With Gratitude to the Three Women

Based on Mark 16

They were ready to go, these three women. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had gathered together the spices to anoint Jesus’ body as soon as they had the chance. They could not do it on the Sabbath because it is a form of work. So, from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, they could do nothing but wait. Wait for the sun to rise on the first day of the week so that they would have light to work with as they made their way to the tomb. But as they walked to the tomb early that morning, they tried to figure out together what to do with a big obstacle to fulfilling their loving act of devotion. There was a very large stone that blocked their entrance to the tomb. And they were not confident that they would have enough strength to move the stone themselves. They could use the strength of some men. But where were they? Where were the men disciples? They were in hiding, afraid of being associated with Jesus for fear that they might also be arrested and maybe even crucified themselves. Whether the women didn’t think they would be arrested or their devotion to Jesus outweighed their fear of what might happen to them, they were determined to make their way to the tomb to properly anoint Jesus’ body. And when they got there, they would just have to do their best to get that very large stone moved out of the way.

As they approach the tomb, they are surprised to find that the stone has already been rolled back. Have some of the male disciples come to move the stone for them while under the cover of darkness? At any rate, that must have been a relief to them to have that obstacle removed so that they could enter the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body.

As they enter the tomb they are surprised again. They find a young man sitting on the right side. He is dressed in a white robe. Who is this? Let’s pause for a second and focus on who this young man is. First of all, our tendency is to identify this young man as an angel. After all, in the other resurrection stories we find in the gospels it is an angel that is identified as the one who talks to the women. But Mark is very precise with his details. He does not identify this figure as an angel. He specifically identifies him as a young man who is dressed in a white robe. As we remember about Mark, he is very sparse with his details. Each detail is weighed with meaning. So, if this is not an angel but a young man, who is he and why is he sitting inside the tomb?

If we follow the story back to the garden when Jesus was arrested, we find another young man. In 14:51 we read, “A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.” Who is this young man? Could he be the same young man sitting in the tomb who is now dressed in a white robe? Let’s think about this white robe. The last time we heard of a white robe was when Jesus was on the mountain with Peter, James and John and was transfigured before them. His linen robe became so dazzling white, whiter than anyone could possibly bleach it. Is this young man dressed with a similarly dazzling white robe? What is going on here?

I have heard it explained to me that the young man who ran off naked is actually a parable. This figure represents all the disciples who fled from Jesus. The young man running away naked symbolizes the disciples running off and leaving behind their loyalty to Jesus. They left behind their identity as disciples, symbolized by the simple linen tunic. But now, after the resurrection, the young man who represents the disciples is back and he is dressed in the white robe of Jesus’ transfiguration. The young man represents a symbol of hope, of restoration. The disciples who abandoned Jesus will return to Jesus and take on his dazzling white robe. The disciples who fled will become the ones who represent Jesus in the world. Those who abandoned Jesus will draw close to Jesus again.

Now, back to the story. The women walked into the tomb expecting to anoint Jesus’ body. But instead, they see a young man dressed in a white robe sitting where Jesus’ body is supposed to be. Another surprise. What is going on? They are alarmed. But the young man tells them not to be alarmed. He knows that they are there to anoint the body of Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. The young man is the first to announce, “He is risen.” The young man says to them, “Look, he is not here. See, he is not where they laid him.” If you think proclaiming that Jesus was alive again was shocking, the next thing the young man says is possibly even more shocking than that. The young man says to the women, “Go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” OK, we have to pause here. What the young man has said is so heavy with meaning that this one sentence could become a sermon in itself. Let’s just break this down very quickly.

First, he tells them to go tell the disciples and Peter. Why is Peter separated out? Some have said that if you compare the sin of Judas and Peter that Peter’s sin was the worst. At least Judas was honest about and acted on his decision to abandon Jesus. The other disciples merely run away to avoid being arrested. But Peter, the one who often took the lead in proclaiming his devotion to Jesus, the one who, when Jesus was washing the disciples’ feet, wanted his hands and head to be washed as well to demonstrate his commitment to Jesus, when faced with the question of whether or not he was a disciple, publicly stated three times that he was not. His betrayal was the most disappointing and hurtful. When Peter did it and realized how he utterly failed Jesus, he broke down and wept bitterly. Peter’s betrayal was so profound that he was no longer even classified as a disciple. He was expelled from that group. Even still, after the resurrection, Peter will be welcomed back into the community. His betrayal, as painful as it was, does not keep him out. He will be restored into the community again. What amazing grace. No matter how far someone runs away from Jesus, there is always the possibility for restoration.

Second, the young man says Jesus is not going to Jerusalem. He is going to Galilee where the disciples first met Jesus. They will see Jesus again back where it all began. It’s like they will be starting over in their relationship with Jesus, except this time they will be relating to the resurrected Jesus. Something new is about to begin. Their fellowship will be renewed back where it all started. Sometimes, for restoration to take place with Jesus, you have to go back to where it all began when you first came to know Jesus in your life, to recapture and reclaim that first love.

But third, this is the shocking part. The young man told these women to go and tell the disciples all of this. Women are given the instruction to be the first to announce that Jesus had risen and that he would see them again in Galilee. For women to be entrusted with this kind of information and the responsibility to declare it to the men flips on its head how men and women related to each other in those days. These women are being empowered to do what only men were allowed to do. Women would never be entrusted with this type of information. To now go and tell the men what is happening and what they need to do…this crosses all kinds of gender norms of the day. Would they have the courage to speak up? Would the men even listen to them? This direction to go and tell is way out of the comfort zone of these women.

A trip to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body has now become something completely different. What the women thought they would be doing has completely gone in a different direction that they would have never conceived. Understandably, when the young man tells them not to be alarmed that goes right over their heads. They are freaking out. And, just as the disciples did in the garden, the women flee from the tomb. And they don’t tell anyone anything. Who would believe them? What does all this mean? We can’t underestimate the impact this experience had on these women. The emotional impact is massive. Wonder, fear, hope, anticipation, alarm, anxiety, all these feelings. It is all so confusing. They are going to need some time to sit with this experience, talk it through, and figure out what they are going to do. This has rocked their world and they will not be able to move on until they can process it together.

Mark’s gospel ends here. What happens next? I’m thinking of Paul Harvey who would tell these amazing stories about people we know. He will identify their name at the end of his account and then say, “And now you know the rest of the story.” It’s almost like Mark could have added that line to the end of his gospel, “And now you know the rest of the story.” Obviously, at some point the women were able to clear their heads, step into their authority, and tell the men what happened and what they need to do. And the men heard them and believed them. They got the message to Peter. They went to Galilee. They saw Jesus. The community was restored. The disciples symbolically put on their dazzling white robes and represented Jesus in the world. And 2,000 years later, here we are. Today, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and the promise that one day we will all wear our dazzling white robes in that land on the other side of the Jordan with all our kin who have gone before us, let us give honor and gratitude to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, who together were able to confront their fear and with courage complete their assignment, to be the first to declare to the world, Jesus is risen.