Matthew 28 is fairly short, only 20 verses long, but contains two amazing truths. One of these is The Great Commission, a passage of scripture that is obviously near and dear to my heart. The other truth that captivated me and grabbed my attention anew was the Easter story. The women who had been among Jesus' disciples go to the tomb with some spices and incense. This would've been the first opportunity for them to visit the body of their beloved Jesus. He died on a Friday evening and for the Jewish culture, the holy Sabbath begins Friday at sunset and continues through sunset Saturday evening. They were not permitted to do any work and they were commanded to remain clean on the Sabbath, which meant (among many others commands) you could not come in contact with a dead body. Matthew 28:1 therefore starts out "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week (Sunday for the Jews), Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb." From there we read the familiar story of the angel, perched atop the stone he rolled from the entrance of the tomb, telling the women "He is not here; he has risen, just as He said." (v.6) As the women leave to go tell the disciples, Jesus meets them on the path and they fall at His feet and worship. For us modern westerners, this might not necessarily grab our attention the way that it would have in the first century. The book of Matthew was written to the Jewish population. This is clear to see when you know that ahead of time. Matthew puts forth extra effort to include more Old Testament references than any other gospel writer. He writes to their culture and their history, all pointing to the ways that Jesus has fulfilled the Old Trstament prophesies about the coming Messiah. The one thing that is easily missed in our culture is the fact that Jesus first revealed Himself to women. Back in the first century, the testimony of a woman was worthless. The men of that time never considered the testimony of a woman to have any value or truth. Therefore when these two women went back to tell the disciples what they had seen, it would have been first unbelievable to the men and second, insulting to them if their claims were true. How could Jesus reveal His greatest accomplishment, His grandest miracle, and His most eternal message to (*gasp*) women?!?
I think this struck me again this morning for two reasons. First, because we miss the cultural significance of this, we often miss how much this points to the validity of the gospel writers' messages. If anyone in that time period and in that culture were to fabricate the story of Jesus, NOBODY would include the uncorroborated, unreliable, unbelievable testimony of a woman. It would be so worthless to the men in that culture, it would only hinder the believability of their claims. So why did all 4 gospel writers include it in their testimony?? Because it was true. As much as it would've hurt their pride, as much as it would've been counter-cultural to give testimonial credit to women, and as unbelievable as it would've been, it was included in all 4 gospels because it was true. And as Luke states in the beginning of his gospel, the purpose in these writings is so people will "know the certainty of the things [they] have been taught." (Luke 1:4)
The second reason, and possibly more significant to me at this time, is that this inclusion shows how highly our Lord and Savior values His daughters. It did not matter to Jesus how the men would receive this. It did not matter to Him that the testimony of a woman had little to no value, though He most certainly would've been taught this growing up in the synagogue. What mattered to Him was that in a small way, a way that is missed by many today, He was elevating the status of women. He was esteeming His daughters. He was showing them (and me and you) that His great love and sacrifice was for every single person. Can we even fathom this love?? How as women can we ever feel unappreciated, undervalued, and unloved if we are in a close and growing relationship with the perfect Father, the perfect bridegroom, the perfect Savior?? My friends, I could go on and on about the ways God is revealing His perfect love to me in these days. And at some point I probably will. But for now, reflect on the fact that as we close in on the Easter season, God has chosen you to play a vital role in His story. He has given us the opportunity to be blessed by Him. He has purposefully and strategically set His intentions on revealing Himself to us, uniquely and lovingly. Draw near to Jesus and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) That is a promise.
Ask God what He wants to show in this. Regardless of what you're going through, God's desire is to show you His great love. I know this because I've seen it. And trust me my friends, it is extravagant.
"I will be glad and rejoice in your love,for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul...Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love....How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.....Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love....Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord."
Psalm 31:7, 16, 19, 21, 24
(I would highly recommend reading all of Psalm 31 if this is a topic that speaks to where you are right now.)
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