2.15.20 4.9.2023 Mark 16 In the Beginning (2)

Start:

Entice: For us Easter is a reminder of the beginning. The beginning of faith. The beginning of the Gospel. The beginning of the Church. Today, when we read Mark’s account of the Resurrection we know Jesus is already alive. We do well to remember that the audience who first heard Mark’s Gospel read, also already knew Jesus was alive. As I said at the beginning of this series, the Gospel was preached before any of the Gospels were written.

Mark 16:1–20 ESV

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 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. 7 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.” 8 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. 9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole 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 cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

In the beginning the women at the tomb struggled with a message that seemed beyond comprehension. They were fearful, forgetful, and they fled.

In the beginning the men, His disciples, struggled with embarrassment at their own abandonment of Jesus.

In the beginning the flock which would become the Church was shattered, scattered, and disillusioned.

Easter faith is like giving birth.

It is painful.

It combines our understanding,

our will,

our emotions.

It is felt in our gut

and

accepted by our minds.

And in the beginning most of us are dazed and confused like the women in the tomb or the disciples in hiding.

Engage: When did you first meet the Resurrected Jesus? Where was the beginning of your Easter faith? How often do you commune with Him now to nourish your faith so that it is as fresh now as it was in the beginning?

Expand: It is hard to tell a story when everyone knows the ending. That was the dilemma for both Peter the preacher and Mark who recorded his preaching. It can still be challenging today. My guess is that every time Peter preached about the resurrection He was overcome with the memories of his failures and the restoring power of Grace. Mark presents Peter’s preaching in such a way that he draws us into the discouragement, the fear, the confusion, the anxiety, and the restoration—all experienced in the beginning.

We’re there with the women.

We’re there with the disciples.

We’re there with them in the upper room.

We’re there with them on the road.

We’re there with them in Galilee.

Excite: The end of the Gospel embraces its beginning. Jesus Proclaimed deliverance and became the deliverer when He Himself was delivered from the grave.

Explore:

To understand the resurrection of Jesus means responding to Jesus in faith.

Expand: Let’s consider three specific responses..

The first response to the resurrected Christ is to

1 Embrace the Reality of Resurrection.

1.1 Enter the empty Tomb.

1.2 Explanations

By Angels.

By Jesus

By witnesses

The next response is to

2 Expect a Rendezvous with the Risen Jesus.

Angels are nice. They are also, it would seem, terrifying. Ultimately our faith does not rest on messages of Angels but each of us meeting Jesus in the preaching of resurrection. Talking about a relationship with Jesus that extends throughout the whole of our lives begins with an initial encounter, a first contact, a resurrection rendezvous.

When we rendezvous with the risen Jesus

2.1 Fear becomes faith.

Jesus rebukes our fears and replaces fear with transforming faith.

When we rendezvous with the risen Jesus

2.2 Confusion becomes conviction.

Finally,

When we rendezvous with the risen Jesus

2.3 Despair becomes determination.

The final response of resurrection because we know that it’s real and it is personal is to

3 Expand the Reach of Resurrection.

Expanding the reach of the resurrection requires focus. We expand the reach of the resurrection when we

3.1 Focus on the Master.

We expand the reach of the resurrection when we

3.2 Focus on the Message.

We expand the reach of the resurrection when we

3.3 Focus on the Mission.

Shut Down

The text ends, but not the tale. The narration concludes but the narrative extends from age to age, audience to audience, to our own day. The events of that day were singular, unique, one of of a kind, unrepeatable.

The consequences of those events resonate today and every day until Christ comes again.

As there is no forgiveness of sins without the blood of Christ, there is no eternal life without the resurrection of Christ.

Jesus extends the reach of His gospel through us. The end of the gospel like its beginning is the empowering grace of God reaching through bloody cross and empty grave to save us from our sin and establish us in

Christ.