The Victorious Christ

Mark 16:1-8

4/5/26

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been 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 alarmed. 6 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. 7 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.” 8 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

We are in the midst of a technological revolution. The internet transformed the last few decades of our society, and now people are saying AI will bring a new wave of change. History is full of examples where technological advances changed society.

One huge changed came in In 1769 when a Scottish inventor named James Watt made a breakthrough on the steam engine. These engines were already in use, but they were slow and wasteful. They burned enormous amounts of fuel and couldn’t sustain consistent power. Watt saw the problem: the engine kept losing energy by heating and cooling the same chamber over and over again. His solution—the separate condenser—changed everything. By allowing the engine to stay hot while cooling steam in a different chamber, he made the engine dramatically more efficient, reliable, and practical.

His innovation unlocked a new kind of power the world had never seen. Suddenly, energy was no longer tied to rivers or muscles. Now factories could be built anywhere. Machines could run continuously. 

• Production in factories increased, 
• travel accelerated with steam engines, 
• cities expanded with new abilities, 
• entire economies were transformed by what is known as the industrial revolution. 

What began as a technical improvement became a cultural and social revolution. Life before steam power was local, rural and slow. Life after was faster, more connected, and full of new possibilities. In many ways, the modern world was born the moment that new power was unleashed.

Consider the effect and power a small innovation can have on our lives, and if that is the case, how much more so should the power of the resurrection affect our lives. This is what we are going to talk about today. 

When I was young we would go to church on Christmas and Easter, every four or five years. I didn't know what Easter was about. I knew there was Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Jesus. I knew Easter had the bunny because we got rabbit candy. And I had no idea how Jesus fit into the mix. I would go to church and come back and still not know the difference. Now, I have questions about how much that church was teaching God’s word, but truth be told, I was not giving that church a whole lot to work with. But one of my goals for Easter and every Sunday is that we would read the word of God and make the meaning clear, so I hope you leave today knowing what the gospel of Mark says about the resurrection of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it means. It tell us about the one, true, ever lasting, redeemer who is worth of our worship. 

I want to look at three things in this passage about Easter. Easter means:

• A New Day Has Dawned. 

2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 

This account begins with a group of ladies going to the tomb of Jesus. Two days before, on Friday Jesus was crucified. He had been betrayed by a friend and student/Judas, handed over to a mob of people wanting to kill him. He was gaining too much popularity and following. They felt threatened by him. That by the way is symbolic of how we often treat God. Many are ok with God as long as he doesn't inconvenience them or challenge their way of life. 

A group of ladies are going to the tomb. These same ladies were at the cross (15:40) and saw where Jesus was buried (15:47). They knew exactly where He was buried, and they wanted to perfume His body in a final act of devotion.

Its pretty amazing that the first to bear witness to the resurrection were woman. 

 “The testimony of women must not be accepted because of the levity and presumption of their sex.” Josephus, Antiquities 4.8.15,

Their testimony is that the tomb is empty and Jesus has risen. Young men. Other gospels say they were angels. Other documents of this time used the word as a discrete/hidden way to say angels. All the other gospel writers make it clear they were angels. 

6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.

And the announcement is that he has risen. He is not here. God has done something to change world history. 

NT Wright wrote a brilliant well respected academic book on the resurrection, and one of the big takeaways: “The discovery that dead people stayed dead was not first made by the philosophers of the enlightenment." Wright. Resurrection. P10.

That is the way it has always been. People know this. You dont have to be a scientist. Jesus rose and it changed everything. 

It is a new day. It is the dawning of a new age– the resurrection age The resurrection changes everything. It's the first day of the week. For centuries the Jewish people gathered on the seventh day of the week for reading the word and rest. From here on it will be Sunday as the day to gather, the first of the week. It changes culture. People began to reorder their lives based on what Christ had done. Morning– it's a new day. 

Victory. He overcome death. No other teacher has done this!

His victory is our victory. 

This changes how we think about everything. If the resurrection is true, then all your problems are temporary ones. This changes everything. What is the worst thing that can happen to you? What if the resurrection is true? 

After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, pastor and theologian Tim Keller said this about what the resurrection meant to him, in a time he knew he death was imminent. He said, 

“If Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, if he really walked out, was seen by hundreds of people, talked to them, then everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be OK. Whatever you are afraid of. Everything is going to be ok. Because we are not just talking about resurrected people but talking about a resurrected world. Many religions talk about a future after life that is an immaterial world. It’s a consolation prize. Christianity says the whole world is going to be resurrected and renewed. The whole world is going to be made new. We don’t know how but it will be. Doesn't mean it won't be hard. We cried a lot last night about the shortness of our time here. And then you say if Jesus is raised from the dead it is going to be OK.”

