A Word from Mark 16

What do you do on the day after the world has changed? After all, here we are on the day after Easter. And if what we’ve said about Jesus is true—if he really did rise from the dead…if our sins are forgiven…if nothing can separate us from the love of God…if God’s kingdom has been inaugurated and God’s Spirit is living within us—well, then how can anything really be the same?

And yet, if we’re honest, “sameness” can be awfully powerful. It’s so easy to get caught up in the habits and routines of everyday life. And without even thinking, we can find ourselves stuck in the middle of the same old fears and misplaced commitments that make the message of Easter so important for us to hear.

And I guess that’s why I’ve come to appreciate today’s word from Mark 16. In this shortest version of the Easter story, the women go to the tomb. They find the stone rolled away. They see a young man, dressed in white and sitting where the body of Jesus should have been. And the young man says, “Don’t be alarmed! You’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” (16:6-7)

And how do the women respond to this amazing good news? Well, “Trembling and bewildered,” Mark says, “the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” (16:8; emphasis added)

Of course, the fact that we get to ready the story of that first Easter morning demonstrates that the woman got over their fear. They realized that they couldn’t keep the good news of what God had done to themselves. And hopefully, neither can we!

So, I pray that you and I can “run from the tomb” today. A little “trembling and bewildered”? Probably. But also filled with the joy that comes from knowing: Christ is risen! He’s risen indeed! Amen.