The Message for Easter Sunday - Now What? (Mark 16:1-8)

On Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Sligo Presbyterian Church by using the account written in Mark 16:1-8. A recording and the text of the sermon are below. You can stream the service every week by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDST)

This morning is Easter. Of course, I recognize that most folks in this part of the country already know that. I mean, even if they’re not what you’d call “Church People,” they probably got the hint by all those bunnies and baskets and peeps over at Walmart and all those Cadbury commercials that crop up this time of year. No sir, today is Easter, and for that reason, it’s really important for all of us, particularly for Christians. 

But I’ve got to tell you, for me and my family, there’s another reason this specific time of year is special. Now I don’t know if y’all realize it, but Debbie and I have been here in Sligo for almost three years. Time flies when you’re having fun. And even though I didn’t officially start until June, well, we all kind of decided that was going to happen around late March and early April back in 2021. Of course, as those on the search committee know, this was the culmination of a long process and I’m talking for both the congregation and for me. For example, by this point three years ago, we both had accumulated a lot of knowledge about one another. My goodness, we’d already read information forms and done several zoom interviews. And the search committee had already heard me preach. And I’d already made two trips up here, even though I didn’t eat my first wedgie until a couple of weeks ago. You see, the knowledge was there. And as to the options, well, they were pretty clear. I mean, based on everything we knew, on one hand, we could break it off and move on, y’all to other pastors and me to other congregations, or, on the other hand, we could move forward and see what God might have in store for us. Now those were the options. But I’ll tell you, it still came down to a decision, didn’t it; a decision that we both had to make. And that’s exactly what we did. You see, based on the information we had and the options we knew, and after a lot of prayer and soul searching, y’all decided to call me and we decided to say “yes,” something that happened about three years ago.

And I’ll tell you, I want y’all to keep that in mind, because we’re going to use this same structure as we approach Mark’s description of Christ’s resurrection. You see, during the rest of this message, we’re going to do three things. We’re going to consider our knowledge, in other words, what we, the reader, know based on what Mark wrote, which, by the way, is a lot different from what we find in Matthew, Luke and John. And then, we’ll discuss our options, you know, what we can choose to do based on what we know. And then, we’ll focus on the decision that we have, one that, I’ll tell you, will shape not just what we do today but also what we’ll be doing tomorrow and beyond. Now that’s the plan.

And like I said, we’re going to start by talking about our knowledge concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ as written by the Evangelist Mark. And as I read it, based on what he wrote, I think there are three things we can certainly know.

For example, first, we certainly know what happened, and I’m talking about what was going on within the story itself. I mean, just listen to what Mark wrote:

After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James bought some spices to put on Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just as the sun was coming up, they went to the tomb. On their way, they were asking one another, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance for us?” But when they looked, they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. And it was a huge stone!

The women went into the tomb, and on the right side they saw a young man in a white robe sitting there. They were alarmed. [Mark 16:1-5 CEV]

Now that’s how Mark began his account. 

And just think about what it tells us. I mean, obviously something incredibly dramatic had just happened, and right now I’m talking about the crucifixion. And I’ll tell you, based on how Mark described it, it was even more traumatic than what we find in the other gospels. For example, based on what we have in Mark, as he was hanging on the cross, Jesus wasn’t surrounded by his family and friends as it says in John. And when he died, he didn’t shout, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” [Luke 23:46b, CEV] as it says in Luke. And after he died, the earth didn’t shake and the rocks didn’t split and the graves weren’t opened and many of God’s people weren’t raised to life as it says in Matthew. Instead, for Mark, Jesus faced death alone, because one disciple betrayed him and one denied him and the rest ran away. And according to Mark, his last words were “‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’” [Mark 15:34b, CEV] And after his death and after the curtain in the Temple had been torn in two, the only sound was a single Roman “officer who saw how Jesus died [and] said, ‘This man really was the Son of God!’” [Mark 15:39b, CEV] You see, because we’ve read the story, we know that’s why the women were coming to the tomb. But that’s not all we know was happening, because we also know that when they went in, there was no body for them to anoint, only a young man in a white robe sitting in the tomb. And even though those women may be been confused, we, the readers, really aren’t, because way back in chapter eight we heard Jesus say this to his disciples:

“The nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life.” [Mark 8:31b, CEV]

And so, as we read about those women standing there in the tomb, man, we know what happened.

But of course, that’s not all we know, because, second, we also know what that young man had to say, don’t we? I mean, thanks to the Evangelist Mark, we’re right there when 

The man said, “Don’t be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was nailed to a cross. God has raised him to life, and he isn’t here. You can see the place where they put his body. Now go and tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that he will go ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.”  [Mark 16:6-7, CEV]

Now that’s what Mark wrote and just think about what that young man was saying to those women. I mean, to start with, he told them not to be afraid of what they were seeing, because God had done for Jesus exactly what Jesus had predicted, that God had raised the one who’d been crucified to life. And that was the reason he was no longer in the tomb, something they could clearly see; therefore, they shouldn’t be afraid. But that’s not all the young man said. You see, he also told them to go and tell his disciples, especially Peter, the one who’d denied him three times, to go and tell them that Jesus was going to see them again in Galilee. Now that’s what the young man said, and that’s something else we, the readers, know. 

