Come and See, Go and Tell: A call to live in light of the victorious resurrection of Jesus

INTRO

I want to ask you the two most important questions I could possibly ask you.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Do you know Him?

Your eternal destiny hangs on your answer to these questions. Who is Jesus, and do you know Him?

Today, we conclude our series in the Gospel of Mark, which we called “truly seeing the Son of God.” Throughout the series, we have seen various people in this Gospel wrestle with the question of Jesus’ identity. Some seem to understand Jesus’ identity as God, like John the Baptist or the demons who acknowledged his authority and power.

Yet others struggle to see this, like the religious leaders who question Jesus’ identity when he forgave the sins of the paralytic in Mark 2. Or the Disciples themselves at the end of Mark 4 when Jesus calms the storm, the disciples question Jesus’ identity, saying, “Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Even though Jesus displayed divine signs like walking on water, feeding the people in the wilderness, and the many healings and miracles, Mark shows us how those closest to Him could not answer the crucial question of who Jesus is. So much so that Jesus calls them out in Mark 8:21

Mark 8:21 ESV

21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Then in Mark 8:29 we see a glimpse of hope in Peter’s answer to the question of Jesus’ identity.

Mark 8:29 ESV

29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

Our text today is not merely another miracle like the others. It is the miracle that brings hope to humanity. The miracle of the resurrection is the most important act of Jesus’ ministry next to His crucifixion. For if He did not rise from the grave, it would make him a liar. If Jesus has not risen, this whole thing is a hoax and possibly the greatest con of all time. Paul himself self says in 1 Corinthians 15 that we are a people to be most pitied if Christ did not rise from the grave. But Christ has, in fact, risen from the dead, and because he has risen, we have hope.

Mark's ending is unique in both its brevity and the added text. You might notice in your Bible that after verse 8, you likely have a note of some kind, noting that the earliest manuscripts do not include verses 9-20. Most scholars agree that Mark did not write verses 9-20 but was likely added by a scribe because of the abrupt ending. Yet, ending on a cliffhanger was not an unusual technique during the first century. We have some letters from other writers from this time who also conclude their writing on cliffhangers. This is done to invite the reader to respond. As in saying, “What will you do with the news of the risen Jesus?”

I’ve outlined our time together based on two imperatives in this text that highlight the invitation to respond. We see two commands by the young man (who is an angel). He invites them to come and see the empty tomb and go and tell the disciples and Peter. As we walk through the text, we will see the event of the resurrection with clarity and with the skeptic in mind. We will then end our time looking at how the New Testament views the significance of the resurrection for the believer.

My hope is that we will see Jesus’s resurrection as the cornerstone of our faith, which provides assurance of our eternal salvation and hope for every circumstance.

As we begin, would you pray with me once more - PRAY

1. COME AND SEE

A. On route to the empty tomb (Mark 16:1-3)

Our text begins with three women who were present at the crucifixion and who saw where Jesus was laid when Joseph of Arimathea took his dead body and placed it in a tomb. We see that they saw where Jesus was laid based on Mark 15:47. This is important because one of the arguments against the resurrection is that these women came to the wrong tomb, and they wrongly concluded that Jesus rose from the dead. If we read Mark’s words carefully, we see how unlikely it is for them to arrive at the wrong tomb. First, we know that they saw where the tomb was for they witnessed where he was laid. We know that they came to the tomb during daylight, for it says in verse 2, “when the sun had risen.” It is very unlikely that they went to the wrong tomb.

These women knew where the tomb was, and they came prepared to anoint the body of Jesus. This was an act of devotion, which they did not have an opportunity to do due to Jesus dying right before the Sabbath. They had to wait until the Sabbath was over to buy the spices since everything would have been closed. They get up early in the morning and go to prepare what they need. It’s kind of ironic how they evidently prepared themselves for anointing Jesus’ body but forgot about a key aspect of their plan. How were they going to remove the stone from the tomb to get to the body?

The fact that these three women are questioning how they are going to remove the stone, speaks of how large or heavy the stone must have been that they didn’t think they could move it between the three of them. Maybe they were hopeful they could find a few workers to help them move the stone once they got there, or perhaps they would see some people on route and ask for their help. Regardless, their optimism kept them en route to the tomb, and when they arrived, their problem was solved in a manner they could have never considered. The stone was already rolled away!

