April 5, 2011

Bible Passage: Luke 23:46-56; 24:1-12

And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. Luke 23:55 (KJV)

I love reading this passage of the Easter story where it mentions, "And the women also" in Luke 23:55. It's great that we see what some of the women were doing during this climatic event in history.

We see these women mentioned first in verse 49 of that chapter. They were beholding and looking on all the things that led up to the Lord's death.

And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. Luke 23:49

On down in chapter 24 it tells us a little more specifically who some of these women were.

It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them.... Luke 24:10

I wonder what it was like for these women who lived at the same time as Christ and followed Him and listened closely to His teachings to be there firsthand to witness all that transpired surrounding Christ's death.

We women are such emotional beings and I just can't imagine what all this was like for these women.

These Women Pondered

Luke 23:50-55

This part of the story is talking about how a man named, Joseph, begged the body of Jesus from Pilate so that Jesus could be buried properly.

And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. Luke 23:53

The women who were mentioned in verse 49 as standing "afar off and beholding these things" were at the tomb as well. Instead of standing far away and watching, they now were up close and checking out what was going on around them. They were taking in every detail down to how the Lord's body was laid.

And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. Luke 23:55

We all know the ending. We know Christ rose from the dead, but the Resurrection hadn't happened yet for these women, so the overwhelming finality of death must have been right there at the top of their minds.

I can imagine that the sights and sounds of the Crucifixion weighed heavily on these women. They'd just seen and heard it all. The last sound of Christ's voice, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (23:46), was still ringing in their ears.

I think sometimes it's good for us to think and ponder on all that Christ suffered too. We need a closer look as well. We need to read and study through the Easter passages in the Bible and be reminded down to every detail of what Jesus endured for us to save us from our sin.

These Women Were Prepared

Luke 23:56

Even with all the grief and pain that these women must have been feeling, they still moved right along and began preparing the spices and things needed to prepare the Lord's body. They focused on the task at hand, which must have been difficult.

And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:56

These Women Were Perplexed

Here these ladies were all prepared to do the task at hand and circumstances change their plans. Have you ever had things planned out to the detail and something comes up that completely changes your plans?

These ladies went to the tomb that day thinking that Christ's body was there waiting on them and when they arrived it was gone. The verse in 24:4 says that they were "much perplexed". They couldn't understand what had happened to the body of the Lord.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments... Luke 24:4

These Women Were Propelled to Action

Luke 24:4-12

As these women stood there being "much perplexed" two angels were there and spoke to them.

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. Luke 24:5-7

Isn't it nice to get answers right when you need them? These women were troubled, afraid, and full of grief. They needed to hear that the Lord wasn't dead. They were witnessing an empty tomb but still didn't quite grasp the meaning of it. The angel told them that Christ was risen.

They might not have understood it all at that very moment they were told, but they had the information they needed. It's so like God to provide us answers at just the right time whether He sends angels or not and whether we understand those answers at the time.

I love what happens next. These women didn't keep it to themselves. They went and told the disciples all the things that happened. These women were propelled to action

And they remembered his words, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. Luke 24:8-10

Conclusion

It's been such a long time since the Resurrection of Christ but it's the one thing that gives us hope—the one thing that makes our Christian life worth living. Everything about Christianity hinges on that one event in time.

I hope I can be propelled into action to tell others about what Christ did for me. The depth of His love wasn't meant to be kept hidden. We're to share that joy and victory of the Resurrection of Christ with others.

These women were moved with all types of emotions through the whole process of events that led up to the Resurrection. They sat at the very feet of Jesus and listened to His teachings.

I think that's what we need to do to really appreciate the Resurrection of Christ. We need to sit at His feet—perhaps take a new look at all those words in red in our Bibles and really take in all the love, wisdom, compassion, and grace that embodied the life of Christ on earth.

I think it's then that we can more appreciate that long road to Calvary that He made for us.

So, how well do you know the Christ of the Resurrection?

Copyright ©2011 Julia Bettencourt

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