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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. (Mark 16:1-8)
Good day dear Friend, this is the Matinee edition of ConCafe as I was in San Antonio very early this morning for a special breakfast with the mother of my girls; and then she had an early appointment with a foot surgeon who recommends surgery for my bride. Please keep her in your prayers. We are praying and reflecting and we will call Monday to schedule it if that's what we believe is best.
An early Happy Mother's Day to the moms in this group. We thank God for and appreciate and value all women! And in honor of special women in Jesus' life, this one truly had a special place. There are two Salome's in the Bible, though one is unnamed and we read what she did in Mark 6. She was basically the dancer of death; at the end of her dance she asked for the head of John the Baptist. We won't spend more time on her.
Salome was a mother. In fact, her sons are more well known than her. We know them as the "sons of Zebedee." Yes, she was the mother of James and John, and she was the one who believed in her sons' mission so much, she approached Jesus to ask that each of her boys sit on Jesus' right and left. That gives us a partial insight into her character, but also about her belief in the mission and ministry of Jesus. She believed Jesus would do something big, and she believed her sons should have a role or part in that. She becomes a follower of Jesus in her own right. She sees in Jesus what her sons first saw, and she is counted in the number of the 125 followers Jesus had at the time of His death.
Some legends make Salome the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, but we are not sure is that is true or not. But we do know that she and Mary followed Jesus throughout His ministry, become part of the new who discover that the tombs, in deed, empty; eyewitnesses of the Resurrection.
Her name, some have said, comes from the same family as the Hebrew greeting of Shalom and even the Arabic, Salaam. The word Shalom goes beyond just meaning peace; it means to greet one with shalom means to bless their entire well-being. And it was in coming to know Jesus, that Salome and her sons came to know true peace through He who is the Prince of Peace.
It was that peace that gave Salome the strength to offer to be one of the women to properly prepare Jesus' body for burial. She, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary came, as the text above says, to anoint Jesus; questions about who would roll away the stone for them were answered when they saw the stone already moved. They encounter "a young man, dressed in a white robe," who shares the news that Jesus has been raised. Salome joined the others in sharing the good news with others.
PRAYER: Loving God, share with us the grace, peace, faith and strength of Salome. Let us be people desiring to advance the cause of Your kingdom with all who will listen. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Give love away to all people!
Eradio Valverde
