A woman in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that ordered Arby’s through DoorDash was surprised when the food arrived at her door. She did not open her door to a DoorDash driver, but instead to a police officer. With his squad car parked in front of her house, wearing his full uniform, the police officer handed the woman her two bags of Arby’s food and a soda. As he handed her the food he smiled and said, “I know I’m not who you are expecting, but your driver got arrested, so I figured I’d complete the DoorDash for you.”[1]
As you could imagine the woman was very surprised! That same type of feeling of surprise was experienced by some friends of Jesus on Easter Sunday 2,000 years ago.
The first testimony of the resurrection of Jesus is revealed by Luke in Luke 24:1–12. We could summarize Luke 24:1–12 this way: The empty tomb is discovered by women, interpreted by angels, and revealed to the disciples by women. Just as that woman in Sioux Falls did not expect to see a police officer holding two bags of Arby’s food, these women did not expect to see what they saw nor did they expect to hear what they were told. The disciples that later learned about what occurred did not expect (or believe) what they were told.
Luke tells us about the messengers[2] in Luke 24:1–7. The women traveled to the tomb, “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:1–3, NASB).[3] The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women (Luke 23:55; 24:10). These ladies are the first to find out about the resurrection.
The women were planning to honor Jesus’s body with spices and perfume (v. 1), but when they arrived they notice the stone was moved (v. 2). This was the first unexpected thing they noticed. This was the first hint that Jesus has been resurrected. A tomb’s entrance was normally closed to keep animals and vandals from disturbing the body.[4] Usually it was a circular stone rolled in front of a square entrance.
However, when the women arrived they also notice the body was gone (v. 3). This was the second unexpected thing they noticed. Luke makes it clear by contrast what they found, “stone rolled away” (v. 2), and what they did not find, “the body of the Lord Jesus” (v. 3).
At this point angels revealed the resurrection to the women, “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again’” (Luke 24:4–7).
The angels were a third unexpected thing the women noticed. The angels not only appeared (v. 4), but they asked a question (v. 5), and then made two declarations (vv. 6–7): That Jesus Christ was risen (v. 6a) and that the women should remember that they were told this would happen (vv. 6b–7).[5]
Luke reveals the messengers in Luke 24:1–7 and then tells us more about the message they brought in Luke 24:8–10, “And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles” (Luke 24:8–10).
In these verses the women remembered Jesus’s words about his resurrection (v. 8), they
responded by returning to the disciples to reveal what they saw (v. 9), and they are recognized by name by Luke (v. 10).[6] In other words, they were messengers with a message.
Luke has told us about the messengers and message thus far. He then reveals to us the meaning of all of this. “But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened” (Luke 24:11–12). In these two verses we see both the reaction of the group in verse eleven (which was unbelief), and we see the response of Peter in verse twelve (which was investigation).
In Luke 24:1–12 we learn the tomb is empty and discovered by women, interpreted by angels, and revealed to the disciples by women. The former bishop of Canterbury, NT Wright has written about Luke 24:1–12, “The opening mood of Easter morning, then, is one of surprise, astonishment, fear, and confusion.”[7] All of those emotions are mixed together in this one event.
The resurrection can be like a ball of rubber bands mixed and entangled for many of us. We are astonished it happened yet grateful at the same time. We find it almost unbelievable that a man could come back to life after being dead for three days, but when we remember it was God we can believe it. We feel unworthy that God would give us eternal life but understand why he would do it when we learn about his loving character.
Just as the women and the disciples felt surprise, wonder, and astonishment at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, may we too feel surprise and wonder as we reflect on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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Christopher L. Scott is a pastor and author of the book, Walking Straight When Life Goes Sideways: Essential Christian Truths for Enduring Life’s Trials (Wipf and Stock). He provides hundreds of free articles, videos, and Bible study resources at his website ChristopherLynnScott.com.
[1] “Police Officer Delivers DoorDash Order After Delivery Driver Arrested,” The Today Show, January 27, 2022,
[2] In the context of the gospel of Luke these are the events that have occurred just before Luke 24:1–12. On Friday Jesus died on a cross (Luke 23:26–49) and was buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50–54). A group of women stood at a distance watching Jesus die on the Cross (Luke 23:49) and those same women also saw where Jesus was buried (Luke 23:55). On Saturday those women prepared spices and perfumes for Jesus’s body (Luke 23:56).
[3] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[4] In Jesus’s situation there were guards posted to keep it closed.
[5] Jesus had told his followers, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day” (Luke 9:22). And again later, “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.’ But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said” (Luke 18:31–34).
[6] Among this group of women was “Mary Magdalene” who had seven demons cast out of her by Jesus (Lk 8:2). Luke points out “Joanna” who was the wife of Chuza, (who was Herod’s steward), and she was one of Jesus’s companions in Galilee (Lk 8:3). Luke points out “Mary the mother of James” whom we don’t know much about. And Luke points out “also the other women with them” which was a group of women with these named prominent women.
[7] NT Wright, Luke for Everyone (Louisville, KY: Westminister John Knox, 2004), 291.