Unbelieving

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  Mark 16:9-11

Jesus had told the disciples to be watchful for His return, and He had told them plainly more than once that He would be executed and rise again. The first news of the risen Lord Jesus comes from Mary Magdalene, and she is not believed. Well, now what do we do? Jesus is risen, but the eleven hand-picked disciples who spent so much time with Him will not believe He did exactly what He said that He would do. Unbelief can be a mighty wall keeping Jesus out of the heart. The first report of the living Lord Jesus has arrived, and the disciples remain unbelieving. What next? 

Bucky

Said Nothing

So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  Mark 16:9

Have you ever felt afraid to share the good news of our Lord's resurrection? It seems that you and I are not alone in this. The first group to have the good news that Jesus no longer occupied a grave site felt a new fear. I'm not going to attempt to name it, but believers in Christ have been feeling it for a couple of millennia now. This fear must be based in that sinful nature we are all born into. Perhaps it is similar to the new fear Adam and Eve faced after eating of the forbidden tree and God called out to them. So, maybe this fear is not so new after all. When the good news goes forth, we may feel both thrilled and frightened. The new spirit of Christ in us wants to stand up and shout for joy; while the old flesh wants to duck down behind the bushes for fear of being exposed. 

Praise God for the good news!

Bucky

And Peter

But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”  Mark 16:7

As one astute reader pointed out yesterday - my sister, Kerri, it was - the angel in the tomb singles out Peter for some reason. "...tell His disciples - and Peter." Of course we want to take a stab at the reason why Peter was separated from the disciples at this momentous occasion. Could it be the three denials? That is a good reason, but why not Judas who had done the betrayal? Judas himself took care of that with his self murder. I have thought in these later years that Judas could have been forgiven too, if only he had stayed and allowed the Lord to restore him as He will soon do with Peter. It was important that Peter be notified of his appointment in Galilee because of those three denials. And so the messenger from the Lord says, "and Peter." Judas, in a final expression of 'my will, not Thine be done', took himself out of this meeting with the risen Lord Jesus. And we go on rejoicing with Peter and the risen Jesus, and mourning the loss of one of the Lord's own disciples. 

Meet Jesus, be restored to Him!

Bucky

Well Prepared

But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” Mark 16:6-7

He had told them, and still they struggled to believe the Lord's messenger. But how difficult might it have been without seeing Lazarus raised up from a similar tomb after a similar time lying there in the cold, cold ground? How much easier may it be for us to see Jesus coming in the clouds of His glory with the witness of His resurrection by these women and the disciples? We have been prepared, much as they were, to receive Jesus once again when His time arrives. Be ready!

Love and grace to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

No One Home?

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. Mark 16:3-4

The women approach the tomb with no idea how to get in, but that problem has been solved for them. Someone is home though, just not the dead body of the Lord Jesus they expected. They were alarmed by a young man clothed in a long white robe. Where the women expected to spice up a dead body sat a living young man. But it wasn't Jesus.

Here the reports begin to conflict: in Matthew, Mary sees an angel sitting on the rolled-away stone. In Luke, the women see two men in the tomb. John only reports the discarded graveclothes that he witnessed. Strangely, this accords with other startling events in life. People remember big events differently. Reports can get garbled. In fact, if an investigator receives exactly the same report from different parties to the event, he or she knows that the story has been rehearsed and agreed upon afterwards. So, with such an event as the resurrection of Jesus, we should expect to read slightly different accounts later on. Just imagine receiving the report of angel(s) from three very excited women at the same time. Was it one angel or two or even three?

The shepherds just went with, "Angels We Have Heard On High",

Bucky

What They Didn't Know

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  Mark 16:1-2

Unbeknownst, (Sorry to use that old time word on a Monday!) to the women, the religious authorities had worked to have the tomb of Jesus secured. The tomb was both sealed and guarded against the disciples coming to move the body. So the women were on a mission they could not complete. It is possible that they could not physically move the stone and seal (v3 confirms this), and they would surely be turned away by the soldiers standing guard there. Also, they would likely have had to endure some crude remarks from those same soldiers. We chuckle a bit, not at the harassment they might have received, but that we know something these women did not know. No one is home! The tomb is empty. Of course we only know this from the story of their testimony. Mary Magdalene will soon be the first to have our most powerful witness: the Lord Jesus is risen! 

He is risen indeed!

Bucky

It Is Gone!

Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid. Mark 15:46-47

What happened with Jesus at the cross? Why do we who believe in Him make such a big deal out of it? Without the words and actions of Jesus, it would be just another of many executions carried out by a world ruler such as the Roman Empire. Two other men died that same day on similar crosses, and I suspect that not one of us can name either of those men. So, what's the big deal with Jesus?

A little story may help.

Imagine moving into a new house. It is a lovely house and only grows more so as the years pass by. You have added a room or two, and made it more comfortable. But, out back in the yard, way back in a weedy corner of the property that no one sees, sits a barrel of waste with a biohazard sign on it. Just yesterday the ruling authority raised a tax on barrels such as that one, and the new tax will ruin you. All that you have will be taken from you, and you will live your days in such complete misery that no one can see an end to it.

You stare in mute horror at a newspaper trying to distract your worried mind with the latest news. You see that a man was executed yesterday. Strangely, this man had only one charge against him, but it does not appear to be a crime as far as you can tell. King of some religious people, what does that even mean? You look out back wondering why he had to die, and suddenly do the classic double take. The biohazard barrel that will surely ruin you tomorrow is gone! Where did it go?

Rushing outside to take a closer look, you find a note. Jesus, that man who died on a crimeless charge yesterday, left a receipt for you. It states that your toxic waste was disposed of as far as the east is from the west. Where? The term written in what appears to be blood at the bottom states, Paid In Full. The mystery only grows more mysterious, but your relief is beyond words! When the neighborhood accuser points his beady eyeballs at your house, there will be no biohazard barrel for him to point at. It is gone!

And that, my dear friends, is my poor way of describing the redemption of the cross. The sin on my record simply disappeared from my account; and the only remaining invoice states, Paid In Full, with the signature of Jesus on the bottom.

Love, peace, and grace to you in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Bucky