Resurrection. Mark 16:1-8.
When the Sabbath was past, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back – it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Dear Followers of the Risen Christ,
The Sabbath ended on Saturday at dusk. Apparently, there were establishments open at this time for shopping. The women needed to purchase spices with which to anoint the body of Jesus, as they had had no opportunity to do that on Friday – the burial happened very close to the onset of the Sabbath.
Dilemma (v. 1-3). On the way to the tomb that early Sunday morning, the women wondered aloud, how they would get the stone blocking the entrance out of the way. They were not strong enough for the task, and there was no one in sight. This dilemma was only compounded by the solution.
Direction (v. 4-7). The stone had already been rolled away. This presented a problem because it was evidence of interference. Not only that, but they found a stranger sitting on the right side of the tomb as if waiting for them. What is more, he told them that Jesus had risen and invited them to see the place where his body had been laid, which place they would have seen during the burial, and was now empty.
Dismay (v. 8). The news was too fantastic to believe. The possibility of Jesus rising from the dead had never registered in their minds. At this moment they could not recall what Jesus had taught them, so they fled from the tomb in fright, fearing the worst – that someone had taken the body away; hoping that the young man’s incredible story was true. Sent to tell the good news to the disciples, they kept mum instead. The resurrection is the game-changer for humanity. Until they believed that it had happened, the women and the other disciples would be ruled by fear, uncertainty, and confusion. That is also true for all of us. Placing one’s hope in the resurrection changes everything. Not believing it keeps one in the mire of hopelessness. Choose for yourself.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.