"He is Not Here!"
(The Resurrection of Jesus)
#156 in Series: "The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels"
Scripture References: Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-13, Luke 24:1-11, John 20:1-18
(The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the most pivotal event in all of human history. It affirms Who He is as God's Son. It confirms what He said as being true! And it becomes the very foundation upon which Christianity stands! If Jesus did not rise from the dead, there is no resurrection, no salvation, no hope for life eternal for anyone!)
The cross and the resurrection of Jesus – is the very event upon which all … eternity hinges… All four gospel writers give a clear report about the events surrounding and the purposes connected to Jesus' resurrection!...
Every spring, near the time of Passover, one or more of these reports are read and preached on the Sunday we celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead! We commonly call that Sunday "Easter", but in reality, every Sunday since His resurrection, has been a day of celebration!
I've reviewed every message preached in the past few years from this pulpit on Easter Sunday, and the Sundays leading up to Easter – and we have looked closely at every one of these reports, including Paul's report in 1 Corinthians 15 – all that is – except one, and that is Mark's report.
So today, as we come to the point in our long series of studying the life of Jesus chronologically, we are going to turn to Mark's report as our main focus for today's message… Let's hear the Word of God –
Mark 16:1-13
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" 4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.'" 8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.9 [Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.
12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country.
13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.
Mark gives us a rather brief report and focuses on just a few details surrounding Jesus' resurrection… What he wrote is addressed by other gospel writers, and since the Lord had them give a little more detail than Mark, I suppose that is the reason we've not looked to Mark's report for the main text in a message … before now.
We will still seek to harmonize these reports as we think through what the Lord gave us through the gospel writer, John Mark…
Let's begin by considering –
1. The Significance of the Day
Mark 16:1a
When the Sabbath was over…
Stop there for a moment… Sabbath on the Jewish calendar is from sundown (about 6:00 pm) on Friday, to sundown on Saturday… This is has always been the "holy day" of the week in Jewish life… Mark's statement that the Sabbath was over is simply noting the timeline for when the women came to the tomb … more about that in a moment…
But, we do need to pause at this point to make a biblical / theological observation… Mark's statement that the "Sabbath was over" is a greater truism than a mere narrative…
Up until this point, faithful believers gathered together on the Sabbath! It was the day set aside by God for His people to worship and rest as a testimony that He had completed creation in six days, and rested on the Sabbath / the seventh day… But now the Sabbath is over!... It is now Sunday morning, the first day of the week, and it was on this morning that the resurrection of Christ is discovered by the women who came to His tomb – but they find the tomb … empty and learn that Jesus has indeed, physically, bodily, literally, and victoriously – risen from the dead!
Ever since that first Sunday, every Sunday since, believers have gathered to worship and give testimony to the reality and significance of Jesus' resurrection!... We don't gather on Friday, but on Sunday!...
The cross was important – but would be considered a failure – if it wasn't for Sunday!... Without the resurrection, there would be no salvation!... The Apostle Paul later elaborates on this in 1 Corinthians 15, that we will discuss a little later…
What is significant right now, is how Sunday became the day of worship!... The day of worship had always been Saturday – but there came a change, a sudden and dramatic change! For thousands of years Jews worshipped on Saturday, and now – suddenly, thousands of Jews … changed! They changed their day of worship from Saturday to the first day of the week / Sunday? Why?... The only explanation is the dramatic, undeniable, reality of the risen Lord!
I like what MacArthur has to say about this –
John MacArthur – "He was in the grave on Friday, He was in the grave on Saturday, He's been in the grave for perhaps nearly twelve hours on Sunday; that covers the three days in the grave. Any part of a day constitutes a fulfillment of that. It is now Sunday early in the morning. This is going to be a very, very dramatic change in how the people of God view their days. The most important day for the people of God up till this weekend was always Saturday. The most important day of the week from this weekend on has always been Sunday…
Since that weekend, no Sabbath has been necessary. Since that weekend, no Sabbath has been required… Since that weekend, no Sabbath is even legitimate. It's the same thing as the Passover. The last Passover happened at the end of that week, and Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper as the new memorial feast commemorating His death, and there has never been a legitimate Passover since then, and there has never been a legitimate Sabbath since that weekend either."
