Luke 24:1 describes the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early on the first day of the week, carrying spices they had prepared to anoint his body. The verse matters because it marks the first step of the Easter story: faithful people coming to honor Jesus while the world was still dark, unaware of what God had already done. Luke is the one telling the story, and he is writing for a Gentile reader named Theophilus, so he gives a careful account of who was there and why.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.
Luke 24:1 (WEB)
What Luke 24:1 Means
The phrase “on the first day of the week” points to Sunday, the day after the Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath had ended at sundown on Saturday, which freed the women to act. Their timing shows that their grief had not turned into indifference. They wanted to finish the burial work that had been cut short by the hurried Friday evening burial.
“At early dawn” tells you they moved while it was still dark or just beginning to lighten. The detail is simple, but it sets up the contrast that runs through the chapter: they arrived looking for a body in the dark, and the light of resurrection was already breaking over the scene. The verse makes no promise about how the day would turn out. It only shows what love does when it has no answers yet, which is to keep showing up.
The Context of Luke 24:1
Luke wrote the third Gospel and the book of Acts, and tradition identifies him as a physician and companion of Paul. His Gospel is known for its attention to women, the poor, and outsiders, and he places several women at the center of the resurrection account. The verse is part of the closing chapter, which moves quickly from the crucifixion to the empty tomb, the appearance of two men in dazzling clothing, and the disciples’ disbelief.
Read in that setting, the verse is the hinge between sorrow and surprise. Everything before it describes death and burial, and everything after it describes the astonishing news that Jesus is alive. The women are the first to arrive at that turning point, and Luke wants you to see that the good news reaches the faithful before it reaches the powerful.
Key Phrases in Luke 24:1
Mark 16:2
Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
(WEB)
Mark gives a parallel account of the same morning visit, adding that the women came when the sun had risen. Reading the two accounts together helps you see how the early hour and the rising light fit into the larger story.
John 20:1
Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb.
(WEB)
John describes Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb early, while it was still dark. Her visit sits alongside Luke’s account and deepens the picture of devoted grief turning into first encounter with the risen Lord.
A Short Prayer From Luke 24:1
Lord, you know the mornings when I wake up carrying more than I can explain, and you know the things I am trying to finish before the light has fully come. Like the women who went to the tomb, help me to keep showing up with what love I still have. Teach me to trust that you are already at work in the places I cannot see yet. Give me courage for the next faithful step, and let your light break into my darkness in your own time. Amen.
