God Doesn't Care

OT Lesson: Isaiah 25:6-9 (CEB)

On this mountain,
the Lord of heavenly forces will prepare for all peoples
a rich feast, a feast of choice wines,
of select foods rich in flavour,
of choice wines well refined.
He will swallow up on this mountain the veil that is veiling all peoples,
the shroud enshrouding all nations.
He will swallow up death forever.
The Lord God will wipe tears from every face;
He will remove His people’s disgrace from off the whole earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
They will say on that day,
“Look! This is our God,
for whom we have waited—
and He has saved us!
This is the Lord, for whom we have waited;
let’s be glad and rejoice in His salvation!”

NT Lesson: Mark 16:1-8 (NRSV)

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, 

‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ 

When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, 

‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; He is not here. Look, there is the place they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’ 

So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Sermon

Introduction

Hallelujah! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Today, we did not have time to pass the peace of Christ, so let us do that now. But don’t get up; don’t move around. Stay in your seat and let us greet each other by saying, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”

What a week we’ve had. From the Maundy Thursday meal and Good Friday service to the Easter Son-Rise Service, Easter Breakfast, and now the Easter Sunday morning service, it’s been a whirlwind. I couldn’t have done this without the help of many. So, I would like to thank everyone on the worship team, all who played music, and those who volunteered to read the Scriptures. Neal Crouse has been instrumental with the technology and sound system. Margi McConnaha has done a wonderful job decorating the church. And a special thanks to Lisa Hutcheson. She decorated the church with Margi, prepared meals twice, on Thursday evening and this morning, played a major role in planning a significant portion of the worship services, especially with music and prayer texts, and played the piano, pipe organ, and Clavinova. She must be incredibly exhausted and tired—I know I am, which is why I am taking a week off. Lisa deserves some vacation time as well. Thank you, Lisa, and thank you all.

First Witnesses

After the crucifixion last Friday, Jesus was buried in a tomb that had never been used before, its entrance sealed by a massive boulder. Early on the morning after the Sabbath, Sunday, several women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with various perfumes. Undoubtedly, women were the first witnesses of the resurrection. As you know, the Bible contains four Gospels. Among them, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels, meaning “seeing together” due to their similar viewpoints. They share many similarities and agree on numerous details. However, the Gospel of John is distinct in almost every aspect. Yet, all four Gospels concur that the first witnesses were women, even though the details vary slightly.

Today’s New Testament lesson, from the Gospel of Mark, states that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, making them the original “Spice Girls.” The Gospel of Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary visiting the tomb. Luke does not specify names but simply refers to the women who followed Jesus from Galilee. John’s Gospel names only Mary Magdalene. So, which account is correct?

In 2016, I participated in a travel seminar to India with about forty people, including students and faculty members. In my diary, I didn’t record everyone’s names. Some days I mentioned a few individuals, other days different people, with most not mentioned at all over three weeks. The diaries of other students likely vary as well, with some possibly not mentioning me at all. However, this does not invalidate my presence in India. The Gospel authors omitted details they deemed unnecessary. After all, John did not specifically state that “only Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.” What is crucial is that all four Gospels agree the first witnesses were exclusively women. Previously, I explained the gender pronouns of ancient Greek and Hebrew, where ninety-nine women and one man would take a male gender pronoun. However, all four Gospels use female pronouns in Greek, indicating the group was composed entirely of women.

Apostle Paul Retelling the Story

Our great apostle Paul recounts this story in his first letter to the church in Corinth:

“And now I want to remind you, my friends, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm. That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it—unless it was for nothing that you believed. I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures; that He was buried and that He was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures; that He appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. Then He appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died. Then He appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles. Last of all He appeared also to me—even though I am like someone whose birth was abnormal. For I am the least of all the apostles—I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God’s church. But by God’s grace I am what I am, and the grace that He gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God’s grace working with me. So then, whether it came from me or from them, this is what we all preach, and this is what you believe.”

This is a profound and astonishing message. There is a reason we regard Paul as the greatest apostle and theologian. His knowledge and ability to elucidate the gospel are unparalleled. He captures the essence of the Good News with beauty and precision, humbly considering himself the least of the apostles despite his profound understanding. However, something feels slightly amiss. It is not a major issue, but a subtle one, and yet it feels significant. And I could not tell what is. In such situations, there’s a Korean expression: ‘I feel like I didn’t wipe my bottom after the big business.’ It took me days to pinpoint what was bothering me. Let us revisit a part of the epistle: “Jesus was raised to life on the third day, then He appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles.” Did you notice? In Paul’s epistle, there is no mention of women. Given that all four Gospels clearly state that women were the first witnesses, Paul must have been aware of this. Yet, intriguingly, he omits it.

