A Resurrection for Eternity: Mark 16:1-8

One week after Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, He steps out of the tomb victorious over death. Over this past year, we have walked with Jesus through this final week, and we have focused in on what the gospel writers recorded during this time.

To wrap up this year focusing on Jesus facing the cross, I couldn’t simply end with Jesus being dead and in the tomb. Even though the cross and death was Jesus’ mission and goal, He always saw past His death and looked forward to His resurrection. On multiple occasions, recorded in multiple gospels, Jesus tries to forewarn the disciples that He would be put to death, but that He would also rise from the dead on the third day.

However, for all times Jesus predicted crucifixion weekend to His disciples, they still are surprised and caught off guard when it happened. Even on resurrection morning, we discover that an actual resurrection is the last thing on the disciples’ minds. Let’s finish this year by looking at resurrection morning through the eyes of Mark’s gospel.

Our passage is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 16, and we will read about what happened from the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Mark tells us that:

¹ The day after the Sabbath day, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought some sweet-smelling spices to put on Jesus’ body. ² Very early on that day, the first day of the week, soon after sunrise, the women were on their way to the tomb. ³ They said to each other, “Who will roll away for us the stone that covers the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ Then the women looked and saw that the stone had already been rolled away, even though it was very large. ⁵ The women entered the tomb and saw a young man wearing a white robe and sitting on the right side, and they were afraid.

⁶ But the man said, “Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who has been crucified. He has risen from the dead; he is not here. Look, here is the place they laid him. ⁷ Now go and tell his followers and Peter, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there as he told you before.’”

⁸ The women were confused and shaking with fear, so they left the tomb and ran away. They did not tell anyone about what happened, because they were afraid.

It is at this point in Mark’s gospel where some manuscripts end. However, regardless of whether Mark ends his gospel here, or whether the longer version of Mark’s ending is correct, we can discover from this passage that resurrection was not on anyone’s mind.

The women who go to the tomb early on Resurrection Sunday are discussing among themselves who they will ask to help them roll the stone away. They are oblivious to the fact that there had been an order to seal the tomb and a group of soldiers had been posted to guard the tomb. By the time they arrived, the guards had scattered, the seal on the tomb had been broken, and the large stone had been rolled away.

Since they had brought spices to put on Jesus’ corpse, they enter the tomb only to find a young man wearing a white robe who seems to be more aware of what has happened than anyone else, and when they look over to the place they remember seeing Jesus’ body last, no body was there.

As I read about what happened on resurrection morning, I cannot help but wonder if this friendly young man was the angel who came down, frightened all the soldiers, and tossed the stone aside to make way for Jesus’ triumphant exit from the tomb. While there were likely armies of evil angels guarding the tomb with the Roman soldiers, all it took was one of God’s angels to scatter Satan’s forces of darkness – both human and supernatural forces – and prepare the way for Jesus to emerge from the tomb.

In our own lives, while it might seem as though evil is winning when we look at the world today, know that Jesus has already won. Jesus has conquered not just sin and death, but evil as well. Satan has been judged as guilty and he knows his time is coming. The only thing Satan can work towards now is trying to steal as many people away from God as he possibly can. And this is what he has been doing for the past 2,000 years.

While it may appear as though Satan is winning the world today, God is still in control and just one of God’s angels is enough to push back the forces of darkness. When times are tough in this life, we are challenged to remember what Jesus not only accomplished through His death, but also through His resurrection. Jesus defeated Satan and with eternity as our focus, Satan’s time is coming up fast.

I don’t have any idea how much longer the world will continue before Jesus returns to put a final end to sin, suffering, and Satan’s apparent rule, but I do know that when Jesus does return, Satan will be exposed as the deceiver he has always been.

As we move through each day, each month, and each year, let’s remember what Jesus accomplished for us. Jesus came to this earth as one of us, and He lived the life we couldn’t live, so He could give us the life that we don’t deserve – and that life lasts forever with God.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Always choose to place God first in your life and intentionally seek to do His will each and every day. While times might look dark and events might prompt you to think that evil is winning, Satan’s time is short and God will not abandon His people. God is looking forward to the day when Jesus returns more expectantly than we could even imagine, and He wants as many people with Him in heaven as He can.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, pray and study the Bible for yourself and intentionally grow your personal relationship with God each day. Trust that God is still in control and even if life doesn’t make sense right now, know that from eternity’s perspective, God is moving history towards the end of sin and the salvation of His people!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!