VERSE(S):
Mark 15:42-47
Jesus Is Buried
When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.
Mark 16:1-13
The Resurrection
1 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. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" 4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified 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 ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.'" 8 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. 9 Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. 12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.
LESSON:
The Resurrection - Dead and Buried...and risen!
In order to believe...or to disbelieve the Resurrection...you need to hear the entire story. You need to hear the facts. You need to hear eyewitness testimony. Today's lesson is about Easter Sunday....or Resurrection Sunday. However, today's story actually needs to pick up immediately after the death of Jesus on the cross. In legal or investigative terms, we would want to follow the trail of evidence. Corroborate stories from eyewitnesses, especially those who had nothing to gain by misleading us. Pilate and the Centurion (Roman Solder) are just such witnesses. Pilate was trying to protect himself. He had heard the claims of Jesus of "I will be back", as told by the Jewish leaders. He did not want to take any chances before turning over the body of Jesus to a 3rd party. He needed to know if he was really dead. He was, the Centurion testified. Pilot therefore agreed to release Jesus' body to Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was not one of the 12 Disciples. He placed Jesus' body into a tomb, and had a very large and heavy stone placed over the opening to the tomb where Jesus now lay. There were witnesses to this, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses. Well, it now sounds like the "Case is closed". It is finished. Or is it? The next day, Mary Magdalene, along with 2 other women, came to place spices on Jesus' body, but realized that they have forgotten one very important fact. How would they be able to remove the large stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. To their amazement, the stone was rolled away, and Jesus was NOT there. A man in a white robe (presumably an angel) told the women that "...He has risen..., He is not here". So, what was the "Good News" of that event? Jesus had risen...exactly as he had told other before the Crucifixion. Did everyone who had been a follower of Jesus immediately believe the eyewitness accounts? No. Many who heard the first accounts of the Resurrection from Mary did not believe it. Even after 2 other eyewitness said they had seen Jesus on the road, they still did not believe. Well, it is now up to us to answer the question. Do we (you and me) believe?
