It is perhaps the most ironic phenomenon that during the
time of Jesus, the Truth of the word of God could only be found from His
lips. Had you sought truth from the High
Priest in the days of Jesus, you would have found only grievous errors, lies,
hypocrisies, and a doctrine that would lead to the very death of Jesus the Son
of God in a vain effort to preserve the ways of the past. You would have been better off seeking truth
from Mary the mother of Jesus, or Mary Magdalene the redeemed of Jesus, or Mary
the sister of Martha and Lazarus who sat at His feet, or Martha who served Him,
or Joanna, or from any number of women who stood by Jesus throughout His
ministry. The woman at the well of
Samaria who becomes one of the greatest evangelists recorded in scripture for
the cause of Jesus Christ. The woman who
merely touched the hem of His garment for healing and started a trend in that
day that would rival the greatest of social media trends in our own, and had
nothing but her own personal testimony to see it spread. The new church would be filled with women
commissioned by faith, and by calling, to spread the gospel of Jesus
Christ. And the only truth that mattered
was the story of Jesus. And the only
power behind that testimony was what Jesus did for you. “Who” you were, did not matter at all, “what”
you said was the difference between the past and the future.
But this change in church composition, and roles, would put
many a soul to the test both in those days and in our own. Throughout all of time, listeners have been
unable to shed their own bias to the hearing of the truth, because the source
from which it comes is not appealing to them.
The priesthood could not accept the truth from the mouth of Jesus,
because He came from Nazareth, looked too plain and simple, had no social
elitism; seemed more like a hippie than the Son of God. Jesus baptized. Jesus preached. Jesus did the things he should have needed
clearance and endorsement of the church of the past to do, but Jesus had no
such clearance or endorsement. Jesus did
His own thing. And the church of the day
refused to hear it. And if the ways of
the past would not hear the Truth from the mouth of Jesus the Son of God, why
on earth would they hear it from the mouth of broken down fisherman, societal
rejects, and God forbid, women? They
would not. Is it any different
today?
But as further testimony to the truth of the Bible, its
author’s reveal the humiliations of the truth in what they write, not just the
glory stories where everyone was a hero, and no one made any mistakes. The first gospel commissions would be
examples of just such stories. Luke
offers us one couched in the greatest world event we will ever know, the resurrection. Luke writes to his friend about what we
believe and why in the last chapter of his gospel, the 24th chapter
beginning in verse 1 it states … “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in
the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had
prepared, and certain others with them.”
When Luke uses the word pronoun “they” we get all warm and fuzzy and
just assume this group is a mix of men and women, followers of Jesus intent on
completing the preparation of Jesus’ burial that had been interrupted by the
Sabbath falling on Friday evening at sunset.
But that is not quite true. It
was a group of folks, but it was only women, no men at all. Firstly, men did not often prepare the dead
as in Jewish tradition this was a very unclean work and required them to
isolate themselves from society afterwards.
It was something like changing a toxic diaper that made you unclean for
a while. Women were just more willing to
perform this duty, for love would drive them to it.
But the real truth behind the absence of men was set more in
fear than anything else. Now that Jesus
was dead, killing his disciples, his closest followers in general was sure to be
the next step of the angry Sanhedrin in order to stamp out all the loose ends
and put the story of Jesus to death fully and finally, once and for all. So the disciples were not out preaching in
the streets, they were hiding in an upper room, afraid to venture one foot
outside those shut doors. Women faced
all these same fears too. And in addition,
knew that if they were taken by enemies, they would be raped in the course of
their torture, and still wind up enduring the same death their male
counterparts would face in a situation like this. Romans after all, had little sense of
morality or respect, especially of Jews.
So when this company of women ventured out to complete the anointing of
the body of Jesus, they had absolutely no idea what they would face or find in
the process. And what they found did
nothing to calm their fears, at least at first.
Luke continues in verse 2 saying … “And they found the stone rolled away
from the sepulchre. [verse 3] And they entered in, and found not the body of the
Lord Jesus.” First, these women
had no idea there would have been such a great stone rolled in front of the
tomb to seal it. But there it was having
been rolled away from the door. The
great iron chains that once bound it to the tomb were snapped like so much
tissue paper. The Roman seal that
promised death to any who would dare to break it was snapped in two without any
hesitation or thought for safety. And
beyond all this, there was evidence of a great company of soldiers here
guarding this place. The remnants of campfires
nearby with coals still orange with glow of heat from them. Scattered Roman weapons, shields, armor, and
soldiers clothing scattered about as if the entire company were caught by
surprise and had themselves fled in terror.
