THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB

“Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” ― Matthew 28:5-7.

Central in all of history is the resurrection of Jesus. After He arose, He appeared to some people. Some of those to whom He appeared were women who had come to the tomb where He had been buried, expecting Him still to be dead. But He wasn’t. In a very short period of time, they went from experiencing deep sorrow to exceeding great joy. They realized that their Savior was alive and quickly went to tell the good news to all the others.

Imagine for a second the scene. Jesus cried, “It is finished.” He died, and the people there knew He was dead. On that same day, He was buried and was in the grave. Then He arose, just as He said that He would. It was real. His body could be touched. Jesus expressed this. He said: “Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” (Luke 24:39).

Yet the disciples did not expect the resurrection. They did not expect it, even though Jesus had spoken of it repeatedly. For example, Jesus had said this to His disciples, “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead” (Matthew 20:18-19). Yet even after what He said would happen did happen, even after He had been crucified just as He had said that He would be, they still did not expect Him to rise from the dead.

So these women came to the grave expecting Him still to be dead. They had seen the place where He was buried two days before.  They went to the grave with some spices that they had prepared to anoint the body of Jesus (Luke 24:1). It was an act of love, to be sure. Yet they should not have been seeking the living among the dead.

As they went to the grave, they thought about the big stone that was put in front of the sepulcher. They wondered who was going to roll that stone away from the opening, so that they could get in. Yet when they got close enough to see the stone, they noticed that it had already been rolled away.

When these women saw and heard Jesus, they came close to Him. They recognized Him. While these women were holding Jesus and worshiping Him, “Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there” (Matt. 28:10).

Imagine the joy that must have filled their hearts as they quickly brought the disciples the news.

Discussion Questions:

1. What emotions would you have experienced if you were one of these women, finding the tomb empty?
2. How does the resurrection provide hope for today and for eternity? 
3. How does the resurrection inspire you to live out your faith in the world?