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Stopping where we did when we
met on Thursday means that where we stopped, Jesus was dead. And what he meant by, it is finished,
was not comprehended by any of his followers who were still
there. They likely would have taken
it as, we are finished. For Jesus' disciples, all who
are following him, the hope that they had in Jesus that one day
he would be the king and that he would inaugurate his kingdom
and that they would be a part of that kingdom. Those hopes
were now gone. What good would a dead Jesus
be? They thought that they might
soon be next, that they too would be dead. From three o'clock in
the afternoon on that Friday, Jesus's lifeless body hung there,
limp on the cross, and his followers were crushed. The Jewish religious
leaders were so concerned with doing the right thing, quote
unquote, please note the sarcasm. They were very hypocritical,
didn't care anything for doing what was right, but they wanted
it to look like they did. So they didn't want any bodies
to be left on the crosses during the Passover, which would start
at sundown on that Friday. And so before the sun went down
on that Friday evening, the Roman soldiers made sure that all who
were hanging on those crosses were completely dead. As they
came to Jesus and saw that he was dead, just to be absolutely
sure, one of those soldiers took his spear and drove it into Jesus'
side. And there are two men, Joseph
and Nicodemus. They asked for Jesus's body so
that they could give it a proper burial. Pilate agreed, let them
have the body. They took it down from the cross.
They wrapped the body in linen, along with about 75 pounds of
spices. They laid him in a new tomb and
rolled a very heavy stone over the entrance of that tomb. That
stone was then sealed under the orders of Governor Pilate, and
it was constantly guarded by Roman soldiers. Now, those are
all details that we can find about the crucifixion and burial
throughout the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
And these are some important events to have in mind to understand
the significance of what comes next. We cannot overstate the
significance of what comes next. And we put a lot of emphasis
on the cross. And it's good, we should. The
cross is very important. We have a cross on our sign out
front. And for those of you who haven't
been here for a while, hopefully you remember that sign. And hopefully
you'll be able to see it again soon. We talk a lot about the
cross. We sing a lot of songs about
the cross. And that's good, we should. But
as we emphasize the cross, we need to make sure we don't neglect
the importance of the resurrection. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
the Apostle Paul very thoroughly makes the case that if Jesus
has not been raised from the dead, everything about Christianity
is a complete waste. It is completely meaningless. The cross is meaningless if it's
not for the resurrection. We have no hope if it's not for
the resurrection. In fact, all of Christianity
and our eternity stands or falls on the resurrection. That's how
important this celebration, what we are remembering today is.
So this morning, I would like to take a look at the accounts
of the resurrection as recorded in Mark chapter 16, verses one
through eight. And that will help us to remember
the truth of the resurrection so that we can rejoice in it.
And we'll notice a few details that prove to us that Jesus really
did rise from the dead so that we can constantly say, He is
risen. Get signs up there, kids. He
is risen indeed. And make sure you're listening
for that. He is risen indeed. So Mark chapter
16, if you turn there in your Bibles once again, We'll start
in verse 1. It says in Mark 16 verse 1, when
the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James
and Siloam bought spices so that they might come and anoint him.
I encourage you to read back through verse 1 and notice what's
happening here. Make some observations. Try to
picture what's going on here in your mind. Think about what
they're doing, what these ladies are doing. Why are they doing
what they're doing? We find that that Saturday evening,
after the sun went down, the way that they kept time and kept
track of days, when the sun went down on Friday, that was the
start of the Sabbath. When the sun went down on Saturday,
that was the end. And so after the sun went down
on that Saturday, the shops around town opened up briefly. And so
these ladies went and bought some spices on that Saturday
evening to anoint Jesus's body. Why did they do that? Well, one
reason, the main reason, something that we should notice about why
they did that is because they fully and thoroughly thought
that when they went to that tomb the next morning, they would
find Jesus's body still there. still dead. They knew without
a doubt that Jesus was dead. Everyone who was involved knew
without a doubt that Jesus was dead. And just by human reason
when someone has died a few days later what we expect is they're
still dead. Now they probably believe from
what Jesus had taught that one day there would be a resurrection
And so someday when all believers were resurrected, Jesus's body
probably would be resurrected too. But for now, they were certain
that when they went to the tomb that next morning, they would
find the body still there. They loved Jesus, they respected
him. But he died. It's over. But out of their respect for
him, they wanted to take these spices and anoint his body. Now, the reason that they want
to do that was because Jesus's body hadn't been embalmed. And
that was something that Jews didn't do. But when the body
had been taken off of that cross, it was wrapped up in strips of
cloth. They put in like 75 pounds of
spices. And the reason for that was because
that body would begin to deteriorate pretty quickly. And so just to
preserve a little bit of dignity and brutal honesty to mask the
smell, they put these spices in there. These ladies wanted
to do something for Jesus because they loved him. So they thought
that they would extend that dignity a little longer by bringing these
