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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 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
Yesterday, we read 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 in to 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 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.
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. As Christ died close in time to the Sabbath, the burial customs couldn't be completed. They come to the tomb very early in the morning to complete the rites of burial as soon as possible. Many teach that Salome is the mother of James and John Zebedee. Mary the mother of James is sometimes said to be the wife of Alphaeus and mother of one of the Twelve, but most teach this is Mary the Mother of Jesus, stepmother of James, the "brother of the Lord" (Mark 6:3).
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 points out that the stone had been rolled away not to accommodate the exit of Jesus -- that's not necessary in His resurrected body (John 20:19), but rather to allow in the witnesses, these women, so that they may see that the tomb was 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. 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. Peter is specifically included, after he denied Christ three times while outside the house of the high priest during Jesus' trial before the Council. Peter himself would most likely have said of himself that he could no longer be a disciple of Christ having done so. But the angel's command, says my study bible, is a promise that Peter is forgiven.
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. Verses 9-20 are not contained in two early manuscripts, but nearly all other manuscripts ever discovered do contain them. My study bible tells us that they are canonized Scripture and are considered by the Church to be inspired, authoritative, and genuine. Jesus "appeared in another form" to the two other disciples (perhaps those on the road to Emmaus in Luke's Gospel). My study bible teaches that our Lord's resurrected body transcends not only physical space and time, but appearance as well. He was sometimes recognizable to His disciples, but at other times He was not. And universally, we read here, those who see Him are disbelieved by the others.
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." This is the "Great Commission," to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. It's Jesus' final commandment on earth and meant to be lived out in the Church until His return, the Second Coming. My study bible says that to "speak with new tongues" indicates the ability to speak in languages one has not learned in order to edify others in worship (1 Corinthians 14) and to preach the gospel (Acts 2:1-11). To take up serpents is a figurative way of speaking about spiritual battle against demons (Luke 10:19). This is a promise to deliver believers from the power of sin, and would include certain physical protection as well, says my study bible. It notes, "St. Paul was bitten by a serpent and suffered no harm (Acts 28:3-6). According to tradition, Barsabas Justus (Acts 1:23) was forced by unbelievers to drink poison and survived." But while God's grace can protect believers from both physical and spiritual harm, it is considered a sin to deliberately commit harmful acts against oneself in order to test God (Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7).
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. This is the Ascension of Christ, celebrated forty days after Resurrection (Acts 1:3). My study bible says the Ascension fulfills the type given when Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11), and it marks the completion of Christ's glorification and lordship over all creation. It notes, "At the Incarnation, Christ brought His divine nature to human nature. In the mystery of the Ascension, Christ brings human nature to the divine Kingdom. He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in His glorified body, revealing His glorified human nature -- indeed, human flesh -- to be worshiped by the whole angelic realm." Some traditional icons of the Ascension and also more modern Western depictions (such as this mural (1888) at Church of the Ascension in New York City, by John the La Farge - detail during restoration) show Christ's white robes with a tint of red to indicate the shedding of His blood for the redemption of the world, and the ascent of His life-giving blood into heaven (Isaiah 63:1-3, see also Psalm 24:7-10).
It's important to consider the "full circle" of Christ's life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. It tells us so much about our faith, that overall it's about healing and restoration, about wholeness and unity, intimate relationship to our Creator. It's often cited that the early Councils regarding Christ's identity can be summed up in the words attributed to St. Athanasius: "God became man so that man could become a god." What does that really mean? Christ takes on our nature and transfigures it. He comes in ministry to the world and makes whole and heals. He restores the condition of humanity to that which is in communion with Creator, and gives us an idea of what it is to be restored to the image in which we were created, to be "God-like." Love is the key to it all, but love is also tinted, if you will, with sacrifice. His sacrifice for us is one of love, and the "blood-tinted" robes of Ascension tell us about the love of our Creator for us, elevating human nature to a permanent eternal place glorified in heaven by the One who became one of us for a reason and purpose beyond any encapsulation or limitation. He shows us the way to become more like Him, to follow Him so that we may be eternally with Him. But everything is transfigured, changed by His grace, nothing is just left behind. We look to the scene of His Nativity, and understand every creature transfigured by the presence of holiness, His birth in a manger, a place where the animals are kept. We look to His Ascension and the blood-tint to His robes that rises into heaven. If we lose our sense of wholeness, healing, and restoration as part and parcel of our faith then we miss, really, the great big overall picture here. We miss the whole impact of God's love, Christ's sacrifice, and His bond and covenant with us. It is we who are forever elevated by Him, even all the world, "every creature" says the Gospel reading. In the Greek, it reads more literally as if Christ tells them they are to go "everywhere" -- and to preach to all "the creation." Just as the presence of holiness tinged every element at His birth, there is nothing left out in this work to do after Ascension. It's where He came in, and it's where He leaves us, with a job to do, a work for Him, with His help.
