Luke 24:1
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The women’s preparation of spices, often seen as simply an act of love, actually reveals their complete lack of expectation for a resurrection. This seemingly devotional task was, in fact, a quiet admission that they believed Jesus’s story had ended in death, not new life.
This passage opens on the first day of the week, immediately following the Sabbath. The women who had witnessed Jesus' burial, still grieving and preparing spices for His embalming, arrive at the tomb in the very early morning. Their purpose reveals their expectation of finding a dead body, highlighting their unspoken belief that Jesus' teachings about resurrection were not meant literally.
The women came with spices, a task of love and grief. But what did this preparation reveal about their hopes?
The women's act of preparing spices wasn't just a ritual; it was a profound declaration of their understanding—or rather, misunderstanding—of Jesus' fate.
A Love That Didn't See
The timing is specific: 'early dawn.' What does this precise moment reveal about faith, doubt, and the unfolding of God's plan?
The phrase 'at early dawn' (or 'deep dawn' in some translations) isn't just a time marker; it signifies a pivotal moment between darkness and light, doubt and dawning understanding.
Between Night and Day
Understand the original words
sabbaton · Greek Noun
The period of twenty-four hours beginning at sunset; in this context, it refers to the third day after the crucifixion, marking the day of resurrection.
mnēmeion · Greek Noun
A place of burial; symbolically, in the New Testament, it represents the place of death where the power of the grave was defeated by Christ.
arōmata · Greek Noun
Aromatic substances used for embalming or honoring the dead, reflecting the devotion of the followers of Jesus and their expectation of death rather than resurrection.
c. AD 30
Jesus Crucified and Buried
Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified under Pontius Pilate. His body is then laid in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea.
c. AD 30 (Saturday)
Sabbath Rest
The day after Jesus' crucifixion is the Sabbath, a day of rest according to Jewish law. The women who followed Jesus, including those mentioned in Luke's Gospel, observe this day.
c. AD 30 (Early Sunday Morning)— this verse
Women Visit the Tomb
On the first day of the week, very early while it was still dark, the women, bringing spices to anoint Jesus' body, arrive at the tomb. They find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.
c. AD 30 (Sunday Morning)
Angelic and Jesus Appearances
Angels announce Jesus' resurrection to the women at the tomb. Later that day, Jesus himself appears to Mary Magdalene and then to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later to the apostles.
c. AD 30-33
Post-Resurrection Appearances
This passage describes Mary Magdalene going to the tomb alone while it was still dark, highlighting the very early hour and the initial solitude of some of the women at the resurrection site.
Mark 16:2This verse tells of the women arriving at the tomb at sunrise, also emphasizing the early morning timing and the presence of spices they had prepared, mirroring Luke's account.
Matthew 28:1Matthew's account mentions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary coming to see the tomb, providing a partial list of the women involved and reinforcing the 'first day of the week' timing.
This passage immediately precedes Luke 24:1, detailing how the women who had followed Jesus observed the Sabbath rest after seeing the tomb and preparing spices, setting the context for their actions on the first day of the week.
The account of creation begins with God speaking light into darkness on the first day. This echoes the theme of new beginnings and the dawning of a new era that starts with the resurrection on the first day of the week, moving from the darkness of death to the light of life.
vincentLuke 24:1: "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."
Very early in the morning (ὄρθρου βαθέως)Lit., at deep dawn, or the dawn being deep. It is not uncommon in Greek to find βαθύς, deep, used of time; as deep or late evening. Plutarch says of Alexander, that he supped "at deep evening;" i.e., late at night. Philo says that the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea "about dee…
expositorsLuke 24:1: "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."
Chapter 26THE FIRST LORD’S DAY . THE Sabbath came and went over the grave of its Lord, and silence reigned in Joseph’s garden, broken only by the mailed sentinels, who laughed and chatted by, the sealed sepulcher. As to the disciples, this high day is a dies non to them, for the curtain of a deep silence hides them f…
The women’s preparation of spices, often seen as simply an act of love, actually reveals their complete lack of expectation for a resurrection. This seemingly devotional task was, in fact, a quiet admission that they believed Jesus’s story had ended in death, not new life.
This passage opens on the first day of the week, immediately following the Sabbath. The women who had witnessed Jesus' burial, still grieving and preparing spices for His embalming, arrive at the tomb in the very early morning. Their purpose reveals their expectation of finding a dead body, highlighting their unspoken belief that Jesus' teachings about resurrection were not meant literally.
This passage opens on the first day of the week, immediately following the Sabbath. The women who had witnessed Jesus' burial, still grieving and preparing spices for His embalming, arrive at the tomb in the very early morning. Their purpose reveals their expectation of finding a dead body, highlighting their unspoken belief that Jesus' teachings about resurrection were not meant literally.
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Over the next forty days, Jesus appears to his disciples in various settings, confirming his resurrection and teaching them about the Kingdom of God.
c. AD 30
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
Jesus ascends into heaven from the Mount of Olives, commissioning his disciples to spread the gospel.
"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared." — The women’s preparation of spices, often seen as simply an act of love, actually reveals their complete lack of expectation for a resurrection. This seemingly devotional task was, in fact, a quiet ad…
