Joel M Bradshaw

1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words.

9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.–Luke 24

1. I like how God gave the women a chance to ponder reality before He sent those angels to give the answers.
2. The women were just coming to perform one last bit of honor to their dead Lord. They weren’t expecting all this.
3. The angels reminded them that they indeed should have. But who believes anyone would resurrect? That’s when our faith hits a real moment. We give them credit for remembering. Hearing the words of Jesus reinvigorated their faith. That’s how the Bible works with us.
4. Nobody believed the women’s words on their own. That was their society. Women’s words really didn’t matter that much.
5. But it does give credibility to the Bible. If they were making this all up, they would have Caesar himself be at that tomb, not a couple of women. No, we have to believe this.
6. Maybe Peter remembered the words of Jesus that the angels quoted to the women. Maybe it clicked for him in that moment. Regardless, we give him credit for being a leader here and investigating. The women would have appreciated it, too.
7. The resurrection of Jesus is the crux of your faith. It is the impossible moment you either believe or don’t. So what do you do with it?–JMB