Passage
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James, and Salome brought spices to the tomb so that they might anoint Jesus’
body. On the first day of the week, once
the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.
As they went, they were wondering who was going to roll away the stone
that Joseph of Arimathea had put in front of the tomb. They looked and were amazed, because the stone
had already been rolled away. It was a
very large stone.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
The women headed to the tomb to complete the work of burial
that had not been able to be completed earlier.
When Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came to take Jesus off the cross,
they had to hurry to get him to the tomb and makes sure the tomb was sealed
before the Sabbath started. Jesus’ body
hadn’t been fully cared for as tradition, custom, and simple cleanliness
mandated. The women returned to the tomb
to finish the work – knowing full well that they’d be working with a body that
had some time for decomposition. What’s
great about this part of the story is that we see God has completed the work
and begun a new one. The women come to
finish what was started only to find out that God has already finished it and
moved onto something unimaginable!
Have you ever had God finish a work that you have started? Have you ever had the experience of someone
else finishing what you started? How
does that feel? What is good about unexpected
surprises?
Second Thought:
As the women went, they were wondering about the stone. They were wondering how this heavy stone was
going to be moved. In this we can see
women who were willing to be obedient to God even if they weren’t sure how it
was going to happen. They may not have
known all of the details of God’s plan, but that was okay to them. They were simply putting themselves out there
for God to use. That was all God
required.
Why do we think sometimes that we have to understand every
detail before being obedient to God? Why
do we think we have to know everything before being willing to follow God and
act upon His will?
Third Thought:
The natural conclusion to the prior point is that God
provides. God not only finished the work
that was started on the cross, God also provided a means for the stone to be
rolled away for the woman. When we are
obedient to God and listen to His voice, He will prepare the way for what He
desires to happen. Our task is to be
open and be ready to respond to His calling.
God will provide everything else as long as He has truly called us to it.
Is it easy to trust in God’s provision? Have you ever been in a place where what you
needed was provided for you even though you didn’t arrange for it to
happen? How can these moments be a sign
to you that God is real and present in your life?
Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 16:5-8
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