Week 1 Saturday — That First Easter... I Was There
Day 6: The Women Who Stayed
Day 6: The Women Who Stayed
Luke 8:1-3; Luke 23:49, 55-56; Luke 24:1-10
Introduction
They were there from the beginning.
When Jesus traveled from town to town preaching the good news of the Kingdom, the Twelve weren’t the only ones who followed. Luke tells us there were women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others—who traveled with Jesus and supported His ministry out of their own resources.
In a culture that treated women as second-class citizens, where a woman’s testimony wasn’t considered valid in court, where religious teachers wouldn’t even speak to women in public, Jesus welcomed them. Taught them. Valued them. Included them in His inner circle.
And they stayed.
When the crowds turned against Him, the women stayed. When the disciples argued about who was greatest, the women stayed. When Jesus was arrested and the Twelve scattered, the women stayed. When He hung on the cross and most had fled in fear, the women stayed. When He was buried and hope seemed dead, the women stayed.
And on Sunday morning, when the tomb was empty and the world was about to change forever, the women were the first ones there.
The women who stayed—some of their names have been forgotten, but what they did was recorded for all time.
Not because they were braver than the men. Not because their faith was stronger. But because they had learned something the others hadn’t yet grasped: Faithfulness isn’t measured by what we do when following Jesus is easy. It’s measured by what we do when it costs us everything.
The women who stayed teach us what devotion looks like when the spotlight fades, when the miracles stop, when the promise feels broken, and all that’s left is love.
Scripture
¹ After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
— Luke 8:1-3 (NIV)
⁴⁹ But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
— Luke 23:49 (NIV)
⁵⁵ The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶ Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
— Luke 23:55-56 (NIV)
¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
— Luke 24:1-4, 9-10 (NIV)
Reflection
The Faithful Presence
They didn’t preach sermons. They didn’t perform miracles. They didn’t debate theology with the Pharisees or receive special commissions from Jesus. But they did something just as important: they showed up, they kept serving.
Day after day. Town after town. When Jesus taught, they listened. When He healed, they witnessed. When He needed support, they provided it out of their own resources.
Luke doesn’t tell us much about their individual stories, but we know enough to understand what it cost them. Mary Magdalene had been delivered from seven demons—she knew what Jesus had saved her from. Joanna was the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager—following Jesus could have endangered her husband’s position, maybe even their lives. These weren’t all wealthy women; some had been healed by Jesus. They gave what they had, sacrificially, because they loved Him. They risked reputation, security, comfort, and safety to follow a traveling rabbi who had no place to lay His head.
And when things got hard—really hard—they didn’t leave.
The disciples ran. The women stayed.
At the cross, when most of Jesus’ followers had scattered in fear, the women stood at a distance and watched. They witnessed every moment of His suffering. They saw Him die. They followed Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb and watched where they laid His body. Then they went home, prepared burial spices, and waited through the Sabbath.
And early Sunday morning, while the disciples were still hiding behind locked doors, the women went back to the tomb.
Not because they expected resurrection. They were going to anoint a dead body. They were going to perform one last act of love and devotion for the man who had changed their lives. They expected to find a corpse. They found an empty tomb and became the first witnesses of the resurrection.
The faithful ones are always positioned to see what others miss.
God didn’t forget their names. Luke records that there were “many others”—women whose names we’ll never know. But their faithfulness mattered. Their resources supported Jesus’ ministry. Their presence provided stability when the disciples were unstable. Their service in obscurity made visible ministry possible. No act of faithful service is wasted in God’s economy. The meal prepared. The financial support given. The hurting held. The miles walked. The tears shed. The faithful presence when no one else was watching. God sees it all. He records it. And He honors it—not just in eternity, but in the story He’s writing right now. The women who stayed teach us that significance isn’t measured by visibility. It’s measured by faithfulness.
We Are Like Them (Or We Should Be)
Where is Jesus calling us to stay when everything in us wants to run?
