Easter: The Witness of the Lowly

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:8-12

"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. 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.'" Matthew 28:1-3, 5-6a

A few months ago I was struggling with a Christmas-themed blog post, using the illustration of the shepherds being the first ones to hear of the Good News of the birth of the Messiah, but I couldn't quite put it together. But this morning, as I prayed and praised God for His merciful grace, given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus, I saw again the pattern of God announcing earth-shattering news to the lowly.

We look at the Christmas story and see it vividly: the lowliest in society were surprised with the message of the birth of the Messiah in the nearby village of Bethlehem. This is not usually how the birth of a King is heralded. I remember when Prince William was born, and the media blitz that accompanied that birth both in the UK and here in the US. The photos and videos of Diana and Charles leaving the hospital with the bundle that is the current Prince of Wales (a father now himself). But we see none of that in the birth of Jesus. Instead, we see him born in a room that also has cattle in it, and rather than being chauffeured to his home in a royal Bentley or Range Rover, Jesus was laid in a manger, and the first witnesses to his birth were shepherds, the lowliest in Hebrew society, just above lepers. 

Fast-forward 33 years and now the news is different. There are angels, yes, but not the Heavenly Host as we see in Luke 2:13. This time it's one or two angels. There is no singing, just the simple words "He is not here." And the witnesses to these statement are women, who, in the patriarchal society of 1st century Israel, are not considered to be reliable witnesses. One would think that this event, the Son of God rising from the grave, fully alive, would garner more attention, even more fanfare than His birth received. But no, God chooses to bring us this exciting earth-shattering life-altering news to us from the lips of women. 

God still uses the lowly today: His "workers" who preach the Gospel, give a loving hand to the homeless, sit with the abused and terrified, serve communion in prison, tend to an ill or infirmed family member or spouse, work with troubled youth, provide leadership at their church, or simply assemble the Sunday bulletins. These faithful workers of God, who never heard the angels singing in the Judean hillsides, or saw the hands, feet and sides of the Galilean Carpenter, continue to spread that message of Easter:

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! HALLELUJAH!