What we see next in Mark's narrative, is what we can call –
2. The Significance of the Women
Pick up again in the middle of verse :1 –
Mark 16:1b
1 … Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome,
Let's pause there for a moment…
Mark just names three women at this point, but when we harmonize with the other reports, we learn that a group of women came to the tomb where Jesus is laid… The group was made up of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Salome, Joanna, and other women (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:10, John 20:1)...
You might say; So!... What is the significance that it was women who came?
It is significant that the Lord would providently have women to be the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus! When you study what the attitude was toward women in general in that time and culture, you are especially confronted with the significance of this observation…
These women are faithful followers of Jesus! We have already learned that even when the disciples had scattered in fear – these women stayed close enough to observe all that had happened to Jesus!... They wanted to stay close. They had over the past few years been faithful followers of Christ, and have ministered to Him in various ways throughout His ministry – they are certainly motivated out of their love for Him to want to come to His tomb to do for Him what they did not have the opportunity to do before He was entombed!
We should not miss the significance of their love, faithfulness, and bravery at this point… They, along with many other faithful sisters in Christ mentioned throughout the NT, serve as examples for all of us – as to what loving servitude, and faithfulness looks like!...
It is an interesting, and helpful study to survey the significance of women in the New Testament! The point is, Christ elevated women – Christianity is the only religion that does!... If you don't believe me, just read how women are treated in Judaism in the first century… and now, especially in Islam! Women are considered inferior and are certainly not equal to men in those systems… Christ comes along and … elevates the value and role of women!
Let's press on to the main point Mark is making in his report, and that is –
3. The Significance of the Resurrection
Before we read about it, let's address a question: Just how significant is the resurrection of Jesus?
Here is where we need to consider what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians –
1 Corinthians 15:14-19
14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
H.A. Ironside – "The Gospel is the Gospel of the Risen Christ. There would be no Gospel for sinners if Christ had not been raised."
John MacArthur – "(T)he whole of Christianity is built on the resurrection. If there is no resurrection, there is no Christianity. If there is no resurrection, God is Satan, and the Bible is full of lies. If there is no resurrection, there is no salvation, no forgiveness, no hope, no heaven. You cannot pull the resurrection out of the structure of Christianity without it collapsing completely."
There is no doubt – the significance of the resurrection of Jesus is that it was absolutely essential! As MacArthur also said –
John MacArthur – "Without [the resurrection], [Jesus'] death becomes the heroic death of a noble martyr, the pathetic death of a madman, or the execution of a fraud."
As we read through Mark's report, let's pay attention to, first –
The expectation of the women
Let's read about it –
Mark 16:1-3
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
The stone was … typically "round and shaped to fit into a sloping groove dug just in front of the rock vault's opening. It was relatively easy to roll into the trench, but very difficult to remove."
These ladies were simply hoping to gain access to the tomb, to anoint Jesus' body with the spices they had prepared, but did not have opportunity prior to His burial… It was still a bold, courageous act on their part, but that is the limit to what they expected to find…
But, what did they find? – Let's see –
Mark 16:4-5
4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.
I realize I'm quoting a lot today from John MacArthur – but it's been awhile since sharing from this great teacher of God's Word… MacArthur fills in the background details that helps us understand this scene –
John MacArthur – "[The women] knew Joseph had secured the gravesite with a large, heavy stone (Mark 15:46) and wondered how they would be able to remove it. Because Friday was the last time any of them had seen the tomb, they were unaware that the religious leaders had sealed it on Saturday and set a detachment of Roman soldiers to guard it (cf. Matt. 27:62-66). They were also unaware of the localized earthquake that occurred earlier that morning, and the arrival of the angel who rolled the stone away and incapacitated the soldiers (Matt. 28:2-4), ultimately causing them to flee (v. 11). By the time the women arrived at the tomb, the soldiers had disappeared and the tomb's entrance was wide-open."
