TEXT:
‘The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared’ (Luke 23:55, 24:1 MSG).
The watching women saw Jesus on the cross, when some of His disciples may not have, for they ran away when Jesus was arrested. The women heard Jesus cry, “It is finished” and saw the soldier plunge the spear into His side, confirming His death. They saw Joseph, with the help of Nicodemus, take Jesus’ body down from the cross. After they bound it with strips of linen and spices, they laid the body in Joseph’s tomb and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Early on Easter morning, the women came with more spices to anoint the body of Jesus. The only question they were asking on the way was, “Who will roll away the stone?”
They weren’t aware the tomb had been sealed on the orders of Pilate, and a Roman guard of soldiers were stationed to ensure Jesus’ disciples didn’t steal His body and then claim He had risen from the dead. This negated any chance the women had of being able to anoint the body of Jesus, but when they arrived at the tomb they saw:
- The stone rolled away – ‘Suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it’ (Matthew 28:2 TLB).
After the great earthquake, the angel descended and rolled away the stone. This was the second earthquake in just a few days. The first occurred when Jesus died, and the graves were opened. Dead bodies were resurrected and appeared to many in Jerusalem after Jesus had risen (See Matthew 27:51-53).
To the women’s complete astonishment, the stone was rolled away, and the soldiers were nowhere to be seen. After the shock of seeing the angel, the soldiers were paralysed with fear, before eventually running away to tell the chief priests what had happened.
- The empty tomb – ‘So they went in—but the Lord Jesus’ body was gone. They stood there puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it ’(Luke 24:3-4 TLB).
Jesus had told His disciples He would die and be raised from the dead, but they did not believe it would happen. The women did not believe He would be raised either. Yet, there before their very eyes was an empty tomb. No wonder they stood there puzzled. Why is it, when they had witnessed Lazarus being raised from the dead, that they found it so difficult to believe Jesus had been raised from the dead also?
- The grave clothes – ‘Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself’ (John 20:6-7).
Peter and John came to see what the women had seen, for they had gone and told the disciples what had happened. The women couldn’t understand why the grave clothes were still there, but the body wasn’t. Or why they were neatly folded. It was the sense of order that puzzled them so much.
This is a scene that will be similar for us when Jesus returns in the air, and we rise to meet Him. Our clothes will probably be left in a heap, not neatly folded, because we will leave in a split second! Not so when Jesus rose, everything was in order and according to God’s plan of action.
- Angels of the Lord – ‘And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!’ (Luke 24:4-6).
While the women were in the tomb, angels appeared confirming that Jesus had risen from the dead and urged them to go quickly and tell His disciples. Many times, they appeared down through the ages, bringing messages from God that warned or inspired God’s people, but nothing had prepared the women for their angelic encounter at the empty tomb! Angels had announced His birth and now His resurrection. Thank God for angels!
- Jesus Himself – ‘So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him’ (Matthew 28:8-9).
These women were the first to see the risen Jesus! What a privilege, what a shock, as they had originally come to anoint His dead body. Even this divine encounter didn’t convince His disciples that what the women were saying was true. Nor the testimony of the two men on the Emmaus Road. Hardened, hurting hearts refused to believe. ‘Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen’ (Mark 16:14).
The women’s experience on that resurrection morning changed their lives forever. They saw, heard and believed but couldn’t convince the disciples. Isn’t that the frustration of the gospel? What you’ve heard, seen and believed, is just a story or fairy tale to someone else. They need their own revelation if they will ever believe and be saved.
As a young person I had celebrated Easter many times in church as a choirboy. Yet I didn’t believe in a resurrected Jesus. That unbelief was evident years later when I saw a young lady wearing a lapel badge with the words, “Jesus is alive today”. I turned to a work colleague and said, “Look, a religious freak, Christ isn’t alive, He’s dead!” To my utter amazement he replied, “No He’s not, He’s alive!” What happened next was just as amazing to me as for those women on that Easter morning and I now know as well as them, that Jesus is alive. Hallelujah!
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