If you know and understand this it changes everything. 

• Whatever you have messed up can be fixed. 
• Whatever mistakes you have made- both things done and not done.
• Nothing people can do to you or say about you that detracts from that.
• There is no evil in the world that can thwart what God is going to do. 

DA CArson, “I’m not struggling with anything a good resurrection cant fix.”

 Easter also reminds us…

• The Lord Meets the Needs of His People.

These women are going to the tomb and there is a problem. In this time stones were rolled over the front of the tomb to seal. We also know Roman guards were stationed at Jesus tomb and may have even applied ropes or other seals to the stone. 

3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

As the ladies go they are discussing who will roll the stone away. This is an ongoing topic of conversation. They don’t have a plan. They also don't need to anoint the body. Joseph of Arimathea already did this. They are going, and it's probably a feeling of wanting to do something for their beloved friend and teacher. God provides for them. They could not have expected this.

Even more we see God taking care of his people in the mention of Peter. 

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.

The Easter story is a story of redemption. God meets the spiritual needs of his people. What greater way to demonstrate the realization of new beginnings than in the life of a failed disciple. Peter loved Jesus, but denied him because of social pressure. Peter denied the Lord and abandoned him. When the mob with swords came to arrest Jesus, Peter fled. At the crucifixion he denied knowing Jesus when asked by a servant girl. 

Peter went back to fishing. His career as a teacher was done. The one he hoped for is gone. And it's all because he failed, because he didn't do more. The greatest figure in the history of the world is dead because of him! 

But here the angel gives specific instructions for Peter. go to Galilee. Jesus told them earlier that after he suffered and died that he would meet them in Galilee. Galilee is where Jesus began his ministry. It is where he first called his disciples to follow him. It is 100 miles from Jerusalem, by the lake. They don't need to be in Jerusalem where everything is astir, the authorities are looking for any problems, and the religious leaders who crucified Jesus would feel they won the day and would have been emboldened in their persecution of Jesus and his followers.

Jesus will eventually tell the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the outpouring of the holy spirit. That will set the city ablaze. But these 40 days is a time of Jesus appearing to the disciples, restoring, renewing and reinstating. Fishing and eating. Its away from the maddening crowds, away from the enemies.

Jesus never used a perfect person. He uses people who are broken and need his grace to be healed. If you are broken you are not beyond repair. Over the last ten years or so there has been a significant and intentional cultural tide pulling people away from faith in God, and in particular away from christianity. Many have walked away from faith– some call it the great dechurching. If you have walked away from faith, and are now wondering if you can have any part in what God is doing, the answer is yes. Jesus died for all our sins, and he welcomes us back as many times as we come to him. He does not turn anyone away who comes wanting to know him and his grace. 

God takes care of his people. He did this by meeting our greatest need– the forgiveness of sins. This is the central message of Easter. Jesus died for our sins. He died for your sins. 

This is as if you were to get a ticket for speeding. Did you break the law? Yes. Do you have an excuse for breaking the law: absolutely- late for work, an important meeting, kids are sick and trying to get home, game is about to come on, my wife is in labor. You broke the law. The speed limit is 65 and you were doing 165. You broke the law, are guilty, and must pay the penalty. We have all broken the speed limit right. We have also all sinned; thoughts, words, actions, inaction- things you didn't do. The problem for us is that God said if you sin you will die. Death is the penalty for sin. Death that is physical and spiritual. And this is where the message gets uncomfortable. Justly, we all deserve God’s full and complete judgment for our sin. But the good news of the gospel, is that while we could give no justification or excuse, and to pay the penalty we are as good as dead. 

God did something amazing. He paid the price for us. Jesus came into the world and lived a perfect life. Never sinning. He earned God’s complete blessing. He also shows us the incredible love of God. He dies for sin. He is put on trial and rather than defend himself he was silent. Innocent but gave no excuse. He could not give a defense and give his life for us. He died for our sins. He paid the penalty and judgment that we deserved. God met our greatest need in Jesus Christ and through his death. The resurrection then shows God vindicated his Son, raised him from the dead. His sacrifice was accepted and that means we can not be counted in the righteousness of Jesus. No longer guilty and condemned, but forgiven and set free. 

One of Jesus' final sayings on the cross is “it is finished.” In Greek it is one word tetelestai. That word was used in business transactions to indicate  a debt was paid. When paid in full tetelestia would be stamped on it. It was also used in judicial settings for one who had completed his sentence.

Jesus paid it all. Believing and trusting this is what it means to become a Christian, and it is the very thing that powers our hope, powers our devotion, powers our resolve. 

1. Reorders Life 

How can you hear about a resurrection and not be interested. It's like being in a horse and buggy and being disinterested in a car that will get you to your destination in no time. Crazy not to be. How can you not be interested in AI when you see the power of it?

