Devotionals

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body.

The “they” in our story were the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee (Luke 23:55). As was the custom of the day, the women would have been the ones to prepare the body with ointment and spices to show respect and honor to their dead. This was part of the ritual of death and grieving. But in our story when the women arrive, the tomb was open and the body was gone. Imagine how you might feel if the dead body of someone you cared for went missing? What would be your reaction? Fear? Anger? Confusion? Perhaps it would intensify your grief. These women were at the cross, they witnessed Jesus die – He should be dead. His body should be in the tomb?  The dead stay dead or do they?

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 

The women came to the tomb to honor Jesus in His death, but instead they found a heavy stone rolled away and the body gone – no wonder they were perplexed. The reality they expected is not the reality they encountered. But instead of experiencing fear or anger they were confused – what had happened? Then two men in dazzling clothes suddenly appeared. First they experienced the feeling of confusion and now this! If we are all honest with ourselves, I think all of us would be very perplexed, and then maybe frightened by the appearance of these two men – men who clearly are meant to catch their attention. But then the entirety of the Gospel story is meant to catch our attention – to make us curious, to want to know more. So read on.

The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again.”

First they were perplexed and now they are terrified. Yet, they must seem to sense these men are special as scripture tells us they bowed their faces to the ground. Was this honor, was this fear, was this awe? I think it was a combination of all of those thoughts and feelings. But the important fact was not the appearance of these messengers, but rather their message. What is striking in these verses is that the women were encountering the resurrection by word first rather than by a physical encounter with the risen Jesus. They are told to remember what Jesus had told them. We experience the resurrection by the words of scripture. We do not physically encounter our risen Lord. Do you remember the promises of scripture and believe them to be true?

Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.

Note in this verse it does not state that they believed all the messengers had told them, only that they remembered what Jesus had told them about the necessity of His death and that he would rise again on the third day. This remembrance was impactful enough that they chose to go back to the eleven disciples and shared what they had seen and experienced. If you had an encounter with what seemed to be an angelic being, would you share it or keep it to yourself?

Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

In other words, the disciples think the women are making it up. They do not believe what the women say nor seem to remember what Jesus told them. But in all fairness to these disciples, to believe that Jesus had risen, that His resurrection was real would be stunning and perhaps difficult to comprehend and believe. The women were blessed to have this encounter, but the men must now be willing to step out in faith and trust in the words of Jesus. Do we trust in the words of Jesus? Do we believe that Jesus died and rose again so that we may have both abundant life and eternal life? Do we believe that we too will be raised from the dead on the last day? 

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Something about the women’s story made Peter curious enough to go to the tomb and see for himself. We do not hear him vindicating the women’s story, only that he was amazed at what he saw at the empty tomb. Easter marks that moment when God raised Jesus from death to life bringing fulfillment of all of the promises of scripture. The entire sweep of scripture brings us to this moment of fulfillment. Easter is the creation story enacted in Jesus. Now we, as believers must proclaim this good news to the world. We must declare that “He Has Risen”, “He Has Risen Indeed”!!