What Is Your Stone?

The hours following the crucifixion of Christ brought heartache, disappointment, and fear to His disciples. Just a few days earlier, expectations had been heightened when Jesus rode the donkey on a road to Jerusalem and stopped on the hill overlooking the favored city. He had allowed the exclamations of excitement and delight as those participating in the parade began to embrace anew the idea of an earthly kingdom, with Him as their earthly king.

As the week continued toward the Sabbath, events unfolded that resulted in His death on the Cross. Carefully taken down by friends and laid in a borrowed tomb, Jesus had rested over the Sabbath hours.

“Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, ‘Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?’” Mark 16:1–3.

But let’s backtrack a bit. As Christ’s disciples hunkered down over the Sabbath hours, they dealt with their fizzled dreams. Shocked by the recent events, they wondered about their future. Did they even recall the words of Jesus, who prophesied He would be resurrected on the third day? Where was their faith in their Best Friend who had lovingly guided them to think in terms of a Divine Plan for their future? Their fondest hopes were dashed, their future plans had perished, and the proverbial “the bottom drops out” became part of their life, leaving them discouraged and feeling Savior-less.

But in spite of the downward spiral, there were some who carried on amid the challenges of unbelief and bleakness circulating like wind among them all. Let’s focus on the last sentence in the verse above, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” Did you catch what is written here? These women were on the way to Jesus’ tomb, pressing on, going forward with their task of anointing His body, even though they had no answer to their question, “Who will roll away the stone?” They did not have answers, but moved forward even though impossibilities loomed in their minds.

The stone they refer to has been estimated to have weighed around 3,000 pounds, and was pushed down an incline into a groove, sealing the tomb for security. It could also easily have been a foot thick—quite a heavy item to be removed by three women.

What stands out to me in this story is that, despite the obstacles they feared would hinder their task of anointing Christ’s body, the women still went forward. In spite of their own discouraging thoughts regarding His death, they had a job to do. They didn’t ask for strong men to accompany them to remove the stone; they were impressed to care for their Lord, and they moved in accordance with their faith that God would provide at their time of need.

We know the rest of the story—the women discovered the stone had already been rolled away, giving them access to the interior of the tomb that no longer housed the body of Jesus. Their desire to anoint His body flew from their minds as they wrestled with many questions.

One day, I read these words: “They knew that they could not remove the stone, yet they kept on their way” (The Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White, p. 788). We all have stones in our life—those impossible things that make life feel so daunting. But an encouraging promise in God’s Word reminds us that “… ‘with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26).

Today, no matter what stone we face in life, we can keep on our way, trusting that God will work all things out for the best (Romans 8:28).