Mark 16 - The Hope of the Resurrection (Easter Sunday 2022)

Introduction

Have you ever wondered if anything good is really going to come from a situation? Things seem to be increasingly ordinary and you long to experience the extraordinary?

This is one of the allures of social media. We can escape into another dimension that offers thrill, adventure, esthetic perfection, and subcultural acceptance. For just a moment we can experience a cognitive thrill while our everyday lives are going along at a boring snails pace.

Sometimes we go further. Driven by an unhealthy desire for thrill, adventure, and meaning some have gone so far as to abandon those they love, their careers, and accomplishments for the hope of something more.

But you see, we are ordinary creatures created to experience the extraordinary in the everyday “normal-ness” of our lives.

1. The Hope of the Resurrection - God is working, even when nothing else seems to be. (v.1-6)

Mk. 16.1 “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.”

The Sabbath was over. The day of rest was behind them, it was time to get back to the ordinary task of life.

One of these ordinary task, a task that showed love and care for the deceased was placing spices on the deceased to anoint the body.

“The purpose of anointing was not to embalm, that is, to prevent bodily decay (as was the custom in Egypt) but to perfume the decaying corpse as an act of devotion.”

“Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome”

This is the third time that Mark lists these women in his gospel. They were a vital part of Jesus ministry.

Mk.15:40 “There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.”

Mk. 15:47 “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.”

and here in Mark 16:1.

There are a couple reasons, that speak to our second point, for which Mark lists these ordinary women as witnesses to such an extraordinary occurrence.

By listing their proper names there would have been no way of denying who witnessed the empty tomb.

By referencing these women, Mark is pushing back against rumors that Jesus’ disciples fabricated the resurrection story.

The fear was...

Matt. 27:62-66 “The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.”

If the resurrection story was fabricated, the eye witnesses to the resurrection (in all four gospel) would not have been women.

“Unless women were actually present at the tomb, the early church would scarcely have placed them there since Judaism did not accept the testimony of women. The testimony of women is, however, entirely “in character” with the divine economy: those whose testimony is discounted in human society are the first to be included in the divine society!”

(1 Cor 1:26-28 “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,”

God chose to use those who were ordinary, every day, run of the mill, people and situations so that we would not worship people and situations, but that we would worship him.

Mk. 16:3 “And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?””

As the women were making their way to the tomb, they were concerned with how they would roll the stone away from the entrance.

Can you hear the ordinariness of their conversation? “How will we roll the large stone away? It took soldiers to put it into place.”

This shows that they really thought Jesus would still be in the tomb.

Mk. 16:4-5 “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.”

To these ladies, and to the world, it seemed that God had lost. That Jesus was a mere man, a good teacher, maybe a prophet - but he was not the Son of God who would be raised on the third day.

But, looking up, they saw the stone had been rolled away! Then entering the ordinary tomb they saw something extraordinary that confirmed God had not lost, Jesus was not a mere man, or just a good teacher - he is the Son of God.

Lk. 24:4 “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.”

v.6 - The angel, further confirming the work of God in the darkness of the tomb, in the quietness of Saturday, said, “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.”

The man you seek, Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified (there doesn’t seem to be anything special in the first part of his explanation), but then he declares the extraordinary, the divine, He has risen, he is not here!

To the disciples, the women, Pilate, the soldiers and the world it seemed as if God had lost, as if he was not working to save his son.

From Friday to Sunday morning it seemed as if nothing was working, but God was.

Do not be lulled into thinking that God is not at working when nothing else seems to be.

Application - The resurrection of Jesus is an invitation for you to live your ordinary life within the will of an extraordinary God.

2. The Hope of the Resurrection - God is working, even in the most unlikely people. (v.7)

I already mentioned how God was working through the lives of ordinary women, but Mark mentions something in v.7 that further confirms God’s hand on those who are his - even those who deny him.

Mk. 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.””

Think back, the disciples have really been out of the picture since the Garden of Gethsemane. All but Peter who went on to deny Jesus three times.

But, once the angel had explained that Jesus was no longer dead, he told the ladies to “go tell the disciples and Peter.”

This is the gospel of Mark, but it is the account of Peter. Peter passed on the words and actions of Jesus to Mark for recording.

So, think about it! Peter is telling Mark what took place and he is emphasizing that God had not given up on Peter, the one who denied Jesus.

Jn. 20 Jesus meets with his disciples in Galilee, and then in Jn. 21 we are given a picture of the nature of the restorative work Jesus accomplished in his life, death, burial, and resurrection when he tells Peter to “Follow me.”

Application - It is important that we see the redemptive work of Jesus here. Everyone would have written Peter off, but God did not.

You see, Peter’s place in the family of God was not determined by his moment by moment obedience - and neither is yours.

Peter’s union with Jesus had been established by Jesus invitation for Peter to come and follow him.

And Jesus knew, as he had proclaimed, that it was not the will of the Father that he should lose any who were his.

His resurrection guarantees that.

John 6:39–40 ESV

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Application - Some of you are like Peter. You have experienced God’s call. You have walked with him for a season, you were part of the SS classes, the VBS, the summer camps, but somewhere along the way you turned from him, you may have denied him - but, if you are his, he has not turned from you, he has not denied you, in fact - Easter is a celebration to remind you that he endured the weight of hell for you in obedience to the Father.

3. The Hope of the Resurrection - God is working, this message is too good to keep to yourself! (v.8; Matt. 28:18-20; Lk 24:46-49 )

Mark 16:8 ESV

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.

Though the women were amazed and astonished that did not stop them from doing as the angel had told them.

Mt. 28:8 “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.”

Lk. 24.9 “and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”

This, as I have already said, was the disciples who abandoned Jesus and who, when they received word of his resurrection, believed it was an idle tale and didn’t believe it (Lk. 24.11). But God would restore them and use them to establish his church throughout his creation.

This good news could not be contained by the temporary doubts of a few wayward followers.

Mk. 16.9-20 we see Jesus employing his disobedient doubtful disciples to go into all the world with power proclaiming the gospel to the whole world.

That is how we are here today…you see they witnessed the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Not just a good teacher, a moral man, or a great leader - No this man is the Son of God, and he came to bring hope.

To reconcile ordinary people with an extraordinary God!

Have you experienced the live giving hope of the resurrection? If so, that good news is worth sharing!