Mark 16:1-20 - Good News from the Grave

Easter Sunday - April 21 – Mark 16:1-20 - Good News from the Grave

HBI – Jesus is risen from the grave to defeat sin and death therefore we need to go tell the world what we have seen and learned.

Mark 16:6 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.

Intro

Jesus is risen, “He is risen indeed”. 

https://youtu.be/wdn1R90kX9A

Jesus Christ was "delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). A dead Saviour cannot save anybody. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is as much a part of the Gospel message as His sacrificial death on the cross (1 Cor. 15:1-8). In fact, in the Book of Acts, the church gave witness primarily to the Resurrection (Acts 1:22; 4:2\, 33).

The Resurrection proves that Jesus Christ is what He claimed to be, the very Son of God (Rom. 1:4). He had told His disciples that He would be raised from the dead, but they had not grasped the meaning of this truth (Mark 9:9-10, 31; 10:34). Even the women who came early to the tomb did not expect to see Him alive. In fact, they had purchased spices to complete the anointing that Joseph and Nicodemus had so hastily begun.

When you combine the accounts in the Gospels, you arrive at the following probable order of Resurrection appearances on that first day of the week: (1) to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18 and Mark 16:9-11), (2) to the other women (Matt. 28:9-10), (3) to Peter (Luke 24:34 and 1 Cor. 15:5), (4) to the two men going to Emmaus (Mark 16:12 and Luke 24:13-32), and (5) to ten of the disciples in the Upper Room (Mark 16:14 and John 20:19-25).

The message of the cross is Good news, good news from the grave. Such amazing news that needs to change our lives. Let’s look into what happened that fateful day. 

The story. 

I want to go through the timeline of the most probable order of events of the resurrection of Jesus based on all the gospels. 

Just picture being one of the disciples of Jesus. You had been doing some intense training with a man you have learned is the messiah. 

He had been telling you for a while now that He came down to earth to die and rise again 3 days later to defeat sin and death. But you where never really sure how this was going to look or if it actually was going to happen. 

Then your teacher asks you to spend the night with Him praying in a garden. He goes off a little way on His own and tells you to keep praying. 

It is hard to stay up, it is a beautiful night and you would much rather close your eyes to rest for a bit. That is until He comes back and tells you to wake up and pray. Why can’t we just go to sleep, we are so tired. 

Eventually you see one of your own, you were wondering where Judas had run off too, coming with a bunch or religious leaders who always did oppose your teacher. 

You know this isn’t going to end well so when they go to arrest your teacher you grab your sword but you get rebuked for cutting off an ear and your teacher gets led off. 

Imagine what it would have been like for people to be crying out for the blood of the one who taught you so much and only ever taught love and forgiveness. 

He is now the center of attention, and not in a good way. So, what do you do? People keep asking you if you know that guy, because you look like one of the men who have been following Him around. 

The leaders are out for blood and if you name yourself as one of His students you think you might just end up there with Him. So, you deny everything and run. 

What do you do? You go into hiding and wonder what to do next. Jesus died and His body put in a tomb but none of you where there. 

The two ladies that were they’re through it all were the first ones to go to the tomb again and on the third day they were the ones who went their who were going to find an empty tomb. 

It is of no coincidence that Jesus first appeared to women. Some people wonder why he would have appeared to women first if He really wanted His resurrection to be believed. 

But the fact is that if the disciples really did want to steal the body of their messiah and then claim oh, He really did raise from the dead when they were actually hiding the body, they would not have had the story first told by two women. 

They would have told people of more stature in society. Women didn’t have that high of a status in society, and on their witness alone this would not have held up in court. 

Jesus again was upsetting the traditional balance of things. Their coming at the time they did shows intense devotion. Jewish tradition didn’t call for mummification so in the Palestinian climate, bodies would have started to decompose quickly. 

The two women were Mary Magdalene and Mary Mother of James, and they came with spices and perfumes to anoint the body, out of devotion and respect and also so it wouldn’t stink so bad in the tomb. 

They were on their way and were wondering who was going to roll away the stone, for it would take way more strength then they had to roll that big stone up hill. 

The guards were all fainted like dead men and Jesus was gone when the got there. Imagine their surprise. For the guards this meant certain death. 

They were scared when they spotted an angel in a white robe sitting near by. Whenever people come into contact with angels in the bible the first response out of the mouth of the angel is usually, don’t be scared. 

He came with the message that Jesus is no longer here, but He is risen, now go and tell all the people you meet, go and tell the disciples that He is risen just as He said he would. 

He said Mark 16:7 (CSB)7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you.’ ”

Go and tell the disciples, and Peter. Peter was singled out because he had denied Jesus and probably needed reassurance that he was not now excluded from the company of the disciples. 

