When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’” Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. Mark 16:1-8
“The desire of the women to “anoint” the body indicates that the oils were to be poured over the head. The preparations for returning to the tomb in performance of an act of piety show that the women had no expectation of an immediate resurrection of Jesus. Since in the climate of Jerusalem deterioration would occur rapidly, the visit of the women with the intention of ministering to the corpse after two nights and a day must be viewed as an expression of intense devotion…
When the women entered the burial chamber they were startled to see a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side… The response of the women to the angelic presence is described by a strong word which Mark alone among the NT writers uses [exethambēthēsan meaning “they were terrified, alarmed, or frightened”]. It introduces the note of dread which is woven into the theme until it becomes the dominant motif in verse 8. Confronted with the messenger of God, the women were terrified.
The action of God is not always self-evident. For this reason it is invariably accompanied by the word of revelation, interpreting the significance of the event. The emptiness of the tomb possessed no factual value in itself. It simply raised the question, What happened to the body? God, therefore, sent His messenger to disclose the fact of the resurrection. The announcement of the angel is the crystallization point for faith… They came to anoint the body of one who was dead, but Jesus was risen from the dead!
The fact that women were the first to receive the announcement of the resurrection is significant in view of contemporary attitudes. Jewish law pronounced women ineligible as witnesses… That the news had first been delivered to women was inconvenient and troublesome to the Church for their testimony lacked value as evidence. The primitive community would not have invented this detail, which can be explained only on the ground that it was factual.”
William L. Lane in The Gospel of Mark (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974) 585-89.
The “intense devotion” of the women is matched by incredible news, which by definition means that it was “impossible to believe” because it was so extraordinary and because it would be delivered by female witnesses. Before we consider the news, think of the identity of these three women.
Mary Magdalene had been delivered from a horrible background by Jesus. She walked with Him and supported His work from the beginning of His earthly ministry (cf. Luke 8:1-3). Mary the mother of James was there too, along with Salome, mother of James and John, who numbered among the twelve. These three women appear willing to take the risk of association with Jesus, so their act of generosity was to purchase spices to anoint His body.
So we don’t miss the gravity of the moment as presented in the Greek, Lane reminds us that the women are absolutely “terrified” to walk into the tomb and find someone alive in there. The function of the language inserts the twist that the messenger scared them to death! Everything changed in a split-second. The messenger explains what has happened. Christ is risen!
So the gift to the women with intense devotion is incredible news, again, news that would be “impossible to believe.” No wonder they departed in fear! Who would believe them? That also tells us that God sees the sacrifice of somewhat peripheral characters in the community of faith and often blesses them with treasures that have unthinkable value.
The women are instructed to spread the news to the disciples and Peter. As Mark is the Petrine gospel (dictated by Peter to Mark according ancient sources such as Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.39.14-17), likely this is Peter’s way of relaying to us that He received the gift of forgiveness for denying Christ. That’s good news for anyone who has sinned and thinks God could never forgive them.
How does this all relate to generosity?
The greatest act of generosity in human history has a happy ending filled with ironic twists. The news is relayed first to women who were treated as less than equal to men in antiquity. The one who betrayed Christ is singled out to receive the good news lest he thinks he lost the privilege of numbering among the disciples. Finally, those who hear the good news are not to keep it to themselves but to share it with others. This reminds the rest of us that the greatest act of generosity we can extend to anyone both on and after Resurrection Sunday is to share the good news with them.
Go! Tell your friends and neighbors. Christ is risen!