Easter Sunday “The New Reality”
March 31, 2024 Mark 16:1-8
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Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
“And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had
seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” 0
These faithful women were afraid & confused. They didn’t stay that way for long,
as were learn from the other Gospels, but that’s where the Gospel of Mark leaves them:
afraid & confused. And why? Because of some sudden tragedy, some unexpected death? No, not at this moment. The unfair, tragic & horrific death had unfolded over the last couple of days. Up to this moment, they were sad = but not afraid; grieving = but not confused. They were mindful of the Sabbath observance, organized with their burial spices, they were motivated & got up early to properly care for the corpse of their Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth.
Altho they had forgotten about the heavy stone over the entrance to the tomb, I’d say, overall, they were clear-headed, brave, & prepared. Even when they arrived at the tomb, & saw that large stone rolled away, they didn’t panic in fear & run away. They only wondered about it, and so they continued on into the tomb.
So far, so good; until they encountered that young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, who had a message for them: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen.” And now they ‘lose it,’ in fear & confusion. And we can appreciate that. After all: Which would cause more fear & confusion = to learn that a loved one had died, or to learn that they had suddenly come back to life? What would be more unsettling & befuddling = to hear about a death, or about a resurrection?
To us, from the faith-perspective of 2,000 yrs, it seems strange that people would respond with fear & confusion to the wonderful message of Easter. But that’s not fair to them back then. They weren’t thinking of ‘Easter,’ altho Jesus did try to prepare them for what He would do on the ‘third day.’ But what He had said was not normal. For US, Easter Sunday is a time of joy & alleluia. But it’s also more than that. The message of the resurrection is a life-jarring message. The crucified Christ Jesus has risen from the dead. In this old world, that’s a brand new reality.
So this is one of the goals of our worship-time today: that we have pondered the new life & new outlook that is given with the news that Jesus is resurrected from the dead.
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These three women that went to Jesus’ tomb on that Sunday morning had been near the cross when he died. His death brought them great sorrow & disappointment. How could it be that this kind, loving Jesus could be so hated, vilified, abused, & killed by both their religious leaders and gov’t officials. But I don’t think that death itself scared them much. They were very familiar with death, with having loved ones die. In their day, many died young; and the average life expectancy was about 40 yrs.
Mark says they were alarmed, but it wasn’t because of death. In those days, these women were used to seeing the reality of death up close; that’s why they were going to the tomb that morning. Jesus’ corpse had been entombed in haste by Joseph of Aramathea & Nicodemus. Jesus’ body would need the other spices & wrappings for a proper burial. To do that, they would have to handle His dead body. That was common; people were used to it. There was no kindly licensed mortician to take the body in the backroom, and take care of all the sights & smells & sounds of death. They would handle things, they were used to it. Death didn’t alarm them.
I suppose, in our own way, death doesn’t alarm & confuse us either. Maybe it’s a reality we don’t have to face as often as back then, but we still face it. We do pay other people to take care of the body of our loved one, to get it ready for viewing, and for burial. That help is meant to ease the burden of death. And death is not unexpected for us either. It can certainly be ‘untimely’ & extra sad when a younger person dies, but we know that’s always a possibility.
The world we live in shows us that reality every day. Flowers & trees die, dogs & cats die, people die. Because of war, crime, sickness, & severe weather, people die; it’s a common reality. The older we get, the less UNexpected death is. It’s so common, that the first part of the newspaper we look at is the obituaries. When we see a familiar name, we may be downhearted, but we are not alarmed or confused.
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Now, for those of us that listen to the Word of the God who created life, the reality of death is not confusing. Romans 6 says, ‘the wages of sin is death.’ Ezek.18 says, ‘the soul who sins shall die.’
It all goes back 6,000 yrs to the Garden of Eden, and to mankind’s first parents. On the 6th day of creation week, God formed man from the elements of the earth, male and female; and breathed into them the breath of life, and Adam & Eve became living souls. They were to live with God in obedience & joy, to have children, and to serve as God’s stewards of all creation.
When tempted by Satan, (that disobedient angel expelled from heaven), Adam & Eve disobeyed God’s command: they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. God had warned them that if they did that, on that very day, they would die. So on that day, death entered the world because of sin; and that death of sin has been passed on to all the children of man ever since. Adam & Eve were removed from the Garden to live a life under that curse of sin.
But they were also given a promise so that they would still know that God is merciful, and so that they would have the hope of redemption. God would send a Savior, born of woman, born under the curse of the Law, to redeem us out from under that death of sin.
