Articles
The Women at the Tomb
It was women who first found the tomb of Jesus empty (Mk. 16:1). It was women who first saw the angels and heard the announcement, “He is not here, for He is risen” (Lk. 24:6). It was a woman who first saw Jesus after the resurrection (John 20:11-17; Mt. 28:9). And it was women, who first announced these things to the disciples (Lk. 24:11-12). Clearly, when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, the women are important.
The women impress me.
These women were like all of the other disciples. They mourned at the death of Jesus and did not believe that He would be resurrected. They didn’t come to the tomb to see if He’d risen. They came to prepare His body for the long process of decomposition and, presumably, to make it more pleasant for any future individuals who needed access to the tomb (tombs were often shared, even though this one had no other occupants…yet). They didn’t understand the real significance of Jesus’ death (that it took away sins). They didn’t understand that He would rise again. But still, they wished to serve Him. It impresses me when someone, filled with despair and confusion, would still serve Jesus.
There are many things in the Bible that I don’t understand. Not everything makes complete sense to us. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why must we be baptized? Why hasn’t Jesus returned yet? May we be like those women, who pressed on despite their uncertainty.
These women were intent on coming to the body of Jesus even though they had no idea how to accomplish their task. They knew there was a large stone in their way. “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” one asked (Mk. 16:3). They did not have an answer. Still, they came. Early in the morning, as the sun was rising, they made their way out of the city to a tomb without any idea how they were going to get into the tomb. It impresses me when someone will make every effort to accomplish something noble, even if they don’t see how they will be able to succeed.
For some, the path of righteousness is so difficult. How will we overcome these temptations? How will we remember everything we are supposed to do? There are always obstacles and they often feel insurmountable. But isn’t it impressive when people make every effort, despite the obstacles? May we be like those women who would not let a massive stone deter them.
The resurrection certainly changed the day for those women. They went from weeping to rejoicing. They went from preparing themselves for the reality of seeing a grossly pale corpse to clinging to a living body. They went from confused, and perhaps uncertain, to believers. They went from a plan to anoint a body with spices to instead worshiping at the Lord’s feet. Do you remember how the women did not know what to do about the stone? They went from not having access to Jesus to instead clinging to Him because God prepared a way for them. It was God who removed the stone. The women came to the tomb but Jesus came to them. The resurrection changed everything.
So it should be for us today. The resurrection should change our faith, our confidence, our purpose, our everything.
