Mark - A risen Lord

 

A Risen Lord

Good morning class.

Question of the day:  What was a high point and a low point of your week?

READ: Mark 16

16 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. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As 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. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 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.’”

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

[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

What a fascinating ending.  Actually it is pretty widely accepted that Mark never finished it.  Verse 8 ends in such a way that it is far from complete.  Either the ending was lost or the ending was never written.  Remember Mark is the first of the gospels written, and yet the other gospels have so much detail that is not included here.  For the purposes of this class we will just go over it all as normal.  Verses 9-20 though written by someone else, and added much later is most likely taken from the other gospels.  

So lets go back to verse 1. 

After the Sabbath.  

Can you imagine waiting? Can you imagine how bad they must have wanted the Sabbath to be over.  They were there as soon as the sun was coming up.  Early in the morning. Early and completely unprepared.  The fact that they didn't have anyone to help them roll away the stone is fascinating to me.  I can't imagine these women didn't ask some men to come with them.  Were they just so excited or could they not find anyone who would come? 

I can't help but note the importance of the timeline and the Sabbath rest.  If the women had gone on Sabbath, the would have found him still in the grave, instead of being witness to the empty tomb.  

How many times do we let our own justifications run ahead of God and his timing?

This has challenged me.  

The arrive and see that the problem they were expecting was completely not a problem! 

I must admit I fall into the trap of worrying about things that end up not even being an issue.  What can we learn from this small part of the story? 

1. Worry shouldn't keep us from moving!  The women were concerned or worried that they wouldn't be able to move the stone and yet they got their oils together and headed to the tomb.  They acted even without a complete plan.  They went... with what they had... oil... and the obstacles the feared were not even there when they arrived.  

2. Worry is often for nothing.  Worry is wasted.  

So then the women enter the tomb.  I'm sure I would have been hesitant.  What would they find? Was it safe? Should they just go home? But they moved forward.  

I know you are all expecting it, so I won't disappoint.... THIS IS ALL ABOUT WHAT WOMEN WERE DOING! 

Women couldn't wait to go anoint his body.

Women got the oils needed.

Women got up early and were there just after sunrise.

Women didn't have a plan but went anyway.

Women went into a tomb that was open.

WOMEN.

Moving on.  

They see the young man in white, and he tells them that Jesus has risen.  

What is the message he shares? 

What is the significance of this message?

Then it just says that the women left bewildered and not telling anyone.  

Here is where I wish we had the ending that is either missing or never written.  

However because of the other gospels we know what happened.  

We know about Jesus doing all he can to let his disciples know that he loved them and that he had risen.  It was his most important work.  He needed them to understand that he had risen and he loved them.  

Through out this gospel we see Mark letting us know who Jesus is.  Here he lets us know that Jesus is risen.  RISEN! 

That makes all the difference.  

He isn't a martyr He is our RISEN LORD!

Before we rap up this book, do you have any takeaways from the book of Mark?  Anything that you are going to remember?