Daily Devotional for Monday, May 25

The Women at the Tomb

“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them,” Luke 24:1.

Silence. That Sabbath was filled with disbelief, disheartening grief and exhaustion. Appetites and conversation were minimal. Tears abounded. Their Savior, the One they followed for so long was gone. He was ice cold in a dark tomb outside Jerusalem. It was probably difficult to find the willpower to move on or do anything for that matter. The Sabbath was enveloped in a thick cloud of grief.

The small group of Galilean women had not been able to properly prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Everything had happened so fast. Because it was the Passover Sabbath, His body had to be buried quickly because sunset was approaching. They had to scurry to the market to buy the appropriate spices and ointments for burial.

Burial. Something none of them expected so soon. Together, they would go to the tomb early Sunday morning to honor their Lord’s body and treat Him properly.

Sunday, they gathered their jars, sachets, and pouches, each of them bringing a contribution. While it was still dark, they made their way out of town and down the path to the grave. Usually, they would be full of words and chatter, but not today. This was a solemn, sad day.

They wondered how they would manage to roll away that heavy stone. Maybe all together they could move it. When they approached the grave, however, they found that problem was solved while another presented itself. The stone was already rolled away. As they ducked inside the cold tomb, an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of their stomachs. Their Savior was gone. Yet, an odd feeling of anticipation hung in the air.

THOUGHT

“My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me,

Where is thy God?” Psalm 42:3

Kelli Reynolds