The Resurrection

Good morning, welcome to NHCC. Please open Bibles to Mark 16.

Finishing the Gospel of Mark this morning.

Related sermon series (6 weeks).

A bit like a movie in which you learn something at the end and it forces you back to the beginning.

We have read Mark’s Gospel being perfectly aware of what would happen with Jesus after His death, but for many reading it for the first time, this would not have been the case.

First time you saw Sixth Sense.

When we read these verses together, try your best to read them as someone who doesn’t know the surprise ending.

Read Mark 16:1-8- When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, 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. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 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. 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.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Pray.

Concerning the abrupt ending.

When the World Ends by DMB

Earliest manuscripts leave out v. 9-20.

Likely a scribe somewhere along the way that added these verses as a summary of the other gospel accounts of post-resurrection appearances.

So why the abrupt ending?

Everything in Mark’s gospel has been abrupt.

Beginning of the gospel- No birth narrative, no identity given from before creation.

Mark 1:1- The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Remember chapter 1- Immediately, at once

12 times in chapter 1 alone.

Mark has Jesus on the move, without giving nearly the details given by the other gospel accounts.

We truly should not be surprised when we see the way this gospel ends.

Instead of asking why Mark ends this way, we would be better served with our time to ask what we can know from what Mark HAS given us.

Focus on four ways that the resurrection of Jesus, as shown in Mark, drives the disciples, and by extension those of us who follow Jesus, to a different sort of life.

1. Resurrection life opens our eyes to the real Jesus.

In the middle of the statement from the angel (v. 7), notes that they will “see” Jesus in Galilee, just as Jesus had told them.

Following the Lord’s supper, Jesus predicted Peter’s denials and once again foretold His coming death on the cross.

One small detail given was that He would go to Galilee after His resurrection.

Mark 14:28- But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Interesting choice of word used by the messenger- see. Not there you will find him. There you will locate him.

You will see him.

Physical sight vs. spiritual sight.

Remember in Mark 8- after feeding the 4000, disciples found themselves without bread

Mark 8:17-18- And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

Jesus here is not talking about physical sight, he is asking about the condition of their spiritual sight.

Don’t you understand? Don’t you get it? Don’t you see who I am?

The disciples have gone through much of Mark’s gospel with a lack of sight.

Even when Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, he is rebuked shortly after.

While understanding Jesus as Messiah, the disciples couldn’t grasp, or see, how Jesus would rule AS Messiah.

When they find Jesus in Galilee, their eyes will finally be opened.

Identity understood. Ministry understood. Their future understood.

Consider the light coming on for what they would be called to.

Mark 8:34- And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Same is true for us. We fully understand who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and what we are called to do only in light of the resurrection of Jesus.

When we receive Jesus as the risen Lord of life, we proclaim with the blind man in John 9- One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.

Like the disciples, we must consider the ministry to which we have been called and led.

John Piper- “The surprise about Jesus the Messiah is that he came to live a life of sacrificial, dying service before he comes a second time to reign in glory. And the surprise about discipleship is that it demands a life of sacrificial, dying service before we can reign with Christ in glory.”

The resurrection gives sight where blindness once reigned supreme.

2. Resurrection life gives second chances.

Could just as easily have said that resurrection life offers forgiveness of the most grievous of sins.

Another small, seemingly insignificant detail to catch- Again in v. 7- But go, tell his disciples and Peter.

All the way back in October- where did we last see Peter?

Chapter 14- Denied knowing Jesus, fulfilling Jesus’ own words, recognized his error and broke down weeping.

And we know that the last time Jesus saw Peter, it was immediately after these denials.

We identify well with Peter- just want to hide in a hole.

Sometimes the church falls into this as well.

Mark could have just said the disciples, but he singles out Peter in order to let us know that he will still be a crucial part of the plan moving forward.

Point to be made clear- Peter has not lost his position due to his horrendous sin.

David Garland- “The resurrection revokes death and destruction, and it also revokes sin. This special nod to Peter hints at his full restoration despite his extraordinary breach of faith. Jesus does not give up on his disciples, no matter how great their failure or how many their faults.”

Jesus looks for a repentant heart, not a heart of perfection.

Peter is given further opportunity.

Psalm 65:3- When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.

We are meant to find great encouragement and challenge in this reference to Peter.

Encouraged in knowing that once saved by grace, we cannot sin our way out of grace.

Challenged in forgiving others, knowing the extent from which we have been saved.

C.S. Lewis- “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life – to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son – how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand...”

God has forgiven much in us. He doesn’t hold our sins against us or drop us from His Kingdom. Shouldn’t we view others in much the same way?

3. Resurrection life sends out on mission.

The resurrection gives purpose to life, it aims our lives in a particular direction.

This is seen clearly in the command given to the women in v. 7. Go and tell the disciples that Jesus is going to Galilee.

This command to go and say something is completely contrary to what Jesus has been saying throughout this gospel.

Remember- Jesus telling people not to share.

Jesus didn’t want to be seen as some kind of holy man who did great signs, He is so much more than that.

In fact, Jesus made this clear to His disciples.

Mark 9:9- And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Jesus’ ministry up to this point has somewhat been shrouded with secrecy, meaning that the disciples were not yet ready to spread the word of who Jesus was.

Now, the women see the empty tomb. Now they are ready to go and share the reality of who Jesus is.

So the messenger sends them to the disciples, and then to go and find Jesus in Galilee.

We are reminded that a life in Christ is not a sedentary life.

Workout app- How sedentary is your lifestyle?

These women were not told that Jesus was raised in order that they could simply understand who He is and go back to life as normal.

This information was meant to transform the lives of these ladies.

They were not to go back home to rest and relax, they were told to go share what they had learned.

The same is true for us.

How would you have been impacted at the empty tomb?

We are confronted each and every week with the resurrection of Jesus- how do we respond?

But one more note- Jesus went to Galilee.

Where would you have gone?

If it had been me, I would have gone to Jerusalem. I’d march right back to the religious leaders, to Pilate, to the soldiers.

Jesus goes to Galilee. Not to the place of the temple and the religious leaders.

He goes where ministry has been happening and will continue to happen. He draws his followers back into ministry.

4. Resurrection life follows Jesus.

Again in v. 7- He is going before you.

Proago- Not only meaning to physically go before, but to lead.

Used in other contexts to communicate leading troops forward, or a commander making an advance with his troops.

Remember Mark 10? Jesus walks ahead of his disciples to Jerusalem. The disciples were amazed at his pace. Those following were afraid.

Jesus was leading the disciples to Jerusalem, ultimately to his death.

In the same way, Jesus is now once again leading his disciples, but this time He is leading them into ministry.

With what does our text ultimately challenge us this morning?

Yes it opens our eyes to who Jesus is, it reminds us of our forgiveness and challenges us to live a life of forgiveness, it sends us out with purpose and mission.

But at it’s root, we are reminded this morning that we are following the resurrected Jesus.

For many, we find ourselves sent out in ministry but we lose track of who it is that both sends and equips.

John 15:5- I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

This is our highest challenge. Jesus is everything. This is the challenge of Mark’s entire gospel.

Jesus is the one who sends. Jesus is the one who equips. Jesus is the one who goes before.

Have we lost sight of the necessity of Jesus in our lives?

Jesus led the disciples back into Galilee, and He leads our lives of ministry.

When you examine the totality of your life, is Jesus leading or is he following?