We have heard & believed that promise, as it was carried forward thru history, proclaimed by the prophets of God, and finally fulfilled as the holy Son of God comes on the scene: He is Jesus, the Christ, the promised Savior.
For those of us who listen to God’s Word, we have heard of this reality of death from God himself, so it doesn’t alarm or confuse us. It is part of our life in this fallen world.
We don’t like death, but we acknowledge it’s beginning & cause: the wages of sin is death.
We also acknowledge its sorrow, & grief, & finality. People don’t come back from the dead. For those women in Mark 16, and for us, death is common.
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So, why are these women alarmed & confused? Because of a resurrection. Because of life coming out of death; by having a dead loved one come back to life, to walk around & eat & talk to people again, as Jesus did. That’s alarming, confusing, & unsettling. Everything else that morning was common & usual. What had happened was sad & tragic; but it was very normal. Until they got to the tomb, went inside & heard the message of the angel: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen.” And suddenly, their world is turned upside down.
That’s why they ‘fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them,
and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.’ Now, like I said, that fear & confusion didn’t last long. They DID run to the disciples and reported what they had heard & seen. And now it was the disciples’ turn for fear & confusion; not about death, but about resurrection.
Jesus had tried to tell them He would rise from the dead, but their ears had stopped listening at the word ‘death.’ Because death made sense. But the phrase ‘rise on the third day’ didn’t make sense. Not at first. As we know, what the angel told the women came true. He said: “He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And that’s what happened.
Jesus did appear to the disciples to show them His hands & side. Jesus ate some broiled fish to demonstrate that He was truly resurrected with a living body, & not just as a ghost or spirit. Jesus walked & talked with them. The new reality of the resurrection took a little while to sink in, but the words & real presence of Jesus made it happen. Their Messiah, their Lord & God, had truly been put to death; and on the third day, He rose again to defeat that historic curse of sin, death, & hell.
This resurrection of their Lord & Savior brought to the disciples a new reality for their lives. So much so, that they would use their lives, & even risk their lives, to proclaim His saving death & resurrection to all who would listen. This Gospel of redemption & new life brings a new reality into the lives of all who believe & are baptized into the Risen Christ.
Jesus’ resurrection has turned your world upside down, & given you a new reality:
the death you are familiar with, Jesus broke it by rising to life. Jesus’ resurrection means that the wages of your sin is paid for. Your sin is forgiven == both the sins you have done,
& the sin you were born into. The apostle Paul writes: ‘Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (1 Cor 15:20). That means that Jesus’ resurrection has broken death for you, too. And being baptized in Him, you are ‘clothed with Him’. Because He lives, you will rise & live also.
Jesus’ resurrection means that all the normal, worldly things of your life have now changed. All humans know that everything in this world moves toward death. But now
we know that, for us in Christ, it all moves toward resurrection.
That’s the new reality that chases away our fear & confusion. Before we leave today, we will sing of that new reality of hope & life. We will each confess: I know that my Redeemer lives. He lives & grants me daily breath; He lives, and I shall conquer death; He lives my mansion to prepare; He lives to bring me safely there.
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When you have faced the death of your loved one, has this event of Mark 16 and these women come to mind? The scene with these women is probably the most common experience for humans world-wide. After a person dies, the grieving family & friends will gather to view their loved one’s body one more time. The pain & sorrow of death weigh heavy. So many preparations have to be done in just a few days; it’s a very stressful time. The moment comes when the casket must be closed, & now their minds are focused on how they will not see their loved one again. That’s what these women experienced; it’s the most common reality for every human being.
But then comes the opportunity for a new message from the One who broke the power of death. And if the preacher is ‘worth his salt’, he will not merely talk about what a wonderful life the dead person had in this fallen earth, as if they were not a poor sinner in need of a strong & merciful Savior. The preacher should proclaim that message of the Resurrection One that turns everything upside down.
Jesus said: ‘because I live, you shall live also.’ He promised: ‘In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself.’ Because Jesus rose, all who face death have a new reality for this life, when they listen to the Resurrected One.
For the rest of their days, those women still had to deal with death, and use those spices & strips of linen on the corpses of their loved ones. Death was still the common reality.
But on Easter morning, something changed; the old normal was now faced with a new reality.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was now the positive proof of a future hope, and of eternal life for all who believe & are baptized in Him. Do not be afraid or confused. Jesus is risen, death, & your death, has been broken. Now, you will live, because He lives.
Amen