Shabbat had ended at sunset the previous evening and immediately three of the women had dashed to the market and bought the myrrh and other embalming spices they needed. Praise to Adonai, the wealthy Tzaddick Yussef of Ramatayim had paid for the rich spices that normally the women wouldn't have dreamed of affording. Not only had he done this, but he had given them use of his family's vault close by the normal Roman crucifixion site to enable them to bury their Rabbi before Shabbat had started two days before.

Yussef was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin, who had disputed his colleagues' treatment of Yeshua the Nazarene prophet. As a result, they had excluded him from the secret (and illegal) night-time trial, at which the itinerant rabbi's fate had been decided.

As the grieving disciples had lowered Yeshua's blood-soaked body from the execution stake, Yussef had approached them and made his generous offer, accompanied by servants carrying a linen sheet and the first batch of spices they would need. With Erev Shabbat fast approaching, the grief-stricken women had sadly cleaned the body as best they could. They wrapped it in the linen, binding spices into the wrappings, knowing they would have to return after Shabbat and complete all that was needed to give their master the burial he deserved.

There seemed to be a complete lack of faith that the promises of resurrection Yeshua had made would now come to pass. This was understandable, as they had seen their beloved master bloodied and abused by crude and malicious soldiers. They had watched him crucified naked in full public glare on the edge of the city and then they had watched him die in agony on a Roman execution stake designed to prolong and exacerbate pain and humiliation. No wonder the Torah said that "whoever is executed on a 'tree' is cursed." [1]

The women, who had followed Yeshua so faithfully with his disciples, had slept fitfully for two nights. Lack-lustre, they had shared the Shabbat meal with the disciples, rested unhappily for the rest day and done what they could within Shabbat regulations to prepare for the embalming on the third day (by Jewish reckoning) after his crucifixion. [2]

Before dawn the women gathered up their purchases and began to make their way through the slowly waking City to the ornate garden where Yeshua had been buried. They had seen Roman soldiers coming to guard the tomb as they had laid Yeshua in it but didn't know what they would find on their return.

As much out of fear and uncertainty as anything else, the women huddled together and spoke to each other in whispers as they moved through the narrow streets. Reaching the garden and  going to the tomb, two things were immediately obvious:

Firstly, the Roman soldiers had gone and it looked from the possessions scattered around that they had left in a hurry - strange!

Secondly, what caused them to stop with a jolt and take a sharp indrawn breath was the tomb itself. They had seen four strong men struggle to roll the sealing stone into place. They had seen the seal made around the edge of the stone. In fact, their biggest concern as they had talked the previous day had been what to do about the sealed stone!

They needn't have worried! What brought them up short was the sight of the seal broken and the stone back in its open position. They could even see bits of wax hanging off it. Instead of a sealed tomb they had found an empty hole in the hillside.Fearfully, they held hands and moved step by wide-eyed step towards the dark entrance as the sun began to rise behind them. As they crossed the threshold, two things happened in quick order: first, they saw the gravecloths they had lovingly wrapped Yeshua in neatly folded on the shelf where bodies were laid - but no body!

Even as they opened their mouths to say something, the second event was that suddenly they weren't alone! With no noise and apparently out of thin air, two shining men suddenly stood next to where the body had been. So tall they were stooping inside the tomb, they glowed and shimmered with unimaginable light. Even their clothes glowed with a kind of internal light source.

"Malachim!" (angels) breathed Miriam of Magdala as they began to bow in unison before the magnificent supernatural beings. Before they had completed their obeisance one (or was it both) of the angels spoke. His voice rang with authority yet warmth, firmness but gentleness.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " [3]

Suddenly they were alone again, staring at each other with dish-plate eyes as they tried to comprehend what they had seen and heard. Slowly and in unison the women looked back at the folded gravecloths and back at each other again. Then with the speed of nervousness they began to speak all at once to each other.The next minutes were a daze. Most of the women ran excitedly to tell the disciples. At some point Sh'mon and Yochanan came blundering into the garden, then blundered out again, full of joy and praise to God. But Miriam of Magdala sat beside the tomb, her heart and mind in turmoil. How could she believe after the events of two days before? How could she not believe after what her eyes had seen in the opened tomb and heard from the mouths of angels. The tension and fear of days rolled over her and she collapsed into loud and copious tears. They had violently taken and killed the prophet she credited with a new lease of life and joy since she had met him. She had seen all this - how could he be alive again? Did she - could she - believe?

The morning sun was getting higher behind her and gaining in warmth. She saw a shadow move towards her and the sound of footfalls. "It must be one of the gardeners", she thought. "Maybe he can tell me where..." She turned around and saw a shadow against the sun. "Woman," the shadow said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Tears still blinding her eyes, she blurted out, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." The shadow said to her softly, "Miriam."

She turned fully round as the truth burst in her heart like an exploding bomb of joy and hope and love all at once and she cried out (squeaked, rather), "Rabboni!!" (teacher) "Do not hold on to me", said Yeshua hurriedly as she reached out for him, "for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Beloved Miriam!" he smiled with his eyes of pure love, I will see you again - soon."

Eyes now brimming with tears of joy and snivelling into her sleeve, the one we know as Mary Magdalene ran through the city to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" 

And the next stage of the Plan began!

Footnotes:

[1] Deuteronomy 21:23, Galatians 3:13

[2] The third day. As Jewish days begin at sunset, the first day was the one on which Jesus was crucified, the second began at sunset that evening and the third began at the end of the following day, beginning as Shabbat ended, at sunset. In theory, then, Jesus’ resurrection could have taken place at any point during the night before the dawn events that follow.

[3] Luke 24:5-7