But there was no signs of a battle, just the great stone rolled away
(something women could have never done), and evidence of a terror that sent
Romans running for their lives. Jews
could never have done this. Romans were
used to fighting Jews, even Zealots. If
it had been a battle, there would have been at least some blood and much less
fear. But there was not.
Beyond all of this, these women entered the tomb to do their
work, and did NOT find the body of Jesus within. What could have possibly happened? Who could have done this, to take a dead
body, even the body of Jesus, and for what purpose? Hadn’t Jesus suffered enough, hadn’t they? Their minds raced as Luke continues in verse
4 saying … “And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two
men stood by them in shining garments: [verse 5] And as they were afraid, and bowed down
their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the
dead?” While their minds yet
raced about where was Jesus, and why; all of the sudden two great men appear
before them in shining garments. These
were no Romans. Romans do not appear out
of thin air. These were no members of
the Sanhedrin, the Sanhedrin have never worn robes of brilliant white light. These were something way more than men, they
were angels, perhaps cloaked to look as harmless as angels are capable of looking,
but still pretty intense to a group of women already expecting the worst.
But then the words of the angels reach into their hearts and
sound like deep music from within them.
The truth matters, the words matter, the source not so much. Jesus is plainly gone. And the angels have asked them, why do you
seek the living among the dead. This
means Jesus is not dead. This means
Jesus is alive. But how could this
be? Luke continues with the testimony of
angels in verse 6 saying … “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto
you when he was yet in Galilee, [verse 7] Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful
men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. [verse 8] And they
remembered his words,” Jesus is
not here. He is RISEN. Those words sink deep into the hearts and
minds of every woman in this company.
They drop the spices prepared for His burial. They don’t need them anymore. Then the angels remind them of the very words
of Jesus Himself about all of this. He
will be delivered to the cross, and be raised again on the third day. Today is the third day. Today Jesus has risen again. The greatest news that could ever be told to
human ears happens first NOT in the upper room to his cowering disciples. But instead in an empty tomb where women have
braved their own fears to come and finish the work of love they must do for the
body of their Lord. But there is no body
here. There is only the trumpeting of
angel voice in their very souls proclaiming a Risen Lord. After Lazarus they each know what this
means. Jesus is alive. Jesus said all this would happen. Their minds open up and they remember every
nuance of His voice when Jesus uttered these very words.
The gospel starts here in an empty tomb. The first commission begins here with a group
of nothing but women. They set out for
the upper room. But Mary Magdalene
tarries. Luke misses this part of the
story, but the heart of Mary breaks at all of this and she begins to weep. The news is just too much. It is just too good. Seeing a Man she mistakes as the gardener she
begs to know from Him where they have moved the body. Fear prevents her from believing what angels
have already told her. But the Man is
Jesus and He calls her by name. Now it
is beyond real to her. Now, nothing can
make her doubt ever again. Jesus tells
her not to touch Him just yet, because He has delayed ascending to His Father at
this point, to see if the sacrifice is enough.
He delayed for love of Mary. He
delayed for love of each of us. He would
have stopped to heal our broken hearts as surely as He longs to heal them
today. The news is solid. The news is good news therefore gospel
news. Mary leaves the garden racing back
to the upper room. She will be behind
the group, but has the same story to tell, this time from Jesus Himself. The new church will begin with women.
Luke picks up again in verse 9 saying … “And returned
from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the
rest. [verse 10] It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of
James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the
apostles.” Note what Luke states,
they returned from the empty grave and told the whole story to the other eleven,
AND to all of the rest. It is here where
Luke finally reveals it was “other women” who were with them at the grave. We have no idea how many men and women were back
in that upper room. There could have
been many. We do know some of the women
by name that gave this testimony. Once
again, the first carriers of the gospel bore a message from angels, backed by
personal testimony of sight and sound.
And once again they are not believed by the men closest to them. The men who heard the same words as the women
did by Jesus Himself. The men who saw
the work of Jesus alive in these women, as Jesus had been alive in themselves
as well over the last 3-4 years. As
Joseph the fiancée of Mary was ready to put her away until an angel spoke
directly to him, so now the disciples were no more inclined to hear the words
of these women and their testimony of this gospel, and of the truth, because of
their own bias.
