Did the women disciples of Jesus go to his tomb on Sunday morning to perform an optional Jewish ritual?

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Accepted answer

In early Jewish beliefs, the tomb would have remained open for three days, but no longer as the body would have decayed and begun to stink.

The tomb, however, was not immediately closed over the dead. During the first three days it was customary for the relatives to visit the grave to see whether the dead had come to life again (Massek. Sem. viii.; see Perles, "Leichenfeierlichkeiten," p. 10, and Brüll, "Jahrb." i. 51). -Jewish Encyclopedia-

Thus, it was so with Lazarus. It was past the three days and the belief was the body had begun to decompose.

Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

So, what about the women who go Sunday morning? The old joke was to finish and perfect the job the men had done, but the reality was to accomplish their understanding of who Jesus was; that is, the King. The King required more spices than a "servant".

But thou [Zedekiah king of Judea] shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD. Jer 34:5

And they buried him [Asa the king of Judea] in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him. 2 Chron 16:14

Their realization began at Lazarus' house about a week earlier.

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. ... Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. John 12:3, 7

This annointing was followed the next day at His triumphal entry on Sunday wherein they proclaimed Him king.

Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him [Jesus Christ], and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. John 12:13

It is quite the contrast between those proclaiming Him king and those preparing for His burial.

So, to answer the OP, while Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus had buried Jesus with a large amount of spices, for the women, it was not enough; indeed, it could never be enough for the King of kings.

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