Easter Sermon – Mark 16:1-8 – Terror and Amazement

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Easter Sermon – Mark 16:1-8 – Terror and Amazement
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
April 12, 2009

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Today we complete our journey through the last three chapters of the Gospel of Mark. It has been an exciting journey with Jesus and the disciples. The anointing in Bethany, the Passover dinner in Jerusalem, prayers on the Mount of Olives followed by the arrest, trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus. And today we return to the tomb with the women to anoint Jesus’ body one last time.

As we walk with the women back to the tomb let us pray. Lord God we ask that you roll away whatever stones block our paths and free us from guilt, grief and fear with which we are bound in our own tombs. Release us from the power of death to lead new lives in you. We pray this is the name of our risen Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

Mark 16:1-8 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and 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 They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 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 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Jesus’ mother Mary had experienced a long week, a triumphal entrance into Jerusalem with all the excitement of a Rose Parade with UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Then a side trip to Bethany to visit with some friends. Then back to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. It was that night when everything went wrong. Jesus was arrested and then crucified and buried with the women watching from a distance. As the sun set beginning Passover the two women went home for rest and prayer. Then as the sun was rising on the first day of the week they quickly got dressed and made their way to the cemetery to do their obligation, to care for the body of Jesus.

While they were walking to the cemetery they worried about the large stone that prevented them from doing what needed to be done. They knew they could push the stone as hard as they could but it would not move. So they a needed a power beyond their own ability to move the stone.

We all know what it is like to have a large stone in our way. We push and push and push but it just doesn’t move. Maybe it’s a family member who is on drugs and abusing you. We push for that person to change and nothing happens. Maybe it’s a health concern that is dragging you down. You push the doctors but nothing can be done. Maybe it’s the loss of a job, or the loss of a home that has left you frightened and penniless. You push by sending out hundreds of resumes but still can’t find a job. Maybe it’s the end of a relationship you thought would last forever. You push by praying that your spouse will return but nothing happens. Maybe it’s the sin that has stained your life and you need forgiveness. So you push by working harder and harder to make up for what you have done but the guilt never seems to go away. Maybe it’s the death of friend or relative that has overwhelmed you with grief. You push by reading the Bible and talking to the pastor about death but your grief remains. No matter how hard you push on your problems you just can’t do anything about them. So you need power beyond your own abilities to remove the stone that is in your way.

When the women arrived at the tomb they discovered that they had received a gift. The large stone had already been rolled away. They didn’t have to push. God had moved the stone for them. And God will move the stone for us too. Whatever problems we are experiencing, guilt, fear, grief that keep us pushing and pushing and are beyond our abilities need a power greater than us. And good news of Easter is that God moves those stones away as a gift for us. This is called grace.

The women entered the tomb and expected to see Jesus’ body. But there was no body in the tomb. The tomb was empty. They were afraid. What kind of gift is this? God rolls away the unmovable stone and nothing is there. This is what we really fear. If God removes our sin, our grief, our fear, our guilt will we have anything left? Our fear and our guilt and our grief have become familiar companions. We don’t want to give them up. We have grown accustomed to their presence. So we reject the offer from God to remove them from our lives and wish to hold on to the problems we have rather than face an uncertain future without them. So when the women saw the empty tomb they experienced the return of an old friend, fear.

But inside the tomb was a man dressed in white with a message from God, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.” God knew that the women were gripped with fear at that moment and sent an angel to tell them that there was no reason to fear anymore, because Jesus Christ, who had died and was buried, was now raised from the dead by God. So there was no longer anything to fear, sins washed away, guilt removed, no reason to fear even death because death itself was the stone that God moved away. This is our great Easter gift, better than an Easter basket, or a chocolate bunny, or a colored egg. God’s gift to us is that death is no long the end. Life goes on after death because God, moving the unmovable stone, raises the dead back to life.

But the women did not understand what God was doing. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was beyond their comprehension. All they knew was that Jesus’ body was missing. And this made them very, very, afraid. What does the news that Jesus was raised from the dead mean to us? Do we believe that death is no longer the final act? Or like the women are we afraid?

We can believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in four ways. The first is that God has revealed fact of Jesus’ rising from the dead to us though the angel. This was a direct revelation to the women in the tomb and to us. God has informed us that Jesus did rise from the dead and we can believe it. The second way we know the resurrection is true is because of our faith. Remember that Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." (John 20:29) Because we believe in the resurrection of Jesus that resurrection is true for us. The third way we know that the resurrection is true is because our faith would be meaningless without it. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14) The resurrection of Jesus from the dead must be true for our faith to be true. And the fourth way we know that the resurrection of Jesus is true is because the work of the church is motivated by our belief in our risen Lord. The Book of Revelation says, “And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Revelation 21:5) So our new lives in Christ are dependant on the truth of his resurrection. For all these reasons we believe the Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.

The messenger from God needed to get a message to Peter and the other disciples that the risen Jesus, once dead but now alive, was on his way back home to Galilee. They were to go back there to see him. But all of this was just too much for the women. They ran from cemetery screaming in terror. And this is the conclusion of the Gospel of Mark.

This is it? How can Mark end the gospel in this way with so many questions unanswered? Where is Jesus’ body? Who rolled the stone away? Who took the body? What happened to Jesus? This ending of Mark has bothered many Christians, and some have attempted to fill in the final details. Take a look at page 55 of you pew Bibles, at the end of Chapter 16 of Mark. Right after verse 8 you will see “The Shorter Ending”, one early attempt to “complete” the gospel. Also you will see verses 9-20 also called “The Longer Ending”. This too is an attempt to “complete” Mark by adding details from the other gospels and the Book of Acts. And, of course, Matthew, Luke and John all added their own endings to Mark’s account.

But I believe that Mark ended his gospel in this way intentionally. Mark wants us to know that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is not a conclusion, but a beginning. It begins, as all new things do, with fear. But the initial fear will dissipate and be replaced by joy. We rejoice that death is no longer the end of life. Rather we are recipients of new life, eternal life in the presence of Almighty God.

So as we leave here today remember that we have been reborn to new life in Jesus Christ. Whatever stone you have been pushing has been rolled away. The punishment for sin, death, has been annulled. So you no longer have to fear death and can now enjoy new life. That new life begins today. Just leave all of you cares behind in an empty tomb. And celebrate your new life in the presence of our risen Lord Jesus. Amen.