What comes next is –
The declaration of the angel
There are three words this special messenger from heaven declares… The first is –
An encouragement
Mark 16:6a
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed…
The term translated "amazed" is more than amusement… There is awe, coupled with the strong emotion of … terror mixed in it! These women were experiencing no small amount of fear!
Sinclair Ferguson helps us put their fear in perspective –
Sinclair Ferguson – "Should they not have returned home rejoicing in the news they had heard? Is there not something unexpected about this response? That in itself is a mark of its authenticity (if we were to invent the story we would not end it in this way). But it is more. In Mark's Gospel, this fear is always man's response to the breaking in of the power of God. It is the fear the disciples experienced when Jesus stilled the storm; the fear of the Gerasenes when Jesus delivered Legion; the fear of the disciples as they saw Jesus setting his face to Jerusalem to die on the cross. This fear is the response of men and women to Jesus as he shows his power and majesty as the Son of God."
The angel offers them a word of encouragement – "Do not be amazed"...
Next, the angel gives –
An announcement
Mark 16:6
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
They can't believe their ears!... The angel announces that Jesus – the One and the same Who was crucified three days ago – has RISEN!... He is not here!... In fact, come and see the place where He had been laying!...
This is the first of millions of announcements of this great news since!... Jesus – Who was in fact dead – is in fact … now alive! He has conquered death! In the words of the Apostle Paul –
"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
Then comes –
An assignment
Mark 16:7
But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.'"
Warren Wiersbe – "'Come and see!' was followed by 'Go and tell!' We must not keep the resurrection news to ourselves. The angel sent the women to tell (of all people) Christ's own disciples. They should have been expecting the news, but instead, they questioned it even when they heard it."
Notice the specifics in this assignment, not only "go tell His disciples", but specifically, "go tell Peter"!... Why Peter?...
Peter was, of all of them, most discouraged… His failure on the night before the crucifixion … haunts him. Peter is most certainly dejected, defeated, and discouraged… This is the kindness of God toward Peter… The messenger is signalling out Peter to get the message to him that Jesus has risen – "just as He said He would"!
Peter was the leader before … he will become the leader again… He will have a long way to go to get there…
What comes next is –
The hesitation of the women
Let's read about this –
Mark 16:8
They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Despite the word of "encouragement" the angel gave in verse :6, the women were … gripped by the strong emotion… Underline the words "trembling", "astonishment", and "afraid"...
What affect did these emotions have on them?... They intimidated them into … silence – "they said nothing to anyone"... in the beginning… Oh, how often has fear robbed us from speaking up for the gospel?!!...
Now, the balance of Mark 16 has received no small amount of scrutiny, and rightfully so… There is an opening bracket [ at the beginning of verse :9, and a closing bracket ] after verse :20 – why?... It is to indicate that this section is not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts of Mark's report…
Everything in this section is substantiated by other passages, except the section regarding "the handling of snakes" and "drinking poison" (:18) – which is another sermon… For our purposes today, we are only going to include verses :9-13 for this message…
Let's consider –
The manifestation of the Lord
Mark 16:9-10
9 [Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.
This certainly isn't an exhaustive report of the appearance of Jesus… In fact, there are 13 distinct appearances of Jesus that are recorded in Scripture (Matthew 28; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1; 1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 1). We plan to delve into a few of these over the next couple of weeks.
We are told in our text that Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene – the very Mary, whom Jesus delivered from the oppressive power of seven demons… She was honored to have the first appearance of Jesus… And notice – it is not until Jesus appears to her, that she gains the courage to go and … speak up!...
Therein is the solution to our intimidating fears — get with Jesus, spend time at His feet – and you will become emboldened to speak up!
In your notes is a link to one of many good articles at GotQuestions.org.
https://www.gotquestions.org/resurrection-accounts.html
This article seeks to chronicle the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Space would allow giving that list in your notes, but it is worth your time to investigate it, and read the passages that are cited…
Here is a possible harmony of the narratives of the resurrection of Christ and His post-resurrection appearances, in chronological order:
- Jesus is buried, as several women watch (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42).
