Tag Archives: Mary Magdalene

Celebrations, Passion Week

Resurrection Sunday!

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Some time before dawn the stone was rolled away! Not so JESUS could get out but so we could see that He had!!

Matthew 28:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
via Matthew 28:2 NASB – And behold, a severe earthquake had – Bible Gateway.

And so the Women who loved Him so much went to the tomb while it was still dark.  Would anything  but a powerful love send a woman to a cemetery in the dark? 

John 20:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB) The Empty Tomb
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.
via John 20:1 NASB – The Empty Tomb – Now on the first day – Bible Gateway.

See Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1 for the details of the women’s visit to the tomb.

See Luke 24:9-12; John 20:2-10 as Mary Magdalene reported to the Disciples that JESUS’ body was missing from the tomb. Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb to see for themselves. 

There were a lot of going(s) to the tomb that Resurrection Morning and it was Mary who was first privileged to encounter JESUS after His resurrection.

Mark 16:9-11 specifically identified this Mary but it is John’s account in Chapter 20 that is my favored account. It’s the one I identify well with.

John 20:11-18 New Century Version (NCV)
11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she bent down and looked inside the tomb.
12 She saw two angels dressed in white, sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the feet.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
She answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 When Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus.
15 Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?”Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Hebrew language, “Rabboni.” (This means “Teacher.”)
17 Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, because I have not yet gone up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
18 Mary Magdalene went and said to the followers, “I saw the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.
via John 20:11-18 NCV – But Mary stood outside the tomb, – Bible Gateway.

As surely as Mary heard JESUS speak her name, I have heard Him speak mine.  To be sure Mary heard His audible voice with physical ears and I have not (yet). But just as assuredly the ears of my heart heard Him call, ‘Kathie’, and I answered! There have been many great days in my life but no day (so far) compares to that one!But there is a day coming that will far exceed that lovely day in November 1975! Verily, verily without this Resurrection Sunday we are remembering today there would be no great days for any of us.

JESUS also appeared to the other women: Matthew 28:9-10.  And to the two men on the Emmaus Road: Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-32. And in the evening, He ‘popped in’ on the Disciples :) : Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:25. And for 40 days JESUS at various times and places met with His disciples teaching and preparing them for His Ascension to Heaven and His Commission to them and us to carry on His work: Acts 1:3; Matthew 28:19-20.

Many passages, many happenings we have read this week, ABBA, every Word true and faithful. Thank You, LORD. Thank You, LORD, for Your mercy, Your grace and patience as You wait for souls to believe. Thank You, HOLY SPIRIT, that we are not left on our own to believe; that You call us, help us and empower us to believe You. Thank You. For without You we surely never would.  You know I am thinking particularly of one near and dear to me, You know the diagnosis, it scares us and we cling to You for peace and ask You to heal her. And there are others, many others with illness and diseases; and as scary and hard and life altering as these things are You defeated death and hell so we proclaim what our brother Paul said, “we are afflicted, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; struck down, but not destroyed by these things; we trust You and we desire first and foremost that You be glorified in us. HOLY SPIRIT, pour out upon us as we gather to worship, anoint Your Messengers in worship centers and Sunday School classrooms, exalt JESUS and draw men, women, boys and girls to worship HIM. Amen and . . .   .

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Praying (PFT)!

Passion Week

Day 7

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Passion Week.

Holy Saturday, as some refer.

It’s the Sabbath. The Disciples are in hiding, we believe. And JESUS? Well, His BODY is in the grave and HE in Spirit is in Paradise delivering the GOOD NEWS to Abraham, Issac, Jacob and all the others who died in faith looking toward the coming of the Messiah.

Luke 23:43
King James Version (KJV)
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
via Luke 23:43 KJV – And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say – Bible Gateway.

So we know when JESUS died He went to Paradise.
A place, I believe, at the time was in the heart of the earth; the non-torment side.  Read with me Luke 16:25-26 King James Version (KJV)

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
via Luke 16:25-27 KJV – But Abraham said, Son, remember that – Bible Gateway.

But there came a time when Paradise was delivered up to Heaven.  And I imagine hell (the torment side) expanded.

I believe Ephesians 4: 8,9, 10 further evidences to us that JESUS went to the Paradise side of Sheol when He died and there He told the Old Testaments Saints that the Work of Salvation was finished. Link the Ephesians passage with 2 Corinthians 5:6 -8 and Acts 1: 9, 10 and 11, I believe we are safe in believing that JESUS delivered Paradise to Heaven, along with the Old Testament Saints and that at the moment a saved soul dies today that One is ushered to Heaven to be forever in the Presence of JESUS.

Ephesians 4:8 Therefore it says,

“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,

HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,

AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”

9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
via Eph 4 NASB – Unity of the Spirit – Therefore I, the – Bible Gateway.

2 Corinthians 5:
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—
8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
via 2 Corinthians 5 NASB – The Temporal and Eternal – For we know – Bible Gateway.

The Ascension
Acts 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
via Acts 1 NASB – Introduction – The first account I – Bible Gateway.

So we know what JESUS was doing on Holy Saturday. We believe the Eleven and the Others were observing the Sabbath and waiting.

Here’s what the chief priests and the Pharisees were doing:

Matthew 27:62-66
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
62 Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate,
63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’
64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”
66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
via Matthew 27:62-66 NASB – Now on the next day, the day after the – Bible Gateway.

And the women who loved Him so much, what where they doing? Right after 6:00 PM on Holy Saturday they were buying spices. See?

Mark 16:1
King James Version (KJV)
1And 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.
via Mark 16:1 KJV – And when the sabbath was past, Mary – Bible Gateway.

I doubt if they slept much. They were waiting for the dawn.

For what are you waiting?

There’s been so much to take in this week, ABBA. I’m certain we have only seen a glimmer of the glory You desire to reveal to us. Thank You for the testimony of Your Word that You have given us that we may know the Truth and be made free in CHRIST JESUS. I have some people on my mind but You know; You know better than I what they need and You know the outcome and I am asking for Your Will to be done and I confess I so want Your will to be a certain way; even so, LORD, we are looking to You for strength and faith to abound. And I dare not be remiss to bring others. Rick and Cindy come to mind and others too. Big issues, LORD. Stuff so hard, seemingly not even right; help them walk through it and come out more in love with You than ever before. Be glorified, LORD, in all of it. Amen and . . .   .

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Praying (PFT)!