SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/21/2024 8:53 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “Two Marys”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matthew 27:61
Message of the verse: “And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.”
I mentioned that this SD will be shorter than the
ones that I have been doing on Joseph of Arimathea, as those took one week to
get through.
Today I will be writing about a second group of people
that were at Jesus’ burial as these two people were used to give evidence of
the deity of Christ in a very unusual and wonderful way.
As we
look at the crucifixion story of Jesus in the Scriptures we know that there
were many women who had observed it from a distance and who had faithfully
served Jesus during His Galilean ministry as seen in the following verses: “55 Many women were
there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while
ministering to Him. 56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee” (Matt. 27:55-56). We see only two women named Mary in verse 61,
the verse that we are looking at this morning.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the mother of James the Less and
Joseph as seen in Mark 15:47 “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of
Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.” These are the two women who had followed
Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb. It is
possible that these two women helped both Joseph and Nicodemus prepare (wrap) the
body of Jesus for His burial. Let me
stop from my comments and tell you a story, a story that I am not sure where it
came from. Whenever I am teaching Sunday
school I stand in back of a small podium to teach the lesson. Now if I have something to say that is not
really from the Scriptures, like what I am talking about with perhaps these two
women help prepare the body of Jesus for burial I stand off either to the left
or right of the podium indicating that this could be true, or perhaps it is not
true. Ok back to our Scripture lesson. Now after the body of Jesus was prepared for
burial and after the great stone was put in place to secure it, the two Marys
were sitting opposite the grave. MacArthur
writes “Apparently the two men had left, and these women were not alone at the
bomb, engulfed by deep sorrow.” Perhaps
John MacArthur was standing beside his pulpit when he said this as he used the
word “apparently.”
We
will see these two women again as the special contribution of those two women
is not evident until early Sunday morning, when they returned to the sepulcher
to finish anointing Jesus’ body. However
at that time they became the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection. When they got there Sunday morning they found
that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb, and I
believe were in fear that someone had stolen the body of Jesus, and so more
sorrow came upon them. There was an
angel who had removed the stone, not to allow Jesus to get out but to let
others get in as Jesus moved around those last 40 days on earth after the
resurrection invisible and just could pop into a place whenever He wanted to. MacArthur writes “While the guards stood
frozen with fear (Matt. 28:4), the angel, ‘sitting at the right, wearing a
white robe,…said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the
Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has
risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is
going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you’’’
(Mark 16:5b-7).
“God did not choose any of the disciples but rather
two women to be the priority witnesses to the resurrection of Christ. Mary Magdalene not only was one of the first
two persons to know of Jesus’ resurrection but was the first person to whom He
appeared (John 20:11-17).” 11 But Mary
was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and
looked into the tomb; 12 and she saw two
angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of
Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, "Woman, why are you
weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord,
and I do not know where they have laid Him." 14 When she had said this, she
turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was
Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you
seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if
you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him
away." 16 Jesus said to her,
"Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!"
(which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I
have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I
ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’"”
I
have to say that this probably was the very best day or Mary’s life, and
knowing the truth of the resurrection, knowing that Jesus is alive and is
sitting at the right hand of God in heaven interceding for me, knowing that on
the 23rd of January of the year 1974 that I was given an effectual
call by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior, that
has to be the best day of my life, and it can be for yours if you call upon the
name of the Lord to save you from your sins.
He is faithful and He will do it and then this can be the best day of
your life.
9/21/2024 9:27 AM
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