Now imagine being in the shoes of Peter. He remembered what Jesus had said about denying Him 3 times and Peter thought that it could never possibly happen. 

Whatever you have done in your life, it is possible to be forgiven if you earnestly seek God and ask forgiveness for what you have done. 

The ladies went to tell the disciples and Jesus appeared to them on the way and the fell at his feet and worshipped Him. He was alive, not just a ghost but flesh and blood. 

They also met Peter and John and told them what had happened so they ran to the tomb to find out for themselves. 

What were the rest of the disciples doing? They didn’t believe at first either. They were hidden in a room weeping and wouldn’t believe the testimony of the ladies. 

They were locked in a room feeling sad for themselves. Thomas wouldn’t believe the testimony of the growing number of people who were saying they saw Jesus. Instead He said “I will not believe until I can touch and feel Jesus for myself, to know for myself that He is truly alive as you guys all have said. 

Application – Message of good News

O death where is your sting

Before Jesus death, or the acceptance of it, death is the ruler of our destinies. We are born to die; we live for the grave. A person’s life may be beautiful and prosperous, they may be a good person, but without Jesus at ends in sadness for death has dominion over them. 

Life becomes like a fading flower; it may be beautiful but it soon withers and fades away and dies until the beauty is gone and replaced with nothing. 

The bible says that in Adam all die, the punishment for sin, the sin that we are born with is death. This is the sentence of sin that is passed onto us, onto all people. One day we will all die, it is a matter of fact that this life is temporary. 

SM Lockridge said in a sermon that has been copied and turned into songs. It’s Friday Jesus is praying Peter’s a sleeping Judas is betraying But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday He’s hanging on the cross Feeling forsaken by his Father Left alone and dying Can nobody save him? Ooooh It’s Friday But Sunday’s comin’ It’s Friday The earth trembles The sky grows dark My King yields his spirit It’s Friday Hope is lost Death has won Sin has conquered and Satan’s just a laughin’ It’s Friday Jesus is buried A soldier stands guard And a rock is rolled into place But it’s Friday It is only Friday Sunday is a comin’!1

The idea is we are all born into sin, it is our sentence to die and be punished for all that we have done, and the truth is that one day we will all die. 

But we have good news! Sunday’s a comin, it has already come and the good news of Easter tells us that we don’t have to stay lost, we no longer need to fear death. 

In Corinthians Paul says “o death where is your victory? Oh, death where is your sting?” I thank God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Eternal Abundant life

Make no mistake about it, Jesus really did die on the cross, this is a matter of history. Everyone proclaimed that He was dead. The guard didn’t even bother breaking His legs because Her was already dead. All the people who saw the body declared Jesus as dead. This is vital to the message, Jesus really did die. 

Jesus, through His death and resurrection, boldly declares to us that death is not the end, or it doesn’t have to be the end. Sin no longer needs to have dominion over you. 

The disciples were for the most part sitting in their room cowering but Jesus came and shook them up. O you of little faith, why didn’t you believe. John 10:28 (CSB)28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.

Jesus comes to us and offers eternal life, eternal abundant life in heaven for all who would believe. 

Jesus declared this good news to the disciples, and His good news is passed on to us as well, Jesus is the victory that has overcome the world. 

Forgiveness for the past

This message tells us that there is Forgiveness for the past. The disciples messed up, Peter almost most of all. No matter what you've done you can be forgiven but only if you come to Jesus and ask him 

They fell asleep when they were supposed to pray, Peter denied knowing Jesus, they ran when they should have stayed by His side through it all. 

Yet on Easter morning Jesus went to see them and forgave them for what they had done. The blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross cleanses all sin, all we have to do is fall on our knees and ask. 

The disciples declare the good news, so must we. 

The common theme of all who came into contact with the risen Lord, touched the scares on His body, came into His actual resurrected flesh and blood body was that He was truly alive. 

And the message they were all told to give? Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Go and tell everyone what you have seen. 

Those who came into contact with the risen Lord couldn’t wait, they ran to tell the good news. They didn’t walk they ran with the message. 

Joy for the Present – 

The disciples felt all was lost, their teacher was dead and they were hiding and weeping. Sometimes we feel like that as well, like there is nothing left to live for. 

What we need to remember when this happens is the great joy, we have in the Easter message. We serve a risen saviour; He is our reason for life for without Him we would be dead. 

We declare unto you today the good news from the graveyard, death is defeated, there is forgiveness joy and hope for all who will believe. 

The good news of easter can become yours as well if you but believe in His name. and as followers of JESUs we too have a message to spread. 

There are many people who do not know the good news, or are not living their lives in the good news. Run, go and spread the message with Joy. We have a saviour that is risen!