Matthew 28:1-10



Matthew 28:1-10

Faithfulness and Fidelity

The Resurrection

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.  

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.   

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.  And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.  

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  

Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”  

So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!”And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Often I sit at the bedside of people who are in the last days or hours of their lives. A few close friends and family members sit with me, and have been in that place for some time. They may have been caregivers for months or even years. Over time their world has become smaller and in the last part of life it becomes yet even more so. The person who is dying exists in liminal space, moving back and forth between the present reality and the fullness of communion with God. Those of us who accompany this person also move into liminal space, providing a supportive presence, bearing witness to the process of letting go, praying for and gently touching the person, and thanking them for the gift of their life. This is always powerful. It always feels like an honor to be invited into such sacred space. Death is an immediate reminder of both the fullness and frailty of life. It also reminds us that we belong to the creator who has longed for our homecoming since before we were born.

We accompany people who are dying and make many small final acts of love. We are drawn to their side out of love and respect, and we are drawn together with others to remember the person who has died, to comfort one another, to tell stories, to give honor to a life. We gather at churches, funeral homes, family homes, and cemeteries; we linger together. We say goodbye.

At dawn on the day after the Sabbath, at almost the first possible moment permissible by Jewish law, Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of James and Joseph went to see the tomb. Perhaps they went to anoint Jesus’ body with aloe and myrrh, a role reserved for women, perhaps just to sit there together as they first did after Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb. In the midst of their grief they were drawn to this place, they were drawn to Jesus. At the time of Jesus’ arrest, many people fled out of fear, but the women, who had accompanied, supported, and provided for Jesus all along, stayed with him. They stayed through the journey to Golgotha, through the crucifixion, Jesus’ death, the removal of his body from the cross, and the placement of the body within the tomb. Mary of Magdala and the other women were faithful to Jesus, during his life and after his death. They accompanied Jesus throughout his journey. They were present to say goodbye.

Just after Jesus’ death, Matthew’s gospel tells us:

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Just after Jesus was placed in the tomb:

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

Prior to this, there is no mention of the women accompanying Jesus, yet they are now named as being with Jesus since the beginning of his public activity in Galilee. Furthermore they are named as following Jesus, providing for him, and serving him. These were roles that Jesus named for his disciples.

Women are mentioned only out of necessity in the scriptures. When they are named, it is often because no men were present and women were needed to fulfill the story. Witnesses to the resurrected Jesus were necessary, and as no men were present, Mary of Magdala is mentioned. Altogether she is mentioned 12x in the canonical gospels, more than any other woman except for Mary, Jesus’ mother. Because Mary goes to the empty tomb, we know that she has been to the tomb, often hundreds or thousands of tombs were placed together; she knows the right one. Because she was at the tomb we know she was at the crucifixion and saw Jesus’ body being taken down and moved. Because women’s testimonies were not believed, not admissible in court, it would have been undesirable to rely on a woman’s testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, and so it is that much more likely to be an accurate account. If the author were to make up an account, they would surely have written it otherwise.

Often the very absence of women from the Gospel stories implies their presence. When men are present, women, and also children, are unnamed. We can now reread the gospels, placing Mary of Magdala and the other women at the events in Jesus’ life. If there is any mystery surrounding the life of Mary of Magdala, it is only because of her non-inclusion in the accounts of Jesus’ life, which we can correct. We know that Jesus spoke to women, healed them, called them.

Just as Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of James and Joseph were faithful to Jesus throughout his ministry, they were faithful in their visitation of the tomb after his burial, and were present to see the empty tomb and to encounter the angel of the Lord.

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.”

As the two women run to faithfully deliver this message, Jesus appears to them.

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!”And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

And the women run to share the good news that Jesus has risen. They believe the good news, they rejoice in it, and they share the news with others. They are the first proclaimers of the gospel message: Jesus is resurrected, we are saved, God has begun to act in history.

The message is the same for us: to be faithful to one another, to believe, to share the good news, and to rejoice in the risen Christ.

Jesus is present among us today. In the presence of someone who is dying, in the excitement of someone who fully embraces life, in the faithfulness of one who walks with another in the face of fear or uncertainty, in those who give a voice to the voiceless. We can bear witness to this presence, just as Mary of Magdala did.

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