Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. We see these women on their way to the tomb engaged in this ministry of love. But we forget it was also a ministry of sorrow and hopelessness. These women who came to the tomb on that first Easter would have been some of the last ones at the cross with their savior.
Luke tells us that all of his acquaintances and the women who followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching the crucifixion. It’s neither the dark Fridays or the bright Sundays that require the greatest amount of grace. We’ve all learned even in our own lives that the greatest grace is needed during eternally long Saturdays.
When we’re waiting for what happened to be resolved, when we’re waiting for the promise to be kept. When we’re waiting for the diagnosis to be confirmed. It’s those long Saturdays that are so hard. There’s a very famous sermon on Easter by a friend of mine and the title of the sermon, it’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming. Say that with me.
It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming. That’s surely how it was for the friends of Jesus is the hours of Saturday overtook them with emptiness. But something was about to happen that would change these men and women forever. No longer would they be cowards hiding in the backdrop of the crucifixion, but something would happen that would change them into flaming evangelists who fill the whole world with the gospel.
And according to the record even of secular historians, these particular people turned their world upside down. It is the experience of the resurrection of the savior that explains all of this. And of course, this particular truth about his life is found in all of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I’ve chosen today to tell the story from the 24th chapter of the book of Luke and the first 12 verses.
Here we are told of the experience of the empty tomb and are met with some visiting women in verse one. Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. We see these women on their way to the tomb engaged in this ministry of love.
But we forget it was also a ministry of sorrow and hopelessness. These women who came to the tomb on that first Easter would have been some of the last ones at the cross with their savior. Luke tells us that all of his acquaintances and the women who followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching the crucifixion. It is moving to see them now on this day early in the morning coming to the grave of their loved one bringing their spices.
They brought the spices as a show of their love for their dead master. They thought of him as dead and yet they still loved him with a great love. The things they had hoped for seemed destroyed, but their love for the Lord was not destroyed. I mean, Jesus had been beaten and put to death, but the love of these women did not die with Jesus.
