After their initial discovery of the empty tomb on Resurrection Sunday, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph fled in fear, both from the dream-like vision of the angel saying Jesus had risen, and from the danger they supposed they could be in from the Roman soldiers for being followers of Him whom the authorities had just put to death. From John’s account Mary Magdalene appears to have ran alone to tell Peter and John what happened, and then followed them back to the tomb. The other Mary evidently ran to tell others, and perhaps met up with the other women whom they had arranged to meet at the tomb that morning. She may even have returned with them to the tomb to show them what they had found. For it was the two Marys who stayed late Thursday evening to see where Joseph of Arimathea interred Jesus’ body, and it is possible that the others would not have known the exact location and needed to be shown, hence their early arrival. Regardless, Matthew’s account makes clear that she was with Mary Magdalene later that morning after Peter and John had left the tomb to be the first not only to discover it was empty, but also the first to meet the risen Savior. What does the privilege Jesus afforded these women remind us about the preference He gives to those who stick closest to Him, even in the most trying of circumstances?
What elements of Luke’s account of the discovery of the empty tomb differ from those of Matthew’s that lead us to understand it was a different experience from that of the two Marys? With Mat 28:1,5-8 cf. Luk 24:1,4-8. Notice in Luk 24:1 that the women Luke describes have in hand the spices they had prepared, the mention of which Matthew omits, quite possibly because the two Marys whom he says “came to look at the grave” were not actually in possession of them, but arrived first so as to indicate to the others the exact location of Jesus’ tomb. As the spices used for burial were expensive (cf. Joh 12:3,7) they would likely have remained close to the family who would be responsible for providing them; see Mar 16:1 and recall that Salome was likely Jesus’ aunt, the sister of His mother Mary (cf. Mar 15:40, Joh 19:25). How does Mark’s description of the experience of the two Marys inside the tomb (which parallels Matthew’s) differ from what Luke says the women who brought the spices experienced? See Mar 16:5 and Luk 24:4 and think: whereas the two Marys discovered a single angel appearing as a young man dressed in a white robe and sitting at the right as they entered the tomb; what did the women Luke describes who brought the spices find when they entered? Note that the NAS perplexed means to be at a loss, i.e., the tomb was empty, except for the grave clothes in which Jesus’ body had been bound, so they were at a loss to explain what could have happened. How many angels suddenly appeared to them? Were they sitting?
How does Luke describe the women’s perception of how the two angels were clothed, and how does their perception differ from how the two Mary’s perceived the angel they found sitting in the tomb? Note the NAS dazzling apparel translates the verbal form of the Greek word for lightning, with which cf. Matthew’s description of the angel who rolled away the stone and terrified the guards; Mat 28:3. As the sunlight does not appear as bright to a person who has been working outside as it does to one who has just stepped out into it from a dark or shaded room, is it possible that the brightness of God’s angels of light who stand in His presence may appear to have different intensities to people depending upon the amount of spiritual light from God they are walking in at the time of the appearance, hence the more notable description of the angel that appeared as lightning to the guards, as having shining garments (KJV) or dazzling apparel (NAS) to these other women but simply clothed in a white robe to the two Marys who in their humble service seem to have dwelt particularly close to Jesus’ presence? Cf. Exo 34:29-30, Mat 18:10, Luk 1:19, 2Co 3:7,18, 1Ti 6:16. See also Joh 20:12 where Mary again had a vision of two angels in the tomb and they are described simply as clothed in white, and note that none of Gabriel’s appearances to Daniel, Zechariah or Jesus’ mother Mary is described in terms of the brightness of lightning, as opposed to the brightness of the glory of the Lord that is described when the angel appeared to the shepherds announcing Christ’s birth; Luk 2:9.
What did the women experience as a result of the sudden appearance of the two angels clothed as if in lightning? See Luk 24:5 and note that such fear is the uniform response throughout Scripture to God’s holy messengers; cf. Dan 8:17-18, 10:7-8, Mat 28:4, Luk 1:12,29, Act 10:3-4 (where Luke uses the same Greek word for the alarm that Cornelius, a godly Roman centurion, experienced at the angel’s appearance). What was their reaction to the sudden appearance of the angels? Was it only from fear that they bowed their faces to the ground? What does falling on one’s face before another indicate throughout Scripture? See Gen 17:3, 19:1, Jos 5:14, Rut 2:10, 1Sa 20:41, 24:8, 25:23, 28:14, 2Sa 9:6, 14:4,22,33, 18:28, 1Ki 1:23,31, 18:7, 1Ch 21:21, Eze 1:28, 3:23, 43:3, 44:4, Dan 2:46, 10:15, Luk 5:12, 17:16, Rev 4:10; cf. 1Pe 2:17 and see also 1Sa 5:3, 17:49. Besides respectful submission to authority, in what way does falling on one’s face also demonstrate humility? Cf. Num 16:4, Jos 7:6. Are we as quick to demonstrate our submission and subject ourselves to the lawful authorities God has placed in our lives?
Are there some authorities to whom we are not to bow ourselves down in subjection, especially in matters that contradict God’s higher authority? See Jos 23:7,16; cf. Exo 1:17, Est 3:2, 2Ki 3:13-14, Dan 3:2-6,18, 6:10, Act 4:19, 5:29, and consider that Satan is the god of this world and in many respects we are under his authority (Luk 4:6, 1Co 4:4, Eph 2:2), but we are only to subject ourselves to the ruling authorities he empowers to the extent that they are exercising the authority God has granted them in this fallen world, and not in regard to anything that would cause us to disobey God; cf. Jud 1:9. Although in this life God’s people must in humility subject themselves to the authorities He has ordained, what does He also communicate will be the end result of having learned submission ourselves to authority, even though it may cause us to suffer unjustly as Christ did in this world? See Isa 49:23, Rev 3:9; cf. 1Co 6:3, Phil 2:5-11, Heb 5:8, 12:3-11.