The women were coming to honor the dead on that first Resurrection Day. Luke 24: 1But very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.[1] Carrying spices to a tomb would be the equivalent of taking flowers to a grave today. It was a way to show love and respect for the deceased. Luke doesn’t name the women until a few verses later. Luke 24: 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women.[2]
They were up at daybreak to do their task as soon as possible. The day after the crucifixion was the Sabbath, which meant no work, including carrying the spices, could be done. The ladies had prepared the spices earlier but couldn’t go to the grave until Sunday morning.
An Obstacle Removed
These women went to the tomb expecting to find a body, as carrying the spices shows. They weren’t going to check on the risen Lord because they did not expect it. Their devotion to Jesus outweighed a possible obstacle: the stone in front of the tomb. It was common for this heavy, large stone to be in a channel. It would have been easy to roll it down to cover the tomb entrance, but it would have been much more difficult to roll it up and away.
The women would have had to push the stone up and brace it. The Gospel of Mark gives us their concern. Mark 16: 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”[3] Yet, this proved not to be a problem. Luke 24: 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. [4] This was the first clue that something had happened. God didn’t have the stone rolled away to let Jesus out but rolled it away to let people see that the tomb was empty.
When God Puzzles Us
When the women entered the tomb, it was empty. There was no body to anoint. Luke 24:3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground.[5] At first, the women were confused; they couldn’t imagine what had happened. Their puzzlement quickly turned to fear with the appearance of the angels. We know God was announcing Jesus’ resurrection, but the women didn’t know that for a few minutes.
Similar things can happen in our lives. We don’t understand why certain things happen. These situations may puzzle us or even cause us to fear. Yet, God is always with us. He can turn what the enemy meant for evil for our good. God’s character is faithful and good, and He promises to be with us always.
The women were coming to honor the dead, but Jesus had risen! God can resurrect our dead circumstances in ways we could never imagine. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-power-of-promise
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.