The Story of Mary IV: Death and Beyond - Chapter 28 – The Morning of the First Day of the Week

NOTE: THESE CHAPTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A MUCH IMPROVED, EXPANDED BOOK, "A SWORD SHALL PIERCE YOUR SOUL" from FriesenPress

Mary woke to see sunlight streaming in through the windows. Such a bright morning would usually give her energy and hope for a new day. If she were at home she would get up and begin to cheerfully go about her daily tasks. However, almost immediately, any such thoughts were banished by the memories of the last two days that came flooding back. 

But life had to go on. She had her parents here. She had Joseph’s family up in Nazareth. Slowly, she rose and began to get ready for the day.  She would have to think about returning to Nazareth. 

At breakfast, now that there was more distance between the three of them and the events of The Day Preparation, Mary and her parents slowly began to sift through what had happened. Of course, the big question, especially on Mary’s mind, was ‘What now?’ She still could not accept that it was all over. So much hope had been awakened. had been promised. So much had been done by Jesus in the last few years. 

They were considering all these thoughts when who should again appear at the door but Jesus’ disciple John. Mary could see there was something of great import on his mind. Sure enough, he could hardly wait to go through the niceties of normal greetings before he hurried forward and taking her by the arms, looked into her face, “Mother Mary, the tomb is empty! Peter and I saw it for ourselves. You remember how Mary Magdalene and some of the other women had prepared spices and oils and were going to go to the tomb and embalm Jesus? Well, they of course had been wondering how they would roll the stone away we saw the tomb being sealed with when they got there so they could get at Jesus’ body. Indeed, the Jewish leaders had been so afraid something would happen, they had posted guards at the tomb yesterday evening. But they were no longer there when the women arrived, and the stone was rolled aside! They did not know what to make of that but when they came nearer Mary from Magdala said two angels appeared. They had been terrified but the messengers had told them not to be afraid. They had told the women Jesus had risen, as he had said he would ‘Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,Luke 24:7that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”24:8Then the women remembered his words. The angel invited them to look inside and see that the tomb was indeed empty.  Then he told them to go quickly and tell us Jesus was going to Galilee and we would see him there!”

Mary’s mind was spinning. Was it really true? Was Jesus alive again? Mary could hardly believe her hears. Had Jesus really come back from the grave as he had said he would? It had seemed too impossible when he had first begun such talk. But then, there had been Lazarus. But John was not finished with his story.

“The women came and told us. We could not believe it at first.  But then Mary from Magdala came running with an even more startling report. She had stayed behind when the other women had come running. She said she saw Jesus in the garden. He called her by name! And he also told her to tell us to go and meet him in Galilee!”

“Her story seemed unbelievable too so Peter and I ran to the tomb and saw it was just as they had said. We saw the tomb, empty except for the clothes Joseph of Arimathea and his servants had wrapped the body in. We still wondered what had all happened. But it does seem true. Jesus’ body is not in the tomb. We have to make plans now to return to Galilee. After all, that is our home. In fact, Peter and some of us had already talked about how we had to go back and get to work. We have to fish to earn our living. Why don’t you come with us? It will be better for you than travelling otherwise. You cannot go alone.”

Mary hardly knew how to respond to all of this. Was Jesus really alive? She wanted so much for that to be true but his death had seemed so real. Still, as John said, and she had also begun to think about, they had to keep on living and face reality.

“You are very kind, John,” Mary said, “Let me think of your offer. We will let you know what I will do. I will have to do some shopping here before I return. I would like to say goodbye to my Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Zechariah too. They will want to know what you have told me too.”

Mary’s heart still ached for her dear Uncle and Aunt. They had been so happy when the long-awaited John had been promised and been born. But now he too had been killed by the king. All the hopes for him had also seemed to be unfulfilled.

With that, John bade them all farewell and left.

The Story of Mary: The Catholic Version IV Death & Beyond - Chapter 26 – After the Crucifixion

NOTE: THESE CHAPTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A MUCH IMPROVED, EXPANDED BOOK, "A SWORD SHALL PIERCE YOUR SOUL" from FriesenPress

Now when the centurion, who stood in front of him, having heard all that Jesus had spoken from the cross, now saw how he died, Mary heard him say, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” In fact, to the amazement of the women and Jesus other followers standing there, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” 

The knot of Jesus’ followers still stood near the cross. It was if they were unable to leave, in spite of the chill in the air, and the fact that it was hours since they had drank or eaten anything. They were beginning to be aware of these things and talk amongst themselves about what they should do. There did not seem to be much purpose to remaining here. Jesus seemed to be gone. Some of the women, notably Mary from Magdala, the other Mary and Joanna said they wanted to stay to see what would happen to the body, “We need to see where they lay him so we can see if there is anything we can do to give Jesus a proper burial,” they said. 

