The Lord cared about Israel, the northern kingdom. We have to keep in mind now that the nation
is divided into that northern kingdom which is called sometimes Israel and
sometimes Samaria, and the southern kingdom of Judah which is centered in
Jerusalem and included only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. A prophet from Judah went out to Israel to
confront king Jeroboam at Bethel as he prepared to offer sacrifice there and
consecrate the altar he had built. This
was an abomination to the Lord who had indeed brought the people out of Egypt
(did Jeroboam mean "Egypt" when he declared the golden calves were
the gods who had brought them out of "Egypt" or did he intend them to
think of Jerusalem as Egypt? Remember
they were part of the forced labor - sound familiar?) When Jeroboam attempts to kill this prophet
his hand is struck and withered as to be useless (remember Miriam having a
similar experience in Numbers 12. The prophet leaves the king alone, just as
Samuel had done with Saul when he sinned.
The Lord tried to get their attention.
Mark tells us about a few women in particular who were there
at Jesus' death and also that there were many others who had come. What he doesn't tell us is whether there were
any men there. After Jesus had died
Joseph of Arimathea, himself a respected member of the Jewish council, went to
ask if he might take the body. Pilate,
even knowing the scourging he had ordered, was surprised that Jesus was already
dead and had to ask someone if that were indeed the case. Learning it was true, he gave the
"corpse" to Joseph and even then Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
went with him to the tomb. They were the
last to see Him laid in the tomb and the first to be there two mornings later
to see the stone rolled away. These
women had deep devotion to Jesus and we should always honor their love, their
presence in His hour of need.
The church at Philippi was begun with two people in particular,
Lydia of Thyatira and a jailer. When
Paul first went there they didn't have a synagogue. That would be because there were fewer than
ten Jewish men there. Paul found this
out and went to the river where he presumed there would be a place of prayer,
where women would gather and there met Lydia.
After he and Silas were imprisoned and the Lord set them free they
converted their jailer. He says here
that they were with him from the beginning and this would refer to these in
particular. His confidence is that if
they will persevere in the work the Lord will complete the work in the church
that He had begun. His hope is complete,
not vague, he knows the Lord is indeed faithful. Our work is to remain in the truth we
received and grow in that truth always.
His covenant with us is no less secure than the one he made with David
and we have even greater certainty because of the resurrection. Let us be like the women in our Gospel
reading, faithful and loving to the end.
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