But who?

Mark 16:4
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

It had been three days since they watched their friend and teacher suffer and die. What a horrible time for Mary, Mary, and Salome. (Yes, there were two Marys and, interestingly enough, their names together mean “bitter, bitter, peace” but that has nothing to do with what I am about to write.) On this day they were coming to the tomb of Jesus to anoint His body with spices as part of the burial, and as a way to pay their respects.

As they walked they talked to each other, no doubt about Jesus’ horrible death and how sad they were. They wondered and discussed who would roll away the stone from His tomb. (Mark 16:3) They knew it would be impossible for them to roll such a huge boulder away from the entrance to the tomb. Given the fact that the next verse starts, “But when they looked up....”, I find it safe to assume that they talked about rolling the stone away as they walked up to the tomb.

How depressed were these three women? To be walking up to the tomb and not have noticed from far off that the stone had been moved. They must have been looking at their feet while they walked, completely heartbroken, for their King had been killed. They were down and out and had no hope. They were under the assumption that they were going to put smell-nice on a rotting carcass. But that’s not at all what happened.

How often do we walk through our lives like these women? We have the promise that Jesus gave in His word, but we walk through our days with our heads to the ground, hopeless. That’s not what Jesus intended or intends for us. He came to die, but more so, to live and to give life.

These women were worried about the giant stone. Who would be able to move it out of the way so that they could get to Christ? That stone is a representation of God’s law. Who would be able to move it out of the way (not destroy it) so that we can get to Christ? Again, in perfect harmony with every other example of God’s grace and love for humanity, the stone was moved before they came to it. The same holds true in our lives today. The stone or law has been moved aside (not destroyed) in preparation for us to freely and boldly come before the throne of God’s grace through Christ.

Don’t walk through life wondering what you need to do in order to get to Christ. Don’t fret like the Marys did about how you’re going to accomplish your goal. Christ has already prepared the way for you. He’s moved the obstacle that was keeping you from salvation to the side and given you free access to Him. There is no work to be done. “It is finished!”