‘Yes,’ Mary thought, ‘if Jesus is really dead, that would be what we need to think about.’ She knew the bodyu would not be allowed to remain on the cross as tomorrow was The Sabbath and it could not be so desecrated by having dead bodies not given their proper burial.

They were discussing these things when they noticed some action behind them. They turned and saw the soldiers picking up some large planks lying there and to their horror, they saw them hit the legs of one of the criminals with all their might! It was all Mary could do to choke back a scream. Was this going to happen to Jesus? Some of the group, having heard stories about other crucifixions said that this was routine. The legs of those crucified were broken to hasten their deaths so they could no longer push themselves up to breath. Particularly today, as  (John) 19:31 “it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not stay on the crosses on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was an especially important one).  Mary did not want to see this but she had to watch to see if they would do this to her beloved son too. Was there no end to their cruelty? 

After the soldiers had broken the legs of the other two men hanging there, they went towards Jesus. When Mary saw what was coming, she quickly averted her gaze. She could not bear to see her son attacked any further. 19:33But then she heard them one of them call out, “Cornelius,” which she took to be the centurion’s name, as he responded, “This one is already dead,” she turned back. Immediately she wished she had not because just at that moment 19:34one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out.”

‘Oh,’ Mary thought, ‘I can’t bear to see anymore. And she thought again, ‘But now Jesus is dead? Is this the end of all his dreams? What about all those things the angels told me, what Simeon and Anna said?’

Still, Mary and her friends stayed at the cross. They had to see what would become of their beloved. With all the activity of the last hours lessening, Mary became more aware of her surroundings. She noticed that John had left her side and was embracing another woman and then she saw that it was his mother. He brought her to meet Mary and she tried to console Mary through her own tears. As they stood there together, it was as if the heavens themselves had seen enough, and no longer needed to try to hide the evil done with darkness. The clouds began to dissipate and the sky became bright once again, although that was short-lived, as the darkness of night was fast approaching.

Suddenly a well-dressed man with a retinue of servants arrive on the scene. They were carrying a bundle of linen cloth. They approached the soldiers and unrolled a scroll and showed it to the centurion. Mary wondered what was going on. With the soldiers’ help, the servants took the body of Jesus down from the cross and wrapped it in the linen (Matthew 27:57-60). 

Mary and her friends hurried forward. “Who are you? Where are you taking him,” they asked. The man introduced himself as a certain Joseph, from the nearby village of Arimathea. He said he too was a follower of Jesus, and had asked Pilate for the body, so that he might give it a decent burial. Mary wanted to hug the man, but she knew such a display of emotion was not acceptable. Instead she restrained herself with a sigh of relief and then a silent prayer of thanks. Something was going right. Somebody cared.

“Come with me,” Joseph said, “I have a tomb that was made for me but we can put Jesus there for now. No one has ever used the tomb.” Mary stepped forward and approached him, bowed, and simply said, “I am his mother. Thank you so much. We will follow you.”

The women still there, along with John, went together to a nearby hillside. They watched as Joseph and his attendants gently laid Jesus’ body to rest inside a tomb there. Then his servants began to roll a large stone over the entrance to seal it. Mary Magdalene rushed forward, “Sir,” she pleaded, “Do you have to do that? How can we embalm the body to show our love and respect for this our leader and Lord?”

“I too am his disciple,” Joseph reminded them, ‘but I know that the leaders have been listening to Jesus and heard him talk about rising again. If Jesus will do that, I don’t think a stone will stop the Son of God from showing his power. Others are talking of stealing his body. We don’t want that to happen, do we?”

Mary Magdalene and the others could find no argument against that.  Jesus’ mother could not but help think of how, just days before, Jesus had called his friend Lazarus from just such a grave in Bethany. Now, who was there to call Jesus forth? How could he remain dead when he had raised others? And how could they do with Jesus’ body as they had hoped with that huge stone in front of it? So many questions. They had nothing to do now but wait for answers, as there was little they could do on the Sabbath, already beginning.

