Look Up

Mark 16:1-8 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they could go and anoint Jesus’ dead body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb. 3 They were saying to each other, “Who’s going to roll the stone away from the entrance for us?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. (And it was a very large stone!) 5 Going into the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right side; and they were startled. 6 But he said to them, “Don’t be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He isn’t here. Look, here’s the place where they laid him. 7 Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.” 8 Overcome with terror and dread, they fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

INTRO

Over the Lenten season, we have been invited by God and challenged to ask “what’s up” with our souls as we have examined our call to get up to something good. In our “What R U Up 2?” Sermon series, we have examined our call to live out a holy lent by answering the call to Come Up, Take Up, Raise Up, Light Up, and Sit Up. In all of these, we lay aside different practices and ways of living as we embrace our walk with Christ and its calling to be Christ’s body to the world. This Easter, as we proclaim the resurrection, we conclude our journey together.

Mark’s account of the resurrection of our savior is a different narrative than we are used to hearing this Easter morning. There is no encounter with Jesus in the garden, no recognition of Mary Magdalene, and no running to tell the other disciples that Christ has risen. In fact, the text seems to stay in the doom and gloom of Good Friday rather than the joyful shouts of Alleluia we long to hear on Easter Sunday.

In our first encounter with the Gospel lesson, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome are bringing spices to anoint Jesus’ body. As they walked to the tomb, the feelings of Good Friday, the grief of their loss, their anger at the Roman Empire, and the fear of retaliation still lingered with them. For these three disciples, Jesus’ body mattered. It was the last thing they had left of Jesus. They go, knowing the bloody body that awaits them. As they walked to the tomb, they embodied their own faithlessness. They walked prepared for and expecting a body, meaning they didn’t really believe that Jesus would be resurrected.

In the midst of their doubt, they become fixed on making it to the tomb. They become fixed on the task that was before them. As they arrived, they look up and saw that the stone was rolled away. The word translated as “looked up” is used three times in Mark’s Gospel to indicate something miraculous is about to occur or that God’s power will be displayed. And yet, in the midst of all their feelings, in the midst of their certainty of Christ’s death, even looking up and seeing something new and different results in fear.

The truth is, these women were grieving. Death brings about so many complex emotions. Grief is always prevalent, but so are other emotions like relief or anxiety. So often, those surrounding death are taxed heavily by the stress of caregiving, placing their lives on hold, tighter finances, etc. When death finally occurs, the feelings that spring forth can overwhelm us. As deep as the loss may be, we also see a return to a more “normal” routine is possible. For these women on the way to anoint Jesus’ body, the flood of emotions is coming. This was the last thing they could do for their master. It is supposed to bring closure to their experience of discipleship and help reconcile the death of their dream of God’s reign on earth.

When the young man greets them, telling them that Christ is alive and going ahead of them to Galilee, the women are terrified. The good news of the resurrection is lost on these mourners. The good news is that Christ is alive, God lives, God’s reign continues in and through the resurrection does not sink in right away. I imagine that for these women, part of the peace they hoped to get, part of the closure they longed for, was that following Jesus was done. The cost of discipleship after this bodily anointing has been paid. There would be no more cost of discipleship. There would be no more traveling with the master. Perhaps for these women, and all of us this easter morning, the terror that we feel is less about a resurrected body and more about the continued cost of discipleship through the resurrection of Christ. The respectful grief that we came to the tomb with is covering up the relief of an easier life. And now, we, like these disciples, are being beckoned to continue on the journey with the master.

Verse 8 is the original ending to Mark’s gospel. In the original manuscripts, the Easter story ends with “Overcome with terror and dread, they fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” There is no appearances to the disciples. There is no walking the road to Emmaus or cooking the disciples’ breakfast. There is no joyful proclamation of Christ’s resurrection. For centuries, scholars have argued over whether or not this was actually the ending of Mark’s gospel. In fact, in your Bible, there are two alternate endings to Mark’s gospel. A short version adds one verse to declare they listened to the young man’s instructions and that Jesus sent out the disciples to declare salvation to the world. A longer version includes encounters by Jesus with Mary Magdalene, with two walking a country road and then an appearance where Jesus rebukes the unbelief with all the disciples.

Many scholars debate whether Mark’s gospel is missing a verse or whether the long or short ending should be used. The debate is primarily centered around whether or not the Gospel should end this way. I believe that Mark’s gospel ends this way intentionally with a call to faith rather than fear. The reason so many are uncomfortable with Mark’s gospel is that they are left with more questions than. Answers. Will the women respond with faith? Will they go and tell the disciples? Or will they continue in fear and silence?

