“And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how His body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment” (Lk. 23:55-56).
Think about these women for a moment. They had just returned from the funeral of Jesus–this One who had all the evidences of being the Christ, the Son of God. He could do anything. He was invincible! He was going to set up His kingdom, and they were His closest friends. But now He was dead.
They had watched through that long day the unremitting suffering of their Messiah, heard with shock and amazement the cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” and heard, I’m sure, with resignation the cry, “It is finished!” The One in whom they had such confidence was gone and all their hopes and expectations had been sealed in His tomb with Him.
What questions must have gone through their minds! Why has this been allowed to happen? With His foreknowledge and power surely He could have avoided it. How can Israel be redeemed now? Where was God in all this, anyway? The leaden thud of the stone as it rolled into place would still be echoing in their hearts.
It was all over now. What would they do? They returned and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. Despite their disillusionment, their sorrow and confusion, they continued to do what they knew God expected them to do. No hint of anger or rebellion; just an acceptance that God was still in control and they would continue to put His commands first in their lives.
It may be that a time will come in our lives when we are faced with the shattering of our dreams. Our concept of where God was taking us in our Christian experience is suddenly turned upside down; forces prevail that God had the power to subdue but seemingly did not. We wonder, “Where is God in all of this?”
It is at a time like this that we can take a lesson from these faithful women. Our loss and insecurity can never be greater than theirs. And in our darkest times we too must continue to do the things we know God has asked us to do, whether or not we ever understand the events swirling around us.
Their example is not an isolated incident. Job lost everything, but was willing to take the bad with the good, knowing from where they came. He would honor God regardless of circumstances or consequences.
Nor is there any hint of resistance in Joseph’s life. At every turn, both up and down, we find him continuing his activities for God and his fellowship with Him.
Look at David. He had been anointed king over Israel but God had not removed Saul. Hunted like a partridge, he continued to live for the Lord, waiting for His own time.
Daniel, with his expectations shattered, purposed in his heart to continue to do what he knew God had asked him to do. Human logic may have dictated another course, but his heart followed God.
Paul suffered the loss of all things. I’m sure he often wished that the Lord had arranged things differently, but he learned in every circumstance to be content. To the Corinthians he says, “Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” To Timothy he says, “Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.”
Let us learn from these disciples and be obedient to the things we know, even when we cannot understand. Let us keep on keeping on, knowing that the end of the road we travel reaches inside the Celestial City.