Wednesday Words 4-15-20

Readings BCP page 959 top

Gospel reading: Matthew 28: 1 – 16

Interestingly, the Gospel readings for this entire week concern the Resurrection in its different presentations. St. Matthew’s is intriguing to me for several reasons:

St. Matthew wrote his Gospel for a Jewish audience

St. Matthew emphasizes the reach of Christ Jesus beyond Jewish boundaries

St. Matthew includes earthquakes, angels and political obfuscation –

What could be more exciting than that?!

Several norms of Jewish society are disregarded in St. Matthew’s telling. It is significant that the Angel sends Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” to tell the disciples that Jesus is alive and will meet them in Galilee. These 2 women were entrusted with this bombshell, this radical news that Jesus was no longer dead but was ALIVE! God through the Angel trusted WOMEN with this startling news even as the Jewish legal system did not allow any woman to be a witness for anything. (In my snarkier moods, I think of this as the first blow struck for feminism.)

The most serious breech is one that still occurs – those in power lied and paid others to lie along with them. The double whammy here is that those initiating the lie were also the spiritual leaders of the nation. Rot from the top is just as serious as rot from the bottom – just less easily spotted and cured.

What I love in this passage is that the 2 women went to tell the disciples, and then immediately returned to the tomb. The Risen Christ comes there to meet them. The women fall before Him and grasp Jesus’s feet as they worship Him. The first worship of the Risen Christ comes from women and the first appearance of the Risen Christ was to women, according to St. Matthew. What a joyous history my sisters and I share with these faithful followers of our Lord!

What a joy to be included with our brothers as witnesses for the Risen Christ who brings salvation and redemption to all!

Blessings and grace and peace and love to you as your read Scripture and pray today.