Mark 16:1-2
"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."
They had been disturbed about how they might remove the stone that closed up the new tomb where Jesus' dead body had been laid. According to the story, the women expected no resurrection. They went there fully prepared to anoint his dead body which had been hastily placed there because of the Sabbath. The women come up to the sepulcher and find the stone already rolled away. And they encounter a young man who announces to them that "he is risen". He was there in the tomb sitting on the right side and dressed in a white robe.
I don't think the stone was rolled away to let the risen Jesus out. He no doubt could have passed right through it. He certainly does later in rooms and through walls. I think the stone was rolled away because the women were worrying about that.
Mark 16:3
And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
Who indeed.
It seems that an angelic being is sent there for them. To roll away the stone and to instruct them in what's going to happen next. And he says to them...
Mark 16:6-7
"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."
So here we are...we've arrived at the empty tomb, and I think it's very important to note the thing that the Apostle Paul said was of "first importance".
This is the gospel:
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
"For I delivered to you as of FIRST IMPORTANCE what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me."
The resurrection is the "first importance", not a component, not a feature among many, it is the main thing, the ultimate concern. Jesus' greatest event in his entire human life is this event. Greater than his immaculate conception. Greater than all his miraculous works. Greater than his church, greater than his Sunday worship, greater than his communion remembrance meal, greater than baptism and all the sacraments COMBINED!
Why?
1 Corinthians 15:16-16
"For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins."
Christ's resurrection supersedes all other events throughout all of human history. Now Christ has been raised from the dead. And without that gospel story all of our many religious traditions and beliefs are mere human efforts and attempts at creating salvation for ourselves in and of ourselves.
1 Corinthians 15:20
"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
The women didn't expect this, the apostles weren't expecting this, though they had been told.
John 16:16
"A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again, a little while, and you will see me."
And they did see him again, but they didn't remember his words about this before. And they didn't understand his warnings about the Jews who will persecute them. They didn't expect an empty tomb. They weren't expecting an angel there. They weren't expecting anything other than a dead body that was nearly rotting.
This is the story of the Bible. And more specifically the gospel. People have heard it. People have read it and studied it. And people have consistently forgotten what Jesus said.
John 16:4
"I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you."
Jesus, Son of the living God, King of the universe, has chosen the gospel for his witness. He prophesied these things. He ensured they'd be written about. And he inspired the writers and the hearers to share that good news. And he told them that this is the thing of first importance. He told them that all these things in the Bible had to happen so that this one thing of FIRST IMPORTANCE must happen.
John 16:7-8, 13
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth,"
So here we are at the tomb...
Mark 15:46b-47
"And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid."
The women were there and watching were Jesus was buried. They weren't remembering the things Jesus said. They were no doubt filled with anxiety and fear. And they wanted to express their love for him. As the dawn began to come on the morning of the third day, they came to his tomb where they had seen him laid. And they came looking for a dead Jesus, but the very large stone had already been rolled away.
Mary Magdalene must have gone before the others because John's gospel tells us...
John 20:1-2
"Early on the first day of the week, WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!""
So she sees in the dark that the tomb is open, the stone has been rolled away. She runs off to tell the disciples. And she must have returned to look again. She's doing all this running around on the Sabbath. She's breaking the religious law. No doubt trying to not be seen. During all this there's an earthquake...
Matthew 28:2-4
"There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men."
So, before Mary Magdalene even arrived the first time the stone is moved by an earthquake and the guards are gone to who knows where. And the tomb is empty.
In all this, one thing, the thing of first importance, is true, the tomb was empty. The authorities formulate a lie about it. The apostles come running. The women are there and run off. All this running around and one thing remains true. No one ever denied that the tomb was empty. No person involved in this whole incident ever suggested that the grave was still occupied by the body of Jesus.
Why is this the thing of first importance?
Because in his resurrection we are justified.
Romans 4:25
"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
Because Jesus, being God, defeated death.
Acts 2:24
"God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it."
Because we who are called by Him are united in Him.
1 Corinthians 1:30
"And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,"
Because his resurrection confirms scripture.
