Luke 24:1-12
Common English Bible
24 Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb, bringing the fragrant spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 They didn’t know what to make of this. Suddenly, two men were standing beside them in gleaming bright clothing. 5 The women were frightened and bowed their faces toward the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He isn’t here, but has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Human One must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11 Their words struck the apostles as nonsense, and they didn’t believe the women. 12 But Peter ran to the tomb. When he bent over to look inside, he saw only the linen cloth. Then he returned home, wondering what had happened.
That year, the first day of Passover happened to fall on a Thursday. Passover isn’t always on the same day of the week because all Jewish holidays are based on a lunar calendar. This year Passover started the Saturday before Palm Sunday. But in the year of our story, Passover started on a Thursday. This sounds nitpicky and overly academic, but it matters to the story, so hang with me a minute.
When they gathered on Thursday night to celebrate the Passover. I’m pretty sure that “Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women,” were there on Thursday for the last supper, because the women were there on Friday for the crucifixion and they couldn’t have traveled on Saturday to get there by Sunday, because Saturday was the Sabbath. Besides, we already know that Jesus had Fem disciples who traveled with him, just like the men. But at some point the women got edited out of the story.
Pay attention to the people who get edited out of the story.
The Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday night. Jesus died late in the day on Friday, so they had rushed to get him into a borrowed tomb before sundown. Then they all returned to the upper room for the Sabbath.
But they couldn’t edit the women out of Easter, because nobody else was there to witness the resurrection Sunday morning.
When Sunday came the disciples were still hiding in the upper room because they were afraid.
- They were afraid the Romans would come for them.
- They were afraid they would be recognized as Jesus’ disciples and suffer a similar fate.
- They were all afraid of leaving that upper room where Jesus had broken the bread and shared the cup.
- The women were afraid too, because being women did not make them safer than the men. Romans had zero problems with executing women.
But Sunday morning, the women gathered jugs of water, and sweet smelling herbs, and whatever cloth they could come up with for a shroud to do one last kindness for their beloved Rabbi.
The women walked to the tomb where they knew Roman guards would be standing watch to make sure that some disciple didn’t steal Jesus’ body and claim the resurrection that Jesus had talked about.
The women raised their chins and walked through the early morning streets of Jerusalem. The sounds of businesses opening up and the hum of commerce were already beginning. I imagine they walked quickly trying to look like they were just going about their business like everyone else. Sunday was the Jewish equivalent of Monday, so hopefully no one would notice them.
Maybe their knees were shaking under their skirts, but they kept walking.
Because Jesus mattered more to them than the risks.
Because love is stronger than fear.
Empire always thinks fear is stronger than love.
Empire always thinks that if they do things that are horrible enough, violent enough, cruel enough, that people will be intimidated into submission.
Empire thinks that if they turn people’s homes into rubble that people will give up their homeland.
Empire thinks that if they snatch enough people off the street, that people will get off the streets.
Empire thinks that if women’s voices are discredited and rejected that women will be silent.
Empire thinks that if they reduce people to poverty and hunger that people will give up and obey.
Empire always forgets that goodness is stronger than evil and love is stronger than hate.
That compassion is not weakness!
Nor is compassion a “woke mind virus!”
Compassion is strength in numbers because who wouldn’t prefer to spend time with those who treat us with compassion than those who treat us poorly. Compassion builds coalitions, and coalitions build numbers and numbers build power.
Pay attention to the people they try to edit or discredit out of the story.
Like Mary Magdalene.
Mary Magdalene was not a sex worker, she was an apostle.
Pope Gregory “The Great” called Mary Magdalene a “sinful woman,” implying that she was a prostitute in his Easter Day sermon in the year of 591. Why slut shame Mary? Mary Magdalene was the first witness of the resurrection! It makes no sense for the Church to discredit our first eyewitness to the resurrection! Why? Because the Council of Laodicea in the 4th century had prohibited ordaining women, and yet there’s archaeological evidence in the form of frescoes, mosaics, and tombs that depict women serving as deacons, priests and bishops in catacombs and early Churches that date between 100 to 820 AD.
I wonder which “sinful woman,” Pope Gregory was trying to discredit?
Mary Magdalene, or the women of his own time that were still faithfully serving God?
Women who were most likely focused on compassion, and were popular in their communities.
Pay attention to the people they try to edit or discredit out of the story.
Last Sunday Haven Dinner, our Queer Young Adult group gathered to share a meal in the upper room that is my office. The members of Haven Dinner are Gay, Trans, and Genderfluid. They struggle with physical and mental disabilities. Some of them wonder what’s going to happen to them because the gender on their documents don’t match their birth certificates.
Will they be able to vote?
Will they be able to access healthcare?
Will they be able to leave the country if they need to?
The current administration is trying to discredit and edit them out of the story of our country.
Last Sunday we celebrated, because 2 of them finally have jobs after months of searching. Rayne had applied to 138 jobs over the course of 2 ½ months to finally find a part time job that will allow her to afford car insurance so she can door dash because part time doesn’t pay the bills. The fact that Rayne is a Trans Woman and walks with a cane seems to have factored into the negative result of some of her interviews.
Jesus has taught me to pay attention to the people whom Empire tries to discredit or edit out of the story.
Because despite making less than $2000 a month while working 2 jobs, Rayne and all the members of Haven know how to practice compassion.
While we shared a simple lunch of vegetarian chilli, corn and fritos, we went around the room and shared our mutual needs for help.
I needed people to come Tuesday afternoon to help load up Jeane’s archives to send her history of 40 years of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights to Iliff Seminary. Those who could come came and helped.
Another member needed to learn how to use the bus system, so they made plans with another member to spend the afternoon riding the bus.
We weeded out two of the raised beds in the old garden along the back of the church, and planted vegetables together because none of them can afford all the food they need. Nobody even needs to ask if they have to help work in the garden to get a share of vegetables. We planted 3 zucchini plants – there will be enough to share!
This is how we practice compassion. We show up for one another. People who have not even close to enough, share their time and resources because that’s what love looks like. And because we practice compassion, Haven Dinner is growing.
So many not so loving “Christians,” have tried to edit these wonderful young people out of the church, and yet here they are, teaching me about compassion and abundance every 2nd and 4th Sunday.
Empire thought that they could kill Jesus.
They thought they could discredit and edit out the very people for whom Jesus brought a message of good news: the poor, the outcast, the captives, the immigrants.
But God has other plans.
When Empire used violence and death…God resurrected into Life.
What Empire did to edit and discredit Jesus and his message of good news for edited and discredited people… God turned into an even bigger movement of compassion.
Empire may thrive for a moment, but Empire will not win.
Goodness is always stronger than Evil.
Love is stronger than hate.
Compassion is stronger than fear.
Life is stronger than death.
God does not give up, so neither shall we.
This is the good news of Easter.