The idea of questioning the response of his followers as a means of calling them to faith is prevalent throughout Mark’s gospel. As one theologian reminds us, “After calming the storm, Jesus says to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (4:40). He says to the woman with the blood disease, “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (5:34), and encourages Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe” (5:36). He marvels at the lack of faith in his hometown (6:6) and says to the father of a demon-possessed boy, “Everything is possible for one who believes,” to which the father replies, “I do believe; help my belief!” (9:23). With faith, Jesus teaches, you can move mountains (11:22–24).”

Further, the church in Rome was, perhaps, the original recipient of Mark’s gospel. In the time of the original readers, Roman Christians were facing persecution and even death. They knew that Christ was risen. They were being called to continue the costly journey of discipleship. So it makes sense that Mark would leave them with a question. And the question left for the early readers of Mark’s gospel echoes across time to us today: How will you respond to the resurrection?

If we respond by trying to finish the story, then we don’t really understand the resurrection in the first place. The resurrection is not the end of the story. In fact, it is just the beginning. We serve a God who continues to breathe new life into creation, who raises us to new life in the waters of baptism. Who offers us a chance to respond to God’s love each and every day.

Our response to the resurrection should be a means of looking up from our daily lives and seeing the work of God in the world. It is about seeing the hope of God at work through Christ’s body, bringing God’s future reign on earth, even in the here and now. As one theologian reminds us, “hope is not founded on human capacities to ‘finish the story’ or ‘finish the project’ that Jesus began. It is not necessarily about finding our own way from now on. All hope is founded on God—Jesus’ God—who can finish the job for and with Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. Despite a seemingly truncated ending to the Gospel, the story of Jesus continues, its significance continuous with and through us.”

Part of this work of relying on God means that we are called to shift our relationships with one another. Our Gospel lesson models this for us in the young man’s instructions to the women as he proclaims, “Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee.” We know that Peter has denied Jesus even after proclaiming he would not. In our typical ways of life, we would expect, perhaps even prefer, that Peter would be punished. It is natural for us to want revenge. When someone wrongs us, our first reaction is to take care of it usually in the form of lashing out. If we are out to eat or in a store, we call the manager over. If we are in school, we tell the teacher or the principal. As we grow older, sometimes we even take punishment into our own hands.

Yet in our Gospel lesson, God wants the women to go to the disciples, especially Peter, and bring him into the fold. You see in God’s kingdom the good news of reconciliation and love rule the day. No longer are we condemned for the ways we have fallen short. We are no longer condemning others for the ways they have fallen short. Easter says there are no abominations before God. Easter says that even our worst failures can be washed away. Easter says that all are loved by God and invited into communion, into fellowship where all belong. Easter says to look up from the ways of the world, to look up from the responses society tells us to have, to look up from the people we would prefer to hang around, and to truly embrace the kingdom vision of God.

We don’t have to mourn anymore. We don’t have to get all caught up in who is sinful and why. We don’t have to drown ourselves in judgment. Instead, we must give ourselves up to God that God might use us to bring God’s kingdom forth on earth. Don’t get me wrong, the cost of discipleship is still high. God is still going to call us forth to do hard things. Truly loving all people is difficult. Letting go of judgment and revenge is hard work. Embracing God’s vision for the world around us is hard, working for justice is hard, showing mercy is hard, and putting others first is hard.

You see, this is what we have been up to this Lenten season. With each week, with each thing we have been up to, has been about growing the circle wider and inviting more and more people into the kingdom of God. It is about giving up our ways and desires. It is about laying aside the tactics and things of this world and embracing God’s kingdom, even in our brokenness and our failure.

In the Lenten season, we are reminded that we will fail at this. We will never be able to achieve this vision on our own. And truthfully, nor should we. But the gift of this Easter gospel lesson is that God is still writing the story. God is still working in us to bring us to perfection. God comes even to us to say it’s okay. I’ll take your brokenness, I’ll take your failures, look up! For God’s kingdom is here. Look up, you can still be up to something good. Look up, join me in the work.

So look up and look out in the world. See the brokenness and work to make it new. Look up until God’s kingdom fully comes and Christ returns in final victory. We are Easter people, and love, mercy, forgiveness, welcoming, and worth for all people is our song.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.