one step: Matthew 28.1

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

Scholars use the argument that Jesus trusted these women with the message of the resurrection of Jesus as evidence to the truthfulness of the account. At the time of Jesus, both in Jewish and Roman culture, women were not seen as reliable sources of testimony. In fact, had the Roman soldier guarding the tomb falsly testified against the women about the resurrection, his account would have been taken over theirs.* To tell a story the way Matthew did of what happened and it be convincing, the culture would suggest that he should overlook the account of the women and skip over to where the men were involved. Again, according to the culture of the time of Jesus, this would have provided a more convincing story, but he didn’t. Scholars argue that the Gospels’ inclusion of the testimony of the women made such little sense at the time, it must have been true.*

Why would Jesus do this? First, Jesus was in the habit of including, welcoming, and trusting those that the world would call, “the least of these.”* Unfortunately, and erroneously, the culture of the time saw women as “the least of these.”

Second, these women were the last of the followers of Jesus to leave the cross and the first at the tomb.* They were faithful followers who Jesus knew that He could trust with the most important message in the history of humanity, regardless of what the culture thought.

What about you and me? What does our culture say about us? Are we a reliable source? Do we have the credibility to be heard? What does it take to have a voice in our culture? Fame? Money? Influence? Education? I don’t have enough of any of that. So why me? Why you?

We certainly do not measure up to the majesty of His message. We mess up, fall short, and allow darkness into our hearts and minds; yet, Christ trusts us with the most important message to ever come to humanity.

We are the “least of these;” He is the greatest.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember that He knew who you were when He called you: imperfect. Perhaps today God wants you to forget what culture says you should be and embrace what He’s created and called you to be and do. Maybe God wants you to carry His message to those who need it most.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 733–740), and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt Mt 28:1–10).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 27.5

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

It’s easy to judge others, isn’t it? We see someone with more expensive belongings than us and we think, “ugh, how materialistic are they?” We see those with less than us and we think, “well, they don’t work very hard.” This is ugly, but unfortunately, sometimes it’s true. There’s an uglier judgment than this, though.

We see other Christians who aren’t as vocal as us about Christ and who do not put our discipleship journey on display for others to see, and we think, “wow, they aren’t very good Christians.” We see those who are more vocal than us about Christ and we think, “wow, they’re really driving people away.”

This kind of judgment is not helpful, and rarely is the one who judges accurate.

It would be easy for others to look at Joseph of Arimathea and think, “wow, he’s wealthy. What a materialistic guy. I’d bet he isn’t passing through the eye of the needle” (Matthew 19:24). John 19:38 tells us that Joseph was a secret disciple for fear of the Jews. What kind of disciple hides for fear of the Jews?

All of them.

We see in this passage that while Joseph hid for fear of the Jews while the disciples followed publicly, Joseph went public when the eleven closest disciples went into hiding.* During the riskiest time in the story of Jesus, Joseph stepped up.

We never know what God is calling others to do; we never know His purposes for His people. When we look to the left and the right and we see others whose path is not our own, we must cheer them on toward Christ, no matter where they are in their journey. We never know where we will be or where they will be during the most difficult and dangerous of times.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to repent for judging others. Perhaps He is calling you to come out of hiding for Him. Maybe He wants you to encourage someone toward Him today.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 728–729), and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt Mt 27:57–66).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 27.4

There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

The role of women in the story of Jesus can often be understated. Though not always centerpieces of the narrative presented in the Gospels, we can still gain insights into their significant faithfulness and devotion. This moment in the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus gives us such a glimpse.

Here are a few observations about these women from this short passage:

1. These women were present at the death of Jesus. This is a very significant fact as the male disciples were not (save John, according to John in his Gospel). This must not be overlooked. Though the society at the time would not assume the women to be followers of Jesus as discipleship at the time was reserved for men, they still placed themselves in a place of peril by being in proximity to the executions that day.*

2. The women followed Jesus from Galilee. This fact speaks to their faithfulness due to the great distance that they traveled.* They did not happen upon the event, nor were they coming by as a convenience. They were committed followers willing to go the distance.

3. As stated, the society at the time did not make provisions for female disciples, yet these women followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. As a counter-cultural act, they followed Jesus at the peril of their reputation.*

In light of these brave and faithful followers of Jesus, I must ask the Lord, how many times have I shirked away from following You when it seemed dangerous, too far to go, or unconventional? When was the last time that following Jesus risked my reputation? When was the last time I followed Him even when it did?