But again, that’s not all, because, third, we also know exactly what the women did, don’t we? I mean, we know exactly what they did after the young man finished giving them two commands. You see, we know exactly what they did when they left that tomb. Just listen to what Mark wrote:

When the women ran from the tomb, they were confused and shaking all over. They were too afraid to tell anyone what had happened. [Mark 16:8, CEV]

Now that’s what they did or maybe better, didn’t do. In other words, after being told not to be afraid, how did they feel? Well, according to Mark, they were afraid, weren’t they? And after they were told to tell the disciples, Mark wrote that they didn’t tell anyone what had happened. This we know, because Mark told us. And right here the gospel ends: with no appearance beside the Sea of Galilee and with no conversation on the Emmaus Road and with no Great Commission given on a mountain in Galilee. None of that is in Mark, just three women running away from the tomb and telling no one about the resurrection. And even though this must have made some people back in the day really uncomfortable, and so somebody added both a longer and shorter ending, you know, to complete the story, based on the language used and writing style, the one who wrote the first sixteen chapters of the gospel didn’t write either ending. No, the gospel as written by Mark ended at verse eight. That’s it. 

And so, since we’ve been able to read the story, we know what happened and we know what the young man said and we know what those women did. You see, when talking about the resurrection as written by the Evangelist Mark, this is the extent of our knowledge, isn’t it?

And you know, based on that, well, we really have some options right now, don’t we; options that we can choose and that can and will shape the way we live. 

For example, on one hand, based on what we know happened, we can choose to stay on the surface, you know, to hear the words about the crucifixion and resurrection at least once a year but never really consider what they might mean or why they might be important or how they might change the way we relate to God or to one another. I mean, we can choose to treat this like any other story so that we can move on to what’s really important. This we can do. Or, on the other hand, we can choose to listen carefully to what Mark wrote and to consider why, for men like Paul and Peter, the resurrection was the single most important event in human history, because it represents the beginning of something brand new, something that’s never been seen before, and that it’s a reminder that in spite of our problems and pain, in spite of our disappointments and doubt, in spite of our frustrations and fears, our destinies are in the hands of a loving and gracious God and life, new life, resurrected life waits for us sometime in the future. You see, to just hear and move on or to listen carefully and learn, these are our options based on what we know happened. 

And based on what we know the young man said, on one hand, we can choose to assume that he was only talking to them and that his words really aren’t very important for us. In other words, we can assume that it’s OK to handle what the guy said as part of a story back in the day but not all that relevant for folks who have a whole lot more to fear than just an empty tomb and a whole lot more to do than sharing a message that been told for almost two thousand years. This we can assume. Or, on the other hand, we can choose to believe that when that young man was talking to those women, man, he was also talking to us right here and right now. Therefore, from that empty tomb, he’s telling us two things. I mean, he’s certainly telling us to not be afraid, to not be afraid of a message that even the Apostle Paul said would sound like blasphemy to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks and to not be afraid even though those who have no problem telling us that we’re wrong or naïve may be so loud that we’re tempted either to shut up or give in. You see, he’s saying to us, “Don’t be afraid,” but that’s not all. Because he’s also telling us to go and tell, to go and tell those around us about “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, [and] the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit” [1 Corinthians 13:13, NRSVUE] and to go and tell how, because of what happened on that cross, we’ve been freed from the past and because that tomb was empty, we can have hope for the future. You see, to assume the message isn’t for us or to believe that it is, these are the options we have based on what we know that young man said.

And based on what we know the women did, we’ve also got a couple of choices there as well. I mean, on one hand, we can certainly choose to follow their example and stay still and silent. I mean, we can allow our fear to shape our response and to distract us from doing what God has called us to do and being the kind of people God has called us to be. Man, we can choose to follow the example of three women who left and told no one. Or, on the other hand, we can choose to focus our attention on God, and I’m talking about the one who loves us and who died for us and who continues to inspire us. You see, we can resist all the distractions and, through our words and our works, do the one thing Jesus Christ commanded us all to do. Remember, when he was asked about what commandment was most important, 

Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.” [Mark 12:29-31, CEV]

I’m telling you, to follow those women or to focus on God, these are our options based on what we know the women did. 

And so, since we’ve heard the story and have knowledge, based on what we know happened and on what we know the young man said and on what we know women did, we certainly have a whole bunch of choices. You see, when talking about the resurrection as written by the Evangelist Mark, these are our options, aren't they? 

Which leaves us with only one thing to consider as we leave here this Easter morning. And I’ll tell you, it just might be the most important thing of all. I mean, remember me telling you that this was about the time, three years ago, when y’all decided to call me here and Debbie and I decided to come? Well, even though both sides had a whole bunch of information and both sides were clear about what we could do,  our decision, yours and mine, made all the difference. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s where we stand today on this Easter Sunday. You see, based on the resurrection from Mark, we have the knowledge and we know the options, but we’re still left with a decision that only we can make. And so, with that in mind, Now what are we going to do?