Five Minute Friday: Sunrise

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "sunrise."

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus.  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?”

-Mark 16:1-3 (Berean Study Bible)

Just after sunrise. It was the third day, and the details of the resurrection were falling into place. Exactly what Jesus said was going to happen, was happening, except these women didn’t seem to know that.

Jesus was crucified on Friday. He breathed his last at three o'clock in the afternoon, and they took his body down and buried him quickly, before the Sabbath would begin. The women didn’t have time to prepare his body appropriately. The next evening when the Sabbath was over, it would have been dark and hard for them to see, so they had to wait until the next day.

Sometimes, we have to wait too. It might be because of circumstances beyond our control, but God is still working while we are waiting, just like He was here.

The next morning, on a Sunday morning, the women took the spices they had prepared to anoint Jesus’ body. Why would they take spices to anoint his body? They thought He was still dead. They didn’t hear, or believe Him when He said he would rise again. We can tell by the conversation they were having with each other,

Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?

-Mark 16:3

Sunrise. I love that time of day. Everything is fresh and new. It reminds me of the Scripture,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

-2 Corinthians 5:17 (English Standard Version)

The old had gone. The Son had risen, but they did not know it yet. But they were about to find out.

All four Gospel writers include this event. Some give more details than others. Only Mark and Luke mention the spices. Different amounts of women are mentioned. Details about the stone are different. But you put them together, and you get a complete picture of what happened there that day. And no detail is without purpose.

God has a plan for each word.

If you read further into the story, you find that the women have conversations with angels. They get to see an empty tomb. And eventually, they are the first ones to see Jesus risen. They are the first eyewitnesses to the Resurrection.

This account just says so much to me about Jesus’ character. How much He must love women to make them a part of those events. How much compassion He must have to meet them where they were in that hour. They didn’t believe He was risen. They thought He was dead. But still He chose to make them a part of His story in those moments.

Blessings to you today as you grow in grace and the knowledge of Him,


Beth

Women in the Life of Jesus: Herodias and Salome

At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard the reports about Jesus.  So he said to his servants, “Jesus is John the Baptist, who has risen from the dead. That is why he can work these miracles.”

Sometime before this, Herod had arrested John, tied him up, and put him into prison. Herod did this because of Herodias, who had been the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother.  John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to be married to Herodias.”  Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they believed John was a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and his guests, and she pleased him.  So he promised with an oath to give her anything she wanted. Herodias told her daughter what to ask for, so she said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”  Although King Herod was very sad, he had made a promise, and his dinner guests had heard him. So Herod ordered that what she asked for be done. He sent soldiers to the prison to cut off John’s head.  And they brought it on a platter and gave it to the girl, and she took it to her mother. John’s followers came and got his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.-Matthew 14:1-12 (NCV)

Herodias. She was not a Believer. She is not mentioned as coming directly in contact with Jesus in the Scriptures, but she was in important figure during that time.  So, why should we take notice of her?

Influence.

Herodias was influential in the life of her daughter.  The New Testament doesn’t give Herodias’ daughter a name, but she is identified by the Jewish historian Josephus as Salome.  Ironically her name means peace.

On Herod’s birthday, Salome dances for Herod and his guests.  She dances for all these men, while her mother watches.  It makes Herod so happy that he gives he offers her up to half of his kingdom.  What kind of dancing can you do for an evil man to warrant that kind of reward?

Since she is presumably still a young girl, or a child, she goes to her mother and asks her advice on what to ask of Herod.  What an opportune moment for Herodias.  She could have told her to ask for something that would benefit her daughter.  But she does not.  Instead, because of her selfishness, and bitterness, she chooses this moment to exact revenge on John the Baptist, someone who has publicly humiliated her. So, she tells her very impressionable daughter what to ask for, the head of John the Baptist on a platter.  You will remember that John is Jesus’ cousin, and the forerunner of the Messiah.  This is going to affect John’s disciples, as well as Jesus.  Because of Herodias’ influence as a mother, her daughter does what she tells her.

She didn’t realize the influence she had over her daughter, or maybe she did.  All mothers have this influence, whether they know it or not.  Our choices invariably become their choices, creating a ripple effect.

Because of all of the people that heard about Jesus in Jerusalem and throughout the region, including Galilee, I like to think that at some point Salome heard that Jesus loved her, and converted.  That’s what He came to do, give grace, mercy, love and forgiveness for those in situations just like hers.  That same grace was available to Herodias too.

Many blessings to you as you walk in His divine love,

Beth

To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus.