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Mark 16
The Resurrection

(Mark does not preach, he tells about the facts, the people Jesus loves, and the people who love Jesus. Mark tells us of something that breaks into the horror and dread without the white wash of romance.)

1When the Sabbath was over (What kind of Sabbath was it for them? Grief? Despair? Anger?), Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" (Early morning was the earliest they could work on Jesus’ body without breaking the Sabbath, but they had forgotten about the problem of rolling the big stone away from the tomb. Was this because they were in such a hurry to prepare the body and/or because they were in such grief and shock that they had not thought of the obvious problem?)

4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. (There reaction would not have been a fluffy bumper sticker of “Wow! Look how God provides!” Rather, it would have been the feeling you get when come home after work to find your fount door standing wide open. It is a feeling of horror, dread, violation, fear, and anger that someone had broken in.) 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said (Easy for him to say! They were terrified). "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter (Peter was probably in the most despair because of his denial.), 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee (Why Galilee instead of Jerusalem? Jerusalem was too hot and dangerous. Christ was leading them to a place beside still waters, a place where he could comfort his friends.). There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (“He has risen!” are the key words of this passage. There is no category in the women’s understanding for this. They ran in terror trying to process and understand. They ran in fear of believing what they desperately hoped could be true. These women went from utter grief to unimaginable joy in a matter of seconds. Little human hearts were not made for this. This was truly something! Jesus’ resurrection in 29AD cut across all of humanity and not since Adam had anything changed reality so drastically! And nothing will again until some day, maybe somewhere around sunset, we suddenly realize that Jesus is beginning his return!)

This leaves us wanting and longing for understanding as to what this means for us and for the world. The application of the resurrection is easy to find, it is the rest of the New Testament. Here are seven principles that will help guide us in our understanding. They are:

1) In the resurrection Christ is vindicated. It is God’s seal of approval on his son’s work.
2) Those God loves have a true freedom from sin’s tyranny. We are under grace and sin has lost its dominion.
3) We now have a true righteousness before God. As Paul tells us, Christ was raised for our justification.
4) Christ is now qualified to be the judge on the last day. Make no mistake, he will not come humbly! (See Paul in Athens in Acts 17)
5) Certainty has been established that our brothers and sisters, whom we have buried, will rise again, that we will rise again, and we will all see each other again.
6) From earthworms to earthquakes, Christ’s resurrection is good news to the natural world.
7) The resurrection of Jesus assures us that our own weakness is not the last word.

There is life in God’s son! It is God’s world and the resurrection assures us that he will redeem all things. My brothers and sisters, we have good reason to hope!

Amen!

The seven points are a great summary of our faith. Thanks for posting this.