SUCCESSFUL SUFFERER SERIES
(Author’s Note: While we will be exploring the Scriptures to understand how people responded to Christ, this is not meant to be a modern-day indictment on people who currently hold these positions. In fact, I am hoping that we will see beyond titles and individuals and focus on characteristics. These may not only be behaviors that have been perpetrated against us but we may even be exhibiting some of these characteristics ourselves in response to Christ, as well as others. I am prayerful that this series will give us strength to endure as we reflect on our Lord. His suffering is an example for us as we strive to be Successful Sufferers. Let’s proceed in a spirit of grace and humility as we each receive what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. Blessings, T.L.)
I began this series by stating that everyone around Jesus had betrayed Him as He was facing His crucifixion. As I studied, I was quickly reminded about the women who followed Christ. This group of women served the Lord and financially supported His ministry. The women heard Christ’s Words, saw His miracles, and their lives were transformed because of Him.
And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with Him, and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto Him of their substance. (Luke 8:1-3)
As they had been doing, the women followed Jesus from Galilee into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. There is no indication in Scripture that the women had been forewarned like the twelve disciples of what was to take place. There is no indication that when Jesus privately expounded on the truth of His parables and teachings that the women were there either. The women had less information but a vastly different response to the events that took place in Jerusalem.
Once Jesus, His disciples, and the women entered Jerusalem, the women are not mentioned until Jesus is hanging on the cross and dying before their eyes.
And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee ministering unto Him: among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children…Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas… (Matthew 27:55-56, John 19:25)
The women watched as Jesus cried out and the life left His body. I can only imagine what was going through their hearts and minds during the six hours that Jesus was suffering on the Cross. However, the women were humbly relentless in their service to their King. While the disciples would hide away in fear of what would happen to them, the women continued to serve Jesus. His death was not the end of their duty to Him. They waited for His body to be prepared and buried, saw where He was laid, and prepared the necessary spices to anoint His remains after the sabbath.
And he [Joseph of Arimathaea] bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? (Mark 15:46-16:3)
The women did not have a plan, or the physical strength, to remove the stone that secured the sepulchre and would have prevented them from getting to the body of their Lord, but they went to the tomb anyways. They were prepared to continue their service to Christ. But when they arrived at the tomb, the stone was rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone.
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb…Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” (John 20:11, 15-17 NKJV)
Can you imagine the elation that Mary must have felt to see her Lord once again? Jesus had such a heart for Mary’s grief (and I believe her faithfulness to Him) that He honored her by revealing Himself to her before He stood before the Father. Mary Magdalene, a women out of whom Jesus had cast seven demons, was the first person to see the Resurrected Savior. She was the first person to share the good news that He was alive and we are now able to be sons and daughters of God.
Just like the women, we do not have to go to the grave any longer to find the Savior. He is available to us when we submit to His Lordship through faith and obedience. Like the women, let us faithfully serve our Lord through transformed lives and a relentless pursuit of Him.
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Copyright 2023 T.L. Lockley. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the King James Version®. Public domain
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
