The Resurrection Morning
The Resurrection Morning — Trusting God in the Unknown
John 20:1; Mark 16:1-8
Resurrection morning did not begin with clarity or confidence. It began with confusion, concern, and a collision of emotions that no one present could have anticipated. John 20:1 and Mark 16:1-8 record how a group of women made their way to the tomb with spices in hand and uncertainty in their hearts. They were not sure how everything would work out, but they went anyway. Their story shows us what real trust looks like: moving in faith when the outcome is unclear and believing that God is already at work where we cannot yet see.
The Women
These women were not casual observers. Mary Magdalene, from whom seven devils had been cast out (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2), Joanna, healed under the household of Chuza, Herod’s steward (Luke 8:3), Salome, the sister of James and John, followed in her brother's footsteps, and Mary, the mother of Jose, was a disciple. These women all had personal encounters with Jesus. The presence of Jesus in their lives and his compassion for them had changed their lives forever. They bought ointments and set out early, fully aware that a massive stone blocked their access to the tomb (Mark 16:3). Yet they went, not knowing who would remove it. Their obedience came before their understanding, and that is the essence of faith.
Faithful women have shaped the story of Scripture far more than history books typically recognize: Esther, Ruth, Jael, Rahab, Sarah, Hannah, Elisabeth, the woman with the issue of blood, and others modeled the same courage we see here. Sarah “judged him (God) faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11).
Women were the first at the tomb. Women were the first to proclaim the resurrection. Women were a source of discipleship and prayer in the early church. When a woman’s faith is strengthened by God, nations, churches, and families rise, as A.W. Tozer once declared. “No nation or church has ever risen above the faith of its women.”
The Week Day
This moment took place on a Sunday, the first day of the week (Mark 16:2). The early church would later gather on this same day to break bread, receive the preaching of the word (Acts 20:7), give, and minister to the saints (1 Corinthians 16:2). Charles H. Spurgeon once said, “A Sunday well spent brings a week of content,” and D. L. Moody observed, “Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man.” The Resurrection morning confirms that Sunday is not a suggestion for the believer; it is a spiritual anchor.
Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us so much the more not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together because there is strength in numbers and being united in the faith of Christ. Assembling allows us to provoke, pray, and praise the Lord together in a common faith of unity rather than in a cult of isolation, division, and strife. Assembling for preaching that offers exhortation helps dispel the doubt and worry these women carry.
The Worry
Not only did these women carry ointment, but they also carried worry with them in their hearts and minds. They knew they could not roll the stone away from the tomb, and there was no guarantee their problem would be resolved upon arrival. Yet they moved toward the tomb anyway, seeking Jesus. We are commanded to first seek first the kingdom of God in Matthew 6:33, and afterward, all these things would be added. Seeking first is the first step of faith. Faith seeks without yet seeing.
As Oswald Chambers wrote, “All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.” Corrie Ten Boom echoed this truth: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble; it empties today of its strength.” Scripture reinforces it: “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). Jesus taught, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow… sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34).
The stone probably felt as heavy as many of our problems, but Mark 10:27 reminds us, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Luke 18:27 confirms it: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Even when faith feels small, Jesus said that faith like a grain of mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), and Luke 1:37 assures us: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
The Wonder
When the women arrived, everything changed. They found the stone rolled away. The tomb was empty. Angels appeared, and they were “affrighted,” “amazed,” and “trembled” (Mark 16:5–6, 8). They came expecting a dead body, but encountered a tomb empty of its resident, and angels who were there in his place. They came to honor a body, but discovered their Savior had risen. Their experience teaches us that God is not a God of chaos but a God of mystery. He does not always reveal himself when or how we expect. Sometimes he goes beyond our understanding, leaving us in awe and wonder.
The Way
Finally, came the way forward. The angels gave direction: where to go, whom to speak to, and what to say (Mark 16:7). They came speaking, but they left speechless (Mark 16:8). They arrived overwhelmed by a problem, but they left overwhelmed by a miracle, and were obedient in delivering the message. When God does what only he can do, it changes how we walk away from the place where it happened.
You may not know what to expect from God in your current season. You may be carrying fear, uncertainty, or a burden that feels too heavy to roll away, but the resurrection teaches us that God is greater than any problem. He can remove what is impossible. He can open what is sealed. He can change what looks final. Trust him in the unknown, and you will not leave the same way you came.
