Luke 24:1-12 ESV
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.
“And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’ And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
“Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.”
He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Amen!
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, not only was crucified on a cross so that we might die with him to sin and live to his righteousness, but he was resurrected from the dead on the third day, just like he said he would. Thus, by God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ we can be crucified with Christ in death to sin and be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to be lived as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, in his power (Romans 6:1-23).
Because he died, we can die with him to sin, and because he lives we can live with him in walks of righteousness and holiness and in obedience to our Lord. And because he conquered sin, death, hell, and Satan when he died on that cross for our sins, we can now live in victory over sin and Satan. We can be free from our slavery (addiction) to sin and now live holy lives which are pleasing to God. And now we can serve the Lord with our lives in doing what he has called us to do according to his will and purpose for our lives.
And these women who came to where they buried Jesus in a tomb, they were the Lord’s servants, and they ended up being his messengers, too. And in Matthew’s gospel, in chapter 28, we read that the angels at the tomb told the women to “go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.” And Jesus met them on their way, and he told them to not be afraid but to “go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
And it tells us here in Luke’s gospel that after the women learned of Jesus’ resurrection from the angels (from men in dazzling apparel) that they told all these things to Jesus’ remaining 11 disciples and to all the rest (I assume all the rest of his followers or all the rest of the people who were in their hearing). And then we read what specific women told these things to the apostles (Jesus’ 11 disciples). And what was the apostles’ response to the women? They regarded their words as an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
Have you, if you are a woman reading this, ever been treated like this from either other women or from men? I have. And why? One reason is that many men treat women with disrespect because they look down on them, but it isn’t just men who do this to women, for women do it to women, too. And why? I believe a lot has to do with the culture we live in and ideas that have been developed in people’s minds regarding men and women. And I am not a woman’s lib person, but I am for all people being treated kindly.
And a lot of it, too, is formed from misinterpretations of the Scriptures combined with traditions and culture. But Jesus is to be our example, right? Did he look down on these women? Did he regard them as not qualified or as not worthy to take his message, and to men, at that? No! They are the ones he sent to the men to tell them that he had risen and that they were to go to Galilee and that there they would see Jesus (see Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:11-18).
So, why would Jesus use women to be his messengers, and even to men, at one of the most critical times in our history, to tell of his resurrection from the dead, if he wanted women’s voices to be silenced, and if he believed women had no voice to men at all? And why would he use the woman he met at a well to go and tell her countrymen all the things that Jesus had told her regarding who he was, and with regard to the gospel of our salvation? Because he knew these women would do what he led them to do.
And why would Joel prophesy that in that last days that God was going to pour out his spirit on his sons and daughters and that they would prophesy and dream dreams and see visions from God, and why would Peter have repeated this at the day of Pentecost as this prophecy being fulfilled in their sight on that day, if God didn’t intend for women to be his messengers, too? Obviously there were women speaking the gospel, as well as the men, on the day of Pentecost, and those who were listening were men and women.
Now, do the Scriptures teach that women are to be under the authority of their husbands? Yes, but within biblical boundaries. And do the Scriptures teach that women are not to instruct men in positions of authority over men? Yes! And I agree with that. And why were the women being silenced in the NT churches? Because they were causing a disturbance, and they were out of order, and so they were not being submissive to the authorities, and that is why they were instructed to ask their questions of their husbands at home. But we are not to use this as an excuse to silence our women!
So, please see that the same Lord who calls men to be ministers of the gospel is the same Lord who calls women to be ministers of the gospel, for in truth, all of us are to do this. And all of us are to exhort one another and to encourage one another and to speak the truth in love to one another so that we are not hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, and so that we are not carried away by false teachings taught by men in their deceitful scheming. And we are all to proclaim (teach, preach) the excellencies of our Lord who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
So men, please honor your women who are listening to the Lord and who are obeying him and who are sharing the gospel message with others who need to know Christ. Listen to them when they speak, and don’t treat them as though they are not worthy of your time or your attention. Don’t ignore them or treat them as less and then value and praise a man who is saying the same things. And everyone, don’t treat a woman who is not famous or who is not an official “missionary” as though her words are not as important as those spoken by women of prominence or by recognized “missionaries.”
All of us need to treat one another as Jesus treats us and not greater and not less depending upon who we know or what gender we are or what official position we hold in an institutional church. If we are serving the Lord with our lives, then we should be honoring one another, not dishonoring each other.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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