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember these women. Perhaps He wants you to find inspiration from them or to remind you to value those in your life that maybe others overlook. Maybe God wants you to remember that following Him isn’t always easy. Perhaps God wants you to step into being who He called you to be no matter what, just as these women did.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 726–732), and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt Mt 27:55–66).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 27.3

“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

According to Matthew, Jesus, while dying on the cross, was mocked from all directions: those passing by, the chief priests and their cronies, and those crucified beside Jesus.* Imagine being Jesus, enduring the shame of the abandonment of His disciples, the shame of nakedness on the cross (as was the custom), the shame of mockery while being beaten before even carrying the cross, and now this. At the pinnacle of the possibility of human pain, Christ felt no comfort; indeed, He found emotional pain as an accompaniment to His physical pain.

Furthermore, according to tradition, some believe that the hill of Golgotha (where Jesus was crucified) was along the road between Damascus and Jerusalem. This road just out of the city served as the location of public punishment. It’s purpose was to remind all who traveled to and from these busy cities of the penalties the Romans made available to those who dissented. Such a public display served as a dissuasion to dissent and as a powerful control agent. This means that while Scripture refers to a criminal on the right and left of Christ, there may have been a whole row of people suffering crucifixion.

This is significant because while Jesus endured this horrible shame and pain, he was lost in an obscurity that would have allowed those passing by to think He was just another rebel. Though Jesus had “King of the Jews” posted above Him on the cross, each person crucified had their crime posted above their head.* Though those who passed Jesus by mocked Him, this special treatment was by no way an honor or special attention that would bring any form of comfort.

In this moment of extreme duress, Christ did something remarkable: He refused comfort.* The bitter drink Jesus refused came as an offer of comfort to dull His senses. Research indicates (collaborated with Proverbs 31:6) that this common practice would dull senses to endure the ending pain of death on a cross.*

In the middle of this pain, Jesus did not run to comfort. Why?

Perhaps He knew that the cup that His Father had for Him needed to be received sober. Maybe He understood that the pain He was going through was for a purpose and He didn’t want to miss it. Whatever the reason, His response to suffering in this moment starkly contrasts that of our culture.

In our culture, we are trained to run from pain and to run to comfort. The closest thing to welcoming pain for a purpose may exist in the sporting world. Athletes endure all sorts of pain for the prize. The problem for Jesus, though His prize was “the joy set before Him,” it did not look like winning to many.

For Jesus, the greatest moment of defeat was actually the greatest win. The mocking of the chief priests was almost prophetic.* Surely, Jesus could not come off the cross for the very reason that He was the Son of God. Surely, He could not save Himself because He was saving everyone else.*

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to see the difficulty of your season through His eyes. Perhaps He wants you to see that the things that look like failure in your life are actually victories. Maybe He wants you to trust Him in the pain that salvation is coming. Maybe He wants you to hear Him when He says that you aren’t forsaken. Perhaps He wants you to feel His acceptance though mockery surrounds you.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 710–726), and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt Mt 27:27–54).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 27.2

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.”

This is the third time that Matthew records Jesus responding to a question with the words, “you have said so.”* The first time was Judas’s question at the Passover table, “Surely, not me?” (Matthew 26:25). The second time was when Caiaphas (the Jewish high priest at the time) asked whether Jesus was the Christ (Matthew 26:64).* Jesus’s response reveals to them that He knows that they already know the answer to their question, or should know it in the very least.*

Meaning, Judas knew it was he himself who would betray Jesus, for he had already begun preparations for it. The high priest already knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but he was unwilling to admit it due to envy. Pilate already knew that he was the king of the Jews or should have from his wife’s dream or some other way.

How often do we question who God is or what He would have us do and get frustrated when we don’t hear a yes or no? How often are we waiting for the yes or no, but God is saying you have said it? We ask, “God, are you good?! God will you come through for me?! Am I supposed to just wait here for you?!” Sometimes we miss God’s response of, “you have said it.”

In the case of the high priest, Jesus could not give an answer of yes or no. Had Jesus said yes, He would have been confirming Himself as Messiah to the high priest based upon the high priests’ understanding of what and who the Messiah would be and His purposes. Jesus was more than that. Jesus could not say no because He clearly was the Messiah sent for the saving of the world.

Sometimes we ask God questions that a yes would affirm a misunderstanding of expectations that we have on Him, while a no would misrepresent Him as well. Sometimes we miss the you have said it that provides opportunity to allow God to say more. Sometimes we miss the you have said it that invites us to trust.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to ask Him that question you have asked many, many times once more. Perhaps He wants you to be open to hearing His answer with new ears. Maybe God wants you accept the answer that you know that He has already given.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 698–709, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt Mt 27:11–26).) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).