Luke 24:1-12

All Are Puzzled Over The Empty Tomb (24:1-12).

When at last the time came for them to be able to go to the tomb, the women carried out the final preparations on the spices and ointments,and as Mark suggests, having found that they had insufficient for the purpose among them, had to hurry out to buy more. Both activities were likely in the circumstances, for they would carry some with them, but as they were only in Jerusalem as visitors and would be unlikely to have with them all that was necessary for a burial, once they had pooled their resources it was always likely that they would not have enough. These differing descriptions of their activities in fact bear the stamp of genuineness, for no one was particular about the detail, which would hardly be seen as important, but the various statements all fit in place and depict a situation that with a little thought we will see was most probable.

Having finalised their preparations they then went to the tomb and found it open, with the stone rolled away. Baffled by this unexpected event they entered it, only to discover to their dismay that the body had gone. But even while they were still looking at each other and wondering what to do next, two men whose clothes shone brilliantly, appeared to them and explained that Jesus had risen as He had promised.

Recognising that something remarkable must have happened, although probably not sure what, they raced back to the Apostles and told them all that they had seen and heard, but none of the men believed them. They dismissed their story as fairy tales. Although, Luke tells us, Peter did at some stage go to the tomb to see for himself what the situation was. And at what he saw he was clearly made to think deeply. John tells us that this was as a result of the arrival of Mary Magdalene to inform them about the empty tomb (John 20:1).

This account reads like history (contrast the later so-called Gospels written in the second century and later), and its soberness must be seen as confirming its accuracy. Someone who invented such a story would have made it far more exciting, for its potential was huge. Had they been writing with the intention of ‘making an impression' they would have written it very differently. That was how people who were not serious historians wrote in those days. Nor, unless that was what had really happened, would any Christian inventor have had the women discover the truth first, with the Apostles then revealing their unbelief by refusing to accept what they said. It was too much of a slight, both on these revered women and on the Apostles, and it was putting the emphasis on the kind of witnesses who would be considered by all to be the least reliable. The facts thus speak for themselves. Those who do not want to believe them because of their own presuppositions, or are predisposed to reject anything that they cannot fully explain, will no doubt continue to argue about them. But we would suggest that anyone who is genuinely seeking with an open mind to discover what really happened, and is willing to accept eyewitness testimony, can only be convinced that this is a true record of events. It is not the kind of description that people would invent, and is so much more sober than anything that they would have suggested if they had been making it up, that it demonstrates that they restricted themselves simply to the facts. They were not out for effect. They were out to tell what they saw, and to tell it soberly.

Analysis of 24:1-12.

a But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, and they entered in, and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus (Luke 24:1).

b It came to about that while they were perplexed about it, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel (Luke 24:4).

c And as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5).

d He is not here, but is risen. Remember how He spoke to you when He was yet in Galilee” (Luke 24:6).

e “Saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:7).

d And they remembered his words, and returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest (Luke 24:8).

c Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them told these things to the Apostles (Luke 24:10).

b And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk, and they disbelieved them (Luke 24:11).

a But Peter arose, and ran to the tomb, and stooping and looking in, he sees the linen cloths by themselves, and he departed to his home, wondering at what had happened (Luke 24:12).

Note how in ‘a' the women come to the tomb, find the stone rolled away, enter it and find it empty, (and are perplexed), while in the parallel Peter comes to the tomb, finds it empty, and goes home wondering at what he has seen. In ‘b' the women are perplexed before the angels and in the parallel the disciples are disbelieving before the women. In ‘c' the women are asked by the angels why they seek the living among the dead, and in the parallel we are told who these women were. In ‘d' they are told to remember what Jesus had said and in the parallel they do remember. And finally in ‘e', and centrally, we are told how the words of Jesus have been fulfilled in His resurrection.