When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

-Mark 16:1-8

Two Initial Discoveries

"...He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'" (vs. 6-7)

Discovery 1

  • The empty tomb.
  • Mark names three women who discovered the empty tomb. Earlier, these three are also named as among those who saw Jesus on the cross, and then those who saw where he was buried. 

Discovery 2

  • Jesus was appearing to his disciples in ways that convinced them he wasn't just a ghost or a vision, but that he truly rose from the dead.
  • An empty tomb alone doesn't mean resurrection-- there are other reasons why the body might not be there. So there needed also to be instances of the appearance of the resurrected Jesus.

One More Discovery

"...tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him...'" (vs. 7)

Earlier in the Gospel of Mark, Peter is the one who denies knowing Jesus three times, despite promising his faithfulness. The discovery not just of the resurrection, but of grace.

The Easter Discovery for Today

What the resurrection means for the past: it is true! Jesus really is King, really has the power to forgive; he is the one who has the power to fulfill the promises of scripture for Israel.

What the resurrection means for the future: the Jewish prophets looked forward to a new creation, and if Jesus rose from the dead in the middle of history, then that new creation is beginning already.

What the resurrection means for the present: a new identity as God's beloved. To discover the resurrected Jesus is to discover love; with God's love you have a new identity. We have new jobs as God's co-workers-- we are invited to be part of the new world He is building. We have a new perspective on suffering that is marked by hope. The resurrection reminds us that death is not the end. We live in a universe where God can do something new.

 

Questions for Small Groups
  1. Can you think of a discovery that was scary to embrace? How did you come to terms with it?
  2. Just like today, many in the first century would have found Jesus’s resurrection unbelievable: the report of an empty tomb by women (not considered credible witnesses in the ancient world); belief in a bodily existence after death (Greeks believed in the immortality of the soul); and the resurrection of one man in the middle of history (Jews believed in the resurrection of all at the end of history). How can we help people today believe the unbelievable? In other words, how can we help people embrace a difficult discovery?
  3. Jesus’s resurrection can impact our understanding of the past (as we are grafted into Israel’s history), the future (as we anticipate life after death), and the present (in our identity as those forgiven like Peter by the risen Jesus; in our work, which anticipates God’s work of new creation; and in our handling of suffering). Which of these dimensions (past, present, future) resonates most with you and why?

 

Missed this Sunday's sermon? Watch it here!

 

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