Jesus Speaks to Women: Matthew 27

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.  Matthew 27: 55-56

Well...we arrive at the moment when Jesus breathes His last as a man on this earth.  The darkest moment in the history of the world.  The moment that caused the curtain of the temple to tear in two from top to bottom. The moment when the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.  And who was left there...women...

I don't know about you, but I am totally drawn to drama.  I love movies, and among my favorites are those that make me shed a tear or two.  I don't know why, but I do tend to rank a film on its ability to move me...I guess that's why they call it "the movies," huh?  My sons and my husband all make fun of me because of that.  I tend to dismiss their claims...but today, I did catch myself rating a movie as "really good," by saying:  "It made me cry like 3 times..."  The moment I realized I had rated it good because it had made me cry was when, after I said that, Grant blurted out:  "And she only watched 30 minutes of it!"

Yeah... it's true, I actually stopped watching the film after about 30 minutes because there was so much noise at the time (Dylan was trying to do homework and such) that I was not able to fully concentrate on the story.  I knew I could have cried even more, but I wasn't getting my sadness-fix because I couldn't hear well!!!

At any rate...could it be possible that women are attracted to drama?  to things of the heart?  to suffering?  I don't know.  It sounds too stereotypical.  But in my case, it is true.  So, when I read the passage about how these three women were "watching from the distance" as they saw Jesus being crucified after following Him since Galilee to tend to His needs...I would have to say I identify with them.  I can see that. I can see all the men scurrying away as these small group of women stuck by Him.  Even if in the distance, they stuck...maybe because it is part of being a woman...maybe because Jesus had stuck by them as well...

Remember, women were not valued...so, for this segment of Scripture to record that these women were there, it is pretty significant.  It did not go unnoticed by the witness.  And I think its significance will come up later as we continue to see these women sticking by Jesus all the way to the grave and beyond.

There is power in staying with Him.  Even when all hope seems to be lost, staying by Jesus is what we are called to do...and in due time, we'll see great miracles happen.

I pray that we have the strength to stay, not for the love of the drama, but for the Power of His presence that even when we don't feel it, we know is there.