The following blogs use Salome—wife of Zebedee, mother of James and John and sister of Jesus Christ’s mother—as an example of a pastoral nature.
First By Provisioning Jesus, recorded in Luke 8:2-3 and Mark 15:40-41. She and Zebedee invested their finances in the kingdom in which their sons had invested their lives. Second, By Standing With Mary at the Cross, recorded in John 19:25-27. Mary seems to have been removed from the scene at the beginning of the crucifixion. As expected, the sight of seeing Jesus on the cross provoked uncontrolled outbursts of wailing and tears in her. That inspired a friend to gently lead her away. The very response we have seen repeatedly when disaster strikes: the one most traumatized is removed from the scene. By putting Mary under John’s care, Jesus completely separated himself from all earthly concerns and relationships. Indeed, from that moment on, Mary would refer to Jesus as her Savior and as her Lord, but never again as her son. He would never again be brother or son to anyone, but always and only Savior, Lord and God! Third, By Staying at the Cross to the Bitter End, recorded in Mark 15:40-41. From 9 AM to 3 PM the faithful women stood near the cross. They watched as Joseph and Nicodemus removed the corpse, washed it, wrapped it in linen, enfolding 75 pounds of spices inside. They followed as servants carried the Master’s bier to the private garden. They gazed while the body of Jesus was carried into the tomb, then enclosed by the stone. Fourth, By Being First at the Tomb on Sunday. The women brought their spices to anoint the Lord’s body. In one of the great “hadn’t thought of that” moments, they wondered how the tomb could be opened! God solved the question by opening the tomb himself. That led to the women seeing the men—angels—inside who ordered them to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen. Which they didn’t at first; the sheer impossibility of their experience choked their testimony. –End Part I-
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