph over death and his fulfillment of prophecy. We will celebrate what he has done for us.
Yet, let me challenge you (us) with this: On Monday, when we see God work in our own lives… let’s not be caught off guard. Let’s not be surprised that God would do for us today, what he has done for his people throughout the ages. Let’s not be perplexed when we see the fulfillment of his promises breaking forth.
How have you seen God at work in your life these days? Share your answer in a comment below.