- The tomb is sealed and a guard is set (Matthew 27:62-66).
- At least 3 women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, prepare spices to go to the tomb (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1).
- An angel descends from heaven, rolls the stone away, and sits on it. There is an earthquake, and the guards faint (Matthew 28:2-4).
- The women arrive at the tomb and find it empty. Mary Magdalene leaves the other women there and runs to tell the disciples (John 20:1-2).
- The women still at the tomb see two angels who tell them that Jesus is risen and who instruct them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee (Matthew 28:5-7; Mark 16:2-8; Luke 24:1-8).
- The women leave to bring the news to the disciples (Matthew 28:8).
- The guards, having roused themselves, report the empty tomb to the authorities, who bribe the guards to say the body was stolen (Matthew 28:11-15).
- Mary the mother of James and the other women, on their way to find the disciples, see Jesus (Matthew 28:9-10).
- The women relate what they have seen and heard to the disciples (Luke 24:9-11).
- Peter and John run to the tomb, see that it is empty, and find the grave clothes (Luke 24:12; John 20:2-10).
- Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb. She sees the angels, and then she sees Jesus (John 20:11-18).
- Later the same day, Jesus appears to Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5).
- Still on the same day, Jesus appears to Cleopas and another disciple on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32).
- That evening, the two disciples report the event to the Eleven in Jerusalem (Luke 24:32-35).
- Jesus appears to ten disciples—Thomas is missing (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25).
- Jesus appears to all eleven disciples—Thomas included (John 20:26-31).
- Jesus appears to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-25).
- Jesus appears to about 500 disciples in Galilee (1 Corinthians 15:6).
- Jesus appears to His half-brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7).
- Jesus commissions His disciples (Matthew 28:16-20).
- Jesus teaches His disciples the Scriptures and promises to send the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:4-5).
- Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:6-12).
What happens next?... We see –
The suspicion of the Disciples
Now this section says a lot… Let's examine it closely –
Mark 16:11-13
11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country.
13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.
Notice… belief is an uphill battle! It takes "a minute" for the truth to soak in!... Notice twice in this section something is said about how; "they refused to believe" (the end of verse :11, and verse :13)…
And who can blame them?... These guys have had their world turned upside down … and destroyed!... All that they had hoped would come about was lost – as far as they knew… Sorry, but it's going to take more than a report from others, for them to become persuaded that what they are being told … is true!
For some it will take more than a week, but their skepticism will be relatively short-lived…
I realize, I've quoted a lot today from one of my favorite teachers, but MacArthur offers some of the best "take aways" we should all get:
The basic truth of the resurrection undergirds a number of other truths.
- It gives evidence that the Word of God is totally true and reliable. Jesus precisely when and in the way He had predicted (Mt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:9, 23).
- The resurrection means that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as He claimed to be, and that He has power over life and death.
- The resurrection proves that salvation is complete, that on the cross Christ conquered sin, death, and hell and rose victorious.
- The resurrection proves that the church has been established. Jesus had declared, "I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Mt. 16:8)… His resurrection proved that death itself could not prevent Christ from establishing His church.
- The resurrection proves that judgment is coming. Jesus declared that the heavenly Father "has given all judgment to the Son" (Jn. 5:22), and since the Son is now risen and alive, His judgment is certain.
- The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that heaven is waiting. Jesus promised, "In My house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you" (John. 14:2). Because Christ is alive by the resurrection, believers have the assurance that He is now preparing a heavenly dwelling for them."
Let's pray…
Questions to Consider in Community Group:
- What is the significance of worshipping on Sunday rather than Saturday?
- Why did the women go to the tomb? (Joseph and Nicodemus already prepared the body, why do you suppose the women felt they needed to?)
- What evidence is offered by Mark in his report that should be convincing that Jesus has in fact risen from the dead?