Matthew 28:2 attributes the open tomb to an earthquake and an angel, but Mark does not include those details in typical Mark fashion. He gets straight to the good stuff. The stone was moved! The removal of the stone suggests that, in all respects, the resurrection of Jesus is entirely God’s doing.

This is a testimony of God’s nature and character. When He saves us, He does it all! He convicts us, calls us, seals us with the Holy Spirit, and keeps us to the very end. He did it all at the resurrection, and He does it all in bringing us into salvation.

B. The alarm of the empty tomb (Mark 16:4-6)

The women at the tomb witness this and are alarmed, or some of your translations may say amazed. Verses 4-6 give us the details of the encounter at the tomb. Their reaction to

The stone rolled back and

The “young man” which the Gospel of Matthew tells us is an angel from God,

and the empty tomb

Brought an overwhelming sense of emotions. The Greek word there for alarmed is also translated as amazement or astounded in other parts of the New Testament. These women could not believe what they were seeing. This response tells us that these women did not come expecting a resurrection. Even though Jesus said he would rise again (Mark 10:33-34).

Keeping the skeptic in mind, one of the arguments against the resurrection is that people saw a vision of the resurrection. However, it’s hard to argue that so many people saw the same vision due to the drastic change everyone experienced after seeing Jesus. Think of the disciples who were nowhere to be found after the crucifixion; they likely felt defeated, or maybe they felt like they had wasted three years of their lives. After seeing Jesus, their sense of failure was changed into a sense of duty to the mission of God. To say that they all saw a vision or experienced a dream is hard to believe due to their life change.

A similar argument is Ian Wilson’s, who believes that Jesus used a hypnosis technique to prepare his followers to hallucinate his resurrection, which seems like a larger stretch than believing that Jesus is who He said he was and that He did all that the disciples claimed that He did.

We find that the skeptic of the resurrection denies any supernatural occurrences. They deny the divine and attempt to rewrite the Bible. What they do not deny is that the disciples experienced something that changed and caused them to live their lives for the Gospel, many of which were killed for their belief in Jesus’ resurrection. Paul is another example of this. He experienced a complete 180, where he went from killing Christians to proclaiming the good news of the Gospel, that Jesus has been raised. He certainly could not have been prepared to hallucinate the resurrected Jesus.

Their testimony is evidence of the risen Savior, and these other explanations fail to explain these changes in these people.

The details given by the angel assure the reader that this messenger from God is speaking about Jesus, who has died. He confirms that they were looking in the right place for “Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” There is no mistake about whose tomb they were in. The messenger then explains the empty tomb: “He is risen; He is not here!”

You have to wonder what they might have experienced when they heard those words. It had to have been like seeing but not believing. They would have just seen Jesus crucified and buried a couple of days before; how could He now be alive? Sometimes, truth takes time for us to believe, even when we know it’s true.

C. The promise of the resurrection (Mark 16:7-8)

We see the invitation from this angel/young man to see the empty tomb, and now, in verse 7, we have another command from this messenger of God.

Mark 16:7 “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.””

It is interesting how the Gospel of Mark begins with a messenger (John the Baptist, Mark 1:2-8) announcing what God was about to do and ends with another messenger (an angel) announcing what God has done!

This messenger tells these women to go and tell his disciples and Peter.

Wait, isn’t Peter one of the disciples? Why not just say, “Go, tell his disciples”? Instead, we see that Peter is singled out. I think the reason Peter is singled out is because of his betrayal of Jesus is denying Him three times, like Jesus said he would. When Jesus called Peter to follow Him, it was public (Luke 5:1-11); when Peter denied Jesus, it was also public. Therefore it only makes sense that Jesus calls him back publicly.

The message to the disciples is that Jesus will meet them in Galilee, where He told them He would meet them. In Mark 14:27-28 we see where Jesus speaks to the disciples and quotes a prophecy from Zechariah 13:7. Look at Mark 14 with me. Mark 14:27-28

Mark 14:27–28 ESV

And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

In Mark 16, now this angel is sending a reminder to the disciples of what Jesus had promised. That he would both rise up after His death and that He will meet them in Galilee.

Considering that this is the end of the Gospel of Mark, you’d think Mark would tell the full story of what happened next. Yet, he doesn't. He leaves us hanging and instead chooses to highlight the fear and astonishment of these women that led them to say nothing to anyone.