Mary was exhausted. When John and his mother suggested she come with them and they would walk with her to her parents, she was too tired to say otherwise. She began to realize she was a little hungry and thirsty too. They tried to get their other friends to come along, but Mary Magdalene and a couple of others insisted they were alright and would stay awhile longer. Mary thanked them all for their support. They embraced and kissed one another and then Mary, John and his mother left.

The Story of Mary: Catholic Version III The Ministry Years - Chapter 23 – The Women in Jesus’ Life

NOTE: THESE CHAPTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A MUCH IMPROVED, EXPANDED BOOK, "A SWORD SHALL PIERCE YOUR SOUL" from FriesenPress

Months passed and Mary saw little of her son. Neighbours, friends and sometimes visiting relatives would share snippets of information. It seems one of Jesus’ followers, the young fisherman John Mary remembered from the wedding at Cana, had family in Jerusalem and that’s where Jesus and his friends would stay when he went there. At least he has somewhere to go when he’s in Jerusalem, thought Mary. 

Then Mary heard some news that made her take notice. Apparently, Jesus now also had some women who followed along with him. This was something new. Traveling teachers usually only had male students. Indeed, many were now referring to Jesus as ‘rabbi,’ ‘Teacher.’ Mary tried to learn who these women followers were and what had brought that about. 

It turned out that there were actually quite a few of these female devotees. Some, Mary discovered, were women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities. One name in particular figured prominently in this group: another Mary. However, this Mary had quite a different background. She was from Magdala on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee, south of Capernaum. Evidently Jesus had cast out seven demons from her. No wonder she has become a follower of my son, Mary thought – to be freed from all that. Perhaps just as surprising was that another woman named Joanna, the wife of Cuza, King Herod’s household manager, was in this group. Some of these women, such as Joanna and another named Susanna were women of means. It seems they provided for Jesus and his followers out of their own resources. Again, Mary was pleased to learn that, in some way, her son was being looked after and having his material needs met.

A couple of years passed by. Mary continued to hear of Jesus’ teaching and his miracle working. Jesus had on a couple of occasions actually miraculously fed the crowds that gathered around him. I guess I need not worry about his getting enough to eat, thought Mary wryly. She had also heard that on a couple of occasions Jesu was supposed to have raised people from the dead. That was something to ponder. Who but God had such power? Some of these had just died when Jesus intervened but then she heard an even more amazing story. She had heard of Jesus friends in Bethany, where pilgrims often stayed when they went to the feasts in Jerusalem. The man of the household had died. Jesus had not arrived until 4 days later, and he had called the man, Lazarus was his name, from the tomb. He had come out walking! Mary could not help but wonder where this was all headed. What was Jesus ultimate goal?

But Mary also continued to hear tales of Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders. She was beginning to pick up that some were so disturbed by Jesus’ claims that they wanted to kill him. When she heard that, Mary was determined to find Jesus and see for herself that he was alright. She needed to get some answers too. How far was Jesus taking this?

Mary knew Jesus and his followers had gone to Passover so she decided to go to Jerusalem and find them. She went to her parents’ home place and was warmly received. It was some time since they had seen her. Her Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Hannah also came over. They told her that when Jesus was in Jerusalem he spent time at the temple preaching and sometimes doing miracles. Here, he often also got caught up in debates with the religious leaders, the lawyers of the Torah, the scribes and even the Pharisees. Just like when he was twelve, Mary thought. Apparently, he had been quite hard on the Pharisees in one of his speeches. Mary wondered if he was being fair. People generally looked up to the Pharisees as models of law-abiding behaviour, the Law of Moses, that is. Mary determined to go to the temple to find Jesus.

It was not hard to find Jesus. Mary just had to go where the crowds were thickest. She wanted more than ever to run forward and talk to her son but she held back. She saw his young followers with him, hanging on every word. She gathered that the women with them were the ones he had heard about who helped provide his support for the group. 

Jesus was busy teaching and Mary felt she could not disturb him. However, she did edge closer until she was next to some of the women. They were clustered more around the fringe of the crowd that was thronging Jesus. She greeted some of them and began to make their acquaintance. They seemed like sincere and caring persons. 