spices. So verse two, it was very early
on the first day of the week. They came to the tomb when the
sun had risen. Very early Sunday morning. If
this was a regular resurrection Sunday, we oftentimes commemorate
that by coming early on Sunday morning to remember and celebrate
how early that Sunday morning these ladies went and found what
they found there at that tomb. Well, it didn't really seem like
it would help this year, as different as everything is. So we're here
at our regular time. But it is still Sunday. It's
the Lord's Day. Every Sunday is a remembrance
of what happened on that Sunday, that He is risen. I don't see
the signs, kids. He is risen indeed. There you
go. So this was the third day after
Jesus had died, and by the Jewish way of counting days, Friday
was the first day, Saturday was the second day, now Sunday is
the third day. As they're walking there to the
tomb, that early Sunday morning, verse 3 says, they were saying
to one another, who will roll away the stone for us from the
entrance of the tomb? This stone that had been placed
in the front of that tomb over the entrance was large. It was very heavy. It probably
would have been sitting in a carved out groove right in front of
the door. So it went downhill into its
place in front of the entrance to seal that tomb. So in order
to move that stone, it would have had to have been pushed
back uphill That would not have been an easy task. This was something
that these ladies on their way to the tomb that early morning
had just thought of as they were walking. They suddenly realized
they might need some help to get in. They had seen with their
eyes this large stone being placed across the entrance of that tomb.
One other detail that I don't think they probably knew about
was how that tomb had been sealed by the order of Pilate, and the
fact that there was now a regiment of soldiers, guards, in front
of that tomb. That was another layer of difficulty
for these ladies, that if Jesus' body was still in that tomb,
I don't think they could have gotten in once they got there.
But that turned out to not be a problem. Look again at verse
4. Mark 16 verse four, looking up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was
extremely large. By comparing all the gospel accounts,
we find that there were at least five women in this group. And
they knew that there was no way that the five of them could move
the stone themselves. It was big, big stone. But when
they got close enough to see it, The stone had already been
moved. Why was it moved? Someone steal
the body? No, we don't have time to go
into all of that this morning, but it's something that we've
looked at in the past and we have seen that there is no possible
scenario where that could be a possible explanation that the
body had been stolen. There is no way that that happened. That could not possibly be the
explanation for why the stone was moved. It also wasn't moved
so Jesus could get out. By the time the stone was moved,
I believe Jesus was already out. In his resurrection body, Jesus
didn't have to depend on things like stones being out of the
way or doors being opened to be able to get where he wanted
to go. We find later that Jesus enters a room that the doors
were shut and locked. But in his resurrection body,
that was not an issue for Jesus. The stone being in front of this
tomb was not an issue for Jesus. He didn't need it moved to get
out. So I believe the only reason the stone had been rolled away
was so people could get in to see the things that these ladies
saw when they got there. Look at verse five. Entering
the tomb, They saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing
a white robe, and they were amazed. Now Matthew tells us that this
young man was an angel. Now doesn't that seem like that
would be pretty amazing? To be walking up to this place, and
to suddenly see an angel, and get to hear and talk to a real,
live angel? They were amazed. But the angel
said to them, verse 6, Do not be amazed. And why should they
not be amazed? They're standing there looking
face to face with an angel. How could they not be amazed? Well, they shouldn't be amazed
because he's just an angel. He's just an angel. There are
much bigger things going on here than an angel being visibly present. Such big things going on that
this angel shouldn't even make the front page of that Sunday's
newspaper. And maybe on down a few pages
later he could mention, oh yeah, there was an angel that some
ladies got to talk to. That's not the big news of what's
going on on this day. Of much greater significance,
something that these ladies hadn't quite comprehended, in the days
before Jesus's death, they had been walking and talking with
God in human flesh. Now, just considering who Jesus
was and the fact that they had been with Jesus, they should
still be amazed by that more than standing there talking to
an angel. But on this Sunday morning, the
lead story and all the newspapers that went out that day should
have been still should be front page news even today that after
he died, he is risen. There you go. He is risen. Indeed, he defeated
sin and death that Jesus opened the way to God by rising from
the dead so that sinners could be forgiven. So sinners could
actually know God and have eternal life. This resurrection that
just happened is much bigger than just some angel sitting
there and talking to them. Another reason they shouldn't
be amazed is that although they went there,
verse six, looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who had been crucified. They shouldn't be amazed that
they didn't find Jesus there, because really, they should have
been expecting that. They shouldn't have expected to find Jesus's
body at the tomb. The angel says in verse six,
he has risen. He is not here. Behold, here
is the place where they laid him. Matthew, he fills in a little
more of what the angel told these ladies in Matthew, it says he
is not here for he has risen just as he said. He told them. He told them that this was the
way it was going to be. This should not be news to them.
