Today we are looking at the last chapter of Mark, particularly the section of scripture in which he records the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The chapter begins early Sunday morning. We ended our message last Sunday speaking of the burial that happened immediately after the crucifixion which was on Friday afternoon. You will remember that Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus were in a hurry to bury Jesus’s body because the Sabbath was quickly approaching. The Sabbath was counted by the Jews from sundown on Friday, to sundown on Saturday. We count our days from midnight to midnight. But without clocks, it was more feasible to count the day as ended at sundown and a new day continuing until sundown the next day.
So after they buried Jesus His body was in the tomb from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. If you were here last week, then you may remember that I attempted to describe what may have transpired while Jesus’s body was in the tomb. 1Peter 3:18 tells us “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison.”
Now I am not going to preach that message again. Once was painful enough, I suppose. I told my wife later that I thought last week’s sermon was probably the worst message I ever preached. And I said, “What did you think?” Hoping she might reassure me. But she said, “Oh, I’m not sure, there have been so many!”
The point is though that during this dark interval between the cross and the resurrection, though His body was in the tomb, yet Jesus was alive in the Spirit, and as the Apostle’s Creed declares, in His Spirit He descended into Hades. In some mysterious way, in every respect, Jesus paid in full the penalty for our sins through His death. Someone has well said, that the death of Jesus on the cross was the payment, but the resurrection was the receipt, showing that the payment was complete in the judgment of God the Father. The fact that Jesus was resurrected is proof that God considered the sacrifice of Jesus as fully acceptable and the complete atonement for our justification.
Now I want to briefly make a few notes on the record of Christ’s resurrection as noted by Mark. I don’t think it’s necessary to try to fill in all the blanks in Mark’s account from the other gospels. I think it’s sufficient to make note of the points that he wanted to make concerning the resurrection. Then I would like to show the relevance of the resurrection. What does it mean for us? It must be more than just a historical record. And I believe that the relevance of the resurrection is central and crucial to biblical Christianity. Without it, there is no good news.
The resurrection is one of the pillars of the gospel. It is central to the gospel because the resurrection is the source of eternal life for believers; because He lives, we live also. Without the resurrection, the cross, the death of Christ, would be meaningless. Without the resurrection, the cross would be powerless. If Christ is not raised, according to 1 Cor.15:14, then your faith is in vain, the gospel is worthless and you are still in your sins…if Christ is not raised. So we need to understand the resurrection’s relevance.
And then, finally, I want to show our response to the resurrection. It’s not enough to simply believe or accept it in some superficial, historical way, but it demands a response. And that response involves an invitation and a proclamation.
So let’s begin first with the record of the resurrection. Mark’s account is the briefest of all the gospels. He begins with the same people he left off with at the end of chapter 15 on Friday evening with the women who witnessed the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, were those who had followed Him from Galilee. They had ministered to Him during His travels and ministry, perhaps with financial support, and caring for His needs during His preaching. They supported Him. And though all had forsaken Him, these women were faithful witnesses through the crucifixion, the burial, and now the first at the tomb early Sunday morning.
There is a principle that is taught in 2 Samuel during the time of David’s wars. Some of the men stayed behind with the baggage while the others went on to fight the battle. And after the victory, some soldiers wanted to keep the spoils from being shared with the ones who stayed behind. But David wisely made a tradition, established a principle, which said that the ones who stayed behind with the baggage should share as fully in the spoils as those who fought on the front lines. And that principle remains true for these women, who were in the background, serving the Lord, and who gave a great service to the Lord, even though it was unheralded. So much of the important work of the Kingdom is done by people who are not in the limelight, but who support the ministry in the background. But at the consummation of the Kingdom, they will receive the same reward as those who were on the forefront of the battles.
The next item of note is that it was early on Sunday morning, which was called the first day of the week. You know, this message would seem to be better preached on Easter, when we formally celebrate the resurrection. But the fact is that we celebrate the resurrection every Sunday. We meet on Sunday because Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week. Sunday became known as the Lord’s Day. And since the earliest days of the church, Christians met on the Lord’s Day in worship. The Sabbath was the day of rest which God instituted for the Jews in the law of Moses which looked forward to the rest from our labor that we would have in Jesus. But with the resurrection of Jesus Christ Christians began to assemble and worship on the first day of the week, in celebration of the new life we have in Jesus Christ. We are no longer under the law of the Sabbath, as Paul said in Colossians 2:16, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day– things which are a [mere] shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” So the fact that the resurrection was early on Sunday morning is important to our theology.
