Things We Don't Notice

We turn our attention to the last chapter in the book of Luke. We look at the first twelve verses. The women from chapter twenty-three return to the sepulcher. They had followed to see where Joseph placed the body, then they went home to prepare the spices. After that, they observed the Sabbath – in other words, they had to wait a whole day before they could return with the spices they had prepared.

So. let us check our facts. It is very early on a Sunday morning. The women who returned to the grave of Jesus are listed in verse ten. They were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. Wikipedia tells us this about Mary the mother of James:

Although James the younger is often identified with James, son of Alphaeus, the New Advent Encyclopedia identifies him with both James, son of Alphaeus and James the brother of Jesus (James the Just). According to the surviving fragments of the work Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord of the Apostolic Father Papias of Hierapolis, who lived c. 70–163 AD, "Mary, mother of James the Less and Joseph, wife of Alphaeus was the sister of Mary the mother of the Lord, whom John names of Cleophas"

These three women were not alone, they were in the company of other women. Verse one calls them “certain others” while verse ten calls them “other women that were with them.” So, there were at least two other women present with the listed three. In all probability, there were more than two. These were the women who had followed Jesus from the beginning of his ministry in Galilee.

Again, early on the first day of the week, these women who had followed Jesus from Galilee went to the tomb. In verses two through four, they found the stone rolled away, they entered the tomb only to discover that the body was gone, and they were “much perplexed.” They were bewildered, uncertain, and troubled over the turn of events.

I mention all of this in preparation for making a point. Of course, they were surprised to find the body missing, but my point is that the stone being rolled away was just as much an eye-opener. They had followed to see Jesus buried. There is little doubt they also saw the stone being rolled into place.

Did these women go to the grave expecting to see the stone rolled away? The short answer is no. At least five of them went to the grave – perhaps, they thought that such a number was sufficient to roll the stone away. This little bit of information is perhaps a clue to the size of the stone and the entrance to the grave. More clues to follow.

A dead body is like a sack of potatoes. It is hard to manage. The size of the grave entrance had to be sufficient for at least two men to carry a body through it. Since no mention of the women having trouble entering the grave is made, one may assume that the sepulcher was designed with a slight descent into the cavity.

So, the women who actually entered came back out with the news, and as they stood perplexed, two men appeared in shining garments. White garments were not unheard of in that culture, but the implementation of the word 'shining' suggests something other than merely white cloth. When Jesus was on the mountaintop with Moses and Elijah, all three of them were shining. We have a kind of naturally shiny view of angels. But, it was also around dawn when these events transpired. The sun was coming up. The light could have caught the white garments in an especially eye-catching manner.

The women were so taken by the appearance of the two men that, in fear, they fell on their faces. Now, one may think of that culture and time as a people who would fall on their faces at the drop of a hat, but a sudden reflexive fear is more in keeping with human nature as we know it. For instance, what does one do when he or she perceives the near report of gunfire? They hit the deck. It is only human nature to duck and cover.

The women of the Bible are not as often mentioned as the men. In this particular case, we find them equal to the men in a certain sense. That is, they had to be reminded what Jesus told them. They were with Jesus from the beginning; they heard all of his sermons, all of his sayings. Yet, like the men, they had to be reminded. This too is human nature.

If only they had believed his words from the beginning! All of us who have grown old reach a point of personal realization where we think, 'why didn't I listen to my parents? They were right from the beginning. How much I might have spared myself if only I had listened.'

They thought he was dead, but then, they were reminded of his words – and they believed. They ran to tell the apostles. Herein lies another point we don't notice. We have bought into the general concept of frightened apostles cowering in darkened rooms for fear of their lives. Multitudes followed Jesus. They followed him to Jerusalem. They lost him for a time but found him again after the trial. They followed him to the crucifixion and stood afar off.

The remaining eleven apostles were not the only apostles of Jesus, they were just his inner circle. Aside from the general multitude, there were at least seventy-two other appointed apostles. You may recall that Jesus, in chapter ten, sent them two by two, in the same manner, he had sent out the twelve – preaching and healing. When the women went to the eleven with their news, verses nine and ten inform us that “the apostles” noted in verse ten included “all the rest” mentioned in verse nine.

And then there was Peter. He was somewhat mercurial in nature. When first receiving the news, he with the others did not believe. He thought they were idle tales. But Peter gave the matter a second thought. Maybe, just maybe, they were right. What was it Jesus had said? So, Peter leaps to his feet and “runs” to the sepulcher.

Here is another clue about the grave – that is to say, about its design. Peter, in verse twelve, did not enter the grave but stooped down and looked inside. “Stooping down” is that clue. From a stooping position outside the grave entrance, Peter was able to see the place where the body had been laid. The body was absent but the “linen clothes” were still there.

Some depictions of the sepulcher have a great round wheel of a stone that may only be moved by the strength of many. Some scholars imagine a grave where the entrance is on top and the body has to be lowered into the cavity. It is human nature that we run with whatever is in front of us. When they say big wheel, we go with it. When they say hole in the ground, we go with it.

We think one thing by excluding all other possibilities. Well, here is another possibility. The grave was small enough to stoop down and see inside. The stone that was rolled away from the entrance was small enough that approximately five women thought they could move it.