Matthew 28:8 (ESV) So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. “They” refers to the women who met the angel at the tomb early on that resurrection Sunday. Matthew identifies these women as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:1). According to Mark’s account there were three women that went to the tomb that morning: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome (Mark 16:1). Luke refers only to “the women” (Luke 24:1), while John only mentions Mary Magdalene (John 20:1). Regardless of the exact number of women (I believe it was three) there is no mention in any of the accounts of any of the eleven remaining disciples going to Jesus’ tomb early that morning. Where were the men?
Well, they were hiding (Matthew 26:56). While the eleven disciples deserted and fled prior to the crucifixion and are nowhere to be found on the morning of the resurrection, these women are there, and they had been there, throughout the process.
Let’s take a moment and focus on these women because they serve as tremendous examples of true leadership, leadership by example. First in, Last out: This is a principle that ALL effective leaders demonstrate. These women have followed Jesus throughout this entire process. Let’s look at a few verses from Matthew’s account, working our way back to Matthew 28:8.
- Matthew 27:55 (NIV) Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.
- Matthew 27:61 (NASB) And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
- Matthew 28:1 (NKJ) Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
- Matthew 28:8 (NIV) So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
As we can clearly see these women were committed followers. They did not let their fear prevent them from being near and staying near Jesus, even during His death, and certainly in His resurrection. They were with Jesus during His ministry, they followed Him to the cross, they stayed with Him at the cross, they followed His body to the grave, they stayed at the burial site as long as they possibly could (last out), as soon as they possibly could they returned to the grave to be near Jesus (first in), and now they quickly run to spread the news of His resurrection. This stands in sharp contrast to the 11 remaining disciples who, at this point, are nowhere to be found, because they were in hiding.