Gospel of Mark Study #55

“Faith Blinded by Fear”

Mark 16:1-8

Study #55 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

This week, in our continuing series of studies on the Gospel of Mark we come to the very summit of Christian Theology—namely, the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. That singular event was the theme of most of the preaching in the Early Church. Every sermon recorded in the Book of Acts focuses on the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of its strategic importance, down through the centuries this doctrine has been a lightning rod and a constant target for those who want to disprove or discredit the Christian faith. However, despite all the attacks, despite the best efforts of the scoffers and the demons of Hell, the truth of Christ’s resurrection still stands firm!           

Jesus’ bodily resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. The resurrection is not merely a concept, a metaphor, or a spiritual truth—it is a certifiable historical fact, and has never been disproved, and never will be! Of all the things for which we should be thankful today, the fact that Jesus came forth from that tomb on third day, just as He had said He would, is our greatest motive for gratefulness. 

TRANSITION:

The outline of chapter 16 of the Gospel of Mark falls neatly into two distinct divisions. First, in verses 1-8 we read of the visit of the three women to the tomb and their conversation with the angels. Then in verses 9-20, which we will take up in our next study, we have a summary of the Lord’s resurrection appearances, ending with His ascension.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 1: And 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.

• The three women listed here are the same ones mentioned in 15:40, the ones who witnessed the crucifixion “from a distance.” From Matthew 27:56 we learn that this woman, Salome, was the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Mark tells us that the other Mary was the mother of James the Less and Joseph [Joses] but we do not know anything about her. Mary Magdalene, on the other hand is a familiar biblical personage. She followed Jesus almost from the very beginning of His ministry after He cast seven demons out of her and set her free from that demonic oppression (cf. Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9).
• The Sabbath began at sundown on Friday and ended at sundown on Saturday evening. The women probably went out then and purchased the supplies that they would need the next morning (Sunday) to anoint and prepare Jesus’ body for burial. These spices were used to retard decay and mask the stench of the decomposing body. The Greek word here for spices is arōmata, which refers to aromatic spices in liquid form, such as perfumed oil. For this reason, the translators of the KJV rendered the word as “sweet spices.”

Verse 2: And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

• “And very early on the first day of the week…” John’s Gospel (20:1) tells us that it was still dark out when the women set out for the tomb, probably from Bethany, where the disciples had been staying at night. Mark tells us that they arrived just as the sun was coming up. 

Verse 3: And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away [or roll back] the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

• This was a logical question. Up in 15:46 we read that Joseph had rolled the stone down into place but rolling it uphill would be much more difficult. However, apparently, they hoped that the three of them together would be able to move the stone out of the way.
• The stone itself was probably not more than about 4 to 4.5 feet in diameter since tomb openings were not usually as tall as regular door openings. It was probably about a foot thick. However, a solid stone that size would weigh hundreds of pounds and would not be easy to move, especially by three ladies.
• It is also interesting to note that the women make no mention of the Roman guard that Pilate had placed there at the request of the chief priests. Perhaps they were still unaware of that fact.

Verse 4: And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.

• “And looking up…” With downcast eyes and heavy hearts, they made their way up the hill to Jerusalem. Approaching the tomb, I assume that they were looking down at the ground as they walked along in that early morning half-light. However, as they drew near to the tomb, they lifted their eyes to see something that left them surprised. The stone had already been moved out of the way of the doorway, even though it was huge and heavy.
• It is difficult to harmonize the Gospel accounts and come up with an exact chronology of events because each writer adds his own details to the story. For example, Matthew 28:1-4 tells us that as the women approached there occurred a severe earthquake, the angel rolled the stone away from the door of the tomb and then sat on it, and the Roman guards were so traumatized by the whole thing that upon seeing the angel, they “shook with fear of him, and became like dead men.” That is apparently the amazing scene that greeted those three women as they walked up to the tomb.

Verse 5: And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.

• The Scriptures tell us that Joseph’s tomb was brand-new. It had never been used. It had been carved out of solid stone. Such a project would have required expert stonecutters and would have cost a fortune. There was only one door into the tomb. There would have been several shelves or slabs, at least four, arranged like bunk beds on each side of a narrow aisle.
• The night before Joseph and Nicodemus had carried Jesus’ body from Golgotha to the tomb and had laid Him on one of the cold stone slabs. Before they left for the night, they hurriedly wrapped His body with cloth grave wrappings using some of the dry spices that Nicodemus had brought with him. Then they sealed up the tomb.
• Now the women entered the dark tomb. They may have had an oil lamp or a candle with them. We just do not know. But immediately upon entering their eyes immediately fell upon a young man, dressed in shining white apparel, seated on the stone slab to the right of the entrance. Luke says in 24:4 that there were two young men there but apparently only one of them did all the talking. Mark refers to this shining personage merely as, “a young man,” but Matthew specifically identifies them as “angels” dressed in dazzling clothes, and he says in 28:2-4 that they had removed the stone from the door of the tomb.
• The KJV says that the women “were affrighted” meaning afraid. However, the Greek word used here really means “utterly amazed, greatly astonished, or dumbfounded.” At this point they were not stricken with fear so much as with confusion and questions.
• And one of the things that amazed them was the fact that the grave cloths were still lying there, neatly folded (cf. John 20:6-7).

