A Word about the Master of the Dawning

Today I want to share a word about the Master of the Dawning, as I comment on Luke 24:1-12. This passage reads:

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet 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, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Somebody has well said there are only two kinds of people in the world.  There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."  For those of us who aren’t morning people, here’s a good story:

The Bear family is just waking up. Baby Bear goes downstairs and sits in his small chair at the table. He looks into his small bowl, and he sees that it is empty. “Who's been eating my porridge?” he squeaks.

Daddy Bear arrives at the table and sits in his big chair. He looks into his big bowl. It is also empty! “Who's been eating my porridge?” he roars, as big bears often do.

Momma Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells, “For Pete's sake, how many times do we have to go through this?!”

“It was Momma Bear who got up first. It was Momma Bear who woke up everybody else in the house.  It was Momma Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away.”

“It was Momma Bear who went out into the cold early morning air to fetch the newspaper and the wood for the fire. It was Momma Bear who set the table.  It was Momma Bear who put the cat out, cleaned the litter box and filled the cat's water and food bowls.”

“And now that you've decided to come downstairs and grace me with your presence ... listen good because I'm only going to say this one more time ...” She yells, “I haven't made the stupid porridge yet!!”

Early on the first Lord’s Day, some women got up to do a very important task.  They learned that Jesus is the Master of the Dawning.

A DISAGREEABLE TASK:

Down through the centuries, women have often been given disagreeable tasks, like:

• Cleaning the house.
• Washing dishes and clothes.
• Taking care of the needs of children.
• Responding when at accident happens at home.

In this vein, we see that these women came to do a necessary, but disagreeable, task. On Good Friday, there had been no time to anoint the dead body of Jesus. Now that the Sabbath was over, they had the chance and they arose early to do this, possibly to avoid trouble.

This simple act of decency and compassion tells us more than meets the eye at first glance. These women came prepared to anoint a dead body, so they believed that Jesus was really dead. They had not yet understood what He intended to do and so they loved Him enough to do this dangerous, disagreeable task. Because of their love and bravery, God allowed them to see the truth first!

A DISMAYING DISCOVERY:

When the women arrived. they were shocked! The tomb was open, and the body wasn’t there. Then, strangers appeared nearby. Naturally, the women were frightened and upset. So, who were these men? 

They had the characteristics of angels: They appeared out of nowhere. They shined and glowed and they came with a message.

Their message was a critical one. What if they had said “Jesus’s body was stolen?” What if they had said “The man was a fraud, and He never died? What if they had said, “Foolish women, He was a devil?”

This was a key moment in the story of first Easter. What did these men say?

A DYNAMIC MESSAGE:

Blessedly for us, the message of the angels was none of those above. Jesus was not there because He is not dead, though He had died. Jesus was not there because He is risen because He had done just what He said He would do. Though the women didn’t understand before, but they would, now.

This message is the kernel of the Gospel: Jesus died for our sins. Jesus rose again, defeating death and Hell. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God today, making intercession for us! To discard these facts of our faith would be like discarding a car’s engine.

What an astonishing turn of events! What an astonishing message! Could this be real? Could the women believe their ears? One indicator that they did believe was to note what they did after they received this message. They immediately ran to tell others. Unlike Peter who wanted to build houses on Mount of Transfiguration, they didn’t keep this joyous news to themselves. They told all to those who needed to know!

THE DISBELIEVING DISCIPLES:

The Disciples had been so excited about having Passover in Jerusalem, it was like a dream come true. But, then they had been shocked by Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and then they had been frightened by Jesus’ arrest and trial. They were shattered by Jesus’ death on the cross among thieves. They were totally defeated and demoralized.

The Disciples naturally did not believe what the women told them. They “knew” that the world as they knew it was over. They needed more than wild stories and rumors and, besides, in those days, women were not trusted with important news. They just wouldn’t believe unless they saw themselves.

Even when Peter saw the scene in the tomb with his own eyes, he didn’t understand what had happened. He was as perplexed as the women. He would need a special messenger to teach him also. As it is often said, the ground is level at the foot of the Cross.

CONCLUSION:

Today, we know everything that the women knew, and even more, now that we have the benefit of the full canon of Scripture. Based on what God has revealed to us, at the dawning of each day, whether the dawn is anticipated, or it is dreaded, we need to remember that Jesus us the Master of the Dawning. If we make Him our Master, He will master our dawning as well, whatever it might bring our way!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt