1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.
2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
The Road to Emmaus
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. Luke 24:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Very early on Sunday morning, the women head to the tomb with the burial spices they'd prepared. They're going to finish caring for Jesus' body. They have no idea what they're about to find.
These faithful women went as soon as they could — first light after the Sabbath ended. They expected death. They found something else entirely.
Luke narrates the beginning of the most important morning in history, starting with women who have no idea what's about to happen.
They packed their burial spices and headed out in the dark, expecting to find a sealed tomb and a lifeless body. It was an act of love — caring for the dead — not an act of hope. But this morning, everything they thought they knew was about to be shattered by something they never expected.
On the first day of the week (tē mia tōn sabbatōn), at orthrou batheos (deep dawn/very early morning), the women come to the tomb bearing the prepared arōmata (spices). The first day of the week becomes the day of resurrection, later observed as the Lord's Day.
The women's arrival at earliest possible dawn — as soon as Sabbath restrictions ended — shows their urgency and devotion. Their bringing spices indicates they expected to find a dead body, not an empty tomb.
Luke narrates the women's pre-dawn arrival at the tomb, emphasizing their faithful devotion and their complete lack of expectation for what they are about to discover.
The story pivots at dawn. The women come expecting to anoint a dead body — their spices are for death, not celebration. The first day of the week is about to become the first day of a new creation, but no one knows it yet. They walk toward a tomb, carrying burial supplies for a man who isn't there.
1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.
2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Read all of Luke 24 — Two disciples walking home in despair meet a stranger who opens the Scriptures. Their hearts burn. And then they recognize Him.
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