KING JESUS: A JOURNEY THROUGH MATTHEW'S GOSPEL (PT 12)

Easter is considered the greatest of all Sundays on the Christian calendar.  It is one of two Sundays where churches across the globe go the extra mile to prepare for scores of guests and members to come dressed in their Sunday best to celebrate the life and resurrection of our Savior.  For some, it’s the first time they set foot in a church building in over a year. For most of us it is a special day where we put our focus and worship primarily on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
Author and theologian N.T. Wright writes, “At the heart of the Christian faith lies the question of Jesus’ resurrection. Why did Christianity arise and why did it take the shape it did?  The early Christians reply: we exist because of Jesus’ resurrection.” To this we respond, “AMEN!” He continues, “There is no form of early Christianity known to us- though there are some that have been invented by ingenious scholars- that does not affirm at its heart that after Jesus’ shameful death God raised him to life again.” [1] Again, we respond with, “AMEN!”

However, these “ingenious scholars” have proposed that Jesus and those crucified with him did not die. Yet, it is well-known that Romans had mastered the art of killing people and to say that they messed this one up would be a travesty and embarrassment to them. Others claim that he may have died but certainly he did not raise from the dead, thus leaving a vacant tomb behind.
 
1 Corinthians 15: 1 -9, 12 – 20
This passage tells us specifically that Jesus rose from the dead, was seen by many, and if the resurrection never did happen then the apostles were liars, we would have not hope, and our faith would be useless. But, as followers of Jesus Christ we believe, in faith, that Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, he rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of the Father.  This is the hope for every believer, because if Jesus rose from the dead, then we will be raised one day as well. This brings us to today’s passage and that I will speak about for the remainder of our time together. 
 
Matthew 27:62-28:15
He Isn’t Here, He is Risen from the Dead
Today, I want to look at someone who is often overlooked and misunderstood in the resurrection story, Mary Magdalene. We read that on the first day of the week both Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene and a few women went to the tomb of Jesus.  In the Matthean account we are told that there was a great earthquake that rolled the stone away from the tomb’s opening.  Sitting on top of the stone was an angel whose face shown like lightning and clothes as white as snow and tells the women that Jesus is not in the tomb, he is alive! Both Mary’s went in and saw that Jesus was indeed not in the tomb. The next command is important to note as the angel says, “go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” The good news that Jesus was alive was given to both Mary’s and they were called to deliver this news to the disciples.
 
Mary Magdalene
Let’s pause for a moment and talk about Mary Magdalene. We know a bit about Mary, the mother of Jesus, but we do not know much about Mary Magdalene the follower of Jesus. Some have, and I believe mistakenly, associated her with the sinful woman of Luke 7 and is believed by many to have been a reformed and redeemed prostitute. As I stated a moment ago, I believe this to be false.  In fact, it is believed that she is a woman of significance since she is mentioned in all four Gospels as a follower of Jesus Christ, present at the crucifixion of Jesus, and observed the empty tomb.
 
Before she met Jesus we are told, she was possessed by seven demons (Luke 8). Thus, some have taken the fact she was possessed and ultimately labeled her as the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’s feet in Luke 7.  Some believe she is the sinful woman because there is a similar anointing of Jesus account In John 12 when Mary, the sister of Martha, anoints Jesus’ head thus people over time figured the Mary of John 12 and the immoral woman of Luke 7 was the same person, Mary Magdalene. There is no clear evidence that it was Mary Magdelene and, we do not see that a demon possessed person is necessarily considered an immoral sinner. In fact, it could mean just the opposite. According to Wheaton professor Amy Peeler, “The extant of Mary Magdalene’s healing sets her apart.  In his teaching elsewhere, Jesus describes a person with seven-spirits to exemplify a desperate situation.  A number of completion, seven indicates that the demons had invaded Mary’s whole life. If the encampment of one spirit brings terror, seven would be nearly unimaginable. Mary stands, then, as an example of one to whom much has been given in her healing. Consequently, of her much is required.”
 
What many fail to see is that even though she is not mentioned in many of the texts of the Gospel, but when she is, it is always associated with a place of prominence as an eyewitness, as one who cared for Jesus (Matt 27:55), and as a beneficiary of grace (being healed from possession). In the person of Mary Magdalene, we see the redemptive power of God at work. She is a woman delivered from seven demons and thus God uses her to testify of God’s sustaining power to minister to Jesus through key moments of his life. She also is faithful in fulfilling the commission of Jesus by proclaiming the good news to the disciples and to all people.
 
Lastly, New Testament scholar Elizabeth Schrader Polczer has raised the question of Mary Magdalene’s name. She believes her name “Magdalene” should be associated more with her character than where she is from?  It is most likely true that Mary hails from Magdala an ancient city on the shores of Galilee, but more importantly the word Magdala means “tower” and it has been discussed that Mary could be represented as a tower of faith, pointing people to the one who delivered her and gave her a mission.
 
The Witnesses
Now as we unpause, we see that once the women were commissioned to go and tell the others what was going on they were both scared and excited about what they just witnessed, and they went to find the disciples to tell them what they had seen and heard. As they went, they encountered Jesus Christ and they worshiped him.  He tells them to go and tell the others to go to Galilee and wait for him there.
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Luke 24:6 – 11
We read in this account that after the women told the disciples they thought their story sounded like nonsense and did not believe the testimony of the women. Even these people who had followed Jesus for 3 plus years did not understand and found it hard to believe the Jesus was alive. Eventually they go to the tomb and see for themselves and most believe. They witnessed an empty tomb.
 
Witnesses are people who have seen something so they can tell about it. The women, the disciples and all who followed Jesus saw Him with their own eyes so they could give testimony of what they saw and what they heard. Now, I realize Easter is about Jesus and his resurrection and I have spent some time talking about Mary Magdalene, but all of this can be tied together.
 
Mary was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. She was a redeemed sinner whom the Spirit of God empowered and commissioned to tell the good news of the Savior who was murdered on the cross of Calvary was now alive as he has been resurrected from the dead. On this first Easter morning God called culturally unacceptable witnesses to proclaim a message that would forever change the world. 
 
Conclusion
As we reflect on the powerful message of Easter and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are reminded of the profound impact of faith and the transformative power of redemption. Mary Magdalene, often overlooked in the resurrection narrative, emerges as a central figure embodying the essence of Easter hope.
 
Her journey from darkness to light, from possession to liberation, serves as a testament to the redemptive work of God in our lives. Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Christ not only transformed her own existence but also empowered her as a faithful witness, entrusted with the sacred task of proclaiming the resurrection to the disciples and to the world.
 
As we celebrate Easter, we are called to emulate Mary Magdalene's unwavering faith and commitment to sharing the good news of Christ's victory over death. Like her, we are commissioned as witnesses to the miraculous truth of the resurrection, called to testify to the transformative power of God's love in our lives and in the world around us.
 
May we, like Mary Magdalene, embrace our calling with courage and conviction, boldly proclaiming that Jesus Christ is risen indeed! And may the message of Easter continue to inspire and uplift us, guiding us in our journey of faith and leading us ever closer to the glorious promise of eternal life in Christ. Amen.
 


[1] N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Easter, (Downers Grove, IL, IVP Books, 2009), 7

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