There is another item in the record which bears pointing out, and that is the extremely large stone that the women were aware was blocking their access to Jesus body. It was beyond their ability to move. And so, to a certain extent, they went to the tomb in faith that somehow they would be able to access the body. They probably were unaware that Pilate had commissioned a detachment of soldiers to guard the tomb, and that they had put a seal on it, so that it could not be opened. But the other gospel’s tell us that God had sent an earthquake and an angel to roll away the stone, so that the soldiers ran away afraid.
But the point that needs to be made, is that Jesus did not need the stone rolled away in order to be able to get out of the tomb. In John 20, we see Jesus in His risen body walking into a locked and closed up room to visit the disciples. In His risen body doors and walls did not hinder Him. So He had already left the tomb before the stone was rolled away. The angel rolled the stone away so that the disciples could enter and witness that He wasn’t there.
But in that early morning darkness, the thought of the great stone across the door to the tomb must have been a great deterrent to the women’s desire to tend to body of Jesus. They could have given up before they ever even started out. And what a loss they would have if they had not ventured out in faith, in spite of the perceived obstacles.
There are a lot of perceived impediments even today in coming to Christ. The scriptures tell us that the gospel of Christ is a rock of offense. But the lesson here is that we come in faith, in spite of the darkness, in spite of our lack of understanding, but believing that God can remove those obstacles, that He can move those mountains that seem to be impeding us, and when we come in the little faith we have, we will find that God has already provided a way, and our little faith will give way to a greater faith. Psalm 36:9, “In thy light we see light.” As we walk in faith in the light we have been given, God grants greater light for the path ahead.
Notice also when they entered the tomb they saw an angel sitting at the right side of the tomb. Mark describes him as a young man in a white robe. The other gospels tell us it was an angel. I think Mark is also obviously describing an angel, but in appearance he resembles a young man, though in a glorified state. The women are amazed, frightened. Angels are a messenger of God. That is what the word means, messenger. Hebrews 1:14 tells us concerning angels, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” And God wants these women to know what has transpired, not to speculate, not to wonder what happened to Jesus. Vs6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, [here is] the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
So by this angelic announcement, the women’s faith was confirmed. The death of Jesus was not the sad end of a tragic tale of a good man. The resurrection provided proof of Christ’s divinity, it offered hope of a new life, a new relationship with Jesus who lived, who had power over death, and because He lived, we might live. Because He was resurrected, we too have the hope of resurrection.
You know, in a court of law, there is no greater evidence that can be given than that of eyewitness testimony. A person can be sentenced to death on the basis of two eyewitnesses testimony. The fact of Jesus’s resurrection is something Paul said was attested to by more than 500 eyewitnesses. So the veracity of the resurrection stands as a historical fact. There are many other details of the events surrounding the resurrection that we could review. Some of those will be discussed next week as we look at the remaining 8 verses. But for now I would like to leave the record, and move on to the second point, which is the relevance of the resurrection. What is the meaning of the resurrection, and what significance does it have for me?
First, the resurrection means that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God. We read in Romans 1:4, (Jesus) “was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.” If Jesus was not resurrected, then He was just a man with delusions of glory. But because He was resurrected, and ascended bodily into heaven, it is evidence that He was who He claimed to be, the Son of God. And only because He was the Son of God, was His sacrifice acceptable. Because Jesus bore all our sins in His death and because His atonement for sin satisfied God, God gave to us His righteousness. 2 Cor. 5:21 “God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Justification is God crediting the righteousness of Christ to us, imputing the righteousness of Christ to our account. Because God raised Him from the dead, God was affirming the completeness of His sacrifice for sinners.
Secondly, the resurrection means that we have assurance of our own resurrection: 1Thess. 4:14 says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” That means that those who are asleep in Jesus, that have died in faith, will be raised from the dead, raised from Paradise to glorification with Christ. We will be given new bodies, to live in a new heaven and new earth, to be forever with the Lord. That’s the hope of the resurrection.
Next, the resurrection teaches us that God has an eternal plan for our lives. The resurrection means that death no longer has any power over us. Jesus said, “he who believes in Me will never die.” This life is but a foretaste of what is in store for those who are in Christ. In the life to come, we will judge angels, we will rule and reign with Christ. There may be worlds upon worlds out there in the cosmos that God will give to us to reign over. I don’t know. Paul said “eye has not seen, and ear has not heard.” We can’t imagine the life that God has prepared for those who love Him. But we know that we will be with the Lord forever. We will never die.
1Cor. 15:35-55 says, “But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one [flesh] of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the [glory] of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable [body,] it is raised an imperishable [body;] it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual [body.] So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam [became] a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”
Fifth, the resurrection means that Jesus has a continuing ministry: Hebrews 7:25 says, “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.” We have a great high priest, positioned at the right hand of God, who ever lives to make intercession for us. We have an advocate in the heavens, a mediator between God and man. He who gave His life for us, how will He not freely give us all good things that we need? That’s the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ who ever lives.
