JUST AS HE TOLD YOU
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Opening Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, that as I come to worship you in spirit and in truth today, you welcome me, you come and give me great cause to be joyful. Help me to express my reasons for the joy that is mine with those around me today.
Read MARK 16:1–8
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Jesus Has Risen
16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so 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.[a]
Footnotes
- Mark 16:8 Some manuscripts have the following ending between verses 8 and 9, and one manuscript has it after verse 8 (omitting verses 9-20): Then they quickly reported all these instructions to those around Peter. After this, Jesus himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Remember the time when you realized that Jesus not only died and rose again from the dead, but that he went to the cross and had victory over death for you so that you might live and have eternal life. Give thanks!
I don’t understand how white light splits into a spectrum of colors. I don’t understand a nuclear reaction. I don’t understand the vastness of space. And I don’t understand the resurrection of Jesus. I’m with those women. They arrived in a state of deep sadness, at the earliest hour, with a task to do—the final preparation of the body for burial. Heads down, they considered the practical issue of the heavy stone. They were utterly unprepared for what they met, the stone rolled away from an empty tomb and a young man waiting for them. They didn’t understand.
Can we ever grasp the true enormity of the resurrection? The answer is no. It’s more than we can comprehend. It goes against the finality of death. For the women it jarred with the grieving process they were going through. Their first reaction wasn’t a triumphant ‘He is risen from the dead and he is Lord.’ It was alarm, fear, bewilderment, and physical shaking (vv. 5, 8). Given a clear commission by the angel (v. 7), they fled. They didn’t tell anyone. They didn’t understand.
The angel’s words were clear and simple. First, understand that Jesus doesn’t belong here among the dead (v. 6). Second, go home to Galilee, where you feel safe and secure (v. 7). Third, remember what he told you (v. 7).1 In God’s purposes, there is no surprise. This is how it was planned to be. This is what Jesus had tried to explain to his followers. Honestly, it’s not how I would have done it. I don’t understand it, but it’s all in line with what Jesus said. If I am willing to follow his teaching on ethics and society and love, then I should follow this too. God’s victory over death and evil that we celebrate today is overwhelming.
Apply
Read Romans 8:11. Welcome the Holy Spirit of resurrection into the day you are living today.
Closing prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise you for the fulfillment of your promise in your Son. Lord Jesus, I praise you for your victory in the resurrection. It is with wonder and gratitude that I celebrate this day, this day that guarantees my place with you in heaven.
1 Mark 14:28
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