Scripture: 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.” Matthew 28:1-10 ESV
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Observation: Recapping Friday’s Daily Focus, Matthew alone presents an epilogue to Jesus’ burial: the chief priests and Pharisees express their concern to Pilate about Jesus’ disciples carrying on the ruse of Jesus being the Messiah by stealing his body and claiming he rose from the dead. So they request his tomb to be secured until the third day (referring to Jesus’ prediction that, like Jonah, he would rise from the depths of the earth on the third day, Matthew 12:38-42). Pilate consents and instructs them to commission their temple soldiers to stand guard outside the tomb. They also order their guards to seal the stone covering its entrance.
Today’s reading is the glorious story of Jesus’ resurrection, which we celebrate on Easter Sunday. Matthew begins with a notation the Sabbath is over with dawn’s morning light. So no longer bound to a Sabbath walk, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, hurry to the tomb, where they had spied Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placing their Lord’s body on Friday afternoon. And Matthew, excited with the climax of his Gospel, tells his audience that yet another earthquake shook the region spurred by an angel dressed in a white garment with lightning-bright countenance who rolled the stone wheel upward to its rested position and triumphantly sat on it.
As we might imagine, the women were terrified. So the angel reassures them that he knows their intention and informs the two Marys to come and see the empty tomb, for Jesus has risen as he prophecied. He then directs them to go quickly and tells Jesus’ disciples the good news that Jesus is going ahead of them to Galilee, where they will find him. So they immediately part company, overwhelmed with fear and joy, and do as told. En route, Jesus greets them, and they unhesitantly clutch his feet and worship him. Echoing the angel’s reassuring words not to be afraid, Jesus also repeats the angel’s instructions.
Of note, in addition to the two Marys, Joanna (according to Luke 24:10) and Salome (according to Mark 16:1) came with them to the empty tomb, for all four traveled with Jesus and the Twelve during his three-plus-year ministry. But Matthew cites only the two Marys since they are the lead characters.
Takeaway: As theologian D. A. Carson aptly notes, Matthew, a despised tax collector, highlights a theme of the despised in his account of first witnesses to the risen Lord: “the Messiah emerges from a despised area and first sheds his light on a despised people; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. For this reason, too, the risen Jesus first appears to women whose value as witnesses among Jews is worthless” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, p.590). Indeed, the kingdom of heaven belongs to the despised, to “the least of these” (25:40) as the world may deem us, who are poor in spirit (5:3) but rich in Christ (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Our takeaway? There are three, if not more, in this brief story. First, our glorious Gospel turns worldly values on its head. We who are one in Christ are on level ground as one body. There is no pecking order based on gender, ethnicity, or social status (Galatians 3:28), for we are all made in the image of God. Instead, our Lord celebrates those despised by the world for his sake.
Secondly, as addressed in previous Daily Focus devotions, worship fuels missions. The two Marys (and likely Joanna and Salome) bowed to Jesus’ feet and worshipped him before speeding on to tell the good news to his disciples. Their encounter by no means was serendipitous, for Christ intentionally revealed himself to these humble servants to spur their worship and thus find renewed hope to carry on the mission.
Lastly, neither the proud, the self-sufficient, nor those highly esteemed by worldly standards will make it into the kingdom of heaven, for it belongs to those hated by the world (John 15:18-19). So seek Christ, worship him, and tell others, for he will raise up the despised and present them to the Father clothed in his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21): our eternal dignity.
Prayer: Father God, we celebrate your Son, whom you raised from the dead, as the first fruits of our resurrection promise. And we celebrate that through his resurrection, we are all one in him and clothed in his righteousness. Still, we confess we are prone to self-aggrandizing or self-deprecation. So would you please help us to keep seeking Christ, worshiping him, and telling others about him as we await our reward of eternal dignity? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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