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HE HAS RISEN

Mark 16:1-20

Key Verse 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.

Introduction

Jesus came into this world to free us from the power of sin, death and Satan and give us eternal life in the kingdom of God. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price of our sins. They placed Jesus’ body in the tomb. However, death could not keep Jesus in the tomb. Jesus rose from the tomb and appeared to his followers. The risen Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. He changed her life forever. A new history began through his resurrection. The risen Christ commissioned the disciples to share the good news to all people of the world. Today, we can experience the power of Jesus’ resurrection by meeting the risen Jesus. The risen Jesus will surely change our lives!

Read verses 1-8. Who were on their way to the tomb and what was their concern? (1-3) What did they notice when they reached the tomb? (4) What was the message given to them by the young man dressed in white? (5-7) What was their response? (8)

1-1, Read verses 1-8.

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.

1-2, Who were on their way to the tomb and what was their concern? (1-3)

They were “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome” who were the same people mentioned in 15:40. “Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome.”
Mary Magdalene with Mary the mother of Joseph also saw where Jesus was laid in 15:47. Mary M. mentioned first that she was faithful to follow Jesus to the end.
She witnessed how Jesus suffered and died on the cross and tears flowed from her eyes like a river. She loved Jesus and had a personal relationship with Jesus.
Though Jesus died and buried in the tomb, she wanted to be with Jesus forever. Before Jesus was laid in the tomb, he did not have a proper burial.
She waited for the Sabbath day to be over. As soon as the Sabbath was over, Mary and two other women were on their way to the tomb.
It was very early in the morning just after sunrise. Nobody visits the tomb in the early morning because it is a scary place.
But it did not bother Mary and two women because they loved Jesus. Love drives out fear. When we love someone, we are so brave to do anything.
So these women headed to the tomb of Jesus. What was their purpose of visiting the tomb? They wanted to clean and anoint Jesus’ body.
They wanted to serve Jesus even though he died. Their relationship with Jesus continued beyond Jesus’ death.
But the disciples were hiding with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders. (John 20:19) The disciples stayed home and wept.
In my experience, men are more pragmatic than women. Practically, to the disciples everything was over and they gave up hope when Jesus died.
But the women were seeking Jesus without any calculation. Simply they wanted to anoint the body of Jesus to give respect and honor to Jesus.
These women acted while the disciples were hiding. They sought Jesus even though they might not receive any benefit from the dead Jesus.
Their personal love relationship did not end even though Jesus died. Their relationship continued.
Women’s love for Jesus was so beautiful and pure beyond description. Later, Mary Magdalene was blessed to meet the risen Christ first.

3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

While they were walking to the tomb they asked each other how to roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb.
The stone was very large and they weren’t strong enough to roll the stone away to get into the tomb. The obstacles did not stop their desire to serve Jesus.
They simply pressed on. There are many obstacles when we try to come to Jesus. There are obstacles of our past failures, fear, and shame and guilt.
There is always something to prevent us from experiencing the power of resurrection.
Some people never experience the power of God because they do not move their feet due to their worries. But when we simply move forward to meet Jesus, we will experience the power of God.

1-3, What did they notice when they reached the tomb? (4)

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

God solved their problem when they arrived there. No problem is too big to God. We experience the power of God when we simply trust and obey God.

1-4, What was the message given to them by the young man dressed in white? (5-7)

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.’”

Then as they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side and they were alarmed.
This young man was an angel that had rolled the stone away and his appearance looked like lightning. Seeing such an angel in a dark tomb where they didn’t expect to see anything except the body of Jesus made them very frightening. But the angel told them not to be alarmed.
He delivered the first good news of the resurrection of Jesus. The angel knew why they came to the tomb. It was to anoint the crucified body of Jesus.
The angel’s news has two parts. First, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. Second, he has risen!
An empty grave was proof that Jesus has risen. Jesus conquered the power of death. Jesus triumphed over the final enemy death with the might power of God.
Many great conquerors and generals conquered the nations with their mighty fighting armies but they did not conquer the power of death.
Mary Magdalene did not have to look for Jesus in the tomb because he arose from the grave.
The crucified Jesus became the risen Christ. The risen Jesus changed human history forever. The risen Jesus brought transforming power to all people.
Now they were asked to relay the message to fearful disciples asap so that they may be ready to meet the risen Jesus at the promised place by His words.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 reads, “if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” What a hope it is!
The death of Jesus on the cross was the payment, but the resurrection was the receipt, showing that the payment was perfect in the sight of God the Father.
Also here Jesus is risen in a new body, based on our old body, perfectly suited for life in eternity. That is why his name was Nazarene, a despised name that time.
He later ascended into heaven and continues to reign as a resurrected man, still fully man and fully God, but his body is a perfect resurrection body!

