Resurrection

SCRIPTURE: Mark 16:1-8 (ESV)

DATE: 4-17-22

Happy Easter. He is risen! He is risen indeed! As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRODUCTION

If you’re a guest with us — you should know that for the past few months we’ve been in a series titled “This is the End!” We’ve been in Mark’s gospel — nearing the end of the book — which we’ll finish next week. But the series title has a layer of meanings to it. For example, one layer is that — when we returned to Mark’s gospel — back in February — we found Jesus teaching on the end times — one layer of “This is the End!” Another layer — that we recently experienced — was the end of Jesus’ life with his death on the cross.

And — the final layer of meaning of “This is the End” — is that we’re finishing up Mark’s gospel next week. So after a long journey in this gospel next week we’ll all be able to say, “This is the End!”

Yet — today — in our verses — we find that as we approach the end of Mark — we’re actually entering into a new beginning. A page turn in history. Something happens that’s so monumental that it’s obvious an ending has taken place and something new has begun. Which leads to an obvious question. What happened that had this kind of massive influence on all of history? And the answer — as you probably know — is the resurrection of Jesus — which is what we find in our verses for today.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Mark chapter 16. We’ll be looking at verses 1-8 together today. This is Mark’s recording of the resurrection of Jesus. We’re in Mark chapter 16. Beginning in verse 1.

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back — it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “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. 7 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.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:1-8 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Now — let me say here at the beginning — that I understand how ridiculous the resurrection may sound to you if you’re not a Christian. Belief in the resurrection of Jesus isn’t as acceptable today — as it once was — though many still believe in the resurrection. What’s acceptable these days? To believe that nothing happens after death or to believe that everyone goes to a “better and happy place when they die.”

And — though — there’s nothing to back up either of these beliefs — there’s a demand for evidence to prove that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened. This is a bias of our culture — no evidence is needed to back up what it’s deemed acceptable — while it demands evidence of beliefs it finds unacceptable. And — even with evidence — culture will most likely still reject a belief it doesn’t approve of.

Now — asking for evidence isn’t a bad thing — it’s really not. All I want us to consider is, “Why do some beliefs — in our culture — require evidence while other beliefs are to be accepted without any evidence?” This inconsistency should bother us.

Thus I’m hopeful for all of us today. For what we find — in the gospel of Mark — is an invitation. An invitation to examine the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection by stepping into an empty tomb — with some women — and see for ourselves that Jesus’ resurrection isn’t some fabricated story — but was so surprising to those who first witnessed it that it took them some time to believe it was true.

But once they were convinced — by the evidence — they knew they couldn’t keep this news to themselves — resulting in the world being changed. And one chapter of history came to an end and a new chapter began — not simply because a tomb was empty — but because these witnesses saw Jesus alive even though days earlier he had been killed on a cross.

THE WITNESS OF WOMEN

So let’s go on a journey investigating the evidence of the resurrection. Let’s return to verse 1.

Something you may or may not know — is that in each of the four gospels — women are the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus. And the women are named in each of the gospels. I bring this up because this is evidence in regards to the reliability and truthfulness of the resurrection of Jesus. “What do you mean — Josh — how is this evidence?”

Well — in ancient times — women were not considered to be valid witnesses. Their testimony would’ve been questioned and highly scrutinized. So — with apologies to all of my female listeners — women — back in the time of Mark’s gospel — women were not the first people you’d write down as witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus if you wanted your story to be widely accepted and believed.

In the culture of Mark’s day — this would’ve made the resurrection harder to believe — not easier — which gives evidence to its truthfulness.

For example, if you’re going to make up a story about a guy being killed, buried in a tomb, and then being resurrected three days later — you’d pick non-controversial — easy to believe — witnesses. You don’t want it to be difficult for people to believe your story — especially if you’re just making it up.

Now — ladies — again, please forgive me — but women as the first witnesses didn’t fit this kind of bill in the first century world. They would’ve made the resurrection of Jesus harder for people to believe. But in all four gospels women are recorded as the first to arrive at the tomb. The first to see that Jesus’ body was gone. The first to be told that Jesus was not in the tomb — “he is not dead — but is alive.” Not your conventional witnesses of the day. But what honor God gives to these women in being the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection.

If you ever wonder if Christianity naturally belittles or oppresses women — remember who God chose to be the first witnesses of his Son’s resurrection. He chose women — for God loves his daughters — he honors them even when doing so makes the resurrection of his Son harder for others to believe.

But — and I think this is evident in the text — the women aren’t going to the tomb expecting Jesus’ body to be resurrected — they’re going to the tomb to anoint his dead body with spices. Another display of their love and devotion to Jesus. It’s early in the morning when they head to the tomb. A few days earlier Jesus’ disciples — men by the way — couldn’t stay awake to pray with Jesus — yet these women demonstrate their love and commitment to him by going to his tomb early in the morning. And the spices — they bring with them — would’ve been expensive — costly — a visible sign of how much they valued and cherished Jesus.

