As we have been hearing throughout this Week of Hope, we know what led upto the point when Jesus’ body was taken off the cross and placed in a stranger’s tomb. At this point his best friends, his disciples- scattered, fearing for their own lives. They were in shock.

The women in this verse were the 3 Marys: Mary-- Jesus’ mother and Mary Megdelene-formerly a prostitute, when Jesus met her He cast out 7 demons from her, and Mary the mother of James.

I am not a bible scholar, but I am a Mom. And that’s the greatest lens that I see this scene through.

I can put myself in Mary- Jesus’ mom’s- shoes. How, in every moment she walked along side and behind her son, she saw at the same time the son she birthed, the son she raised and took so much joy in. His first words, first steps, the first words of God’s wisdom she heard come from his Holy lips. She saw the same miracles the crowds saw and so so much more. She saw His heart broken for hurting people, His humility in the moments no one else got to see.

She was a mom. She was there for the most intimate of scenes.

And along that came with her maternal instincts:

Instincts to prepare

To anticipate a need

To honor and love her son in a way no one else could

Even after her worst nightmare came true: to watch her Son be tortured and killed. She was there to serve Him at all costs. His best friends were scattered, but she wasn’t fearful of being close to Him even in His death… she did as only Moms can do: serve in the worst of circumstances. Mary wanted to serve Him even in preparing his beaten and bloody body.

She and her tribe of Mary’s: also wanted to honor Jesus and keep the Sabbath Holy. This was actually the Last observed Jewish Sabbath in the bible.

So in her Son’s brutal and traumatic death, she and her tribe knew to prepare the spices needed to prepare Jesus’ body.

But to honor the sabbath, They had to sit and wait. I can only imagine that she replayed the many scenes of her son, that she treasured in her mind and heart. Like a movie reel, of those moments of closeness a mother shares with her son.

Jesus’ mom put everything on pause.She was ready to go to the mess to clean and fully prepare. Ready to do the dirty work, in the throws of the messy stuff.

The tribe of 3 Mary’s were ready to do that for Jesus, for the last time...what incredible strength and humility they had, and yet had to wait.

Sitting for 24 hours.They would have re-played the moments over and over and over again.Mary would recount His Birth, First steps, life growing up… 24 hours to process his whole life. To agonize, re-count every miracle, every interaction, every time he spoke with the power of God, every time she beamed as a mom, all up until His life was taken away. The shock and awe of Jesus’ words that all came to life. He said it was going to happen, and it really did...

In his death, his closest friends scattered, but she stayed to serve, no matter what, till the very last moments.

With that kind of burial preparation, the tribe of Mary’s were the first to see the empty tomb.

Preparation and waiting, then they get to experience the most incredible, intimate, close moments, in awe of their Jesus.

How unique is that as a mom…

Mom’s prepare for everything: Steps, school, etc. and Moms get to be the first to experience the specialness and the difficult moments of their children.

Preparation and waiting breeds a closeness. It Puts you right there with them, so when something happens, you are right there, ready.