Eventually Mary mustered up enough courage to tell the women who she really was. She added how long it was since she had seen him and immediately wished she had not said that. “Oh,” they said, “We have to tell Jesus you’re here so you can talk with him.” 

“That would be wonderful,” Mary replied, “but, really, I will be happy just to join you for a while. Let Jesus do what he needs to do.”

“You are a wonderful mother,” the other Mary told her. “No wonder Jesus is such a loving person.”

“We really think He is our long-awaited Messiah.” At that Mary’s ears perked up. Did that not sound like what the angel and the prophets had told her years ago. Now others were coming to that conclusion. This was truly astonishing.

“Yes, one of the women chimed in, “Last first day of the week we really saw what it would be like if he were our king, as the Messiah will be.”

“What do you mean,” asked Mary.

“Oh, have you not heard?” they asked. “Jesus got hold of a donkey colt. Some of us put blankets on it and Jesus mounted it to go back into Jerusalem. Seeing Jesus like that really drove the crowds wild. They began to tear palm and other branches from the roadside and wave them before him as he rode. They even threw their cloaks down in front of him. Just like people do for a king! All the while, they were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the King of Israel.’ Some of the religious leaders were not impressed. They tried to tell Jesu to use his influence to tell the crowds to stop but it was to no avail. We know that some of them really want to catch him and put him on trial for blasphemy and treason. “

“Blasphemy?” Mary said incredulously. She had never herd Jesus say a bad word in his life. 

“Yes, Jesus talks about God as if Yahweh is his father and sometimes also makes it sound as if he is equal with God. No person can really make that claim but then, we have never seen or heard of anyone like Jesus either.”

Mary’s heart skipped a beat when she heard about the intention of the authorities. If only Jesus had listened to her a long time ago. But he always seemed to know what he was doing, what he believed he need to do, and she had learned a long time ago that there was no stopping him.

Mary was glad she had made the acquaintance of these women. She could feel their support for Jesus, even for her. The women asked if she and her family had a place to stay. She thanked them for their concern, their hospitality, and reassured them she was looked after. She told them where she was staying; at relatives. Then she bade her new friends good evening, Happy Passover, and went to join her family at parents’ home. 

Then came the day to celebrate the Passover feast. Mary was told that Jesus had instructed his young men on preparing a place for them and everything had fallen into place just as he had predicted. Yes, Mary thought, ‘He always seems to know what’s going to happen.’ 

The Story of Mary III - Chapter 28 – Mary Meets the Other Women in Jesus’ Life

NOTE: THESE CHAPTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A MUCH IMPROVED, EXPANDED BOOK, "A SWORD SHALL PIERCE YOUR SOUL" from FriesenPress

Months passed and Mary saw little of her son. Neighbours, friends and sometimes visiting relatives would share snippets of information. It seems one of Jesus’ followers, the young fisherman John Mary remembered from the wedding at Cana, had family in Jerusalem and that’s where Jesus and his friends would stay when he went there. At least he has somewhere to go when he’s in Jerusalem, thought Mary. 

Then Mary heard some news that made her take notice. Apparently, Jesus now also had some women who followed along with him. This was something new. Traveling teachers usually only had male students. Indeed, many were now referring to Jesus as ‘rabbi,’ ‘Teacher.’ Mary tried to learn who these women followers were and what had brought that about. 

It turned out that there were actually quite a few of these female devotees. Some, Mary discovered, were women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities. One name in particular figured prominently in this group: another Mary. However, this Mary had quite a different background. She was from Magdala on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee, south of Capernaum. Evidently Jesus had cast out seven demons from her. There were also rumours she had been a prostitute. No wonder she has become a follower of my son, Mary thought – to be freed from all that. Perhaps just as surprising was that another woman named Joanna, the wife of Cuza, King Herod’s household manager, was in this group. Some of these women, such as Joanna and another named Susanna were women of means. It seems they provided for Jesus and his followers out of their own resources. Again, Mary was pleased to learn that, in some way, her son was being looked after and having his material needs met.

