Scripture Reference: Luke 24
That first day of the week, the three women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, who was the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household, Mary, the mother of James and other women with them rushed to the tomb of Jesus after spending the previous days mourning Him during the Sabbath.
Love With Fear and Doubt
It happened, as they were greatly perplexed . . ., that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” And they remembered His words (Luke 24:4-8).
The women had heard Christ speaking about what would happen on the third day. On at least three occasions, He had specifically told them that He would rise from the dead.
They had heard His words, but it is quite clear that on this first day of the week, they did not expect anything unusual to happen. Their journey to the tomb was motivated by love, but it was absolutely devoid of faith. Whatever faith they had in Christ before had been overwhelmed by the darkness of Calvary. Faith was extinguished, and all that was left was love. So they went to the tomb with spices to anoint His dead body.
It is possible to have great love for Christ and yet walk in doubt and fear. These women believed in Christ’s cause. They gave their money to support it. They had a deep love for Christ. But they were traumatized by the horrible reality of His excruciating death that they witnessed just two days before, and now they felt that death was stronger than His promise. Fear had replaced faith and all what was left was uncertainty; all they had left was the love they had had for Him.
Today, many people have a deep affection for Christ and what He did but find it hard to believe in His life today. Having learned about the Christian faith, they may have been drawn to Christ and began to believe in Him and His work. But then they experienced great darkness in a personal tragedy, or in some great evil that was done, and somewhere in the darkness they allowed fear and doubt to rule.
This has been a struggle for many who have served their country on the field of battle for instance. Many who are first responders in law enforcement and firefighters, experience the same thing. The trauma of seeing the unspeakable cruelty and suffering around us has led some to say with sadness that they can no longer believe in a living Christ. The pain seems to extinguish the possibility of faith.
That was the position of these women on that first morning after Jesus’ death, and it is the position of many today. Perhaps, like these women, you have seen unspeakable cruelty and suffering, and you simply cannot come to terms with it. In the darkness, faith has been replaced with doubt and fear and all that is left is love you feel for what Christ stood for. You still attend church because there is affection for Jesus in your soul. You wish that it all might have been true, but the wish is filled with sadness and doubt.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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