We follow Jesus when it’s comfortable. When miracles are happening. When the crowds are cheering. When our faith makes sense and fits neatly into our lives without disrupting anything important. We’re present when following Jesus costs us little.
But what about when it costs us everything?
What about when following Jesus means staying in a difficult marriage instead of walking away? When it means serving in obscurity instead of chasing the spotlight? When it means loving people who hurt us, forgiving those who don’t deserve it, showing up for the broken and the messy when it would be easier to disappear?
What about when Jesus doesn’t perform the miracle we begged for? When prayers go unanswered? When the promise feels dead and buried? When hope is wrapped in grave clothes and sealed behind a stone?
That’s when faithfulness is tested. Not in the celebration, but in the crucifixion. Not in the triumph, but in the tomb.
The women didn’t stay because they understood what was happening. They stayed because they loved Him. They didn’t have a plan. They didn’t have hope for resurrection. They just knew: I can’t leave Him. Even if He’s dead, I have to be here.
And that’s the kind of faithfulness Jesus honors. The kind that shows up when there’s nothing left to gain. The kind that serves when no one’s watching. The kind that remains when everyone else has moved on.
We live in a world that celebrates visible success, measurable impact, platform and influence. But the women who stayed teach us that the most important kind of faithfulness happens in the shadows—when no one sees, when nothing makes sense, when all you have left is love.
We were there with the women at the cross. We are there now—faced with the choice to stay or to run, to remain faithful or to protect ourselves, to love when it costs us or to walk away when it gets hard.
Grace Note
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
The women didn’t know Sunday was coming. They prepared burial spices on Friday, not resurrection robes. They went to the tomb expecting death, not life. But because they stayed faithful—because they didn’t give up even when hope seemed lost—they became the first witnesses of the greatest miracle in history. God honors faithfulness. He sees what you’re doing in the shadows. He knows what it costs you to stay. And at the proper time, He will bring the harvest. Don’t give up. Sunday is coming. - This is The Way
Prayer Prompt
Jesus,
Thank You for the women who stayed. For their example of faithful devotion when everything seemed lost. I confess that I’m tempted to run when following You gets hard. When prayers go unanswered. When promises feel delayed. When staying costs me more than I want to pay.
Teach me their faithfulness. Not the kind that needs miracles to keep going, but the kind that serves simply because I love You. Help me stay when others run. Help me show up when it would be easier to disappear. Help me remain when nothing makes sense and all I have left is love.
Give me eyes to see that the most important kind of faithfulness happens in obscurity. When no one’s watching. When nothing seems to be changing. When all I can do is prepare spices for a dead dream and wait for Sunday to come.
I don’t want to miss the resurrection because I gave up on Friday. Help me stay. Amen.
Response
1. Identify Where You’re Tempted to Run: Write down one area of your life where following Jesus is costing you something—and you’re tempted to walk away. A difficult relationship? A ministry that feels fruitless? A calling that’s hard? A forgiveness that feels impossible? Name it honestly. Then ask: What would it look like to stay? Not because I see the outcome, but because I love Jesus?
2. Show Up in the Shadows: Find one place this week where you can serve faithfully without recognition, reward, or visible results. Visit someone who’s lonely. Pray for someone who will never know. Give anonymously. Clean something no one will notice. Serve when no one’s watching. Practice the kind of faithfulness the women demonstrated—motivated by love, not applause.
3. Prepare for Sunday: The women prepared spices on Friday, not knowing Sunday was coming. What “Friday preparation” do you need to do while you’re waiting for God to move? Maybe it’s continuing to pray when you don’t see answers. Maybe it’s studying Scripture when faith feels dry. Maybe it’s serving when ministry feels fruitless. Stay faithful in the preparation. Sunday is coming, even when you can’t see it yet.
To read all the posts in this devotional series, visit: That First Easter... I Was There
© Steve Peschke / This Is The Way