Sunday School Lesson for February 14, 2021 - Called to Support: Luke 8:1-3; Mark 15:40-41; Mark 16:1-9; John 20:10-18

 

This week continues the unit in the Sunday School Lesson Standard: The Call of Women. This week we explore the lives of women who felt a call to support a young Rabbi who impacted an entire nation. Their support of Jesus’ ministry is set before us today as an everlasting testament to their commitment to the gospel with their resources and their time. Allow me a moment to frame the lesson.

Courtesy of Merriam-Webster:

Support - verb

sup·​port | \ sə-ˈpȯrt  \

supported; supporting; supports

Definition of support (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1: to endure bravely or quietly: BEAR

2a(1): to promote the interests or cause of

    (2): to uphold or defend as valid or right: ADVOCATE

           supports fair play

    (3): to argue or vote for

          supported the motion to lower taxes

  b(1): ASSIST, HELP

          bombers supported the ground troops

     (2): to act with (a star actor)

  c: to provide with substantiation: CORROBORATE

      support an alibi

3a: to pay the costs of: MAINTAIN

      support a family

  b: to provide a basis for the existence or subsistence of

      the island could probably support three

       — A. B. C. Whipple

      support a habit

4a: to hold up or serve as a foundation or prop for: UNDERGIRD

5: to keep from fainting, yielding, or losing courage: COMFORT

6: to keep (something) going: SUSTAIN

    Support - noun

Definition of support (Entry 2 of 2)

1a: the act or process of supporting: the condition of being supported

2: one that supports —often used attributively

    a support staff

Luke 7:37b-38 NASB

37b ...and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 

Luke 7:50 NASB

50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

In this week’s lesson, we survey some of the women who supported Jesus’ ministry. Luke introduces us to some of these women beginning in chapter eight, but the seventh chapter of Luke records an episode of a woman who Jesus encounters while visiting with local religious leaders in Galilee. This episode occurs during Jesus’ second ministry tour through Galilee. 

The woman comes, uninvited, into the place where Jesus is reclining and begins to anoint His feet with perfume, all the while maintaining a posture of worship. This is the first of three recorded instances where women anointed Jesus. In each case, without words, they acknowledged Him as Messiah. In each case, they fulfilled the prophecy set forth in “The Song of Songs”, also known as the “Song of Solomon”...

Song of Solomon 1:12 NASB

12 

“While the king was at his table,

My [i]perfume gave forth its fragrance.

As I stated above, This occurred two other times in Scripture. I believe these records to be two different records of the same event, the anointing at Bethany by Mary of Bethany. Again, in a setting where women may not have been allowed to speak, this act of anointing very loudly declared the prophetic pronouncement of Jesus as the Messiah, the long-awaited King of Israel.

Matthew 26:6-7 NASB

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon [a]the Leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table.

John 13:3 NASB

3 Mary then took a [a]pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 

My point: that there is a conversation going on about the mission and true identity of the young Rabbi through every segment of the community. It seems these women were convinced that Jesus was Messiah. Their actions demonstrate their conviction. Convinced that you’ve had an encounter with God, what would you do? A single word comes to mind: Devotion. These women devoted themselves to the cause of Christ that exemplified matchless gratitude.

Luke 8:1 NASB

1 Soon afterward, [a]Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, …

So here we open the lesson with Jesus preaching throughout the region of Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. Blind eyes are opened, the lame are healed, even the dead are raised to life. The disciples with Him have witnessed what heretofore had been completely unimaginable.

Luke 8:2-3 NASB

2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

Along with these men who we recognize as called to be future pillars of the Church, there are a number of women who, though they are not recognized as ‘pillars’ were ‘foundational’ to the ministry of Christ. They provided financial support along with lodging and provision as the needs arose. We are introduced to three of these matriarchs in this passage, Mary Magdalene who many theologians believe to have been a local businesswoman (not a prostitute), Joanna, who was the wife of an official of Herod’s court, and a woman named Susanna (only mentioned once in Scripture). What we observe from Scripture is that all of these women were women of means. They personally had ample financial wealth. That they chose to use it to undergird and sustain the ministry speaks to a level of commitment that, at times unmatched by their male counterparts (the disciples). That they offered substantially from their resources should be seen as a significant act of worship. That they offered their time over the entire length of His should be regarded as an act of total commitment. 

Mark 15:40-41 NASB

40 Now there were also some women watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of [ab]James the [ac]Less and Joses, and Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and serve Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Fast forward to the most ignominious event in all of human history: the crucifixion of Christ at the cross. And here, the lesson points out that many were the women who were there. In Jesus’ darkest moment, he could look out over the crowd and see many of the women that he had taught and ministered to over the past three years. Yes, one male disciple, John is mentioned, but a significant number of women were watching. Importantly, as Jesus looked out over the crowd, surely He drew comfort from the presence of so many women whose life He had impacted over the years. Thus, the words of the writer of the Book of Hebrews….

