Faith Formation: Matthew the Gospel of God with Us. December 3, 2024

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Matthew 28:1-10

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. The lists of the women who went to see the tomb vary from Gospel to Gospel. The reasons they went vary too. None went expecting to witness the resurrection. In John only Mary Magdalene went. She seems to have gone in order to mourn. A group of women went in Luke: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women. They intended to do something to Jesus body with spice they had prepared, though who knows how they expected to access the tomb. No one in Luke had anointed or prepared Jesus body for burial. Mark mentioned two women, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome, who also brought spices to anoint him. Mary Magdalene was the only consistently mentioned visitor to the tomb that morning. Along with her, another Mary went to see, to watch. Their role throughout has been one of vigil keeping. They looked on from a distance at the crucifixion. They watched while Joseph of Arimathea laid his body in the tomb and rolled the stone over the entrance. They may have simply gone as an act of mourning. The suddenness of the things that happened next completely surprised them.

The scene that follows seems connected with the story of the Transfiguration. A dramatic natural occurrence (shining cloud and earthquake), the presence of one whose appearance and clothing were as lightning and as white as snow, and characters who looked like or cowered as dead men (soldiers and disciples), along with a stunning divine or celestial announcement (This is my Son, the Beloved and he has been raised, as he said) link the stories. Because of this some scholars have called the Transfiguration a "misplaced" resurrection story. Another connection may be seen between Jesus appearance with the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration and the Mount of Commissioning.

Angels, messengers from God, often introduced their announcements with, Do not be afraid. Their appearance startled shepherds, dreamers, as well as the women. Jesus used the phrase many times. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ... Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid. ... Get up and do not be afraid. ... Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee. Things so out of the ordinary make us tremble. The completely unexpected makes us shake with fear. That morning the women did not immediately receive the word of the resurrection with joy, but with a mixture of fear and amazement. Would anyone respond otherwise if at the meal following the funeral if the deceased who had just been lowered into the ground suddenly showed up and greeted their loved ones?

Oddly, it seems, Jesus instructed the women and the disciples to meet him in Galilee rather than in Jerusalem. For Luke and John, and in a less than credible extension of the story of Mark, Jesus met the disciples in Jerusalem. Matthew alone set the meeting place as in Galilee. Why Galilee? I think that it was because it was in Galilee that the work and mission of Jesus happened, rather than in Jerusalem. In Galilee Jesus healed and cast out demons. In Galilee Jesus fed the 5000 and taught the people. Jesus lived and labored in Galilee. Jesus' work and the mission of those who followed him was to take place where they lived, rather than in Jerusalem where they worshipped. Those who follow and serve the resurrected one do so as ones who take up the cross to serve and love, forgive and save their neighbors in the midst of life where people live. Galilee is symbolic of that. In the Parable of the Last Judgment or the Sheep and Goats Jesus told of meeting him in the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick and imprisoned. Such as these were found in the towns, on the streets, in the cemeteries, and homes where people spent the most of their days. Galilee, life, is where Jesus wanted to meet them and still wants to meet us. It is in day to day life that we are intended to "see" Jesus.

Keep the faith. Say your prayers. Love like Jesus.

Pastor Tim Bauer