Page 68 - Living Light 89

Tuesday August 19 - The first to see
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. Mark 16:9
Significantly, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene; not to his mother, not to Peter, James or John; not to the soldiers guarding the tomb, nor the disbelieving High Priest, but to Mary of Magdala, a woman from whom seven demons had been cast out (Luke 8:2). She was devoted to Jesus; she watched from a distance as he died (Mark 15:40); she saw where Jesus was laid (Luke 23:55), and resolutely retraced her steps – only to find the tomb empty.
Mary Magdelene became the first to tell of Jesus’ resurrection, thereby becoming the first missionary to herald the Good News. This is quite amazing; in New Testament times a woman’s testimony was considered inadmissible in a court of law, so the fact that Mary was the first to the tomb, and was given the awesome responsibility of bearing witness to it being empty, serves to add credence to the Bible’s authenticity. It also shows the radical honour Christianity gave to women in a society which did not regard them as equal to men.
Far too many of us feel ‘second class’ and, sadly, we can act it out. Know today that God does not look at you in that way. Mary was living proof of Galatians 3:28, ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ Let’s believe it!
Almighty God, you have ‘chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty’ (1 Corinthians 1:27). May I live accordingly. Amen.
Wednesday August 20 - The great turnaround Afterwards Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they
were walking in the country. These returned... Mark 16:12-13
In a parallel account in Luke 24, Jesus drew alongside two disciples, Cleopas and a friend, as they walked away from Jerusalem, struggling to cope with the disappointment of Jesus’ death. Dealing with the disappointments in life is fundamental to successful living. Earlier this week we saw Mary Magdalene looking at where Jesus had been laid but then being told that he had ‘gone on ahead’. No matter what happened in the past, Jesus is always going ahead, inviting us to walk alongside him. Today, Jesus came alongside these two downcast men. They did not recognise him – Luke’s account tells us that they understood Jesus was a prophet, they hoped he would redeem Israel, they’d heard rumours he was alive... Jesus explained the scriptures and at their request spent the evening with them; then as he broke bread their eyes were opened: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). They got up and immediately returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples!
Dear friends, let’s overcome the disappointments of the past by allowing Jesus to speak to us through the scriptures. I pray for a great turnaround in your life as the Holy Spirit brings release by renewing your mind; ‘Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will’ (Romans 12:2).
Father, help me today to ‘fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:2). Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
66
PRAYER FOR TODAY