By Jim Nichols

We humans like our rhythms. There seems to be an inbuilt comfort for us that we move through a day, a week, a month, even a year and have certain responsibilities, pleasures, and even requirements that occur with a degree of predictability. When our expected pattern is interrupted, it throws us off a bit, does it not? The interruptions are not necessarily negative always, but we do sense that the unexpected has occurred.

It is noteworthy that we are in the midst of two different but overlapping seasons now; they appear with a rhythm during the mid-spring. One of those faces a potential climax on April 15; that is the day in the United States that the Federal Income Tax paperwork is due. We may complete it before then, but that is the memorable last date. The other is, of course, the extended period we refer to as Eastertide, the 50-day period between Easter and Pentecost.

It seems to be an odd overlap of these two seasons, and perhaps worth considering.

Many are particularly drawn to the resurrection stories as they identify multiple incidents and participants. One of my favorites occurs in John 20 and involves Mary Magdalene. Mary was at Jesus’ tomb in the morning weeping, partly because the stone had been rolled away. When she bent down to look in, she realized that the body was gone, and two angels were in its place. They ask why she was crying, and she says Jesus has been taken away and asks where to find his body. She then senses someone else outside the tomb beside her. Thinking he is the gardener, she explains to this person that she is dismayed that Jesus’ body in gone and asks if the gardener knows where the body had been taken.

At that point, Jesus simply says her name, “Mary,” and she recognizes Jesus standing beside her. He tells her to go and inform his followers and with joy and surprise she begins spreading the word of Jesus overcoming death. 

Note that Mary is looking for Jesus but overlooks his very presence at first. In fact, Jesus is not really found by Mary; Jesus finds Mary.

Often, we may be looking for Jesus, but he is standing right beside us. What confuses us is that we do not recognize him at first. What we see is someone sick or in need. What we see is someone hungry or thirsty. What we see is someone persecuted or worried or needing clothing or protection.

Jesus addresses our confusion when he explains that when we have compassion and offer aid to those in need, we are offering compassion and aid to him. The surprise for us is that Jesus has found us when we were looking for him.

TurboTax is an income tax preparation program. Users of it and its competitors tempt us to become immersed in thinking in detail about money. The apostle Paul spends most of two whole chapters of Second Corinthians attempting to redirect the readers toward a healthier view of money. His illustration involves a collection he was taking up from one church group and its delivery to another more needy group. He effectively presents the concept that we have been blessed by the generosity of God and our response should be to be, in turn, generous toward others. This is a hard concept for us.

Let us face it—we have a problem with money. Rather than using it as a tool, we have made it almost sacred. Some would suggest we have enchanted it; it has a spell over us. The biblical view of money is that it is something to be given away. A friend told me “Giving de-sacralizes money.” 

Ecclesiastes speaks profoundly that there is a “season for everything.” Eastertide reminds us that God is always pursuing us; our problem is that we may not be looking correctly. Tax season, as necessary as it is, is an opportunity to do our duty while at the same time looking in the mirror and asking, “What do I have that I did not receive?”

Jim Nichols is a retired Abilene Christian University biology professor and current hospital chaplain