Women at the tomb

“The women going to Jesus’ tomb on that first Easter morning could not have been sure they were going to have access to Jesus’ body. What were they expecting to do?”—Ryan
All four gospels relate the account of women going to Jesus’ tomb (Mt. 28:1-8; Mk 16:1-8; Lk. 24:1-12; Jn. 20:1-18). Because of Sabbath restrictions the previous Friday evening, the burial had been hurried and incomplete. These friends of Jesus carried with them the requisite spices for a proper preparation of the body (Mk. 16:1; Lk. 24:1).

What were they expecting? The gospel writers don’t tell us. Certainly they were still in the early stages of grief. Beyond that, we might surmise they were hoping for a sympathetic guard who would let them in (Mk. 16:3). Perhaps they were hoping against hope that they would find the tomb unguarded and somehow accessible, even though they had seen the opening covered with a large stone and sealed.

This is the response of deep, unfettered love—love that hopes in the face of despair and acts when all seems lost. This love, driven by an inner impulse beyond mere calculus, looks past the seemingly impossible and finds within itself the will to act. These women would go to Jesus—and deal with whatever they found.

There is one point not to be missed. The women knew Jesus was dead. They had seen Him die and had helped lay Him in the grave. They did not come expecting to find the tomb empty and shining messengers proclaiming His return to life!

They experienced an overwhelming mix of joy, astonishment and terror (Mt. 28:8; Mk. 16:8; Lk. 24:5). They ran to tell the other disciples who were disbelieving and skeptical. The news of the resurrection of Christ from the dead was a complete shock—their subsequent encounter with Him, however, changed their lives forever!