See! He Lives! :: Mark 16:1-8
How strange is it that today ... for the greatest and most joyful feast of the year ... the Feast of Victory of Our God ... that Saint Mark would announce the Good News of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ by noting that the women fled the tomb trembling and ecstatic ... a state of mind that is not good ... and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid! (v 8). Is that not an unusual response after hearing the Gospel that ...
HE IS RISEN!?
Are you afraid to share this Gospel outside of this sanctuary?
I. The women were expecting to find a dead Jesus (vv 1-3).
Mary the Magdalene, Mary the mother of James ... or we could say the mother of Jesus ... and Salome, the mother of the Sons of Thunder, James and John ... they had all watched the terribly bloody and gruesome crucifixion of Jesus at the place of the skull (15:40). They probably saw the centurion thrust a spear into the side of Jesus. They certainly saw Joseph of Arimathea take the body of Jesus down from the cross. They saw Joseph wrap Jesus up in the linen shroud. They saw Jesus being buried ... laid in a new tomb that had been cut out of rock. They saw Joseph seal the tomb with a large stone (15:46-47). It must have been a terrifying and overwhelming experience to bear witness to all of this. Jesus died on a cross.
When the Sabbath had passed, the women woke up before sunrise ... because how could you sleep after witnessing the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus? Then they bought aromatics and started walking to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus (vv 1-2). But they forgot a not-so-small detail that threatened to stand in the way of service to our Lord.
Who will roll the stone away from the door of the tomb, they asked themselves (v 3).
I wonder if they stopped to ponder that enormous problem.
Would you have kept going? Or would you have turned around and gone home, hoping to recruit someone to open the tomb for you?
I think the women had faith in the resurrection. They kept going. Faith keeps us going. We do all kinds of things in faith without knowing why. Faith comes through hearing. And they had been hearing through the Word of God all of their lives. Jesus had been sharing the Gospel all of his life. He told us early on that when we destroyed the temple, he would raise it in three days (Jn 2:19). He told us to look for the sign of Jonah (8:12). He told us he would die in Jerusalem. He told us he would be betrayed and condemned ... handed over to the Gentiles, mocked, spit on, flogged, and crucified, and most importantly, he told us that on the third day he would be raised from the dead (10:32-34; cf 8:31, 9:31). Even in the upper room during the Lord’s Supper, after reminding us yet again that his death was imminent (Jn 12:7-8), he told us he would drink the cup with us again in the new creation ... that is, his resurrection (14:25).
Why then are we afraid? Do we actually listen for the Gospel?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, He is Risen! We most certainly can know our Bible and still be surprised ... just like the women ... to hear this Good News.
III. But then the women couldn’t find the body of Jesus (vv 4-6).
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. And having entered into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, wrapped in a white stole, and they became awestruck ... or absolutely astonished ... stupefied ... alarmed. And he said to them, Don’t be awestruck ... or alarmed (vv 4-5).
This was no ordinary young man. He must have been an angel ... because who else would be wearing a white stole on Easter? Angels are proclaimers of God’s Word ... proclaimers of the Gospel. Angels are seen at every major event proclaiming God’s plan of salvation. They do announce the Law, which is good. But they also sing the Gloria, announcing the birth of Christ ... that Jesus is with us ... and the Sanctus in the Divine Service ... that Jesus is still with us. They sing the hymns of victory of Isaiah 6[:3] and Revelation 4[:8]. They proclaim the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are yours in Christ.
So the angel shared the Gospel with the women. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the Crucified One. He was raised! He is not here. See, the place where they laid him (v 6).
Brothers and sisters in Christ, did you hear that ... Jesus is not dead!
HE IS RISEN!
IV. So now what is frightening about this (v 7)?
Let’s be honest, too often we too are afraid to speak the Gospel outside of the sanctuary. We are afraid that our words will be received as nonsense (Lk 24:11). We are afraid we will be ridiculed ... persecuted ... mocked. We are afraid of what people will think of us. Do you think they will call you a hypocrite?
Too often we feel unqualified, shy, or worried that we don’t know the scriptures well enough.
But that’s why you are here, isn’t it?
This is one of the primary reasons you have been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified in the Divine Service. It is here that the angels announce to you that God has passed over your sins. He saw the blood of the Lamb of God on the doorpost of your life ... the cross ... and declared that you are now innocent of sin, iniquity, and transgression ... and that you too will pass through death into eternal life. By his death, Christ has made satisfaction for your sins. By his resurrection, we too will live freely justified for his sake, through faith.
This is the Word of the Lord that called you here. This is the Word of the Lord that gathered you here, and enlightens you here, and sanctifies you here. This is the word that sets you apart. It’s not an idle tale. It is good news that we need to share.
To use Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, which is often read for the Easter sunrise service, If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is empty. Then we would also be found bearing false witness of God. ... And you would be still in your sins. And those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ... But now, Christ has been raised from the dead (vv 14-20).
V. There is nothing left to fear.
I know some of us struggle to believe this. We know our sin. But our Risen Savior is now here with us this morning. He makes us saints. He is here every time we gather for the Feast of Victory for our God. And by that, I don’t mean simply spiritually. He is always where he says he will be. He gives what says he gives. He comes to announce to you that the Lord is with you. He announces to you that he has reconciled himself to you. And that the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom has begun.
God’s Kingdom is now here. He who is risen meets us with all his grace and blessing and power. All of the company of heaven ... all of the angels and saints who have gone before us ... joins us as Jesus gives us his body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. As we sang in our Psalm, the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. ... Therefore, let us rejoice and be glad (Ps 118:23–24) ... lifting our eyes to see that ...
HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! HALLELUJAH!
[Conclusion]
So yes, it does seem to be an odd way to end a Gospel proclamation by noting that the women went out and fled from the tomb ... trembling and ecstatic ... and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid (v 8). But as we will hear in the weeks to come, they weren’t the only ones. So for now if this is all you remember ... remember what you will soon sing.
I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives.
He lives, He lives, who once was dead.
He lives, my everliving head.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives, all blessings to impart.
He lives, all glory to his name.
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives.
I know that my Redeemer lives (LSB 461:1, 5, 8).