He is risen!

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away--for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is 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 into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

- Mark 16:1-20

Yesterday, we read about the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee, and stood looking on from afar through His crucifixion. Joseph of Arimathea, who is a prominent member of the council, went to Pilate. He was courageous in claiming the body of Jesus. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid. Joseph, the Gospel tells us, was himself waiting for the kingdom of God.

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. My study bible points out that "at least some of the mothers of Jesus' disciples were involved in His life and ministry. Mary the mother of James is probably the mother of James, son of Alphaeus (also called James the Less), one of the Twelve. They bought spices, aromatic oils, when the Sabbath was past, out of respect for the Sabbath-rest. Anointing the body, but not embalming it, was a Jewish custom. The women seek to fulfill this custom, in their courage exhibiting their great love and devotion for Jesus, in contrast to the scattered disciples. They are rewarded by the honor of being the first witnesses to the Resurrection." So, we always return to the women, who wait, and watch, and work. They come with the spices to do what needs to be done, and are courageous in their love and loyalty to Jesus. What we also note is the importance of relationship; many of these are relatives, mothers, to the disciples. Mary Magdalene bears the title "Apostle to the Apostles" given by the Church. In Christ, all become a family.

And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away--for it was very large. Clearly, there was no need for the stone to be rolled away for Jesus, but, my study bible notes, to show that the tomb was empty. All is prepared and set for the arrival of the women.

And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. The young man is an angel! My study bible points out that the details vary among the gospels: Matthew reports the angel as sitting outside on the stone, while Luke recounts two angels nearby. Here, the women just enter the tomb (which we can assume was large and with other chambers) and encounter this young man.

But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is 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 into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Of course, we recall Peter's denial of Christ. So the pronouncement here is a vivid inclusion specifically to him. As my study bible puts it, it "indicates Christ's loving concern and encouraging word for the disciples who had denied Him." Galilee, where He spent so much of His ministry and the place from which so many of His women followers and His disciples come, is a northern territory populated both by Gentiles and Jews. My study bible says it represents Christ's mission to the Gentiles. It says, "The plan of God progresses toward the goal of offering salvation and glory to all mankind. So, in Mark, He instructs His disciples to return to Galilee after the Resurrection." Some manuscripts of Mark end here. Later traditions testify to several endings. But, my study bible says, the verses that follow were regarded by the Church as canonical and inspired.

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. So Mary Magdalene, in effect, becomes the Apostle to the Apostles. She is the first one to tell them about the Resurrection, the first one to whom He appears. Out of whom was cast seven demons, becomes the first one on the first day to witness that He is risen. She is awake, alert, understanding, even as the Apostles are lost in their mourning, and they do not believe.

After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. This most likely reflects Jesus' appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. My study bible points out that Jesus appears in another form: "Christ's resurrected body transcends not only time and space, but physical appearance as well. He was sometimes recognizable to His disciples and sometimes not." And the rest still do not believe!

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. He rebukes them for their hardness of heart -- "even as they experience the joy of intimacy with the risen Lord in meals alluding to the Eucharist," my study bible points out. It adds, "The Holy Spirit comes to lead them to a full understanding of the mystery of Christ and His mission."

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." The world mission is pronounced. This gospel is one that affects "the entire cosmos" as my study bible puts it. "Every creature is affected by it." There is nothing in this world that is not touched by this gospel, this mission, this anointing of the Spirit, and its power of renewal. This is a tremendous pronouncement about the capabilities we have for transcendence and transformation in this anointing for the life of the world, for every creature. The signs Christ mentions here appear in various places: in Acts 28, Paul wasn't harmed by a serpent's bite. According to Church historian Eusebius, Barsabas Justus (also mentioned in Acts 1), while tested by unbelievers, drank poison and survived. But, my study bible notes, the Church Fathers strictly prohibited deliberate, harmful acts against oneself as demonstrations of Christian faith. To speak in new tongues, it notes, was a gift highly valued by the Corinthian Christians. For the Church Fathers this was the miraculous ability to speak foreign tongues in order to spread the gospel, as at Pentecost. We know the disciples already had the gift of exorcism, and this is promised to future believers. But all of these promises must be seen in the context of the renewal of the world: serpents and scorpions can be seen as images of demons and demonic activity. Poison is akin to the venom of each -- and the effects of evil in our world. To perform exorcism and to heal the sick -- all are images of transformation, renewal, resurrection. They are to go into a kingdom dominated by the "strong man" of evil and proclaim a kingdom of life and of love and inclusion and renewal -- and, the promise teaches us, there is no exception to this. And we must also, in my opinion, see these things at the same time as they may come in other forms: there are all sorts of things we may take in that are like poison, or serpents and scorpions, evil influence we may have to deal with, or "deadly" things we may take in as we go through life. But it is faith that sees us through. In His name we are given the power to heal and to transform, both for ourselves and for others. And this is the real mission of the Church.

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. My study bible says, "Note the sequence: Ascension, sitting down at the right hand of God, mission. This sitting down refers to (1) Christ's enthronement in glory and (2) the immovable stability of his royal state, His eternal sharing in the divine power and lordship of the Father. He will cooperate with the apostles, working with them and confirming the gospel they will preach, in part through accompanying signs. The book of Acts provides ample evidence of this ongoing synergy between man and God."

This passage is extraordinary for its inclusion: the women who are the first to be told the good news, Peter who has denied Christ, Mary Magdalene who once had seven demons cast out of her, and the disciples who themselves do not believe what they are told by the witnesses. To go into Galilee is to seek out any and all where this word will take root, who will accept the Gospel. My study bible notes that "to invoke the name of the incarnate Son of God is also to call upon the Father and the Holy Spirit: three Persons, one in divine nature and divine power." As we consider today's passage and the ending to Mark's gospel, let us think about that inclusion and that promise of renewal. There is no stone left unturned here: this Gospel will be proclaimed in all languages, in any way to communicate its message. It is for renewal, transcendence, life. And there is nothing that can stop it in faith. So, shall we take up that mission? What needs renewal and transcendence in our world? Do we understand poison, and serpents and scorpions in whatever form we may find them? Hidden here is also the powerful message that we are not to be afraid, but to have faith. So where do we begin? How do we use this power He has given us as a gift of cooperation with Creator? We start where we are. We ask in prayer. We go forward. The whole world waits for this transformative mission of God's love and blessing. It is all here before us. And, lest we forget, it is also at work in us, for each of us, for the life of the world.