They resisted because these were women. Luke says in verse 11 saying … “And their words
seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” Imagine, the gospel rejected, by those who
should have been the first to accept it.
Because it looks to them like the idle tales of women chattering. Some girl’s dream who is just unable to face
the hard truth of the death of Jesus, which the men all had seen albeit from a
distance much farther than that of the women.
But the gospel begins in humility.
The gospel grows in humble soil, and is stamped out upon the rocks of
our pride. You must humble yourself to
hear the message of God to your soul, as that message may come from someone
else, someone you deem unworthy, or not good enough to carry it. But on the heels of the group of women who
have brought this testimony to all this assembly of people comes Mary Magdalene
running as fast as her feet would carry her.
She is ablaze. She is on
fire. She repeats the story of the other
women and now adds a new personal chapter of her own. For she has met Jesus risen for the grave for
herself. She heard His words to come to
tell them all. She knows He is alive. She has just spoken with a risen Jesus. And she will not be dissuaded.
While there are far more than 2 witnesses to all of this,
the personal testimony of Mary Magdalene has begun to kindle a fire in the room. Luke continues in verse 12 saying … “Then arose
Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen
clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which
was come to pass.” Peter cannot
take this anymore. He decides to run to
the grave and look at these things for himself.
John goes with him. And they find
exactly what the women have said, exactly as they have relayed it. Except there are no angels in this place
now. Where the women went away with a
gospel commission, Peter and John go away empty now wrestling with their own
doubts and faith and memories. The
gospel begins in humility. The women
were humble enough to heed the words of the angels. The men do not expect to find those words to
be true, even though every evidence is as the women described it. A great stone rolled away, something the
women could never have done. Great
chains of iron that once bound the stone to the grave broken like tissue
paper. A Roman seal promising death,
broken in half without a moment’s hesitation. A camp deserted in fear outside the tomb with
Roman leftovers everywhere. An empty
tomb with grave linens not scattered about, but folded neatly and left on the
bench within the tomb itself.
Men left that place WITHOUT the gospel, because up to this
point men had refused to embrace the gospel.
The women carried it. The men did
not. The new church was here. It began on Friday when the whole sacrificial
system was fulfilled and torn down in the death of Jesus Christ. It rested on the Sabbath day as Jesus had
created and once again did; even in the work of our salvation, He rested. And now on Sunday, the third day of the new
church, Jesus rises and leaves the tomb with neatly folded clothes. A robe of light will now once again cover our
Lord. In the new church, not like in the
old one, the first folks to carry the gospel will be a company of women. And the first soul to see a risen Jesus, even
before Jesus resumes the work of our salvation and verifies the sacrifice with
His Father God, is Mary Magdalene. Mary
is given the first gospel commission by Jesus Himself. She is ablaze. She carries fire in her testimony because it
is a personal one to her. No one can
make her doubt ever again. But whether
we believe the message of God carried through her is up to us.
Are you ready to hear what God is trying to say to you,
ignoring the source, and closely examining the words for the Truth He is trying
to convey? I don’t care what you believe
about whether women should be pastors or not (despite my belief that Jesus is
very clear about this). Nor do I ask
what you believe about any particular doctrine of your church or mine. But I do ask - are you hearing the message of
God that is intended specifically and only for you at this very moment of your
life? You were not meant to drift from
day-to-day, following proscribed patterns of prayer, and fellowship, and study,
but only to keep drifting from one day to the next. Doing what you do, over and over again, but
never really hearing what God wants you to do, what God will enable you to do
if you but seek Him, and follow His instruction in your life. To let God lead, we must start in humility,
abandoning our ideas as the foolishness they are, and letting God retrain us
how to think, how to love, and what to want.
In the process of our transformation will come a work each of us is
intended to perform. It will be
different for each of us, as we are all different from each other. So I cannot tell you what your work will be,
but I can tell you, that you have one, and when you find it, and follow it, you
will never be happier in your life.
Scripture offers us guardrails. But only a personal relationship between you
and Jesus will get you into the process of transformation, and engaged in the
work of your particular life. And if God
sends you a message, meant just for you, examine the words, not the messenger,
and find the peace Jesus has in store for you, even if in the middle of the
raging seas well beyond your control.
And Luke was not yet done with the story of our first church
and what it means to discard the messages Jesus has sent us …
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