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Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni! (which means Teacher). John 20:15 ESV

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus to grieve but found it empty. As she turned back, a man was there she did not recognize. She thought that He was the gardener. Yet, when Jesus called her by her name, she knew Him immediately.

In a way, Mary was right. God planted the original garden of Eden, and the tomb itself was in a garden. Jesus often met with His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1). Parables of Jesus tell of a caretaker that prunes and fertilizes (John 15:2, Luke 13:6).

Sometimes the Lord can be working in our life and we do not recognize Him. Later, we know that it is Him, just like He said that His sheep would (John 10:3). He is always there to care for us with fertilizing to make us grow, or pruning us back to make us bear even more fruit (John 15:2).

We often see it from the plants perspective and can see no logical reason why the Gardener would be cutting off our branches. That person that is standing in front of you, building you up, or tearing you down, may be used by the Lord for His purpose in the long run. Trust the Gardener, He has your best interest at heart.