Hebrews 12:2a NASB

2 looking only at Jesus, the [a]originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame

I was discussing this with a friend and brother, deacon Eric Wright. He made the following observation. Where were the other disciples? In hiding. Why? Because they were identified as followers of this radical, insurrectionist Rabbi, who had shaken the religious order of the region to its core. Where religious and political power reside, women can sometimes blend into a hostel environment in ways that men cannot. In politically charged environments men can be perceived as a threat to be controlled or eliminated by the political entity in power. Women are often perceived to be much less threatening or not threatening at all. Subsequently, in some cases, they can occupy spaces that their male counterparts simply cannot. Such was the case this day.

Mark 15:47 NASB

47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching to see where He was laid.

These women’s virtual invisibility allowed them to monitor the entirety of the crucifixion. Because of their devotion, they continued to observe as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea removed Jesus’ body from the cross and entombed Him in Joseph’s tomb. They were forming a plan.

Mark 16:1-9 NASB

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of [a]James, and Salome bought spices so that they might come and anoint Him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, they *came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb for us?” 4 And looking up, they *noticed that the stone had been rolled away; [b]for it was extremely large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 But he *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; see, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

9 [[[c]Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.

 

Scripture records, in all of the Gospels that women were first to arrive at the tomb of Christ. Their purpose? To properly embalm Jesus’ body, something they were unable to do during the final hours of the Passover Sabbath observance. Above,  Mark’s rendering establishes that several women came to the tomb and saw that the stone was rolled away. They then encountered a young man who told them that Jesus had risen and that they could find Him alive in Galilee. They were instructed to find the disciples and Peter and instruct them to go to Galilee to find. Because they could not fully understand that all that had transpired would lead to this moment, this moment shook them to their core. They had carefully marked the location of the tomb. To discover that Jesus’ body was missing could only mean that His body had been stolen. His resurrection was inconceivable to them up to that point. In despair, they fled the scene. But, one woman returned. Mary, of Magdala.

 

John 20:10 NASB

10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

Unlike the other women, Mary did go to Peter and the disciples and report that Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb. However, she did not relay the message that the angel had given her. Peter and one other disciple followed her back to the tomb and verified that indeed Jesus’ body was missing. However, because they did not understand that these things must necessarily come to pass, the disciples returned to Jerusalem. But Mary lingered..

John 20:11 NASB

11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping; so as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb;

Obviously, Mary is distraught and dissatisfied with what has occurred. She cannot simply leave things as they are. I can see her hugging herself, summoning courage from within as she determines her next course of action. She gathers herself and bends to look into the tomb again, and….

John 20:12 NASB

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.

Previously, when Mary first arrived with the other women, they had seen and spoken with one angel. When she returned with Peter and the other disciple, no angel was seen. Alone this time, Mary sees two angels, one sitting at the head and one sitting at the foot of where Jesus’ body had lain. Mary was able, in that moment, to solely observe two of the greatest prophetic reveals in all of Scripture. What Mary saw was what God wanted all of us to see in this first grand revelatory moment: The Mercy Seat. 

Beloved, the Mercy Seat is that space on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, between the two Cherubim, where the High Priest, annually on the Day of Atonement, in the Holy of Holies would pour the blood of the sacrificed lamb. Within the Ark were Aaron’s rod that budded, The tablets of the ten commandments, and a bowl of Manna. All of these represented points in time where the children of Israel rebelled against God in the wilderness. Thus, they represented God’s argument against their rebellion as well as the rebellion of all mankind. But the blood… The blood of the sacrificial lamb poured over the cover of the Ark prophetically heralded the coming of a Savior, Jesus who would offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sin of all mankind. 

Mary witnessed the living exemplification of the Mercy Seat, angels at the head and foot of the place where the Lamb of God had been laid. This is just the beginning of God’s great reveal to Mary.

John 20:13 NASB

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 put Him.”

Let’s be clear, Heaven is near. I often teach that Heaven, and Hell for that matter, are not some great distance from us, but that they occupy the very space we live in, just in alternate dimensions. When Jesus preached, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”, He meant exactly that. Beloved, the very Kingdom of God is near us, in our mouths and in our hearts. That is the Word of God, which we preach.  This familiar phrase was first given in Deuteronomy 30:14, then again in Romans 10:8. Both reference an intersection of Heaven and Earth that come about through faith in God, through Jesus Christ. This appearance of angels, the ripping of the Veil of the Temple from top to bottom and the appearance of many saints who had gone on before them were evidence of a breach between dimensions that had been opened by the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

Here’s the good news. In the wilderness, Moses needed only to strike the Rock once for water. Afterward, he needed only to speak to the Rock to draw water from it. Life-giving water.  Jesus is the Rock. He need only to have been crucified once for all time to open the window of Heaven. Afterward, we who believe need only to speak the Word in order to access the dimension where Heaven abides.

