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Have you ever done something because you knew you were supposed to do it, even though you didn’t really know why you were doing it? Or maybe you thought you were doing it for one reason, only to later discover that God obviously had a completely different reason in mind. If that’s the case, you’re in very good company!
Throughout His earthly ministry, there were a number of women who traveled with Jesus and His disciples. Some were members of His extended family or the families of His disciples, such as Salome (the mother of James and John, and the wife of Zebedee) and Mary (the mother of James the Less, and the wife of Clopas). Some of the women had been healed by Jesus, or were those from whom He had cast out evil spirits, including Mary Magdalene(1) and Joanna (the wife of Chuza, the household manager of Herod Antipas).(2) These, and many others, “were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and His disciples.”(3) Mark lists Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James) and Salome as coming to the tomb the Sunday morning after Jesus was crucified.(4)
Luke indicates that Joanna was also there. (As a footnote: Luke is the only Gospel writer that includes Joanna, not only at the tomb, but also at other parts of his account. He is also the only Gospel writer that includes details of what occurred in the court when Jesus was brought before Herod Antipas. Given the role of Joanna’s husband, she was probably one of Luke’s eyewitnesses.) Luke also says that there were other women, so there was at least one other unnamed woman in the group.(5)
These women were unable to make the needed preparations for the burial of Jesus’s body before sunset on Friday. They just didn’t have enough time between the time He died and the time that sunset occurred. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had been able to make quick arrangements, but before the women realized what was happening, the sun was setting, and the Sabbath was beginning. But i hope you see the sovereign hand of God in their delay. The Father’s plan was perfect. He had ordained for Joseph and Nicodemus to bury His Son’s body, but He had a different assignment for the women. He didn’t need for them to be at the tomb when Jesus body was placed. They were to arrive at the tomb for a totally different purpose!
They apparently were able to prepare some of the spices and ointments on Friday, just before the Sabbath.(6) They were then able to purchase those that they still needed, and make their final arrangements after dark on Saturday night. But they would need sunlight to do what they needed to do, so they waited until Sunday at sunrise. As the women were walking to the tomb, they realized that the stone would be too heavy for them to roll away in order to gain entry. Remember, this plan was unfolding quickly. They hadn’t been able to think through all of the details. Fortunately, however, the Father had been planning the details for eternity, and He had not forgotten anything!
At this point, let’s synchronize the chronology of this account as recorded in all four Gospels.(7) As the women approached the tomb, they saw that the large stone had been rolled away from the entrance. Apparently, Mary Magdalene hurriedly left the other women to go and alert Peter and John. Meanwhile, the other women entered the tomb and encountered the angels who declared to them that Jesus had risen from the dead. i am not sure what the Greek word is – but apparently the women “freaked out!” They fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered. Remember, Jesus had tried to prepare them. He had told them He would rise again. But even these, His closest followers, couldn’t quite believe it. They had all been there when Jesus called Lazarus to come out of the tomb, but they weren’t expecting Jesus to call Himself out of the tomb. Let’s be honest – would we have expected it?
Now remember, the night of Jesus’s arrest, the disciples had all scattered – except John and Peter. John and Peter had stayed in Jerusalem – they had gone to Caiaphas’s home. The rest of the group took off – and probably went to Bethany (where they had been spending the night earlier in the week). Mary Magdalene apparently headed into the city to find Peter and John. The other women apparently headed toward Bethany, where they had probably been staying as well. Mary Magdalene found Peter and John and told them that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. She was certain that the religious leaders had taken Jesus’s body. So, all three of them headed back to the tomb.
We’ll pick up on this narrative in next week’s post, but before we do, let’s remember what has taken place. Jesus has completed the work that He had to do while His soul and spirit were absent from His physical body. He has completed the work of redemption and He has set the captives free! Jesus had told the Pharisees that He would give them the sign of the prophet Jonah(8) – He would rise on the third day. He had also told them that if they destroyed “this Temple” – His body – that in three days, He would raise it up.(9) He had completed the work that the Father had for Him to do within the timeframe that the Father had set for it to be accomplished. And the Father’s timing is perfect!
What has the Father promised you that He will accomplish in and through your life? What has He revealed as a promise from His Word that you are holding by faith, but have not yet experienced by sight? Allow the experience of these women to be a reminder that what He promises, He will accomplish. And He will accomplish it in His timeframe! He won’t be late – but He also won’t be early. His timing is perfect. And it will probably occur when we are focusing elsewhere on a task that is before us. The women came to anoint the body of Jesus, never expecting that He had risen. Most often His answer will come at a time and in a way that we least expect it. (By the way, so will His return. That’s why He has told us stay alert!(10))
Hold this truth in the light of His resurrection – what He begins, He completes(11) and what He promises, He fulfills. As Moses said, “God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?”(12) No, He hasn’t! And the empty tomb is proof! Trust Him … because you probably won’t see the answer or know the reason until you have done what He’s told you to do.
One more thing – i have written a story about Mary Magdalene. It’s a first-person eyewitness account of what she experienced and witnessed. The book is entitled A Witness Called Mary. It’s the ninth book in my series, The Called. i invite you to consider her story – the part you may already know – and the portion that could have been. The book releases this week through Amazon in paperback, large print and for Kindle or Kindle app. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain a copy.
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Portions of this post have been taken from my book Taking Up The Cross, chapter 55.
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(1) Luke 8:2
(2) Luke 8:3
(3) Luke 8:3 (NLT)
(4) Mark 16:1-8 (NLT)
Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid His body. Now go and tell His disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you before He died.” The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.
(5) Luke 24:10
(6) Luke 23:55-56
(7) Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20
(8) Matthew 16:4
(9) John 2:19
(10) 1 Thessalonians 5:6
(11) Philippians 1:6
(12) Numbers 23:19 (NLT)
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