But they’re in for a shock, aren’t they? Can you imagine their surprise when they arrive at the tomb?

While they’re on their way they ask, “I wonder how we’re gonna get the stone rolled out of the way so we can get into the tomb?” They’re not expecting a miracle. They’re not expecting the stone to be rolled away. They’re going to the tomb expecting Jesus’ dead body to be right where it was laid a few days earlier.

THE TOMB IS AND ISN’T EMPTY!

And — returning to verse 4 — we find something shocking. The tomb is and isn’t empty! I know, I know — we talk about an empty tomb — but the tomb actually isn’t empty. Now — Jesus isn’t in the tomb — but that doesn’t mean it’s an empty tomb.

“And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back — it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “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. (Mark 16:4-6 ESV)

You may remember that Mark’s spent half of his gospel leading up to the crucifixion. So you’d expect it to be the highlight of the gospel — the climax — so to speak. Yet — though very important — the crucifixion isn’t the climax of Mark’s gospel — Jesus’ resurrection is the climax. Death doesn’t have the final word — life has the final word. Defeated isn’t the headline; victory is the headline. Jesus crucified isn’t the end of the story — Jesus resurrected is the story.

Now — something we’ve seem to have forgotten — in recent days — is that our belief in something — or lack of belief — doesn’t make something true or not. What do I mean? You can believe in unicorns, but that doesn’t mean unicorns exist. And you can not believe in unicorns, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The existence of unicorns isn’t true or false because of what we believe about them — unicorns either exist or they don’t.

You can believe that your football team’s going to win the Superbowl this year — but your belief means nothing. And — I know — you Browns fans are hoping that you not believing they’ll win will have the opposite effect. But even that’s not a guarantee!

One more example. Do you want to know something the vast majority of people in our country believe? I mean — this belief is so common in our country — and it doesn’t matter you political affiliation, your sexual orientation, your gender, or socio-economic status. What could all of these different groups possibly agree on? Are you ready for it? We all think we’re better than each other.

If I asked you to rate yourself — on a scale of one to ten — with five being “I’m average” — if I asked you to rate yourself when it comes to things like being charitable, or kind, or being a hard worker — I could pick all kinds of things — but if I asked you to rate yourself compared to others — with five being average — do you know what happens? Nearly everyone picks “seven.”

But do you know what? It’s impossible for everyone to be above average — yet we all rate ourselves above average.

We overestimate our IQ.
We always think we’re a better driver than everyone else on the road — especially during the winter, am I right?
Every pastor thinks they’re an above average preacher.
And — though we’re free to believe whatever we want to about ourselves — we’re obviously not all the best drivers, or as smart as we think we are, or above average when it comes to being charitable, kind, or a hard worker. We can believe whatever we want — but that doesn’t make our beliefs true.

Similarly, the resurrection isn’t true because Christians believe it’s true. And the resurrection isn’t fabricated just because others believe it didn’t happen. Either it happened or it didn’t. And you owe it to yourself to follow the evidence wherever it leads and let the evidence speak for itself.

So let’s return to these women — the first eye witnesses. They see that the stone’s been rolled away from the entrance to the tomb — and it’s a big heavy stone. Then they go into the tomb. And — here — I can’t help but appreciate the bravery of these women. They see that something’s going on and — what would’ve made the most sense to them — upon arriving and seeing the stone rolled away — the most likely scenario would’ve been that a group of strong men — probably tomb robbers or something — would’ve rolled the stone away to loot the tomb. So not exactly a danger free kind of scenario.

Yet these women go into the tomb and find that Jesus’ body is missing. Which might make one think that some tomb raiders did roll the stone away and steal the body. But — remember — the tomb both is and isn’t empty. Though Jesus’ body isn’t in the tomb there is someone in the tomb.

And — from the other gospels — we know that this young man is actually an angel. Mark gives us details about what he’s wearing — and a white robe is often worn by angels in Scripture. But here’s what I want you to notice. The angel tells the women to examine the evidence before them.

“Jesus was crucified — but he’s not here in the tomb. Look — this is where they laid his body. Mary — you know this is where they put his body because you were here — you saw everything with your own eyes. But Jesus is not here — he is risen.”

Now — our culture demands that we listen to the stories of others — to hear them — to learn from them — especially minorities and women. Now’s not the time to debate the value of this or highlight ways we should be cautious with this cultural expectation of our day — so all I’ll say — to those who strongly believe in this cultural value — of learning truth from others through their story — especially minorities and women — if this is you — are you listening to Mary and these other women?

