Easter Sunday 2024
Notes
Transcript
Do You Fear Death?
Do You Fear Death?
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.
Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
The Message of Mark 12. The Resurrection of Jesus (Mark 16:1–8 [9–20])
There is one further point in this section (16:8). Here Mark’s realism is at its height. The sheer frailty and humanity of those first disciples are not to be forgotten. The men are not even there. The women (at least at first) are trembling … bewildered … afraid. They fled and said nothing. Our first-century forebears in the faith were not naturally superior (or inferior) to us. Neither did faith and discipleship come any easier for them. Yet despite all, they went on believing and laid the foundation for us.
Shifting from verse 2 & 3 to verse 7 & 8 with the info from verse 6.
And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
—> We are going with the plan
—> Its what’s expected
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.
—> We no longer are going with the plan
—> The situation has changed
Mark 16:7–8 (NRSV)
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
—> That’s where Mark leaves it
—> Mark leaves it for those to come to tell the story and to keep it going. This news of the resurrection changes everything for these people.
—> Does it change everything for us?
How does the empty tomb leave us changed or does it?
How does the empty tomb change our conversations?
How does the empty tomb change how we spend our money?
How does the empty tomb change how we make our decisions?
How does the empty tomb change how we spend our time and what we prioritize?