Mark 16:1-4 NASB95
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. [2] Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. [3] They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” [4] Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.
Let’s talk a little bit about the journey from known need to received provision. All of us walk through places in our life when a need arises, and we have to walk the journey between being aware of the need and experiencing the provision. These three women had bought spices to anoint the body of Jesus with, and just after dawn on Easter morning, they began the journey to travel to the tomb. As they walked along, they began to discuss among themselves about a big problem they were facing. Who was going to roll away the giant stone for them that sealed the front of the tomb. The reason I use the term “giant” is because the Holy Spirit describes it in verse 4 as “extremely large,” so this wasn’t a small problem they were facing; it was a huge problem. The grammar used in verse 3 in the Greek language indicates that they were continually speaking to each other about how big the need or problem was. It’s obvious that they were worried about it, and they were worried about it because they were reasoning with the mind of the flesh. There were only thinking in natural terms of how the stone could be moved instead of considering that God might do something supernatural. What they did not realize was that someone on the other end of the journey – on the provision end – had already provided the solution. God had sent angels, and they had already removed the stone before the ladies ever set out on their journey. In other words, the provision, though they couldn’t see it with their physical eyes yet, was already there before they thought about the need and spent the journey worrying about it. This is what a lot of us do, unfortunately. Remember, truth sets us free, and the truth is every time we have a need, regardless of how daunting it might seem, it is proof that the provision/solution in God already existed before we ever became aware of the need. Instead of spending their time worrying on the journey to the tomb, how much better would it have been if they had simply taken each step believing that God’s solution already existed even if they couldn’t see it or understand how God was going to do it. When they got to the tomb, verse 4 says, “looking up; they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.” Maybe at the beginning of each journey of “known need” and “provision received,” we should lift up our spiritual eyes and by faith see heavens supply, and receive it in our hearts (before we even understand how God’s going to take care of it) before we see it with our physical eyes. We always receive God’s provision twice; first, in our hearts by faith, and secondly, when we see it with our physical eyes.