Wouldn’t it be a better ending for Mark to write something like, “And they went through all of the land proclaiming the news that Jesus, the son of God, had risen from the grave?” No, instead, Mark ends the story with them staying silent.

2. GO AND TELL

This ending calls the reader to respond. Now that you’ve read the Gospel of Jesus according to Mark, what do you say about Jesus? Can you say you know Him? These are the most important questions you can ask yourself.

We’ve considered briefly the testimony of Jesus’ resurrection and considered the skeptic a bit along the way. With the time that I have left, I want to take the last command from our text, “go and tell,” as a springboard into what life in light of the resurrection should look like.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians while in prison and said in Philippians 3:10-11

Philippians 3:10–11 ESV

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul, who dedicated his life to sharing the good news of Jesus, says that he wants to know Christ and “the power of the resurrection.” That’s what I want us to consider. What is the power/significance of the resurrection?

I want to walk through three realities of the resurrection.

A. The resurrection confirms He is God (Romans 1:4)

First, the resurrection confirms that Jesus is truly God. In the Gospel of Mark, we marked a turning point when Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, and the whole book climaxes at the crucifixion where we find the Roman Centurion (a non-Jewish, non-disciple) declares that Jesus “Truly was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). That same theme of identifying Jesus is carried through the resurrection story in Mark.

You see, if Jesus did not resurrect, then He wasn’t really God. If He isn’t God, then He couldn’t have paid the price of our sins on the cross. Rather, it is the fact that He did resurrect that confirms His identity as God. Paul shares this in Romans 1:4

Romans 1:4 ESV

and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Paul is speaking about Jesus here and claiming that he is the Son of God, which is verified by his resurrection from the dead.

Another way of saying it is that the resurrection is the means by which we know that Jesus truly is the Son of God.

We consider just a few arguments from the skeptic perspective, trying to explain away the resurrection. There are a number of historical facts that no scholar denies.

Jesus died on a cross

Jesus was buried in a tomb

Jesus’ death resulted in his disciples going into a state of lost hope.

Jesus’ tomb was discovered empty shortly after his burial

The disciples had an experience that convinced them that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Paul, who was a persecutor of the church, was converted after declaring that the risen Jesus had appeared to him.

From these facts, I want to briefly mention two (there are more) rationales for the resurrection.

First, although there are many theories about the empty tomb, none of them reach a more rational conclusion than the reality of Jesus's resurrection. There have been some crazy arguments brought forth from proposing that Jesus had a twin brother, to Jesus working some hypnotic technique which would cue the disciples to hallucinate his resurrection. All of which are crazy theories and do not line up with the Biblical account that describes Jesus being with His disciples for forty days!

Second, the resurrection radically changed the disciples' lives. They went from sorrow and despair to joyful devotion. We can only conclude that it was their encounter with the living Jesus that caused them to become such bold witnesses for the Gospel. Many of them suffered persecution and even martyrdom for this news. As mentioned, Paul, who was not a follower of Jesus during Jesus’ life, testified that he saw the risen Savior on the way to Damascus, and it resulted in a radical life change. He went from assassin to missionary, and that change can best be explained by believing that Paul says he saw the risen Jesus, and it changed his life.

There is much more I could say to argue for the resurrection of Jesus, and if you have questions about it, I would love to talk to you about it, but I think the evidence is overwhelming in favor of a bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So, if Jesus did rise from the grave, then He truly is the Son of God. He is God incarnate. He is the only one who could die the perfect death, taking on the wrath of God in our place to save us from eternal death for those who place their faith in Jesus and turn to Him.

A few months back I was speaking to a gentleman who was struggling with his faith. He believed that Jesus was man who lived on earth and died on the cross. He believed that Jesus was an amazing teacher and that his teachings have value even for us today, but he struggled to come to grips with Jesus as God. I told Him that if he believed that Jesus was only a good teacher, then the Bible is no different then any self-help book. Yet, the Bible does not present itself as a “self-help” book. It presents itself as the revelation of God the creator, who created humanity. It presents us with the universal problem of sin, and it points us to the solution in the person of Jesus Christ, specifically, His death and resurrection. Certainly, the Bible has principles that can help a person have a better life, but to view the Bible this way, is to miss the whole point of the Bible! The New Testament outside of the Gospels are informed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus did not raise from the dead, then the whole book collapses.

