Many women were there, watching from a distance… Matthew 27:55
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. Matthew 27:61
During this sacred movement of Holy Week, the Gospel writers make a quiet yet powerful observation…the women were there.
When the disciples scattered in fear, the women remained in faithful proximity. They stood at the cross while others stood at a distance. They watched where Jesus was laid. They returned to the tomb at dawn not with certainty, but with devotion.
Women like Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bore witness to both suffering and resurrection. In a cultural context where women’s testimony was often dismissed, God chose them as the first witnesses of the resurrection.
This is divine reversal. This is sacred affirmation. This is resurrection revelation entrusted to resilient women. Their presence proclaims: Faith is not always loud but it is loyal. Love does not always understand but it shows up anyway. Hope may grieve but it returns at dawn.
There is something sacred about those who stay around when circumstances are difficult – like the mother who sits beside a hospital bed when answers are uncertain; like the advocate who keeps marching when justice feels delayed; and like the leader who continues the work when resources are low but calling is high.
The women did not have a resurrection script. They had spices, sorrow, and steadfastness. They came prepared to anoint a body but instead, they encountered an empty tomb and an angelic announcement: “He is not here; He has risen!”
What they expected to end in death was interrupted by divine possibility.
Let’s Reflect: Where is God calling you to stay present this Holy Week. Is it at the cross, at the tomb, or on the way to resurrection?
Let’s Act: This Holy Week meditation invites us into the ministry of presence.
1. Stay When It’s Hard
Not every season will feel victorious. Some moments will look like crucifixion, loss, injustice, heartbreak. Yet faith calls us to remain present even when we cannot yet perceive purpose.
2. Return Even When You’re Uncertain
The women went back to the tomb unsure of what they would find. Your return to prayer, to purpose, to community creates space for resurrection encounters.
3. Bear Witness to Both Pain and Power
The same women who saw the cross also proclaimed the resurrection. You are called to hold both truth and testimony: We have suffered and we have seen God move.
4. Trust That God Uses Those Who Show Up
The first preachers of the resurrection were women who simply refused to leave. Your presence positions you for divine revelation.
Let’s Pray:
Gracious God, Thank You for the witness of the women who stayed who stood at the cross in courage and walked to the tomb in faith. Teach us to remain when it is hard, to return when we are uncertain, and to trust You when we do not understand. When we stand at the crossroads of promise and pain, remind us that resurrection is still possible. Make us faithful witnesses, present in suffering, awake to hope, and bold in proclaiming that You are not finished yet. In the name of the one who endured the cross and rose with all power in His Hands, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Faithfully serving,
Rev. Sondrea L. Tolbert, J.D., M.Div.
Executive Director & CEO
*Image credit: Christianity Today.
