A Tale of Two Marys (April 9, 2023) Matthew 28.1-10

Christos Anesti!! (Christ is Risen!!!) Alithos Anesti (He is Risen Indeed!!!). This is the greeting for those in Orthodox and Coptic churches beginning at midnight on Easter Sunday. It is what we say at the beginning of an Easter service (though we say it in English). It is a truth that we believe or we would not be telling the story one more time.

And what a story to tell. There are four different versions of the story. None of the Gospels gives us details of what happened at the actual resurrection, but rather they tell us what happened afterwards. Mark, Luke, and John give us a feeling of mystery, a wondering of just what happened at the tomb. In these three, the women who come to the tomb find that the stone is already rolled away and young men (or angels) are waiting for them to announce the good news that Jesus has been raised just as he said he would be. If you are anything like me however, you want more details. Just what happened?

Matthew on the other hand gives us lots of details. In fact, there is so much detail in the first 10 verses of chapter 28 that we can be like the women who came to the tomb: a bit overwhelmed and filled with fear and wonder.

One of the first details we find is that the characters listed are two women. Mary Magdalene (who is in each of the 4 resurrection stories) and the other Mary, are going to see, or look at, the tomb where Jesus lay. Now, let’s pause for a moment and consider what is happening here. First, there are two women. The disciples, all men, are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were ashamed that they had run from or denied knowing Jesus when he needed them the most. Perhaps they were in shock that their teacher had been killed in the most brutal way they knew and all their hopes were dashed. Whatever the reason, they are not at the tomb, but the women are. Second, Matthew has told us that there is a guard around the tomb to prevent anyone from stealing the body. This would also prevent the women from getting too close to the tomb, so why even bother? But the third thing happening is the most interesting. It is the word “see.” Some translations say “look” which is also an acceptable translation. Here’s the interesting part: the Greek verb translated as see or look can mean “to watch” or “to look on” (as a spectator). In other words, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are not there to look at the tomb in grief and wonder what might have been. No, they are there because they expect something to happen.

And something indeed happens. The text says this: “…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.”[1]Now I don’t know about you but I would probably be like those who were guarding the tomb. But the women are not. They may be shaken and frightened, but they did not collapse in fear. They stayed steady and were there to see what was happening. There is a lot of symbolism here. Thomas Long points out that everything here is symbolic: the angel is an agent of God; the earthquake is a “drumroll” that signals the act of divine power; and the rolling away of the stone and then sitting upon it is a symbol of divine strength and authority, with which the angels dusts his hands and says, “Well now. That’s that.”[2] The ultimate irony here is that those who are there to guard the tomb fall down as though they were dead. But notice this: nothing or no one comes out of the tomb. The tomb was already empty.

In fact, the angel speaks to the women saying (my paraphrase): “Hey there. Don’t be afraid. I know why you are here: You’re looking for the one who was crucified, Jesus. But guess what: he is not here, because he has been raised by God, just like he told all of you would happen.” Have you ever noticed that the first words spoken by an angel to people are the words “Fear Not”? It is because they are messengers of God and there is something about them that radiates that fact. But notice the words that are spoken after the fear not: the angel says that it knows why they are there. They have come to look for Jesus, but he is not here. He has been raised!

He has been raised. These words tell us something very important here. They tell us that Jesus did not raise himself from the dead. They tell us that Jesus was dead, dead in a way that we understand. He did not swoon or fall into a coma. No, this was something from which no one would be able to come back. Again, Jesus was dead. But here is the thing: the angel says He has been raised. This means that something or someone from the outside acted upon Jesus. That someone was God. It is important to understand that God raised Jesus from the dead. Shirley Guthrie says this: “The resurrection is the story of God’s giving life to a dead man, not of the immortality this man possessed in himself…the doctrine of the resurrection is not a sentimental assurance that death is not so bad after all since our inmost selves do not really die. It is the radical good news of the powerful love of God which is stronger than death. It is good news about what God does, not about what we can do for ourselves or what happens automatically.”[3] God does for Jesus what Jesus could not do for himself. If God is able to raise a man from the dead, imagine what God can do for us. This is not a plug for the “Prosperity Gospel” where God wants us to be healthy and wealthy. This is saying that God will take care of us when we go through the bad times and when things are hard. We may not get what we want or have the experience that we want, but we know that God is with us and will go with us through the dark and difficult times that come in our lives.