The only way this man could read the Bible was by picking and choosing what he liked and didn’t like. That’s not how we read the Bible. We understand it in light of the identity of Jesus that it presents, and it is because of the resurrection that we know He is truly God and Savior.

B. The resurrection assures us of our salvation (Romans 4:25)

Not only does the resurrection confirm Jesus’ identity, but it also assures us of our salvation. Romans 4:25

Romans 4:25 ESV

who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

The doctrine of Justification is the biblical teaching that a believer in Jesus is declared right with God despite not actually being righteous in themselves. John Calvin said that the church of God cannot exist for one hour without the doctrine of Justification. Going back to this Romans 4 verse can see a parallel argument made by Paul. We see a formula in this verse when we isolate the “for our” phrases.

Jesus was delivered for our trespasses. Meaning that Jesus was crucified. He was killed to pay for our sins/trespasses.

The parallel is that He was raised for our justification in order for us to be in right standing before God.

After High School I did a year of community college back in Houston and I quickly found a group of believers at the school who would eat together in the lunch room and many of them were having Bible studies in between classes and they even had a table out in the hallway doing a worldview survey with students and sharing the gospel with them. During my time there I got to share the gospel and have some interesting conversations with other students about their worldview and what they thought about Jesus. The last question of our survey was, “if you were to stand before God and He asked you, why should I allow you to enter Heaven? What would you tell him?” That question reveals much about what they believed about Jesus and what they thought earned them entrance into Heaven.

How would you answer that question?

The Biblical answer to that question is based on our understanding of the doctrine of Justification. The only reason we have entrance into Heaven is because Jesus paid the price for my entrance, and God says that those who place their faith in Jesus and turn to Him will have everlasting life (Romans 3:22). An important teaching of Justification is that God does the work completely to justify us. Our justification, our right standing with God is not dependant on our ability to “stay holy.” If it were, that would not be good news, for we would stay in good standing very long. Romans 8:33 tells us that it is God who justifies. Just like it was God who removed the stone at the tomb without any human help, He also justifies us completely so that we can rest assured of our salvation based on His perfect work in us.

C. The resurrection empowers us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4-5)

The resurrection confirms Jesus’ identity, assures us of our salvation, and it also empowers us to walk in newness of life. Look at what Paul writes about the resurrection in Romans 6:4-5

Romans 6:4–5 (ESV)

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

There is a lot in these two verses we could unpack, but I simply want to bring our attention to the comparison Paul makes. He says, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life.”

This verse gives us a picture of the symbolism that water baptism depicts. We don’t believe that Baptism saves us, only faith and repentance save us, but baptism serves as a testimony of our new identity with Christ. This new identity, based on Jesus’ identity as God, confirmed by His resurrection (you following?), is the basis for walking informed by our new identity in Christ.

Let me say it this way. Our belief in the resurrection changes everything. It changes how I see the world. It changes how I process uncertainty. It changes how I view politics. It changes how I view myself and others. It changes how I face trials. It changes how I deal with personal sins. It changes how I understand forgiveness. It changes my identity and teaches me to no longer live for me but for Christ. The resurrection, the atoning work of Jesus Christ, has changed me and continues to change me, and it will until His glorious return.

Because Jesus rose from the grave, we know He has victory over death and victory over sin, and yet, I’m embarrassed to admit that I sometimes live as if Jesus was not victorious. I look at uncertainty with fear because I don’t think I can. At times, I have faced trials with anger because I know I can’t. I have dealt with personal sins with selfish pride thinking that I can, when in reality I can’t. I know I am not alone when I say that I live as if Christ did not rise from the grave.

The end of the Gospel of Mark proclaims to us that He did it all! He died, was buried, and rose again. The payment has been made, our destiny is secure, the future is sure, and sin and death are defeated. How will we “go and tell” others? How will our lives reflect the reality of the resurrection? I think that’s the purpose of the aprupt ending of Mark. It is a call for us to decide how will we live in light of the resurrection.

CONCLUSION

I started our time by asking you two questions.

Who is Jesus?

Do you know Him?

The Bible clearly presents Jesus as Savior and Lord, and He invites us to know Him and to know the power of His resurrection. May the word of God cause us to live in light of the victorious resurrection of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark Benedict comes now to lead us in our closing prayer and benediction.