An Easter Reading plan – day 7
Read Mark 16:1–8
On Saturday evening, when the Sabbath was over, the two Marys and Salome who were present at the cross (Mark 15:40) brought spices to anoint the body of Jesus. Early the next morning, they went to the tomb, and it dawned on them that they might not be able to move the stone at the entrance, which could be closed with relative ease by slotting it into a groove on the rock floor but was very difficult to open afterward. Perhaps they should have brought some of the male disciples to help them.
They got a shock when they reached the tomb: the entrance stone had already been moved. That it was not the wrong tomb is made clear in Mark 15:47—they knew where it was. Rushing in, they were further shocked to see someone sitting inside it. It was a young man dressed in a white robe (an angel, according to Matthew 28:5). He told them not to be alarmed, and that Jesus had risen! He showed them the place where Jesus’ body had been—it was empty. He then instructed the astounded women to tell the disciples of Jesus, “and Peter”, (a special touch of the forgiving Lord who felt for the fumbling and repentant Peter) that Jesus had risen and was going ahead of them into Galilee, where they would see Him again. Jesus had already told them about this (see Mark 14:28).
That God chose women to be the first witnesses of the resurrection is incredible, if we remember that in that culture of those days, the testimony of women was not taken seriously (see Luke 24:10–11). If the resurrection of Jesus was invented, the “inventors” would have placed men as the first witnesses. That the women were the first to see the empty tomb and meet the angel is surely proof of the authenticity of the resurrection account.
Some of the earliest disciples found it hard to believe what Jesus had predicted about himself, even when they heard about the evidence (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34)? Put yourself in the women’s sandals, and ask yourself: How do you think you would have responded? Why can it be so hard for us, and others, to believe Jesus’ words?
As church services and meetings are being curtailed to reduce the risk of spread of the coronavirus, how can we continue to be a witness of the risen Lord? What can we say or do to share about the open tomb?
Excerpted from Journey Through Mark, a part of the ‘Journey Through’ Series.