In this moment, the angels and Mary are approaching this shared circumstance from different perspectives. Mary can only see and understand from a temporal perspective. The angels, by their question, seem surprised as well. From their perspective, an eternal perspective, the time for weeping is now past. Now is the time for rejoicing. Mary will get it in a moment…

John 20:14-15 NASB

14 When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and yet she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Thinking that He was the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him away.”

Mary must now think that no one is listening to her. She is so grieved that she turns from the angels, without considering their entreaty, and looks for someone who may be able to help her find … Jesus. That gardener, there. Maybe he knows. She runs to this gardener. Surely he knows the comings and goings in the area. Surely, he must know who took Jesus’ body.

Just a moment. As far as Mary knows, Jesus is dead. What we are witnessing here is the level of devotion that Mary has for Jesus. She is determined to extend to Him the dignity and decency that should be afforded Him who she regarded as the very Messiah of Israel, sent from God. Based on what we know about her, I’m sure her personal testimony might have begun something like, “If Jesus never does another thing for me, what He’s done for me already is way more than I ever could have deserved or even imagined…!” What about you? Do you share Mary's sentiment?  Has not God already done exceedingly and abundantly above all that you could have asked for or even imagined. I'm just asking. 

We find that in her distress Mary does not recognize that she is speaking to the risen Christ. Not yet. The reason for this is not clear. Some surmise that His recent crucifixion has disfigured Him so greatly that He cannot be immediately recognized… but…. 

John 20:16 NASB

16 Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in [a]Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).

So allow me an opportunity to use my sanctified imagination. Jesus might have cleared His throat before responding to Mary’s question. Then He spoke… her name and suddenly Heaven opened her heart and she KNEW the voice of her Master and she KNEW that He lived! Immediately, she grabs Him and hugs Him tightly, so as not to let him escape into the mystery that has clouded her entire morning to this point. She happily exclaims, “Rabboni!”, which adds an air of intimacy to the title. In essence, not just ‘Teacher’, but “My Teacher”, demonstrating the high regard that she held for Him. This was the man, after all, who had delivered her from the grip of unimaginable evil and delivered her into the beginning of an understanding of the great grace extended to her from the Kingdom of Light.

John 20:17 NASB

17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”

I know. I like a good hug too. Everyone does. A warm smile, followed by a hearty hug is so, so good for the soul. I can well imagine that in this moment, as Mary is weeping turns from despair to unbridled joy, and as she hugs Him close, taking in His familiar smell and warmth, I can imagine that for just a moment, Jesus takes in this moment with an equal joy of His own. It’s good to be appreciated. He has literally defeated death, Hell, and the grave for all eternity. If the last faces He saw at the cross were the faces of the women who had so been so fervently devoted to Him, It had to have warmed His soul to find that upon revealing Himself to one of those women, He would be so enthusiastically received. There is a common response to a common greeting between friends. “It’s good to see you” one friend will say to another. “It’s good to be seen!", is often the reply. Jesus had been to Hell and back. I’m sure he appreciated Mary’s enthusiastic response….

However, His work wasn’t done. He wasn’t there to stay. It was necessary for Him to complete His earthly mission by bringing the disciples into the loop and ministering to all of them, the men and the women before ascending to Heaven. All of this needed to happen forthwith, as the Day of Pentecost was approaching and the Holy Spirit would return to energize all believers for the inception of the Church. There was limited time and His final destination was not earth. His destination, as our victorious Savior, was His rightful position of preeminence at the right hand of God.

John 20:18 NASB

18 Mary Magdalene *came and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Mary got the message… and with some haste and overwhelming joy took that message … of the Gospel back to the disciples… as fast as she could. In doing so, she is recognized as the very first preacher of the full gospel message of Christ. That He not only was crucified for our sins but also that He was raised up from the grave for our eternal justification before God, thus affording eternal life to all who would receive it, this most precious of God. Mary would remain a servant of Christ, proclaiming the Good News and supporting the burgeoning Church in the same way that she ad supported the ministry of the young Rabbi from Galilee.

1 Timothy 3:16 NASB

16 Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness:

He who was revealed in the flesh,

Was [m]vindicated [n]in the Spirit,

Seen by angels,

Proclaimed among the nations,

Believed on in the world,

Taken up in glory.

 

Selah

wb