Mark 16:1-8 - Hope in the darkness

Big Idea:

Jesus gives us hope in the darkness.

Intro:

Hey Church Online, thanks for joining us today.

Couple weeks ago, I looked out our front door and saw one of my sons, holding a trash bag, paralyzed with fear.

…No, we didn’t kick him out.

Minutes earlier, Janelle had told him to take out the trash. But it was night time. It was dark.

Maybe only those who have lived in other places will relate to this, but Connecticut gets dark at night. That seems obvious, but here’s what I mean. I grew up in the city - a big city. At night, there are street lights everywhere. But not here.

I remember when we first moved to Glastonbury. We used to drive around saying, “It’s really dark here.” And it’s really dark in my neighborhood, especially near the woods, where the trash cans are. And that’s why my son was paralyzed with fear. He’s scared of the dark.

I looked at him and said, “You are just like your father.”

… I’m his father. Which means, yes, I’m scared of the dark too.

Some of you remember the very first building we used when we started The River Church off of Hebron Ave. And you remember that we used to have church on Saturday night, when it was dark. After breakdown, we’d have to turn off the lights in that place.

Here’s the thing: The light switches were on the opposite side of the sanctuary from where the door was. When you turned off the lights, it was pitch black inside. It was super creepy, even though it was a church! And I’m scared of the dark. Which means, every Saturday night, I used to do the “I’m scared of the dark run” after church. You guys know what that looks like.

The dark is scary. Darkness creates fear. Let’s expand the application a little bit...

There’s a lot of darkness in our world right now. Not just physical darkness, but mental, emotional, and spiritual darkness too. Which likely explains all the fear in our communities today.

I think the mental health crisis is very much connected to this overwhelming presence of fear in our lives.

And the church isn’t immune to this. Many of us live in fear.

How do I know this? Because many of us aren’t living the lives God has created us for. Please hear me when I say this. I’m not pointing a finger in condemnation. I’m not judging you. I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m just stating something I’ve observed in our church and in my own life.

I heard JD Greear (a pastor in North Carolina) say, “Fear keeps you out of God’s promised land.” Obviously, he speaking about when the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land after the Exodus, but the application is greater. Fear keeps us from walking in the places God created us for.

Some of us are still afraid to fully surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior and become who we were created to be because we fear our friends mocking our faith.

Some of us are afraid to obey God’s word because we don’t know how that will change us.

We’re too afraid to take a day off even though God told us we need the rest to flourish in His promises!

Some of us are afraid to forgive and walk by faith because we might get hurt again.

Some of us are afraid to financially give because we don’t truly believe God is our provider… or the His promise that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive.

Fear keeps us from experiencing eternal life - experiencing life the way God designed it to be. And I believe much of this fear finds its source in darkness.

But can I encourage you with this? “Even when the darkness is overwhelming, you don’t need to be afraid.”

And today in Mark 16, we get the greatest proof of that. At this point of the Book of Mark, darkness seems to be winning. Remember Jesus (the Light of the world) has been crucified. He’s died and been buried. And all His promises follow Him to the grave. Hope seems to disappear. And you can feel this hopelessness in the next few verses...

Mark 16:1 ESV

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.

Exegesis:

Officially the Sabbath (the day when Jewish people rest according to God’s command) ends on Saturday evening at 6pm. It’s at this time that the ladies go and buy fragrant spices for Jesus’ tomb.

When Jesus died (the previous day on Friday afternoon), they didn’t have time to anoint His body the way they wanted to. These ladies loved Jesus. They were devoted to Him. They wanted to give him a proper burial plus extra. And they weren’t going to let His body just sit in a tomb as if no one cared about Him.

However, by the time He was buried, it was 6pm Friday and the Sabbath had begun. So, the ladies rested as God commanded; and then, as soon as they were able to, resumed their devotion to Jesus.

There’s a lesson here for us: Are you in darkness today? If so, here are two excellent steps for your season of darkness...

Remain devoted to Jesus. Don’t run away and give up like the disciples. Keep showing up to be near Jesus. As we’ll see, devotion often leads you be in the right place at the right time.

Keep obeying God as best as you can. When I read this story, I get the sense that the ladies - because of their devotion - felt an urgency to properly anoint the body of Jesus. Yet, when the Sabbath came, they stopped. They rested. Why? Because that’s what God said to do. They didn’t let the darkness dictate their decisions. They obeyed God even in the dark. How often do we let our circumstances override our obedience to Christ, especially in the darkness?

Is the darkness overwhelming you today? Learn from these godly women:

Remain devoted to Jesus.

And keep obeying God.

And watch what God does...

Mark 16:2 ESV

And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

So, they rested on the Sabbath; then, on Saturday night they bought spices. Went to bed. Woke up extremely early on Sunday and headed towards the tomb.

