Reflection: (Today’s reflection is given by Craig Tubman)
Last at the cross, first at the tomb. That was the position of the women in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life. Jesus has just been crucified. The soldier standing at the cross has declared, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God’ and immediately Matthew reflects on the three woman who were there,
watching at a distance. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, who is most likely Jesus’ own mother. And finally the mother of Zebedee’s sons, who it’s been suggested was Jesus’ aunt, sister of his mother Mary.
Why give us this detail? Surely the crucifixion of Jesus is the main game. But amidst this, Matthew shares this detail with his readers: the women were there watching from a distance and later they will be there trying to make sense of the empty tomb. No doubt Matthew recorded this because it reflected the actual events. The disciples had run, those in power had condemned and it really was only the women left. But there is another interesting factor at play here, and that is the social standing of these
women. In a culture that had a strict hierarchy, these women were nowhere near the top. The majority of women had no standing, no voice in this ancient culture. They rarely held power, nor were they considered worthy to give testimony in courts of law.
But here, the very inclusion of the women challenges the disorder that humans impose in our vain grab for power. God has not created greater or lesser people. We are all creatures given life by a creator God. We are all broken in our sinful state and we all need the forgiveness that comes through Jesus himself. The women, who were falsely considered less than men, were there: last at the cross, first at the tomb. Their very presence rebukes the upside down nature of our own judgments and
prejudices.
Question: Consider, how may you have been fooled into playing the status game in your workplace, with your friends or within your family? In God’s economy, the first will be last and the last will be first. God mocks our vain attempts at power by using the weak to make his kingdom great.
Prayer: Dear God, please reveal areas in my heart and mind that need to be realigned by your Holy Spirit. Lord God, please take the areas of my life where I am weak and please, use this weakness for your glory.
We are reading the Bible with Paul White (with contributions from Justin Moffatt and Craig Tubman) until 7th April.