Jesus defeats our greatest fears.

I have often said that having something to look forward to is healthy.  Regularly, I add little things to my upcoming schedule largely because I like having something fun, new, or exciting on the horizon to think about.  Maybe you tend to do something similar.

It’s interesting to see when looking through the pages of Scripture, that the people the Holy Spirit chose to profile in both the Old and New Testaments were very much like us in the sense that having something to look forward to mattered to them.  That mindset can be seen in many passages, but the culminating chapters of Mark’s gospel give us various pictures of what it was like to be hopeful, and then have those hopes seemingly dashed, only to have that very same hope revived again.

And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  (Mark 15:42-43)

 Joseph of Arimathea was a hopeful man.  He was also a widely respected man in his generation.  Scripture tells us that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin but he wasn’t quite like many of the men he served with on that council.  Most were disrespectful to Jesus and had zero faith that He was the Messiah, but Joseph felt differently.  He was looking forward to the kingdom of God being led by the Messiah, and he believed that Jesus was the one they had been waiting for, but up to this point, Joseph hadn’t been public about his hope in Jesus.

It was against Jewish law to leave a dead body exposed and unburied overnight.  It was also unlawful to do work on the Sabbath which was about to begin in several short hours at sunset, so Joseph worked up the nerve to request Pilate’s permission to bury the body of Jesus.  This was a loving and respectful thing for Joseph to do, but I can only imagine how disappointed he must have been to be doing it.

Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.  (Mark 15:44-47)

Because it often took several days for someone to die from crucifixion, Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was dead, particularly since he had just spoken with him earlier in the day.  Before granting Joseph’s request, Pilate sought official confirmation.  It appears he sought that confirmation from the centurion who was mentioned in Mark 15:39, the man who at the death of Jesus stated, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”  Having received official word of Jesus’ death, Joseph was given permission to bury Jesus.

Joseph didn’t have much time to act since everything he was doing needed to take place before the sunset, so he sprung into action.  Mark doesn’t mention it, but in John’s gospel, we’re told that Nicodemus (the Pharisee Jesus spoke with in John 3) assisted Joseph.  Together they took the body of Jesus down off the cross and wrapped His corpse in the linen shroud along with about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes.

The body of Jesus was then placed in a cave-like tomb that belonged to Joseph and a large stone was rolled against the entrance.  According to Matthew’s gospel, the tomb was then sealed (with a clay-like substance imprinted with the Roman imperial seal).  Roman guards were also stationed at the tomb to prevent anyone from disturbing it.

It was clear to all involved that Jesus was dead and buried.  There were so many witnesses to this fact that it couldn’t be disputed.  The Romans confirmed it.  The Jewish leaders confirmed it.  Christ’s own followers confirmed it.  But just when it appeared that there was nothing hopeful to look forward to, the story of Christ’s earthly ministry was about to make a dramatic turn, just as He promised it would.

Before we examine that dramatic turn, let’s just pause for a quick moment to acknowledge that quite frequently in life, just before we have the privilege to witness a miraculous act that can only be orchestrated by God, we may feel hopeless and completely defeated.  It may feel like what we were most looking forward to has been taken away, and yet if we wait in faith just a little longer, we’ll have the privilege to see Jesus show up in a manner that should have been obvious to us all along.  When that happens, understand that one of the primary lessons we’re supposed to learn is that Jesus is all we really need.  There are no effective substitutes.

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?”  (Mark 16:1-3)

The very women who stood at a distance and watched while Jesus was being crucified, also recognized that Jesus had received a hasty burial, so they wanted to show more honor to His body once the sabbath had passed.  At the first sight of light on Sunday, they made their way to the tomb with additional spices to anoint the body of Jesus.

The conversation these women were having on their way to the tomb reminds me a lot of a conversation I once had with my wife.  She explained to me that I’m allowed to ask her for help with just about any physically demanding task around our home, with one exception.  I’m not allowed to ask her to lift heavy things, particularly furniture.  She also said, “You may ask for help from our sons or the men of our church, but I was not made for lifting heavy objects.”

As these women were approaching the tomb, they knew what they wanted to do, but they weren’t sure how they were going to accomplish it.  They wanted to anoint the body of Jesus, but they didn’t have a plan for rolling the large stone away.  The good news is that they didn’t need a plan because God already had the details worked out.  They just needed to show up and see what God had already done on their behalf.

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.”  (Mark 16:4-7)

 When the women arrived at the tomb, we’re told that the stone that covered the tomb had already been rolled away.  Matthew’s gospel explains that an angel had been sent from heaven to roll the stone away, and after moving it, he sat down on it.  Mark’s gospel explains that when they entered the tomb, they were told by an angel (who appeared as a human) that Jesus had risen.  Luke’s gospel gives us the additional detail that there were two angels present for this conversation, both in dazzling white clothing.

 There are various confirmations of the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, but one of the more unique confirmations is the fact that it was women who were the first witnesses of this truth.  Courts at the time wouldn’t even allow women to testify because they weren’t considered credible witnesses, yet in the kingdom of God, it was women who were the first to make the message of the resurrection known.  

 Various theologians highlight this fact as a point of note, indicating that if this was an event the disciples were attempting to fabricate, they certainly wouldn’t have relied on women to be the first people to make give this testimony in public based on how they were seen in that era and how their legal testimony wasn’t something the culture was willing to trust.

 But it was to these women that the message of the resurrection was entrusted by the angelic messengers of God.  These faithful women were given the blessed task of telling the disciples that Jesus was alive.  He had risen from death and defeated death’s terrifying power.  Jesus had also promised to meet them again in Galilee where some of them were first invited to be His disciples years earlier.

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 16:8)

 I don’t know if you’ll ever see an angel during the course of your natural life, but if one is ever revealed to you, I’m certain you’ll be terrified.  Over and over again, when angels appear to people in Scripture, they repeatedly have to tell them not to be afraid because fear is our natural response to their holiness.

 Don’t be too harsh on these women when you read Mark’s account of them fleeing from the tomb trembling, astonished, and afraid.  It’s commendable that they were even there in the first place.  And even though their first response was to say nothing while they adjusted to the frightening experience they just went through, we’re told elsewhere that they didn’t take a long time to let the disciples know that Jesus was alive.  In fact, they saw Jesus Himself along the way.

So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”  (Matthew 28:8-10)

 I don’t know if you’re struggling to have hope right now.  I don’t know if there’s something provoking a sense of fear in your heart.  But I do know this.  Jesus lived the perfect life on your behalf, then He atoned for your sin through His suffering and death.  Then, just as He promised He would, He rose from death and completely defeated its power.  For those who are in Christ, death has lost its sting.  In the most literal sense, all it means for us is a transition from our earthly sojourn to living in the presence of the Lord forever.

 Don’t let unhealthy fear grip your heart, and don’t lose hope.  Jesus came through for the original disciples, and just as He promised, He will come through for you too.

© John Stange, 2024