John 12:38
"So that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?""
Luke 22:37
"For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment."
Acts 2:31
"He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption."
Because the resurrection proves the gospel to be true.
Matthew 28:8-9
"So, they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and GREAT JOY, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him."
What an amazing joyful morning!
It's the most important event in the entire history of the world. It is of first importance above and beyond all the other stuff that religion adds. It is the gospel of truth that justifies those who believe in Him.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your gift of this gospel.
Amen and amen.
Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them.
The first time that our Creator God said that something WASN'T good, was in the garden of Eden. There is his perfect creation he found something that wasn't good. Up until then everything was some form of what he determined WAS good.
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
God created the earth, the waters, the dry land, and God saw that it was good.
God created all the growing things. The plants that bore seeds and fruits, and God saw that it was good.
God created the heavenly lights and bodies. He separated the dark from the light. He created the seasons and established time, and God saw that it was good.
God created the living creatures in the waters, on the dry ...
Mark 12:10-11
Have you not read this Scripture:
"‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?"
The vineyard, Jesus tells the temple leaders, is the house of Israel. God had promised the Messiah for Israel, and Israel rejected the Messiah.
Jesus said in Matthew 15:24, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
From the OT book Exodus to the NT book of Hebrews. The term "house of Israel" occurs about 150 times. The phrase refers to the nation of Israel, which was brought out of slavery in Egypt. Rachel and Leah "built the house of Israel"
Ruth 4:11
All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem."
The Lord made his covenant with this bloodline. As Jesus points out...
Mark 12:1
"A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for ...
Matthew 24:6-8 "You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains."
There has been thirteen years of war for every one year of peace since the time of Christ. Mankind loves war.
"Many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another." (v.10)
Love grows cold. Lawlessness spreads faster than the gospel. But through endurance the kingdom of God will be preached. And the angels will fulfill this mission:
Revelation 14:6 "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.'"
And just as a side note, for all ...
Focus Scriptures:
Read Mark 16:9–20
And I say focus scriptures because I believe they are indeed true and holy scriptures. These particular verses are controversial because two ancient manuscripts, the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, are two of the oldest that we have seen, and they do not include these verses. There is typically a note added by the scribe after verse eight that explains this.
The codex Sinaiticus dates back to about the year 400 A.D. and was found on Mount Sinai, hence the name. Other prominent verses are missing as well in that manuscript. For instance, the conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer: "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13). And the woman caught in adultery in John 8 is also omitted in Codex Sinaiticus. Two other omissions in the Codex Sinaiticus that carries concerning theological significance is the reference to Jesus’ ascension in Luke 24:51, and Mark 1:1 omits reference to Jesus as the Son of God.
It almost seems as if this scribe had a particular agenda concerning the divine nature of ...
Mark 15:21-22
"And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull)."
I find it interesting here in chapter fifteen all these "passerby's" having some influence on the narrative. We begin with Simon who is called the father of Alexander and Rufus. In Romans chapter sixteen there's a man named Rufus. Maybe Simon's son? We don't know. If Simon and his sons are well known among the early church communities in Rome, it's likely that Simon would be a person of interest having been so closely involved in the crucifixion of The Lord.
We know he was from what today we would call Libya, but we don't know much else. Was he a visiting traveler on business in Jerusalem or possibly a pilgrimage. Was he a resident there? We don't know. Probably visiting or pilgrimage since he was coming in from the country.
What do we know?
In Luke's gospel account we know that Simon carried the cross for Jesus from behind him, which is interesting in ...
Mark 15:12-15
And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out again, "Crucify him." And Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."
Under pressure Pilate caved into the demands of the crowd. Under Pilates authority Jesus was judged by the Jews to have committed crimes against God and his law, and against Rome. The primary charge was a crime against the Roman emperor. They said he was a tax cheat. They said he was assuming the position of king. Jesus was being treated like an insurrectionist. They scourged Jesus to get him to confess these crimes. He did not say a word. They accused him of many things, and he never said a word.
Luke 23:7
"And when he [Pilate] learned that he [Jesus] belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time."
...