A couple of years passed by. Mary continued to hear of Jesus’ teaching and his miracle working. Jesus had on a couple of occasions actually miraculously fed the crowds that gathered around him. I guess I need not worry about his getting enough to eat, thought Mary wryly. She had also heard that on a couple of occasions Jesu was supposed to have raised people from the dead. That was something to ponder. Who but God had such power? Some of these had just died when Jesus intervened but then she heard an even more amazing story. She had heard of Jesus friends in bethany, where pilgrims often stayed when they went to the feasts in Jerusalem. The man of the household had died. Jesus had not arrived until 4 days later, and he had called the man, Lazarus was his name, from the tomb. He had come out walking! Mary could not help but wonder where this was all headed. What was Jesus ultimate goal?

But Mary also continued to hear tales of Jesus’ confrontations with the areligious leaders. She was beginning to pick up that some were so disturbed by Jesus’ claims that they wanted to kill him. When she heard that Mary was determined to find Jesus and see for herself that he was alright. She needed to get some answers too. How far was Jesus taking this?

Mary knew Jesus and his followers had gone to Passover so she decided to go to Jerusalem and find them. She went to her Uncle Benjamin‘s place and was warmly received. It was some time since they had seen her. Unele Benjamin told her that when Jesus was in Jerusalem he spent time at the temple preaching and sometimes doing miracles. Here, he often also got caught up in debates with the religious leaders, the lawyers of the Torah, the scribes and even the Pharisees. Just like when he was twelve, Mary thought. Apparently, he had been quite hard on the Pharisees in one of his speeches. Mary wondered if he was being fair. People generally looked up to the Pharisees as models of law-abiding behaviour, the Law of Moses, that is. Mary determined to go to the temple to find Jesus.

It was not hard to find Jesus. Mary just had to go where the crowds were thickest. She wanted more than ever to run forward and talk to her son but she held back. She saw his young followers with him, hanging on every word. She gathered that the women with them were the ones he had heard about who helped provide his support for the group. 

Jesus was busy teaching and Mary felt she could not disturb him. However, she did edge closer until she was next to some of the women. They were clustered more around the fringe of the crowd that was thronging Jesus. She greeted some of them and began to make their acquaintance. They seemed like sincere and caring persons. 

Eventually Mary mustered up enough courage to tell the women who se really was. She added how long it was since she had seen him and immediately wished she had not said that. “Oh,” they said, “We have to tell Jesus you’re her so you can talk with him.” 

“That would be wonderful,” Mary replied, “but, really, I will be happy just to join you for a while. Let Jesus do what he needs to do.”

“You are a wonderful mother, the other Mary told her. No wonder Jesu is such a loving person.”

“We really think He is our long-awaited Messiah.” At that Mary’s ears perked up. Did that not sound like what the angel and the prophets had told her years ago. Now others were coming to that conclusion. This was truly astonishing.

“Yes, one of the women chimed in, ‘Last first day of the week we really saw what it would be like if he were our king, as the Messiah will be.”

“What do you mean,” asked Mary.

“Oh, have you not heard?” they asked. “Jesus got hold of a donkey colt. Some of us put blankets on it and Jesus mounted it to go back into Jerusalem. Seeing Jesus like that really drove the crowds wild. They began to tear palm and other branches from the roadside and wave them before him as he rode. They even threw their cloaks down in front of him. Just like people do for a king! All the while, they were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the King of Israel. Some of the religious leaders were not impressed. They tried to tell Jesu to use his influence to tell the crowds to stop but it was to no avail. We know that some of them really want to catch him and put him on trial for blasphemy and treason. “

“Blasphemy?” Mary said incredulously. She had never herd Jesus say a bad word in his life. 

“Yes, Jesu talks about God as if Yahweh is his father and sometimes also makes it sound as if he is equal with god. No person can really make that claim but then, we have never seen or heard of anyone like Jesu either.”

Mary’s heart skipped a beat when she heard about the intention of the authorities. If only Jesus had listened to her a long time ago. But he always seemed to know what he was doing, what he believed he need to do, and she had learned a long time ago that there was no stopping him.

Mary was glad she had made the acquaintance of these women. She could feel their support for Jesus, even for her. The women asked if she and her family had a place to stay. She thanked them for their concern, their hospitality, and reassured them she was looked after. She told them where she was staying; at relatives. Then she bade her new friends good evening, Happy Passover, and went to join her family at her Uncle Bejanmin and Aunt Hannah’s home. 

Then came the day to celebrate the Passover feast. Mary was told that Jesus had instructed his young men on preparing a place for them and everything had fallen into place just as he had predicted. Yes, Mary thought, ‘he always seems to know what’s going to happen.’