The Gospel of Mark is very interesting. This chapter goes on until verse 20 but most scholars say it originally ended at verse 8. It is very odd to end with people being afraid and saying nothing!

8 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. 

This is where most early manuscripts end. What is also interesting is that in a short period of time, you could recreate most of the New Testament even without the biblical manuscripts, but simply by the sermons, the books, the writings of the time. Pastors quoted it. People wrote about it. And verses 9-20 don’t appear until much later. If the extra verse do appear they usually have a note that it was a later ending. There are various theories on this. 

So why add to the gospel? We are told not to do that. But this ending concludes with people trembling and afraid. That just is not a good way to end an account of the resurrection. We should feel encouraged, warm, and fuzzy. It would be a great faux paux today to go to church and leave with tremble and fear. These ladies must have been afraid. They told no one. For forty days this is what happened. A group of ladies went to the tomb, the stone is rolled away, the body is gone and angels tell you Jesus is risen. They tell no one. 

You should certainly be able to see why these ladies were afraid. They couldnt believe JEsus died. He healed people, fed thousands, walked on water, awed with his teaching. How could he die. But he did. They saw him condemned, beaten, crucified, dead, and buried. And now he is risen!? People are going to be looking for him and might think these ladies had something to do with it. 

The world conspired against him, gave him its best shot. And he overcome. They may fear because they realize the following him is going to put them at odds with the world. 

We are told they were afraid and trembling. 

Mark leaves with people being afraid. Shouldn't surprise us. Fear has been a response people had to Jesus. When people observed the power of God being manifested in Jesus they feared. In 4:41 the disciples were “terrified” as a result of Jesus’ calming of the storm. In 5:15 the people “were afraid” because Jesus had expelled the legion of demons from the wild man of Gerasene. In 5:33 the woman who had been healed of the hemorrhage confessed with trembling and fear. In 9:32 the disciples “were afraid” to ask Jesus about his prediction of death and resurrection. In 10:32 they “were astonished” and “afraid” because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. In 11:18 the chief priests and scribes “feared” Jesus because the crowd “was amazed” at his teaching. In 15:5–6 Pilate “was amazed” that Jesus made no reply. 

Fear is not a bad thing. Appropriate fear is why you don't walk into the road without looking. Appropriate fear is the reason you did what your boss asked of you last week. Fear is the beginning of wisdom so says the proverbs. 

Disordered Inverted fear is something else. Inverted fear is when you fear the wrong thing. It’s when small things have greater weight. When you are so worried about what the world thinks about you that you lose sight of what God thinks. When you are so afraid of the cancer that you lose sight of the resurrection. 

This leaves you unsettled. Jesus didn’t come and die so that you could feel at home in the world. He came to rescue you out of the world and in order to experience that you are going to have to align yourself with him, and that will bring you into contention with the world. 

But in a world that demanded his highest loyalty, following Christ meant losing the approval of that world—and eventually, his life.

When Christ walked out of the tomb, the disciples stopped living for safety and started living for eternity.

I think this shows the natural progression. The women were first startled, then silent, and eventually steadfast witnesses. They grew in their conviction. They met with Jesus. This isn't the ending you would make if you were telling a lie. 

Like settling of concrete. Replaced a column on our porch. Dug the footer, put in the concrete, but that concrete has to set before you stress it. 

You cant live for the world and Jesus you have to choose. But there is also a time you are pursuing. Seeking him. Being mentored. It is a time of preparation. 

People are using AI every day. It is changing what they do. We use engines ever day. If you are a disciple of Jesus then the power of the resurrection should change everything every day. 

Following Jesus is never easy or convenient. He suffered, bled and died. If you follow him you can expect the same. But what we have with him is greater than anything the world can offer us. Its only in him that we have hope. And that is something to celebrate. But its also something that will cost you. 

Jesus gave his life for us, and the only proper response is that we surrender our lives to him. We become obedient to him first and foremost and as we do that we find life. 

Do you know the power that is in Jesus. Do you know the power that is in believing and trusting in the resurrection? Do you believe Jesus is greater than anything else you may be afraid of? Are you giving him your all. 

What is the thing keeping you from serving the Lord?

The question for us is how will the story end. Will this story be one that we trust and find hope int. 

Discussion Questions

1. How does knowing that “everything is going to be OK” in Christ give you courage to live differently?  Where is your life still operating as if it doesn’t?
2. The women moved from being startled, to silent, and eventually to steadfast witnesses. Where do you see yourself in that progression right now—and what might God be calling you to do to move forward?
3. What fears tend to silence you spiritually? What would “steadfast” faith look like in your current season?
4. How would this message shape a conversation with someone that is struggling with fear about the future?