…The women deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell his disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet and worshiped him. Jesus said ” You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee and that I’ll meet them there”
(Matthew 28:8-10 Message)
This Sunday Christians all over will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. As I mentioned yesterday, my husband and I are reading all the gospels accounts of the week of Passion to His resurrection. We have even read it in Emily’s children’s bible, so that she and Anna are able to participate.
While the versions, and even the 4 Gospels themselves, vary in their accounts of the details there are constants that do not change. Obviously they all agree on the fact that the tomb is empty, and that the disciples were in hiding. (I used to think how could they, but then again the man who could call down angels had just been violently murdered, if they could do that to Jesus what could/would they do to his followers? ) They all agree that Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish council and believer in Jesus, took his body and buried it. And that it was “quite a few women” who followed him to the tomb and watched from afar. It was the women who returned to the tomb after sabbath to bathe him in perfumes. It was the women who met the angel and heard of the good news and believed. They wasted no time to run and tell the disciples the good news.
I ask myself, why did God choose to share the resurrection of Jesus Christ first with women? Yes, it may have been the custom for women to perfume the body. Maybe they were simply being faithful to their duties. Yet God knew who would be the first to the tomb, and the angel of God sat waiting. (One account even shares that the angel came down and removed the stone after the women arrived) Then Jesus chose Mary Magdalene to be the first he appeared to. How significant! Nothing in the Bible, I believe, is by accident.
Mary Magdalene was not only a woman, but also a delivered prostitute. Representing the sinner who has been freed. Women for so long had been oppressed, but Jesus broke the curse of sin, and women are freed from that oppression through Him!
Even though we often talk about doubting Thomas, as I read the accounts none of the disciples believed until they saw Jesus. Doubting Thomas just happened to be the last to see. Even when Jesus appeared to them as he had Mary Magdalene they still thought he was a ghost, and he had to eat something and let them touch him before they believed. But oh, how the women did believe, and did not doubt! Mary Magdalene could not even touch Jesus because he had not ascended to the Father yet, but she believed and ran to tell the disciples, she had already told them once when the other women from the tomb arrived.
These women were the first to believe and “spread the gospel”. As mothers, we are the first to teach our children who God is, being the first to spread the good news to the next generation! So “go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life…”
(Matthew 27:55-56, Matthew 28:1-6, Mark 15:46-47, Mark 16:1-11, Luke 23:55-56, Luke 24:1-11, John 20:3-18)
Happy Easter!
Angel, your post the last 2 days have been super. I have not had use of computer until this evening. Great insights. Good perspective. God uses women in a very special way every single day. He knows what an important role we play in His plan.
No matter what “role” of life we are playing. Thanks for reminding us.
oooooh, this was GOOD. I love the story of MM. It makes me tear up. You know?