Paul’s Reasoning

To investigate this issue, we must first understand the status of women in the Middle East during that era. In today’s America, women legally, economically, and socially share the same rights. Women can work to earn money, vote, or run for elected government positions. However, this was not the case in the days of Apostle Paul. As illustrated by the last commandment of the Ten Commandments, women were not seen as equal human beings but rather as property. The commandment states: ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.’ Here, a woman or wife is listed among various properties, and, more disparagingly, they are not even considered the most valuable property—that distinction goes to the house. Not regarded as full human beings, a woman’s words held no legal weight and could not be cited. A woman could not stand in court as a witness to testify.

Apostle Paul, with a Ph.D. in law and trained extensively to be a law school professor, knew the law better than most of his contemporaries. He understood that if he mentioned women as the first to see the resurrected Christ, then the credibility and legal integrity of the gospel and the resurrection might be jeopardised. The resurrection could be dismissed as a mockery. While Paul was willing to be mocked himself, he could not bear the thought of the gospel of Jesus Christ being ridiculed. Out of his love for the gospel, he sought to preserve its legal integrity at any cost. Paul was aware that women were the first witnesses of the resurrection, but he chose to exclude this detail from his account to protect the gospel’s credibility.

God Didn’t Care

But here is the profound truth: God didn’t care. “So, women have no legal standing in court? I don’t care. I will make them the first witnesses of the most pivotal event in human history.” God does not concern Himself with gender. Intriguingly, Paul himself was aware of this radical inclusivity. This is why he boldly declared, “There is no longer male and female in Christ Jesus.” Moreover, he proclaimed, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” God is indifferent to our ethnicity—whether White, Black, Asian, or any other. God is unconcerned with our wealth. There are no human standards that matter to God.

All the first witnesses of the resurrection were women, who, according to the societal norms of the time, held no legal value. Yet, God didn’t concern Himself with their gender or their societal standing. Among these women were the affluent and the impoverished. But they were all invited to witness the resurrection. So God doesn’t care about our wealth as well. Some of the women led clean, morally upright lives, while others were considered morally or religiously impure. Nonetheless, they were all invited to witness the resurrection. So God doesn’t care about our past as well.

God Cares

So, what does God care about? There must be something that captures God’s attention, a reason why those women were chosen as the first witnesses to the most significant event in human history. Could it be that God is a feminist? Perhaps. But does that mean God is practising reverse discrimination against all men? I don’t think so. God, transcending gender, is fair and just. So, why were these women chosen?

The answer lies in their determination. Going to the tomb before sunrise was not as straightforward as our drive to church for the Easter Son-rise service. Today, we might worry about the cold wind or the possibility of rain. But in their time, journeying to the tomb before sunrise meant risking encounters with wild animals like wolves or bears, not to mention snakes and scorpions that excel in ambush. Even healthy men avoided going out alone at night, preferring the safety of a group. Furthermore, there was the danger of Roman soldiers enforcing curfews, ready to arrest followers of Jesus on sight. This explains why the disciples and other men were in hiding, locked inside a house.

Aware of these dangers, those women, even more vulnerable, were determined to visit Jesus’ tomb out of genuine love. This love was so profound that it overcame their fear. It was their genuine love, not their gender, ethnicity, wealth, legal standing, or social status, that made them the chosen witnesses. God’s criteria transcend human categories; it was their sincere love that mattered.

Conclusion

Like the Apostle Paul, we might feel tempted to shape or limit the Gospel to align with human standards, believing we do so for the Gospel’s sake. Yet, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand forever.”7 God’s Word is eternal and unchanging. Forever and ever God’s Word shall stand by itself; it is not ours to alter. Jesus rose again, and it was the faithful women who first bore witness. This truth should be universally acknowledged.

Remember, God is indifferent to human standards. What matters to God is whether we possess genuine love. Just as God’s love transcends gender, nationality, ethnicity, and all other worldly distinctions, so too should our love extend beyond these boundaries. In Christ Jesus, who rose again today and lives forever among us, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. Let us embrace and embody this love for all people, because in Christ, we are all loved. Amen.