One of the unique features of Mark’s gospel is that he is to the point. One of his favorite words is “immediately”, which is used 41 times. Mark doesn’t linger like Matthew and Luke, nor is he poetic like John.
Mark just says it and moves on. Mark kind of treats his gospel like he is charged by the word on what he writes. Which means - if Mark pens it in his gospel account, it’s important, vitally important!
Therefore, it’s vitally important that we do not miss what Mark says about the women between the death of Jesus (Mark 15:33-39) and the burial of Jesus (Mark 15:42-47).
Mark, in his gospel, the first gospel written, says this about the women's treatment of Jesus - “they followed him and they ministered to him.” (Mark 15:41).
Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of Jesus (Mark 6:3) and other women spent the past 3 years not only following Jesus, but ministering to him as well. Now, I’ve encouraged you this week to follow Jesus and to abide in Jesus, but now I want to ignite your intellect and stir up your soul to consider how your life ministers to Jesus.
To start that process I want to share with you words I wrote many years ago about the life of Mary the mother of Jesus, who I still believe is the model disciple for men and women alike, because to learn about the life of Mary is to be led to Jesus.
“This mother named Mary would do like many mothers - she would raise her child and in doing so, watch her heart walk around outside her body, for like any mother, her heart was for her child. As he listened to her, she began listening to Him and the teacher became the student.
This mother named Mary would go to a wedding with her boy and watch him turn water into wine. She would walk the streets and overhear the rumors of this son of a carpenter and virgin who was going around Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing as the Son of God and think, “that's my boy.”
She would watch with awe as her son welcomed the least, the last, the lost. She would be certain of his impending showdown between the religious authorities and her son, trembling with fear of what would one day happen.
Perhaps, though, what is most amazing about Mary is her first glimpse of her son in a stable-turned-palace as he was utterly exposed before her. She cried with joy that God did something in her life that was a pure move of the Most High and her womb was the vehicle God would use.
This exposed child that she gave birth to would one day again be exposed, yet this time not in a stable-turned-palace, but on a hill reserved for criminals and constructed to produce suffering, shame, torture, and death.
There, Mary, the mother of Jesus, watched her son be exposed, but he was no longer in the safe confines of her arms, touching her skin - for now he was touching not her skin but nails were now being driven through his skin as his bare body lay, not against her body, but against a cursed tree. This was not sweet, but suffering.
Mary watched her son cry, but this wasn’t the cries of an infant longing for his mother’s touch, but a man being shamed crying out, “my God, my God!” Mary stayed and Mary joined his question. God, why?
She watched with complete horror, filled with the anguish only a mother knows when her son hurts. She did not leave, she stayed.
As she was obedient to God at the birth of her son, so was she obedient to God at the death of her son.
“What is remarkable about Mary is yes her “Let it be to me according to your word” which she said to the angel back in Nazareth, but perhaps more so is that she, unlike many of the disciples, refused to leave her son’s side at Golgotha. Even though she was living through Simeon’s prophecy as a sword pierced her son's side, so a sword pierced her soul (Luke 2:35).
She stayed. She cried. She embodied faith.
And while her crying would continue, on the third morning her crying changed from unconsolable sorrow to unimaginable joy, for she would hear that her son was no longer dead, but alive, alive forever more, risen to never die again and Mary would see that the words of the angel were true indeed, “...and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
God was true to his word and faithful to his people, I wonder if Mary was still treasuring this in her heart as she saw her nail scarred resurrected Son walk the paths of Judea.
For from the angel believing, virgin womb of Mary came the one who would touch lepers, challenge injustice, enter our suffering, die for our sins, heal our brokenness, cast out demons, send the Holy Spirit...the One born of a virgin that man no more may die.
As Eve believed the serpent and welcomed sin, Mary believed the angel and welcomed the One who would save us from our sins.
The last glimpse we get of Mary in our Bibles is her praying with the disciples (Acts 1:14)...continuing to embody the life of a servant. May Mary not be a character we shy away from, but one we embrace and emulate as we seek to serve the one who came to serve us. Amen.”
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
*If you would like an incredible lyrical video to go along with this sermon, please visit this blog post and look for a FB post later today, which will lead you to a video my dear friend Tina Schrader made many years ago. It’s so good!
Luke is Pastor of Discipleship to the saints, in Christ, at Nashville Methodist.
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