#BelieveHer
John 20:1-2, 11-18
Perhaps you remember that following Jesus’ death, the Chosen (now Eleven) Disciples were scattered and scared.
Jesus, the man whom the disciples had followed for close to three years had been lynched publicly and buried in a tomb. The disciples had relied on Jesus as their hope. When Jesus died, a little bit of them died too. Their witness died. Their passion died. Their pursuit died. Judas who betrayed Jesus was dead. Peter was in hiding, feeling guilty about denying Jesus three times. The beloved disciple was busy making new house arrangements for Jesus' elderly mother after receiving instructions from Jesus at the foot of the cross. Some were likely overtaken by grief and trauma of not only a crucified Christ, but also their brother Judas was dead. Others were depressed, distraught, devastated, in denial, and in despair. Many of them were unemployed and had a failing income because they had left their jobs to follow Jesus. I imagine a few of them even had no homes to go back to because they had displaced their families for almost three years on a one-way ticket to follow a radical rabble-rouser named Jesus. A couple of them may have been on the run fleeing for their lives concerned that they might be next on the chopping block. The large crowd who followed Jesus during his ministry was now missing in action. And there were only eleven of the chosen and a few faithful followers left to deal with the scars.
But thank God for the women!!!
I have discovered Jesus’ most faithful followers, the women: those who knew Christ from the cradle to the cross, those who brought spices to anoint his crucified body like Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, those who prepared his body for burial alongside Joseph [of Arimathea] and Nicodemus, those who only days after his body has been placed in a tomb still went to see about Jesus and were the first to the tomb even when Jesus’ homeboys (the Chosen disciples) were scattered and scared. Although each of the Resurrection stories are unique, all four Gospel accounts record that it is because of the women that we are first awakened to news of Jesus’ Resurrection and an empty tomb.
It should not surprise you that news that Jesus has risen felt impossible to believe to the disciples since Jesus chose the least likely candidates, women, to serve as mouthpieces for the good news.
The Bible gives us a glimpse that a culture of disbelieving women is historical. I now understand why womanist trailblazer Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon said, “even when your truth is deemed a lie, tell it anyway.”
Perhaps the lesson of the Resurrection story is simple: believe women or #believeher. I believe the women who first announced the news of the Resurrection that the male disciples ignored. I believe the women all across the nation who have come forward to say #metoo and #churchtoo. I believe the countless Dr. Anita Hills and Dr. Christine Blasey Fords of our time. I believe women.
John presents an account of Jesus' Resurrection with a deep emphasis not on a group of women, but on one woman, Mary Magdalene, who encountered an empty tomb. John highlights Mary’s uniqueness as a disciple.
“What’s so special about Mary?” Though much speculation has spread around her character, John makes clear in this text that you cannot deny her faithfulness. Mary's name means loved by Yahweh, likely a woman from the prosperous town of Magdala, a towering city on the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Yes, she is named in Luke 8 and Mark 16:9 as the delivered woman whom Jesus cast out seven demons, but John focuses on her discipleship.
Mary Magdalene is often falsely condemned as an ex-prostitute and wrongly accused as the city woman in Luke 7:36-50 who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. Of all the names of women written in the Gospel accounts, Mary Magdalene’s name is often singled out or listed first in the Gospels. Her favor with Jesus often brought her character into question. But she was one of the certain women traveling with Jesus, alongside the Chosen Twelve, preaching AND teaching with Jesus. Say what you want about Mary, but the truth is that no person superseded Mary in her devotion to Jesus.
Look for Jesus in the Dark
The text says, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away.” (John 20:1)
Too many folx are waiting on the light of day to meet Jesus, but will you look for Jesus while it is yet dark? Will you go to meet Jesus in the doom and the gloom? Are you afraid of the dark? Many may find ourselves in the dark with a sense of uncertainty about what lies ahead, but the dark just might be the place where Jesus reveals his glory. According to Debie Thomas, “The dark is really where the Resurrection begins. The place of uncertainty; the place of fear and trembling.” Scripture reveals God does God’s best work in the dark. From the beginning, the earth was dark when God said “Let there be light” to the revelation of a Risen Lord at the moment of Resurrection.
Stay with Jesus
First to encounter an empty tomb, Mary Magdalene immediately went and told the disciples, they came, saw an empty tomb, and returned to their homes. But Mary stays at the tomb weeping.
Mary teaches us all a lesson. As we enter new seasons of our life, wherever we go, whatever we do, stay with Jesus. Mary got up early in the dark, and she remained at the tomb in the garden because this was the last place she encountered Jesus. Staying with Jesus may mean a return to the spiritual practices, disciplines, and sites of encounter where we last met God.
God Knows your Name
Unable to fathom the magnitude of why Jesus' body could be missing, amid her tears, a risen Jesus meets her at the tomb, asking her the same question of the angels "Woman, why are you weeping?" and another inquiry "Whom are you looking for?" Unable to see who he is, Jesus calls her name "Mary," and she recognizes his voice.
Jesus brings Mary into new life only by calling her name, changing the trajectory of her situation. Perhaps you remember Lazarus, when Jesus calls your name, your situation changes from death to life. "You too are not forgotten; God knows your name!"
The question is, "Do you know the sound of Jesus' voice? Can you hear Jesus calling your name?" Jesus said in John 10: 27 "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." Mary recognized Jesus not by her eyes because they were blurry with tears, but she knew him by his voice. This was no usual name-calling. When Jesus calls your name, expect to receive a new assignment. Jesus sends Mary to go tell the other disciples that "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." Mary is now claimed by Jesus, along with the Chosen disciples, as a member of the household of God. Her name may not have been Meghan, but in one breath, Jesus establishes this unlikely woman as a member of God's royal family.
Mary went and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!"
The best part of this story is not just that Mary was the first to discover an empty tomb, but Mary’s faithfulness was rewarded, and she was the first to see Jesus resurrected and first to herald the hope of the Resurrection!
Tell the Good News
The marks of faithful discipleship left for us by Mary Magdalene in John is to "look for Jesus in the dark," "stay with Jesus and know Jesus' voice," and ultimately "tell the Good news." The formation of our faith may come from the least likely persons and the most unexpected places. But when you encounter a moment of Resurrection, do what Mary did tell your story everywhere you go. "I have seen the Lord."
Jesus shifted Mary from the sideline to the frontline, and she was sent out by Jesus to deliver a Word to the disciples. Mary is the hidden figure, the unsung disciple, the least likely candidate who could have been chosen, but she was the first to see Jesus and the one called by God to declare a powerful testimony! In a world that debates and disbelieves the Resurrection, it is still Good News to hear the testimony, "I Have Seen the Lord." Mary came with tears, and she left an empty tomb with the hope of the Resurrection to tell the world, "I have SEEN the Lord!" #BelieveHer
Reverend Melanie C. Jones is a womanist ethicist, millennial preacher, and intellectual activist. Melanie joined the Union Presbyterian Seminary faculty as Instructor of Ethics, Theology and Culture and Inaugural Director of the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership in fall 2019. Melanie is a thinking woman of faith embodying radical love and revolutionary justice in the academy, Church, and global community. Melanie is co-curator of #MillennnialWomanism Digital Forum and Co-Founder of The Millennial Womanism Project (TMWP) — an enterprise committed to enhancing the well-being of Black millennial women of faith and justice and fostering trans-generational womanist dialogue. A third-generation ordained Baptist preacher, sought-after lecturer, and global leader serving professional societies and international boards, Melanie is an emerging millennial voice with noted academic and popular publications as well as features on television, radio, and news outlets. Follow Melanie at www.revmelanie.com.