Now let’s consider the last point I want to make in this sermon, and that is the response to the resurrection. It is not enough to hear the facts of the resurrection, to learn the doctrines of the resurrection, but it is also necessary to respond to the resurrection. It is the climatic conclusion to the gospel which demands a response from all who hear it. And so we see in the passage two aspects to the response, first an invitation, and then a proclamation on the part of those who have accepted the invitation.
First, let’s consider the invitation. As spoken through the angel, the women received a message from Jesus they had to deliver. He says, “Go and tell the disciples…” We might think of this message as an invitation, because through this message the disciples were invited to meet with Jesus. The angel says in vs7 “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.'”
This illustrates that the invitation of Jesus is an invitation based on grace. The disciples had completely failed Jesus. He had every right to be done with them, but in grace He extended this invitation to them. None of us are given an invitation from God based on our own worthiness, but on HIs worthiness. He is worthy of our devotion because He is faithful to love us to the end, to love us even when we desert Him, and to call us back to fellowship with Him. God wants complete fellowship with us. That is why we were created. The fall broke that fellowship. The resurrection restores that life with God that we were designed to have. But it is in the form of an invitation to come to Him, to believe in Him and trust Him with our very lives.
This invitation also illustrates for us that the promises of Jesus are always fulfilled on His part. He said that He would meet them in Galilee and according to John 21:1 He did just that. And the Lord has given us many gracious promises as well. He says if we believe in Him, then one day we will see Him in glory, and having seen Him as He is, we will be like Him. Jesus not only prophesied concerning His own death, but He also promised His resurrection. He said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” He fulfilled His promise, so that we might be certain that He will fulfill HIs promises to us.
Jesus’s invitation shows us that Jesus wants to reveal Himself more fully to us. The angel said, “He is going before you into Galilee, there you shall see Him.” The main objective was to see Him, for Jesus to reveal Himself to His people. And the main goal for us to to look unto Him with the eyes of faith and then one day we will see Him face to face. And as a result of that great experience of seeing our Lord in all of His glory, we will be changed to be like Him. I can’t imagine what that will look like. But we know that He keeps His promises. As we were made in His image, in HIs likeness in the first creation, then how much more so will we be like Him in the new creation, when He makes all things new.
When Jesus invites us He always remembers His promises. “As He said to you,” the angel added to the invitation. What Jesus says, He will do, and He can never fail in any promise. I would ask you today, have you ever accepted Jesus invitation? He has promised life, forgiveness, peace, joy, eternal life to those who believe in Him. But if you never accept the invitation, if you never act on it, then you will remain dead in your sins. Jesus has extended to you a personal invitation, to be saved, to be forgiven, to receive eternal life, by repentance from sin, and faith in Him. Have you responded? Isaiah 45:22 “Look unto Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other”.
Then for those who have responded in faith, there is one more aspect to that response, and that is to go and tell, to proclaim the good news. Until He returns that is our job one, to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. People are perishing all over the world, without hope, and Jesus provides the antidote. But He wants us to be the ones to administer it.
Mark says “and they said nothing to anyone:” This does not mean that the women made no report of the resurrection because we know plainly from the other gospel accounts that they did (Mark 16:11 and Luke 24:9). What he probably means is that as they left the scene of the empty tomb, they did not immediately do what they were told because of the fear and trembling that they felt. Maybe it means that they did not go home and tell their families or neighbors at first, because of the amazement that overwhelmed them. But we know eventually that they did tell the disciples. And gradually word spread about the resurrection of Jesus, so that as Paul reported, at one point more than 500 people gathered to see the risen Savior.
The disciples were told to tell the good news, and Mark reports that they did. Vs15 And [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. … vs20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.
We too have been given a mandate to go and tell. But I’m afraid we too are full of fear and trembling. The sad thing is, that we aren’t afraid because we have seen an angel, we aren’t trembling because we have witnessed the power of God in resurrection. But we are afraid because of men, and what they might say about us, or think about us.
I pray that we might be more like David, who said in Psalm 56:11, “In God I have put my trust, I will not be afraid, what can man do to me?” If we really believe in the power of the resurrection, then we have no reason to fear man. If we really trust in the power of God to raise men from the dead, then we have no reason to be afraid. We can be bold because we know the truth that leads to salvation. We have the antidote that a dying world is in dire need of. I pray that we will not keep to ourselves what God has done in Christ. Let’s go forth with joy and confidence that we have the good news of salvation, and may the Spirit of Christ work with us to bring men and women to see Jesus.