Hymns, Scripture, prayer, study guide, and women all point to Jesus in Liz Curtis Higgs’ profound look at The Women of Easter.
I experienced the emotions and thoughts of Mary of Bethany; Mary of Nazareth, or Mary Magdalene.
Readers imagine the fragrance of the spikenard as Mary of Bethany bathes the feet of Jesus and lovingly unbinds her hair to wipe His feet dry. Silent, we watch her; we see Jesus’ love, and we feel the tension in the room.
“Mary was quietly letting go of self: of her longing to be looked up to, of her desire to be attractive, of her need to be liked.” (p. 57)
We weep with Mary of Nazareth at the foot of the cross.
When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to her, “Woman, here is your son.” John 19:26
Our hearts are pierced with Mary’s when one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side.
We walk to the tomb with Mary Magdalene.
“Light hurrying to meet the darkness. Life hastening to find the dead.” (p. 172)
We see the angel vibrating with light and rejoice with Mary Magdalene. We hurry to tell the disciples and are dismayed that they don’t believe us when we tell them that Jesus is alive.
Dejected, we go back to the tomb with Mary Magdalene, and we gasp as Jesus says “Mary.”
Higgs points out that before the Great Commission, Jesus sent Mary Magdalene to proclaim the Gospel. “Jesus paused to speak to a woman. Not merely to speak to her but to send her.” (p. 187)
Although I have read these Scriptures many times, I never experienced them through the eyes of these women or the honor that Jesus gave them. Higgs was able to show their raw emotions in a way that made me experience them.
“Wanting to experience this scene in full, I tried shouting ‘Crucify him!’ in my writing study and couldn’t get above a whisper. Not because someone might have heard me, but because the terrible words made me sick to my stomach.” (p. 131)
Thank you, Liz Curtis Higgs, for going deep into the experiences and emotions of the people you write about. Thank you for steeping your writing in prayer.
My prayer
Thank you, Father, for Liz Curtis Higgs and The Women of Easter. Bless Higgs, her family, her readers, and her writing. Father, thank You for Your great love. Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for the honor that you have bestowed upon women and the honor that You have bestowed upon men. We praise You and adore You.
He is Risen, Indeed!
I received a complimentary copy of The Women of Easter from Blogging for Books for my honest review.