because Jesus had told them of how it was going to happen. So
in one sense, they should be amazed that Jesus is risen, that
He is risen. He is risen indeed. So they should be amazed by that
instead of an angel, because the resurrection is infinitely
more important than that. But in another sense, they shouldn't
be amazed that He is risen. He is risen indeed, because they
should have expected it. They should have known this was
going to happen. Jesus told them. With that being the case, it
doesn't seem like the angel was scolding them, just reminding
them. You remember? This is what Jesus
said. This is how he said it would
be. All the way around, this is a happy day. This angel was
not scolding them for not remembering He was rejoicing with them. The
angel was there to proclaim the good news that Jesus is alive. The single most important event
in all of history, and these ladies got to be the first people
there to see it, to witness it, and then to be the witnesses
for the evangelists to tell of it. Verse seven says the angel
said, 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. As you look at verse 7, why do
you suppose we see Peter's name there? Why was Peter singled
out? You remember the last time that
Jesus and Peter interacted? The last time they spoke? The last time they saw each other?
The last time Jesus spoke to Peter, it was to correct him
in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Peter decided that he was
going to take on that whole mob with his sword, Jesus stopped
him, corrected him. The last time Jesus saw Peter
was just after Peter had denied knowing Jesus for the third time. He swore that he did not even
know who Jesus was. Jesus knew what Peter had done. And Luke tells us that Jesus
turned and looked at Peter after he had denied him for the third
time. When Peter knew that Jesus knew, Peter went out and wept
bitterly. So can you imagine what's going
through Peter's mind that Friday? knowing that Jesus is dead. What
was going through Peter's mind on Saturday, thinking about Jesus
being in that tomb, and that he had denied him. Can you imagine
what was going on in Peter's mind that Sunday morning? Believing
that Jesus was still dead. Even if Peter had comprehended
that Jesus is going to rise from the dead, Peter probably thought
that he was done, that their relationship was over. If Jesus was alive, he wouldn't
want to see Peter. Or at hearing the news that Jesus
was alive, it'd be pretty easy to see how Peter would probably
assume that Jesus really didn't want to see him. If anyone that
Jesus would want to meet with, why would he want to see Peter
after how Peter had treated him? So there's this special message
for Peter. Tell the disciples and Peter
that Jesus wants to see them. And Peter, he wants to see you. There's so much grace in this
passage. Grace that was accomplished by
Jesus' death and resurrection. Peter had nothing to fear. Jesus
wanted to see him. So these ladies have their instructions.
Verse eight says they went out and fled from the tomb for trembling
and astonishment had gripped them. Matthew again tells us
that the women's response was fear and great joy. You ever experienced those two
together? Fear and great joy. Sometimes those can go together.
For these ladies, it did. They were afraid. They'd never
seen an angel before. They didn't really understand
and completely comprehend everything that was going on. So they were
afraid. But at the news that Jesus is
alive, they had great joy. Mark also says in verse eight,
and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. When you
think again about that picture, at least five women and all of
them are speechless. Doesn't that tell us that something
pretty big was going on? You ever seen five women together
and not having anything to say? This was big. Let's think about what happened
that morning. These grieving women, they go there that early
Sunday morning and having no doubt that they would find Jesus's
body when they got there to that tomb. All of their hopes had
died with him. It was over. But just out of
their respect for Jesus, they were going to go and do something
for Him. But they were so sad going to
that tomb. But then within just a few minutes,
everything changed. I mean, everything, everything
changed when they got there to see that He is risen. If you have put your faith in
Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, then you have every
reason necessary to have hope of eternal life in heaven instead
of eternal punishment in hell. You have every reason to rejoice.
You have hope because Jesus is alive and having that hope should
change the way we live every day. We should no longer live
with fear of the unknown. We should not live with fear
of death. We no longer live for sin and for self. Because if we are resurrected
with Jesus Christ, as we are told in Romans chapter six, we
can live a life of victory over sin because we are no longer
slaves of sin because Jesus is alive. And we can boldly live
as his representatives and fear no man. Proclaim the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Remember, Paul said in first
Corinthians 15, that everything about Christianity depends on
the resurrection. So his conclusion to the fact
of the resurrection should be the same as our conclusion to
the fact of the resurrection. First Corinthians chapter 15
verse 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord. knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. And it's all because He is risen. He is risen indeed.
First Witnesses of the Resurrection (Mark 16:1-8)
Series Resurrection Sunday
| Sermon ID | 8242319482354 |
| Duration | 24:41 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday Service |
| Bible Text | Mark 16:1-8 |
| Language | English |
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