Faith Forward: Mark 16:1-8 - Resurrection of Our Lord

 ¹When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus’ body]. ²And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶But 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. ⁷But 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.” ⁸So 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. (NRSV)

Earlier this week, I visited my doctor for my annual physical. As usual, the nurse weighed me on the scale, took my temperature, pulse and blood pressure. But then, she began asking me questions:

·       How many days have you felt anxious or depressed?

·       Do you feel unsafe in your home? 

·       Do you feel that life isn’t worth living?

·       Do you fear that you may become homeless in the next six months?

She asked nearly two dozen, undoubtedly to measure how the pandemic has impacted people’s health and well-being. 

As I answered each question, I realized how much I take for granted—and how difficult life has become for so many. 

This Easter, perhaps more than any in our lifetimes, we can relate to what Jesus’s disciples had been going through over the last three days.

Even though Jesus had repeatedly told them, none of the disciples were mentally, emotionally, or spiritually prepared for Jesus’s death. They had given up their entire lives to follow Jesus; witnessing his miracles, hearing his teachings, taking part in his ministry. After getting the hero’s welcome into Jerusalem and raising Lazarus from the dead, it was beyond the realm of possibility that Jesus would die on the cross. 

But it all came to pass, exactly as Jesus said: the betrayal of Judas; Peter denying Jesus three times and the rest of the disciples running away. This wasn’t a bad dream. Jesus was dead.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome came to the tomb to offer one final act of love and devotion to their Lord. 

But a disturbing surprise was waiting for them inside the tomb: Jesus’s body was gone, and young man dressed in a white robe was seated inside. “He is not here,” he says. “He is risen.” “ Go, and tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you into Galilee, and there you will see him, just as he told you.” 

The women flee from the tomb in terror and bewilderment, too afraid to tell anyone what they’d seen and heard. And that’s the resurrection, according to Mark. Far from what you’d call a “happy ending.”  

But maybe that’s the point: resurrection is not an ending. It’s a new beginning—which is not as blissful as it may sound. As you know, Jesus’s resurrection does not mean a return to the way things were before. It does not erase the trauma of the crucifixion; nor does it take back the disciples’ failures or Judas’s betrayal.

Jesus was alive—but the “normal” died on Good Friday. And that is why the women are seized with terror and amazement. Even worse, speaking up about what they’d seen and heard could put their lives in danger. All told, the resurrection story ends—not with Jesus and his disciples “living happily ever after,” but with a great, big unknown—not all that dissimilar to what we’re facing today.

I don’t need to visit a tomb to feel terror and amazement. All I need to do is turn on the news.

But what was true for the women at the tomb is true for us—the risen Jesus only goes in one direction—and that direction is forward. “Go forward,” Jesus says, “into the unknown.” “Go forward,” into a future full of perils but also possibilities. “There, you will see me.” This is the promise that gives us hope.

Resurrection isn’t just a 2,000-year-old event for the children of God; it is what happens when Jesus meets you where there is difficulty, suffering, and decay; making a way when there is no way; opening up new doors and new opportunities where time, change, and death have taken away.

Resurrection is Jesus washing away your past failures and the shame that goes with them; giving you new birth and new purpose. 

Embracing the promise of resurrection may be the most audacious act of faith there is, aside from loving your neighbor as yourself—because you’re confessing to yourself, to your friends and family, and ultimately, to everyone—your confidence that the world is not circling the drain towards hell; that the forces of chaos, evil, and death are not going to triumph in the end; that life and love and hope and peace and justice will prevail. 

Resurrection is the kingdom of God becoming unto us in our time. Today, Jesus is calling you to roll away the boulders that bind God’s children in hunger, in rejection, in injustice, and in despair—by the empowering of the Spirit. Resurrection is Jesus creating new possibilities for us as a congregation to enter into new, life-transforming relationships with people all around us who need your good works and your testimony that God keeps promises, heals your wounds, and raises the dead. 

If you ask me, “normal” is overrated. When Jesus shows up, nothing stays as it is, including you.

And yes, we have lost much in the past year—and it is important that we take the time to grieve.

I’d be lying if I said the future will be smooth sailing, and life will get easier.

But Jesus is raised from the dead. He has given death and evil an expiration date.

Today, we go forward, because Jesus goes forward, into a future full of perils but also possibilities.

We bear witness to his resurrection by our own healed wounds.

We roll away boulders by the Spirit’s power, so that life, love, hope, peace, and justice prevail in the world.

“Go forward,” Jesus says, “and there, you will see me, just as I told you.”