These women are telling you their story — what they saw. And they’re giving you evidence of the resurrection. If you believe society would be better off if we’d listen to each other’s stories — are you practicing what you preach — are you listening to these women’s stories — that Jesus was crucified. That they saw his body placed in the tomb.

And — now — they see that the tomb is empty — are you listening to them? I hope you’re listening to their testimony — their witness — listening to the evidence they’re presenting to you about Jesus’ resurrection.

GO AND TELL

And now the angel gives the women some instructions. We’re in verse 7.

“But go, tell his (Jesus’) disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:7-8 ESV)

To these women — again whose testimony and word was considered unreliable in the culture of their day — these women are told to go and tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee — they will see him in Galilee just as Jesus had told them before being killed. And the angel tells the women to make sure Peter hears the news — Peter needs to hear this news.

As one author notes — about Peter specifically being mentioned — “What a line. It’s as if all of heaven had watched Peter fall — and it’s as if all of heaven wanted to help him back up again. ‘Be sure and tell Peter that he’s not left out. Tell him that one failure doesn’t make a flop.’”

Maybe you need to hear that today. Though you may have failed time and time again — not only does one failure not make a flop — neither does two or three or however many failures are on your resume. The grace of God and the love of Jesus Christ is more powerful than both the size and the quantity of your failures. Your failures do not make you a flop. Your failures do not define you. They don’t make you unloveable — unredeemable — or unworthy. God sees you — he’s aware of all of your failures — and are you ready for some wonderful news? Though God sees you and all of your failures he chooses to love you.

And the women leave the tomb. And Mark tells us that they’re both trembling and astonished. Matthew tells us that they’re filled with joy and that — though Mark leaves us with a cliffhanger with the words “they said nothing to no one” — Matthew lets us know that they eventually do tell the disciples about the empty tomb. Now — a response like this is understandable — I mean — it’s shocking news. They’re on an emotional rollercoaster. And there’s so much still to come — for them — in understanding what Jesus’ resurrection means.

CONCLUSION

A study — from about a year and a half ago — found that “66% of American adults believe that the physical resurrection of Jesus occurred as it’s portrayed in the gospel accounts. Twenty percent believe the resurrection is not true. And 14% say they aren’t sure.”

Now — regardless of which group you’re in — the majority who believe the resurrection to be true — a minority who doesn’t — or those who are unsure — are you following the evidence?

Especially if you don’t believe in the resurrection — or are undecided — have you done a thorough investigation — examined the evidence — or are you ignoring the evidence simply because it goes against what you want to believe? Are you listening to the evidence presented by these women whose story we’ve looked at today?

And — if you believe in the resurrection — how has Jesus’ resurrection changed you? If you believe he is risen — that he’s alive — then surely this is news that changes everything for you — just as it changed everything for these women. As someone has said, “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”

Thus — if you believe in Jesus’ resurrection — that he is alive — then you must accept all that he’s said — and not just the red letter words in your Bible — for he’s the Author of this entire book. And — to say you believe in the resurrection — and then not live any differently because of it — indicates you need to keep following the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection and see how it changes the lives of all who believe.

And that’s the opportunity for all of us who do believe in the resurrection. Our lives — how we live and love and laugh and parent our children and display patience and kindness, and are generous — even how we compare ourselves to others on a scale of 1 to 10 — all of these things are evidence that Jesus is alive — that he is risen.

And we have the opportunity to show others evidence — in our own lives — that we are witnesses to something that can change everything in their life. For we are witnesses of something that offers hope, and joy, and peace to a world full of people desperately wandering around in the darkness — wandering around in the back of a tomb as if Jesus’ body is still buried there somewhere.

But there’s no hope for those who believe his body is still buried. But what hope there is for those who follow the evidence for themselves and see that the tomb is empty. That the stone’s been rolled away. What hope for those who — after investigating the evidence — step out of the tomb and into the light of knowing that Jesus is alive. What joy there is for those who follow the evidence and see that he is risen — he is risen indeed. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for perfectly executing your plan of salvation. A plan you put in place before time began. A plan to rescue and save your people from their sins and from all of the consequences because of our sin.

Spirit of God, give life — we ask — to those who are desperate to believe. Give hope to those who’ve been wandering in the darkness of an empty tomb. Help them to step out of the tomb and into your light and the life you offer to them. Give joy to those who are tired of the unsatisfying joy this world offers. Open their eyes and hearts and minds to believe that Jesus is alive.

And Jesus — how amazing it is to believe — having investigated the evidence — that you are alive — not dead — alive. Not buried — but risen. Death doesn’t have the final word — life has the final word. Defeated isn’t the headline; victory is the headline. A victory you’ve secured on behalf of all who believe in you. What undeserved grace and favor you’ve lavished on us. Thank you for showering us with such wonderful gifts. In your name we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go living with great hope and joy having investigated the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. Amen. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.