Verses 6: And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified [lit. the crucified One]. 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 before [i.e., going ahead of] you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’”

• The angel’s first words to the women focused on their absolute amazement and his desire to calm their concerns. From his words it is obvious that he knew exactly who they were and what they were there to do. He also knew exactly what had happened to Jesus and where He had gone. He also knew exactly what Jesus had told His disciples about going ahead of them into Galilee and meeting them there.
• The English word “angel” comes directly from the Greek word, ángelos, which simply means, “a messenger.” That is their main function in relation to men, although they sometimes also serve us as guardians. They are heavenly servants of God, but they are the messengers that God uses to send specific messages to men. In this case, God commissioned these angelic messengers to bring a word of comfort and specific direction to these grieving disciples and to remind them that God was still in control of the situation, despite appearances.
• Notice how the angel singled out Peter from the rest of the disciples. He mentioned Peter by name. Why did he do that? I believe that it was God’s way of letting Peter know that despite what he had done in three times denying the Lord, God still loved him, and he had not been rejected. Comparing this passage to the other Gospel accounts we see that the disciples did not leave immediately for Galilee. We also learn in Luke 24:34 that the risen Christ appeared to Peter that very day and then to the disciples that evening (Luke 24:36). The meeting between Jesus and His disciples up in Galilee is recorded in John 21 and Matthew 28:16-20.
• One more thing—these three women were chosen by God as the first human witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. What an honor!

Verse 8: And 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.

• As soon as the angel finished speaking the women high-tailed it out of there. They were visibly shaken, from the top of their heads to the bottom of their feet.
• “…for trembling and astonishment had gripped them …for they were afraid.” What a cocktail of emotions these poor women were experiencing! Only moments before they were stricken with grief and sorrow as they walked to the tomb. Now that grief had been replaced by “trembling” and “astonishment.” The Greek word that Mark uses here for astonishment is an interesting choice. It is the word ekstasis from which we get the English word “ecstasy.” It is a compound word made up of the preposition ek, meaning “outside of,” and stasis, literally meaning “a standing.” It is used for any situation in which a person is thrown into a trance-like state of surprise or fear, or both. It is like our expression, “he was out of his mind,” or “he was beside himself.” It is usually translated “amazement” but often also carries the idea of “joy.” This emphasis is clearly carried by Matthew’s parallel account in Matthew 28:8 where he writes: “And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.”
• “…for they were afraid.”  This time, however, the word used really does mean “fear.” That sensation of amazement and astonishment was replaced by plain old stone-cold fear. The experience left them scared spitless, shaking in their sandals.
• “…and they said nothing to anyone.” This statement must be understood in the light of the other Gospels because we know that they quickly went back and told the other disciples. I believe that what Mark means is that they did not stop on the way to share with anyone what they had seen and heard. They went as quickly as possible directly to where the other disciples were gathered in the upper room.

CONCLUSION:

“He has risen; He is not here.” Those are some of the most thrilling words in all of Scripture. They form the basis for our hope, the foundation of all we believe. An interesting sidelight—the Greek voice of the verb the angel used, “He is risen,” is passive, and clearly indicates that Jesus was raised by an act of God. It could be translated, “He was raised,” simply emphasizing the part the Father played in raising the Son once the work was accomplished.           

In looking at the love and deep devotion of the three women we cannot help but be impressed and moved. However, theirs was an adoration of a dead Christ, just like we have in a large part of the Church today. They were committed to care for His beloved dead human body, not realizing that He was alive, and risen from the dead just as He had predicted.           

This problem was just the same old same old. For the past 3½ years the disciples had found it difficult to wrap their minds around the fact that Jesus was God incarnate. For this reason, every miracle surprised the daylights out of them and troubled them greatly. Here once again we see disciples of Jesus not getting it, not genuinely believing that He could be alive. And it was not just these three women—the men of the group who were huddled in the upper room were convinced that hope was gone, and everything had ended in tragedy. The fact is if Jesus had not risen from the dead, we would have never even heard of Him. However, the existence of the Christian Church is by far the best proof of the Resurrection.           

Jesus is not just a character in a book, He is a living presence. He is not just a memory. Moreover, our faith has a bedrock foundation and cannot be shaken by scoffers, critics, sceptics, or naysayers. Down through the centuries the fact of the Resurrection has changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and flaming with courage.

We have much to be thankful for as Christians. However, of all the things that should top our gratitude list should be the fact that today JESUS IS ALIVE! We should celebrate and give thanks to God every day for that truth. And every Sunday should be Easter Sunday for us, the Lord’s Day, the day that Jesus rose from that tomb, victorious over death and the grave. There is a song by Bill Gaither that comes to my mind that says it all beautifully:

God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus; He came to love, heal, and forgive.

He lived and died to buy my pardon; an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future, now life is worth the living just because HE LIVES!