Gospel
reading: Mark 15:42-47
42 And when evening had come, since it
was the day of Preparation, that is, the day
before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathe'a, a
respected member of the council, who was also
himself looking for the kingdom of God, took
courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the
body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate wondered if he were
already dead; and summoning the centurion, he
asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And
when he learned from the centurion that he was
dead, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 And he
bought a linen shroud, and taking him down,
wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in
a tomb which had been hewn out of the
rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of
the tomb. 47 Mary Mag'dalene and Mary the mother
of Joses saw where he was laid.
Meditation:
Jesus not only died for our sins (1 Cor.
15:3); he also, by the grace of God, tasted
death for every one (Heb. 2:9). It was a
real death that put an end to his earthly human
existence. Jesus died in mid afternoon and the
Sabbath began at sunset. Since the Jewish
law permitted no work on the Sabbath, the body
had to be buried quickly. Someone brave enough
would have to get permission from the Roman
authorities to take the body and bury it.
The bodies of executed criminals were usually
left unburied as carion for the vultures and
dogs. Jesus was spared this indignity
through the gracious intervention of Joseph of
Arimethea. Who was this admirer and secret
disciple of Jesus? Luke tells us that
Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the
supreme Jewish council that condemned
Jesus. We are told that he did not agree
with their verdict. He was either absent
from their meeting or silent when they tried
Jesus. What kind of man was Joseph?
Luke tells us that he was "good and righteous"
and "looking for the kingdom of God".
Although he did not stand up for Jesus at his
trial, he nonetheless, sought to honor him in
his death by giving him a proper burial.
This was to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah had
foretold: "He was cut off out of the land of the
living ..and they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death, although he
had done no violence, and there was no deceit in
his mouth" (Isaiah 53:8-9).
In the Book of Revelations, the Lord
Jesus speaks: "Fear not, I am the first
and the last, and the living one: I died, and
behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the
keys of Death and Hades" (Rev. 1:17-18).
No tomb in the world could contain the Lord
Jesus for long. His death on the cross purchased
our redemption and his triumph over the grave on
Easter morning defeated death. What preserved
the Lord Jesus from corruption? He was
kept from decay and he rose from the dead by
divine power. "My flesh will dwell in
hope. For you will not let your Holy One
see corruption" (Psalm 16:9-10) . The
mystery of Christ's lying in the tomb on the
sabbath reveals the great sabbath rest of God
after the fulfillment of our salvation which
brings peace to the whole world (Col.
1:18-20).
Is your hope in this life only, or is it
well founded in the resurrection of Christ and
his promise that those who believe in him will
live forever?
Gospel
reading: Mark 16:1-13
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary
Mag'dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and
Salo'me, bought spices, so that they might go
and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first
day of the week they went to the tomb when the
sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one
another, "Who will roll away the stone for us
from the door of the tomb?" 4 And looking up,
they saw that the stone was rolled back; -- it
was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they
saw a young man sitting on the right side,
dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. 6
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek
Jesus of Nazareth, 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 that he is going before you
to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told
you."
8 And they went out and fled from the
tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come
upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for
they were afraid. 9 Now when he rose early on
the first day of the week, he appeared first to
Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven
demons. 10 She went and told those who had been
with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when
they heard that he was alive and had been seen
by her, they would not believe it. 12 After this
he appeared in another form to two of them, as
they were walking into the country. 13 And they
went back and told the rest, but they did not
believe them.
Meditation: On Sunday
morning the women went to the tomb to pay their
last tribute to a dead body. The disciples
thought that everything had finished in
tragedy. Neither were ready to see an
empty tomb and hear the angel's message,
Why do you seek the living among the dead
(Luke 24:5)? Is it any small wonder that
it was the women, rather than the apostles, who
first witnessed the empty tomb and the
resurrected Lord? Isidore of Seville, a
7th century church father comments on this: "As
a woman (Eve) was first to taste death, so a
woman (Mary Magdalene) was first to taste
life. As a woman was prescient in the
fall, so a woman was prescient in beholding the
dawning of redemption, thus reversing the curse
upon Eve." The first to testify to the
risen Lord was a woman from whom Jesus had cast
out seven demons.
What is the significance of the
stone being rolled away? It would have taken
several people to roll away such a stone. And
besides, the sealed tomb had been guarded by
soldiers! This is clearly the first sign of the
resurrection. Bede, a church father from
the 8th century, comments: "[The angel] rolled
back the stone not to throw open a way for our
Lord to come forth, but to provide evidence to
people that he had already come forth. As the
virgin's womb was closed, so the sepulcher was
closed, yet he entered the world through her
closed womb, and so he left the world through
the closed sepulcher." (From Homilies on the
Gospels 2,7,24) Another church father remarked:
"To behold the resurrection, the stone must
first be rolled away from our hearts" (Peter
Chrysologus, 5th century).