Mark 16:3 ESV

And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

It’s here we see the reality of overwhelming darkness. These words don’t simply reveal their need for help with a heavy stone... it’s a cry for help from their heart. Because at this moment, notice there’s no anticipation of resurrection. They don’t remember of Jesus’s words… “And they will [mock and spit on the Son of Man], and flog and kill him. And after three days he will rise again.” (Mark 13:34)

In their minds, darkness has won. Hope is gone. We really see this in the first part of verse 4…

Mark 16:4 ESV

And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.

In order for Mark to write they “looked up,” first implies they were looking down. And the context and language reveals the women were looking down with heavy hearts.

Their hopes had been crushed.

And their anxiety wasn’t only about the large stone, but rather, “Who will help us now? Who will save us from this world’s present darkness?”

Can you relate to their question?If so, look up! Because the impossible is now possible. That’s what Mark describes here...

The heavy stone was removed.

The Roman soldiers guarding the tomb were gone.

Something impossible happened because large stones don’t move themselves and Roman soldiers don’t abandon their post.

What happened? Let’s press into the story a little more...

Mark 16:5 ESV

And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.

The Greek word for “alarmed” means to be overwhelmed with terror. Some Bible teachers interpret it as simply meaning the women were amazed. Like, “Wow, this is cool!”

I think there’s room for amazement. There’s likely a mix of emotions happening. But I don’t think we need to dumb down the TRUTH that they were terrified! Think about it...

The whole story is surrounded by darkness.

The ladies are already filled with anxiety.

And they get to an open grave and the soldiers are gone!!!

It’s like a scary movie where you yell at the screen, “Don’t go in there!”

But what do they do? They go in!

And when they do, there’s a young man just sitting in the dark. Ugh… that’s creepy. Like, “Hello Clarice.”

Therefore, these ladies are terrified; and rightfully so. But when Mark writes that the young man was dressed in a white robe, he’s actually clarifying something for us. This supernatural visitor is not from the dark. This phrase is commonly used to describe a heavenly messenger. And the young man’s message confirms this...

Mark 16:6 ESV

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.

He tells them...

Don’t be terrified.

You’re looking for Jesus, right? You’re in the right place. He truly died and was here.

But He’s not here anymore.

And then I picture the angel doing this… [point to the empty grave].

And it’s at this moment that HOPE fills the tomb. The heavenly messenger, sent from the throne of God, delivers the greatest news: Darkness has lost. Evil and sin have lost. Jesus has defeated death - our greatest enemy. Therefore, there’s no need to fear because God has saved us!

Therefore...

Mark 16:7 ESV

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.”

Go tell everyone! Because “… perfect love [has cast] out fear!” (1 Jn 4:18) By the cross and resurrection, Jesus has taken away every reason to fear!

And if there was one person who needed to hear this message more than anyone, it was Peter. Which is why the angel says, “tell the disciples, but make sure you tell PETER!”

The same Peter who denied Jesus.

The same Peter who was defeated by darkness.

The same Peter who ran away afraid.

Tell THAT Peter, “There is hope! All the promises of God are true! Even the one when He said...”

Mark 14:28 ESV

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Jesus will be there just as He promised! God’s promises are always true, even when you fail.

And this is good news for us too, because in our darkness, we have fail Jesus just like Peter. But the good news is Peter’s hope is our hope, because Peter’s Jesus is our Jesus.

And real quick, let me remind us of the true definition of hope, because in our modern use, hope is like wish.

I hope the Giants win.

I hope I win the lottery.

I hope I get a good grade on my test.

That’s not what it means in the Bible. Hope is not a wish. Biblical hope is a guaranteed future outcome based on God’s promise. Hope is the truth that what God says will happen, will happen...

2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

When Jesus says, “…whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.” (Jn 6:37) that gives us hope because it’s a guaranteed promise! we can bank on that truth regardless of darkness, feelings, or circumstances.

When Jesus says, “whoever believes in Me should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16) that’s a guaranteed promise that gives hope!

When Jesus says, “I go and prepare a place for you (in heaven), [and] I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you will be also.” (Jn 14:3) that’s a guaranteed promise that gives us hope!

Ultimately, the angel tells the woman to go tell the disciples, “Out of the darkness, we have hope!”

Mark 16:8 ESV

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.

Once again, we see that mix of emotions. Astonishment and completely terrified. Like, “What the heck is going on. I don’t even know what to think” And then… Mark’s story stops.

If you have your Bible or Bible App open, you might see a division or an asterisk. Maybe, depending on your translation, you might have nothing after this verse. Some of the earliest manuscripts of Mark’s gospel end here. With an abrupt stop. And most scholars believe Mark truly ended his gospel here.

