Our Great Hope

 

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has 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 to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 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. (Mark 16:1-8 ESV).

 

As we come to a close of our journey through the Gospel of Mark let me express my deepest appreciation to all of you who joined me in prayer for my family in Florida. They are fine. David, Becca, Maggie, Lucy, and Harris had very little damage at their house, though the tornado scare was harrowing for the kids. In the beginning of the forecasting of Milton’s path it seemed that it would be a direct strike over their location. As it reached landfall, it began to turn a bit north, and they were spared most of the destructive force of this massive storm. I know that is not the story for thousands of others, and I hope you will continue to pray with me for them.

 

This experience and today’s reading reminded me of the great fear of death, which seems like the last and greatest enemy. I’m not afraid of death personally, though my anxiety in the face of a threat to my family still challenges my hope. The good news is that in Jesus’ resurrection God has provided the solution to death and to the fear of death.

 

In our reading for today, what the women planned to do was not pretty, but it was an act of devotion to Jesus to see that he had a proper burial. Because he had been crucified just before sundown on Friday, there hadn’t been time to properly anoint and prepare his body for burial before their holy Sabbath day. So “when the Sabbath was over,” the women bought spices and went to anoint Jesus’ body, according to their custom. But things didn’t go as planned. Arriving at the tomb, the women were greeted by an angel, who told them something that transformed their lives and changed the world. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified,” said the angel. “He has risen! He is not here.” In an instant their entire understanding of life and death began to change. Jesus had gone from life to death to new life. His resurrection became death’s defeat, and in the light of that, Paul could write, “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54). Christ is risen—for you! Do you believe that? That is the solution to our anxiety and fear!