DEATH AND RESURRECTION
Day Four: The Empty Tomb
Mark 16:1-14
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spicesso that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
Pastoral Sharing
On the first day of the week, Jesus had risen, and his tomb was empty. God sent angels to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection with the women who came to look for him. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection not only concerns all that is living on earth, but also all creatures who are in heaven.
The disciples were mourning and weeping. The women, though deep in their sorrows, were determined to anoint the Lord as their final offering unto him. They loved Jesus to the very end as Jesus had promised to love them to the end.
The stone at the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away. They went to the tomb but did not find the body of Jesus. The angel knew that they might have thought they came to the wrong place, so he told them: “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
The tomb of the Lord Jesus was opened not so that Jesus could come out, but that the people who came to look for him might go in, and be the witness for Jesus’ empty tomb. “But go, tell his disciples and Peter…” God already foreknew and was pleased with the devotion of the women for Jesus. Thus, God blessed them to be the first persons to hear the great news of Jesus’ resurrection directly from the angels, and to see for themselves with their own eyes. What great honour and joy that God has bestowed upon them!
The disciples heard the testimony of the women but they did not believe it. Afterward, two disciples also saw the resurrected Lord and reported it to the rest, but still they did not believe them. O, to be raised from the dead is what every man desire, it is also the greatest hope that God has given to man, but it is so hard for anyone to believe when it happens!
The bible recorded many events and witnesses after Christ was raised, but even till today, there are many Christians who still do not believe in the resurrection of the Christ. They gladly accept that the Lord Jesus died for our sins and proclaim the sacrificial love of the Son of God, but see his resurrection as only a religious legend. There are also those who believe that Jesus had resurrected, but they do not believe that the children of God will also resurrect when Christ comes again. They are still mourning for the things of this present life as if they have no hope for the life that is to come. The Lord shall surely rebuke those who do not believe in the promise of the resurrection. (v14)
The Lord Jesus can be “in the world but not of the world”, because he is enthroned in heaven. He did not involve himself in a power struggle with the religious leaders, as his kingdom does not belong to his world. Only when we constantly meditate on the promise of the resurrection, we can be truly convicted of its greatness. Then we will no longer be caught in the gains and losses of this life but will store up treasures in heaven. Such is the power when we recite “I believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting” in the Apostle’s Creed.
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed.
- 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Do you truly believe in the resurrection? Are you able to say, “I believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting”? As the Lord Jesus loves us till the end, he shall surely raise our bodies on the Last Day!
PERSONAL REFLECTION
CONFESSION AND DEDICATION