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
Those few faithful followers of the Lord Jesus must have been filled with apprehension and concern as they emerged at dawn to tend to the burial site of their Lord. Other gospels tell us the sepulchre had a huge stone rolled to its mouth, and that the stone had a Roman seal upon it and a band of Roman guard soldiers to guard it. They did not know if they would be allowed to approach the sepulchre or enter it, or how they would be greeted by the guard. They wondered how they would be able to move the stone. But their dread and uncertainty and helplessness did not stop them from going to that sepulchre. Some things we should note about this little band of followers: they had prepared their spices well ahead of time, they came early in the morning, and they were women. These are good lessons for all who would remember the Lord.
These ladies had actually prepared the spices two days before. As soon as they had determined where the body of Jesus was buried, they began their preparations. They made sure that everything was ready for their early morning expedition, so that they would be able to perform their task of embalming as soon as they arrived. This is the same approach that the Lord’s people should take as we prepare for the Breaking of Bread each Lord’s Day morning. Very little appreciation of our Lord is possible if there has not been some preparation ahead of time. It is not possible to adequately prepare at the last minute and our worship will be hollow if we try to do so.
We don’t know all of the reasons why the little group chose early in the morning for their trip to the sepulchre. But we do know their main reason: nothing was more important to them at that time than getting to that sepulchre to tend to the proper burial of their Lord. No chores, no previous plans, nor any other consideration would interfere with their purpose or delay them from getting to the burial garden as early as possible. This is how it should be with us, as the Lord’s Day dawns. Everything must take a back seat to getting to the place where the saints will obey our Lord’s words: ‘This do in remembrance of Me’. It is the day’s top priority, and the week’s top priority as well.
The lack of men to accompany them did not prevent these women from their purpose. They had an exercise, and they carried it out to the best of their abilities, regardless of what anyone else would do. We often look at how our remembrance meetings are conducted and assume that it is only the men who participate. This is a wrong assumption. In fact, if only the men participate in the worship, there will be very little worship. As the men prepare for their audible participation, so must the women prepare for their silent participation. Their previous readings and meditation are critical to the worship. Their covered heads and meek and quiet spirit also contribute to the reverent atmosphere as the saints enter the Holy of Holies to present our sacrifices of praise to our Lord.
How do we approach the first day of the week? Are we as determined and as well prepared as the very first women to hear of our Saviour’s resurrection? -Jim MacIntosh