- Why is it necessary for Jesus to have physically, bodily, literally risen from the dead?
- There were a list of "take aways" offered at the end of the message (from John MacArthur). Which do you find most helpful? What others come to mind that were not mentioned?
The basic truth of the resurrection undergirds a number of other truths.
- It gives evidence that the Word of God is totally true and reliable. Jesus precisely when and in the way He had predicted (Mt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:9, 23).
- The resurrection means that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as He claimed to be, and that He has power over life and death.
- The resurrection proves that salvation is complete, that on the cross Christ conquered sin, death, and hell and rose victorious.
- The resurrection proves that the church has been established. Jesus had declared, "I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Mt. 16:8)… His resurrection proved that death itself could not prevent Christ from establishing His church.
- The resurrection proves that judgment is coming. Jesus declared that the heavenly Father "has given all judgment to the Son" (Jn. 5:22), and since the Son is now risen and alive, His judgment is certain.
- The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that heaven is waiting. Jesus promised, "In My house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you" (John. 14:2). Because Christ is alive by the resurrection, believers have the assurance that He is now preparing a heavenly dwelling for them."
What are your thoughts on any of the quotes shared in the message?
John MacArthur – "He was in the grave on Friday, He was in the grave on Saturday, He's been in the grave for perhaps nearly twelve hours on Sunday; that covers the three days in the grave. Any part of a day constitutes a fulfillment of that. It is now Sunday early in the morning. This is going to be a very, very dramatic change in how the people of God view their days. The most important day for the people of God up till this weekend was always Saturday. The most important day of the week from this weekend on has always been Sunday…
Since that weekend, no Sabbath has been necessary. Since that weekend, no Sabbath has been required… Since that weekend, no Sabbath is even legitimate. It's the same thing as the Passover. The last Passover happened at the end of that week, and Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper as the new memorial feast commemorating His death, and there has never been a legitimate Passover since then, and there has never been a legitimate Sabbath since that weekend either."
H.A. Ironside – "The Gospel is the Gospel of the Risen Christ. There would be no Gospel for sinners if Christ had not been raised."
John MacArthur – "(T)he whole of Christianity is built on the resurrection. If there is no resurrection, there is no Christianity. If there is no resurrection, God is Satan, and the Bible is full of lies. If there is no resurrection, there is no salvation, no forgiveness, no hope, no heaven. You cannot pull the resurrection out of the structure of Christianity without it collapsing completely."
John MacArthur – "Without [the resurrection], [Jesus'] death becomes the heroic death of a noble martyr, the pathetic death of a madman, or the execution of a fraud."
John MacArthur – "[The women] knew Joseph had secured the gravesite with a large, heavy stone (Mark 15:46) and wondered how they would be able to remove it. Because Friday was the last time any of them had seen the tomb, they were unaware that the religious leaders had sealed it on Saturday and set a detachment of Roman soldiers to guard it (cf. Matt. 27:62-66). They were also unaware of the localized earthquake that occurred earlier that morning, and the arrival of the angel who rolled the stone away and incapacitated the soldiers (Matt. 28:2-4), ultimately causing them to flee (v. 11). By the time the women arrived at the tomb, the soldiers had disappeared and the tomb's entrance was wide-open."
Sinclair Ferguson – "Should they not have returned home rejoicing in the news they had heard? Is there not something unexpected about this response? That in itself is a mark of its authenticity (if we were to invent the story we would not end it in this way). But it is more. In Mark's Gospel, this fear is always man's response to the breaking in of the power of God. It is the fear the disciples experienced when Jesus stilled the storm; the fear of the Gerasenes when Jesus delivered Legion; the fear of the disciples as they saw Jesus setting his face to Jerusalem to die on the cross. This fear is the response of men and women to Jesus as he shows his power and majesty as the Son of God."
Warren Wiersbe – "'Come and see!' was followed by 'Go and tell!' We must not keep the resurrection news to ourselves. The angel sent the women to tell (of all people) Christ's own disciples. They should have been expecting the news, but instead, they questioned it even when they heard it."