What comes next is something that we might not understand. The angel, like a good host, invites the women to “Come, see the place where he lay.” “The place where he lay” is in the past tense. Jesus is no longer there. In fact, he was gone before the stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty and the rolling away of the stone was to prove that fact. But the words “come” and “see” are the important parts here. The women are invited to look, not to just believe the angel’s words, but to see for themselves, to put the words to the test.

Then come the next two words: they are told to “go” and “tell” the disciples what they have seen and that they are to meet Jesus in Galilee, the place where his ministry occurred. This is VERY important to the text. Women in the Ancient Near East were never taken seriously. They were never called to court and they were not allowed to make legal arrangements because it was believed that they were “unreliable.” That the message of the raising of Jesus was entrusted to women gives a huge amount of credibility to the resurrection story. Why would anyone make that up? If they wanted to make up a story, they would have put the disciples (all men) at the tomb and had them be told. But to have women there, then something must have happened.

Mary and Mary are, understandably, filled with both joy and fear as they run to tell the disciples the good news (which, incidentally, makes them the first apostles). While they are running to tell this glorious message, who do they meet but Jesus. The NRSV says that he said to them, “Greetings,” but the word used here would be more of a “Good morning!” with its root meaning “Rejoice.” So what Jesus is saying here is “Good morning. Rejoice!” for the good news and new life that is given in his being raised.

As the women fall and worship him, Jesus tells them to “go” and “tell” his “brothers” the same message the angel gave them. Notice that when he tells them who to tell, he says “brothers” rather than “disciples.” The ones who deserted him and denied him when the heat got a bit too close were brought back into the family. They are now brothers and they are forgiven. We too are forgiven. Even though we have fallen into sin, God has redeemed us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are often as the disciples were, cowardly and falling all over ourselves in trying to get away when the times get hard. But we are called back and called brothers and sisters by the very one whom we have betrayed. How can we not know this is good news?

The tale of two Marys is our tale. We are told to come, see, go, and tell. The resurrection is something that we are to celebrate and to tell the world. Karl Barth says this: “The third day a new life of Jesus begins; but at the same time on the third day there begins a new Aeon, a new shape of the world, after the old world has been completely done away and settled in the death of Jesus Christ. Easter is the breaking in of a new time and world in the existence of the man Jesus, who now begins a new life as the conqueror, as the victorious bearer, as the destroyer of the burden of man’s sin, which had been laid upon Him.”[4] A new era began when Jesus was raised from the dead. It is often said that we are living in the Last Days, but I believe that the last days began when God told Jesus to get up and come out of the tomb.

Barth also states that, “In the resurrection of Jesus Christ the claim is made, according to the New Testament, that God’s victory in man’s (humanity’s) favour in the person of His Son has already been won.”[5] The victory is won and we are called to go and tell the good news that was given to us. We are to be like the Mary’s and run to tell the world what God did, is doing, and will do. In doing so we are to tell the world that the good news is for all: the least of these, those who are oppressed, those who are downtrodden, those without any hope. There is new hope and new life in Christ. Go and tell: Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed.

[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [2]Long, Thomas. Matthew. 1997, 322 [3]Guthrie Jr., Shirley C. Christian Doctrine. Atlanta, John Knox Press. 1968. 268-269 [4]Barth, Karl. Dogmatics In Outline (Kindle Locations 2171-2174). Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. Kindle Edition. [5]Barth, Karl. Dogmatics In Outline SCM Classics (Kindle Locations 2178-2179). Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. Kindle Edition.