Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10

One of the important aspects to the confirming proof of the resurrection of Christ is that the first to know of the event were the women.  Many have drawn attention to this fact: that if the Gospel writers were colluding to make up this story they would not have had Christ first appear to women.  

Perhaps a better story would have been to have Joseph and Nicodemus return to the tomb Sunday morning.  These men were already acknowledged leaders in the Jewish community.  One would think they could more readily become strong voices to confirm such a fantastic event.  

But that has seldom been God’s modus operandi.  God delights in exalting the humble, in using that which is small in the eyes of the world.  Thus we have a detail that gives confirmation to the truth of Jesus’ bodily resurrection.

Another detail we can note here is the reference twice to those who saw the strips of cloth (i.e. the grave clothes) laying there.  Likewise, Peter and John saw the wrappings that had been around the head of Christ lying neatly, in a manner that says this was not the frantic unwrapping of a body by someone removing it by stealth.  (Again, the Garden Tomb near Gordon’s Calvary in Jerusalem fits the story as one can see the burial chamber from the doorway.)  We should also note that representatives of the High Priest (if not Caiaphas himself) would certainly have come to check this out for themselves.  

Another facet of the story that is evident in each of the Gospels is the fact that those who first saw the tomb had not understood nor believed Christ’s prediction of His own resurrection.  The words of the women seemed like nonsense to the disciples (Lk. 24:11).  John, speaking of himself, says that when he saw the grave clothes he believed.  Yet at the same time, it says they continued not to understand the words of Christ.  The angel had, of course, challenged the women for seeking the living among the dead, since Christ had told them He would be raised from the dead.

This failure to believe is further confirmation of the reality of the event.  These people were not making up a story as the Jews had feared when they had placed the guard in front of the tomb.  Neither the women nor the Twelve were out to fulfill Jesus’ words.  They did not understand His words!

Nevertheless let us note what this means.  The resurrection of Christ is the back end of the greatest expression of the faithfulness of God in all of history.  To be faithful is to be true to one’s word.  Remember 2 Tim. 2:13: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”  God cannot lie (Num. 23:19) and thus will do all that He has said beforehand (Titus 1:2).  Whether we understand what God has said or not, He will always do what He says.  Friends, this is why we hope in Him.  This is a hope that will never leave us disappointed (Rom. 5:5; 8:24-25).