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Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought 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 the 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 16:1-8, 9-20
In yesterday's reading, we were told that at Jesus' crucifixion, there were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went into Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead, and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 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 Joseph observed where He was laid.
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. My study bible says, "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. Salome is probably the mother of James and John, sons of Zebedee, two 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."
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. My study bible says that the stone had been rolled away not to accommodate Jesus' Resurrection, but to show that the tomb is empty.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. A note tells us: Entering the tomb, that is, the first chamber, they see a young man who is actually an angel. The details vary among the Gospels: Matthew reports the angel as sitting outside on the stone (Matt. 28:2), while Luke recounts two angels in the vicinity (Luke 24:4)."
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. My study bible says that "and Peter indicates Christ's loving concern and encouraging word for the disciple who had denied Him. Galilee, an area to the north of Israel and removed from the center of Jewish life, is already inhabited by Gentiles and represents Christ's mission to the Gentiles. 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."
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. Let us note here that some manuscripts do not include these verses and the ones that follow. My study bible says that "later traditions testify to several endings. The Church, however, has always regarded this ending as canonical and inspired." It notes that Mary Magdalene is the first to break the news of the Resurrection. "She who at one time had seven demons now becomes the first to see the risen Lord."
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. Let us note the Gospel says He appeared in another form. Of this my study bible says, "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."
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. A note says, "Failure to believe the report of the Resurrection is worthy of blame. Jesus rebuked the disciples for unbelief and hardness of heart even as they experience the joy of intimacy with the risen Lord in meals alluding to the Eucharist. 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 the 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." We observe the promises made in these verses, and the commands. My study bible points out the command is to the Apostles to baptize. It says, "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. The power to cast out demons had already been given to the disciples. Now future believers are also promised the gift of exorcism. Speaking with new tongues was a gift highly valued by the Corinthian Christians (1 Cor. 13:1; 14:2-28). For the Church Fathers this was the miraculous ability to speak foreign tongues in order to spread the gospel, as at Pentecost (Acts 2:6-11)." It also points out that Paul took up a serpent and was not harmed by its bite (Acts 28:3-6). "According to a tradition preserved by the Church historian Eusebius, Barsabas Justus (Acts 1:23) in his later life, while tested by unbelievers, drank poison and survived. The Church Fathers strictly prohibited deliberate, harmful acts against oneself as demonstrations of Christian faith."
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 suggests that we regard 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."
So ends the Gospel of Mark. Let us most especially note the cooperative promises of the risen Christ, working with them and confirming the word. I believe that we can't possibly know nor define for ourselves all the ways in which this can happen; Christ's spirit can manifest in our lives in infinite ways, as the holy is infinitely creative, and the Holy Spirit and Christ's cooperative power are unlimited, beyond our attempts at categorizing or defining boundaries in any way. We just don't know what new forms of holiness will manifest through those of faith, and we can't make solid predictions or judgments about it. But the Gospel testifies to this cooperative power, this synergy as my study bible puts it. Just one example of that synergy is the powerful witness of Mary Magdalene, a person out of whom Jesus cast seven demons, who not only becomes the first to whom He appears, but also becomes "Apostle to the Apostles" spreading the good news (that they do not believe!). The Gospel itself teaches us of the unlikely workings of the holy, as we discussed in yesterday's reading. The story of the first who show faith after His death by crucifixion is quite the most unlikely: the group of women followers, the centurion, and Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin. Synergy is a term we can use for the workings of man and God together, in this cooperative energy that creates something new, a manifestation of the holy in the world, and all the paradox we know and is contained in so much of the religious worship in the Eastern Church. Christ the uncontainable was somehow -- for some brief period -- contained in the tomb, and in the womb of Mary, and in Jesus the son of Man. In baptism we are each born of the Spirit. And in faith, we really don't know how our lives may be transformed. But we do know and have affirmed for us this strange synergy of Christ and man, God working together with us, and confirming the gospel through our lives. Faith is our real key to this cooperative work, an active faith that is willing to invest itself in this synergy, in this covenant which Christ has made with us. The risen Christ is not present for His own glorification, but rather to share with us and to lift us; His uncontainable nature there for each of us, His cooperative Spirit present in unique ways in each of our lives. He was lifted upon the Cross, and lifted to the right hand of the Father, in order to extend His hand to us. Let us remember this synergy, this cooperation, this gift of the risen Christ who is everywhere. He has lived through everything the world could throw at Him, He ascends so that He will be with us in all things and through all things and places we may find ourselves. His cooperation is always ready. Are we ready to come to Him and live His gospel? How do you live your faith?