Now, that doesn’t mean if you have more verses in your Bible after verse 8, you’ve got the wrong Bible. Remember, the Holy Spirit (not Mark) is the author of Scripture. I’ll explain more about that next week. But if Mark truly ends his gospel here, it makes us wonder, “Why?”

Why leave the story unresolved? Why not tell the rest of the story like Matthew, Luke, and John did? Especially since we know that Mark’s gospel based on Peter’s account. And Peter definitely knew what happened after verse 8.

...I believe it’s because the Holy Spirit inspired Mark to write in a way that would most effectively connect to our heart and inspire faith in Jesus throughout the ages. Because think about this final narrative progression..

The women are surrounded by darkness and filled with fear.

But then, they HEAR the gospel - the good news about Jesus - and that they can have hope in their darkest moment.

But all they SEE is an empty tomb. In Mark’s gospel, there is no recorded experience of the visible, resurrected Jesus.

There is only the opportunity to respond by faith. Will I believe the gospel or not?

And that’s exactly what Mark’s original audience needed. Because Mark wrote to persecuted Christians being tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus. People surrounded by darkness. People unable to SEE a resurrected Jesus (who had already ascended to heaven). All they had was a promise of gospel hope in the darkness. An opportunity to respond by faith.

And in the same way, this is the message we need today. Our darkness is different, but it’s still overwhelming. It still seeks to destroy us, to leave us in despair, to paralyze us by fear, so that we would not walk in the promises of God for our lives.

But the gospel (good news) is: Because of Jesus, we can have hope in our darkest moments.

We may be absolutely terrified in our soul.

We may be surrounded by darkness.

But know this, we always have hope because Jesus has defeated darkness and cast out all fear.

And we don’t need to SEE Him to live victoriously over darkness.

All we need is faith, not sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

For we live by faith, not by sight.

Response:

You might be asking, “How do I live by faith in God’s promise instead of being paralyzed by the fear of darkness? How can I find hope in this darkness?”

I think our passage gives us practical steps to finding biblical hope. What did the women do when they were overwhelmed with darkness and needed hope?

They looked up.

When their hearts were heavy, they looked up and saw the empty tomb. When we are weighed down by darkness, what should we do? Look up!

King Jehoshaphat, surrounded by his enemies, said...

2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT

O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

Surrounded by darkness, he looked up, and found salvation.

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

When you are overwhelmed by darkness, look up towards Jesus. That’s where your help comes from.

2. They pressed in.

My friends, when darkness surrounds us, stop running away. Instead, press into God. When the women saw the tomb, what did they do? They pressed in. When darkness abounds, when things go wrong, press into the presence of Jesus...

Get into God’s word more.

Prioritize being at church or Life Group.

Press into His presence through prayer and worship.

3. Finally, they believed God’s promises.

This is the key to activating hope. We need to live by faith. We need to believe God’s promises, even when we can’t see or understand. Faith activates hope. And remember, biblical faith is always followed by action.

[As the worship team comes up] Let me share this final story… this past week, we got home late one night. The dogs had been home, by themselves, for a while, so they need to go pee. And again, it’s super dark outside, especially if you go towards the wooded area where there is a little bridge that goes over the creek.

It’s creepy at night. Sometimes I tell my boys, “Hey, I’ll give you $50 if you go sit down on that bridge in the dark for 15 seconds.” I’ve never had to pay $50, because we’re all scared of the dark.

But on that night, as Kade and I took out the dogs together, I decided to make Kade walk with me over the bridge and into the woods. He was super scared. I’m not gonna lie… I was a little scared too. But I promised him, “Trust me, nothing is going to happen.”

Then, we pressed into the darkness, took the dogs pee, and walked back unharmed.

Kade was surrounded by darkness, which gave him fear.

But then, he heard me promise we’d be okay.

But it didn’t stop there.

The proof of his belief was he walked with me over the bridge and into the darkness.

That’s faith. It’s belief followed by action.

Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation (you will be faced with darkness). But take heart (trust Me, have faith); I have overcome the world (I have defeated the darkness, so you can have hope).”

Do you need victory over the darkness today? Then look up, press in, and believe God’s promises. Put your faith in Jesus.

And remember another one of His promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrew 13:5)

This is our hope: Not only does God promise to one day save us FROM all darkness, He also promises to walk with us IN the darkness - just as I walked with my son.

And if God is with us...

Hebrews 13:6 ESV

So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

[or anything] Let’s pray...

Father, today we set our eyes on You. We press into Your presence. We don’t want to run from You anymore. We desperately need Your help. Forgive us for our sins. Forgive us for our failure to trust You. Today, we believe Your promise that You love us, will save us, and walk with us. Our hope is in You. In Jesus name, amen.

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