1-5, What was their response? (8)

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

It seems to us that they did not obey the Angel’s message. But according to John’s gospel, they relayed the message.
Maybe they did not discuss it among themselves in order to figure it out humanly. They simply went to make a report to the disciples as the angel had said.

Read verses 9-14. When was Jesus risen from the tomb? (9a) To whom did He appear first? (9b, 12) What does this show about the disciples despite their testimony? (10-11, 13) What then did Jesus do with the Eleven? (14)

2-1, Read verses 9-14.

9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. 14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

2-2, When was Jesus risen from the tomb? (9a)

9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week,

2-3, To whom did He appear first? (9b, 12)

he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.

First, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. Before meeting Jesus, she had been possessed by seven demons. After being healed by Jesus, Mary was so thankful to Jesus that she followed and served him and his disciples wherever they went.
Now the risen Jesus appeared to her first because she wanted to be with him. God rewards those who seek him diligently.
Then Jesus appeared to two of his disciples that same day. These disciples were walking in the country going to a town called Emmaus.
Jesus opened their spiritual eyes and they recognized the risen Jesus. Then they returned to Jerusalem and reported it to the Eleven saying “It is true! The Lord has risen.”

2-4, What does this show about the disciples despite their testimony? (10-11, 13)

10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

But the Eleven apostles didn’t believe the reports of both Mary and two disciples. either because they were junior disciples.
She proclaimed the resurrection to the disciples by saying, “I have seen the Lord.” (John 20:18)

2-5, What then did Jesus do with the Eleven? (14)

14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Jesus now appeared to the Eleven as they were eating. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him.
Usually we don’t rebuke people while eating because it ruins appetite. But it was urgent for them to believe the resurrection of Jesus.
Lack of faith and stubborn refusal grieve Jesus most. But Jesus did not give up on them to the end. Praise Jesus!

Read verses 15-20. What commands and promises did Jesus give to the Eleven? (15-18) What happened to Him? (19) What does it show about the disciples who obeyed Jesus’ words? (20)

3-1, Read verses 15-20.

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

3-2, What commands and promises did Jesus give to the Eleven? (15-18)

Jesus commissioned his disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel. “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
It was an absolute command like that of a general in a war, not a suggestion. It is what Jesus commands every believer who believes Jesus.
Go into all the world and all creation is a revolutionary idea to the Jewish disciples, for they are proud of being a chosen people in history.
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” - here emphasis is on “believe”, not “baptized”.
In the following context, Jesus gave them a promise of divine power and protection on the line of their duty for world mission tasks.

3-3, What happened to Him? (19)

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.

Just as Jesus said to His disciples more than 3 times and before the Sanhedrin(14:62), Jesus the Lord was taken into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.

3-4, What does it show about the disciples who obeyed Jesus’ words? (20)

20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

After planting resurrection faith Jesus gave them a command to go and preach the gospel to all people of the world.
They obeyed Jesus’ great commission and changed world history. The risen Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
The disciples went out. They did not remain together to bless each other merely. They went out by obedience. Always it is the proper direction as the outcome.
Then all signs followed them as they obeyed Jesus’ command instead of following signs. May the Lord help us to grow in obedient servants of Jesus in our times.

Conclusion

Through Jesus' victory over death, he restored our relationship with God. He revived our love relationship to follow him to the end and gave us freedom to live for the glory of God without fear. Let’s remember God’s power to raise Jesus from the dead so that we may have a living hope in the kingdom of God.

One word: He has risen!