Do you know the joy of the
resurrection?
It is significant that the disciples had
to first deal with the empty tomb before they
could come to grips with the fact that scripture
had foretold that Jesus would die for our sins
and then rise triumphant. They disbelieved
until they saw the empty tomb. Bede
explains why the Risen Lord revealed himself
gradually to the disciples: "Our Lord and
redeemer revealed the glory of his resurrection
to his disciples gradually and over a period of
time, undoubtedly because so great was the
virtue of the miracle that the weak hearts of
mortals could not grasp [the significance of]
this all at once. Thus, he had regard for the
frailty of those seeking him. To those who came
first to the tomb, both the women who were
aflame with love for him and the men, he showed
the stone rolled back. Since his body had been
carried away, he showed them the linen cloths in
which it had been wrapped lying there alone.
Then, to the women who were searching eagerly,
who were confused in their minds about what they
had found out about him, he showed a vision of
angels who disclosed evidences of the fact that
he had risen again. Thus, with the report of his
resurrection already accomplished, going ahead
of him, the Lord of hosts and the king of glory
himself at length appeared and made clear with
what great might he had overcome the death he
had temporarily tasted." (From Homilies on the
Gospels 2,9,25)
One thing is certain, if Jesus had
not risen from the dead and appeared to his
disciples, we would never have heard of
him. Nothing else could have changed sad
and despairing men and women into people radiant
with joy and courage. The reality of the
resurrection is the central fact of the
Christian faith. Through the gift of the Holy
Spirit, the Lord gives us "eyes of faith" to
know him and the power of his resurrection. The
greatest joy we can have is to encounter the
living Lord and to know him personally.
Do you celebrate the feast of Easter with
joy and thanksgiving for the victory which Jesus
has won for you over sin and death?
Gospel
reading: Mark 16:14-20
14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven
themselves as they sat at table; and he
upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness
of heart, because they had not believed
those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he
said to them, "Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He who
believes and is baptized will be saved; but he
who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And
these signs will accompany those who believe: in
my name they will cast out demons; they will
speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up
serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it
will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on
the sick, and they will recover." 19 So
then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to
them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at
the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth
and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked
with them and confirmed the message by the signs
that attended it. Amen.
Meditation:
The first to see the risen Lord was not Peter or
one of the apostles, but Mary Magdelen and the
women who stood by Jesus at the cross and who
went to the tomb on Sunday to pay their last
respects. Unfortunately for the disciples,
they would not believe their account of the
Risen Master. Jesus had to scold his apostles
because of their unbelief and stubborn
hearts. Are you like the apostles or like
Mary Magdelen and the other women -- slow
to believe or quick to run to Jesus? Do you
doubt because you do not see? The Lord
makes his presence known to us through the work
of the Holy Spirit. He gives us the gift
of faith to know him personally and to
understand the mystery of his death and rising.
Do you believe his word and do you listen
to his voice?
Jesus' departure and ascension into
heaven was both an end and a beginning for his
disciples. While it was the end of Jesus'
physical presence with his beloved disciples, it
marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with
them in a new way. Jesus promised that he
would be with them always to the end of
time. Now as the glorified and risen Lord
and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the
Father in heaven, Jesus promised to send them
the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power
on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was
anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan.
When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the
apostles, they were not left in sorrow or
grief. Instead, they were filled with joy
and with great anticipation for the coming of
the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' last words to his apostles
point to his saving mission and to their mission
to be witnesses of his saving death and his
glorious resurrection and to proclaim the good
news of salvation to all the world. Their task
is to proclaim the good news of salvation, not
only to the people of Israel, but to all the
nations. God's love and gift of salvation is not
just for a few, or for a nation, but it is for
the whole world -- for all who will accept
it. The gospel is the power of God, the
power to forgive sins, to heal, to deliver from
evil and oppression, and to restore life.
Do you believe in the power of the
gospel?
This is the great commission which
the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All
believers have been given a share in this task
-- to be heralds of the good news and
ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of
the world. We have not been left alone in this
task, for the risen Lord works in and through us
by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we
witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out
his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and
strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it
for effective ministry and mission
world-wide.
Do you witness to others the joy of
the gospel and the hope of the resurrection?
"Lord Jesus, you died that I might have
life-- everlasting life in your kingdom of peace
and righteousness. Strengthen my faith
that I may I know the power of your resurrection
and live each day in the hope of seeing you face
to face for ever."
"Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed
over the grave and you have won new life for us.
Give us the eyes of faith to see you in
your glory. Help us to draw near to you and
to grow in the knowledge of your great love and
power."
“Lord Jesus, through the gift of your
Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable
spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial
can subdue. Fill us with your
resurrection joy and help us to live a life
of praise and thanksgiving for your glory.
May we be witness to those
around us the joy of the gospel and the
reality of your resurrection.”