John 20:1; Mark 16:1-8
Resurrection morning did not begin with clarity or confidence. It began with confusion, concern, and a collision of emotions that no one present could have anticipated. John 20:1 and Mark 16:1-8 record how a group of women made their way to the tomb with spices in hand and uncertainty in their hearts. They were not sure how everything would work out, but they went anyway. Their story shows us what real trust looks like: moving in faith when the outcome is unclear and believing that God is already at work where we cannot yet see.
The Women
These women were not casual observers. Mary Magdalene, from whom seven devils had been cast out (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2), Joanna, healed under the household of Chuza, Herod’s steward (Luke 8:3), Salome, the sister of James and John, followed in her brother's footsteps, and Mary, the mother of Jose, was a disciple. These women all had personal encounters with Jesus. The presence of Jesus in their lives and his compassion for them had changed their lives forever. They bought ointments and set out early, fully aware that a massive stone blocked their access to the tomb (Mark 16:3). Yet they went, not knowing who would remove it. Their obedience came before their understanding, and that is the essence of faith.
Faithful women have shaped the story of Scripture far more than history books typically recognize: Esther, Ruth, Jael, Rahab, Sarah, Hannah, Elisabeth, the woman with the issue of blood, and others modeled the same courage we see here. Sarah “judged him (God) faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11).
Women were the first at the tomb. Women were the first to proclaim the resurrection. Women were a source of discipleship and prayer in the early church. When a woman’s faith is strengthened by God, nations, churches, and families rise, as A.W. Tozer once declared. “No nation or church has ever risen above the faith of its women.”
The Week Day
This moment took place on a Sunday, the first day of the week (Mark 16:2). The early church would later gather on this same day to break bread, receive the preaching of the word (Acts 20:7), give, and minister to the saints (1 Corinthians 16:2). Charles H. Spurgeon once said, “A Sunday well spent brings a week of content,” and D. L. Moody observed, “Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man.” The Resurrection morning confirms that Sunday is not a suggestion for the believer; it is a spiritual anchor.
Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us so much the more not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together because there is strength in numbers and being united in the faith of Christ. Assembling allows us to provoke, pray, and praise the Lord together in a common faith of unity rather than in a cult of isolation, division, and strife. Assembling for preaching that offers exhortation helps dispel the doubt and worry these women carry.
The Worry
Not only did these women carry ointment, but they also carried worry with them in their hearts and minds. They knew they could not roll the stone away from the tomb, and there was no guarantee their problem would be resolved upon arrival. Yet they moved toward the tomb anyway, seeking Jesus. We are commanded to first seek first the kingdom of God in Matthew 6:33, and afterward, all these things would be added. Seeking first is the first step of faith. Faith seeks without yet seeing.
As Oswald Chambers wrote, “All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.” Corrie Ten Boom echoed this truth: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble; it empties today of its strength.” Scripture reinforces it: “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). Jesus taught, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow… sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34).
The stone probably felt as heavy as many of our problems, but Mark 10:27 reminds us, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Luke 18:27 confirms it: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Even when faith feels small, Jesus said that faith like a grain of mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), and Luke 1:37 assures us: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
The Wonder
When the women arrived, everything changed. They found the stone rolled away. The tomb was empty. Angels appeared, and they were “affrighted,” “amazed,” and “trembled” (Mark 16:5–6, 8). They came expecting a dead body, but encountered a tomb empty of its resident, and angels who were there in his place. They came to honor a body, but discovered their Savior had risen. Their experience teaches us that God is not a God of chaos but a God of mystery. He does not always reveal himself when or how we expect. Sometimes he goes beyond our understanding, leaving us in awe and wonder.
The Way
Finally, came the way forward. The angels gave direction: where to go, whom to speak to, and what to say (Mark 16:7). They came speaking, but they left speechless (Mark 16:8). They arrived overwhelmed by a problem, but they left overwhelmed by a miracle, and were obedient in delivering the message. When God does what only he can do, it changes how we walk away from the place where it happened.
You may not know what to expect from God in your current season. You may be carrying fear, uncertainty, or a burden that feels too heavy to roll away, but the resurrection teaches us that God is greater than any problem. He can remove what is impossible. He can open what is sealed. He can change what looks final. Trust him in the unknown, and you will not leave the same way you came.
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