Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb …
Friday has come and gone. Joseph and Nicodemus made sure Jesus was put in a tomb. Saturday, the Sabbath, was quiet. Except for the special activities in the Temple, most everyone would have stayed home. A whole day to sit and think. Think about Jesus. Think about what had happened. Think about his horrible end.
Why did Mary go to the tomb? What did she expect to see? Was she expecting to find a sealed tomb? Did she want to be as close to Jesus as she could? Did she have a plan or was she going to the tomb because she didn’t know where else to go, what else to do?
If it had been some other day and not the Sabbath would she have been sitting by the tomb yesterday? Maybe she was awake all night thinking about Jesus. Maybe she could not believe that all this had happened.
It is Sunday. Technically, the Sabbath is over. It is not daylight yet, but she can wait no longer. She rises and prepares to go outside. It is cool. It is dark. The sky was pale gray suggesting dawn was not far off. She makes her way from the place she is staying to the garden where Jesus’ tomb is. It is so early that even the birds are still quiet.
Application: Mary had a childlike faith. She loved Jesus. She loved being around him, loved listening to his words. Jesus was everything to her. Even in death, she did not want to be away from him. That kind of passion, that devotion, that love is at the heart of every true believer’s relationship with Jesus.
Food for Thought: What does it say that Mary goes to the tomb alone? How do different people react to what has happened?
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I am not sure what it means. But I think it is clear that she was a devoted friend and someone who loved Jesus very much. That alone is something to emulate.
Rich,
I agree! Mary was very devoted. In that she is a good model for the rest of us.