Surprise!

 Joey & Johnny were playing basketball in a Spokane park. A rabid pit bull attacked Johnny. Joey ripped a board off a nearby fence, stuck it thru the dog's collar, & twisted. Hard. The dog's neck broke before it could bite Johnny. A Spokesman Review reporter saw & rushed over. "Joey, I see a headline. WSU Fan Saves Friend from Vicious Animal!" "I'm not a WSU fan." "How about this? UW Fan Rescues Friend from Terrible Attack." Joey said, "I'm not a UW fan, either." "Aren't Spokane natives either Cougars or Huskies?" Joey said, "I'm from Rathdrum & an Idaho Vandal." "Oh. I'll go with this headline. Redneck Hoodlum Kills Faithful Family Pet." How the reporter's saw things depended on who he thought Joey was. The way people responded to Jesus depended on who they saw. The sick saw a healer. Religious zealots saw a prophet. Or a great teacher. Jewish leaders saw a Galilee redneck who threatened their way of life. He had to die. Who saw a suffering-servant Messiah? Who saw a woman-born man who was fully God? Who saw a man who'd rise from the dead? Jesus kept telling them. Repeatedly. But no one got it. No one expected Him to be resurrected. Not really. We'll see it in our verses. Late afternoon on Friday, Jesus died on the cross. Only John & a few faithful women came near. The other disciples fled at His arrest. Those who watched, did so from a distance. At 3pm, Jesus died. Time stopped. Sabbath started at sunset, & Jews had to bury His body before it started. Nicodemus & Joseph of Arimathea had just enough time. At sunset Friday evening, Sabbath began. Jesus' body rests. But the disciples? Hours drag on & on. Sabbath will end at sunset on Saturday. The longest 24 hours ever. Their dreams? Crushed. Hopes? Dead with Jesus. Let's look at Mark 16:1-8. 1aAt sundown, Sabbath is finally over. Now what? The faithful women decide to do something. 1bMary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, & Salome bought spices to go anoint Jesus' body. Not embalm Him. Jews don't do that. Spices just control odor. Jesus' body didn't really need more spices. In Jn 19:38-42 Joseph & Nicodemus already packed 75 pounds around His body. More than enough to control odor. But the women want to do something. Anything! He may be dead, but they can do this. That Saturday night, it's hard to sleep. The disciples' minds race in circles. They keep remembering all that happened. Each time, it ends the same. Jesus is dead. Buried. The men sink deeper into grief's fog. The women grieve, too. It's a long night. Before dawn, Sunday morning, they get up. 2Just after sunrise, they head to the tomb. As they walk, they worry. 3aThey keep asking each other, "Who'll roll away the stone from the tomb's entrance?" <2 pictures> Whether that stone was shaped like a cork or a disk, at 1-2 tons it's a huge issue! The sun is barely up. It's still early, & their path is dimly lit. The women don't want to fall. So, they fix their eyes on the path in front of them. Finally, they arrive at the tomb. 4When they look up, that very large stone has already been rolled away! The doorway is open! What can it mean? No one remembers Jesus' predictions. 5aAs they enter the tomb, they see a young man dressed in a white robe sitting at the front of the ledge on the right side. <picture> In awe, they wonder. Who's this? It should be dark. How can they see? Is the light coming from him? Wonder fades into fear. 5bThey're alarmed. Is he an angel? What can it mean?? Should they flee? 6a"Don't be alarmed," he said. Relief floods in. Still, where's Jesus? 6b"You're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified." How does he know? Before they can react, surprise! 6c"He's (lit.) been raised!" Time stops. Where is He? 6d"He isn't here. 6eSee the place where they laid him." The angel points to his right. <picture> On the ledge beside him are the empty grave cloths & folded linen napkin. Their relief is short lived. Again, fear floods in. 7a"But go, tell his disciples that He's been raised." Also, 7b"Tell Peter, too." Peter needs to know his failure wasn't the end. He abandoned Jesus, but Jesus won't abandon him. Go tell them 7c"Jesus is going ahead of you into Galilee." He started in Galilee. He'll finish there, too. How appropriate! 7d"There you'll see him, just as he told you." They'll be together again. Moreover, Galilee is home to many Gentiles. From there, it'll be easier to start converting the world. By now, Mary, Mary, & Salome are stunned. The missing body? Seeing an angel? Jesus raised? The women are 8atrembling & bewildered. In fear, they forget everything else. 8bThey flee from the tomb & say nothing to anyone. Telling the disciples is the farthest thing from their minds. 8cThey're afraid. Scholars say Mark's gospel ended here. Abruptly. The story isn't finished. Why? We wonder. Will the women complete their mission? Tell the others? History says they did. They overcame their fear. They told Peter & the others. The world has never been the same. But Mark is inviting us to enter the story. The real question isn't whether they did. What's the real question? Jesus told us to tell others, too. The Great Commission. How we respond depends on who we think Jesus is. Is He more than Savior. More than Teacher. Is He also our Lord? Mark's story wasn't finished. Neither is ours. Will we tell others the Good News-forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus? Will we restore hope to the hopeless? Freedom to the captives? Sight to the blind? Will we heal, teach, & preach so they can understand how good the news really is? Mark leaves us with that question. In the end, these faithful women saw Jesus as Lord. They did their part. Who do we see? Will we do our part? Surprise! - Mark 16:1-8 Page 1 of 1