Resurrection Sunday - "Dealing with a Sense of Defeat" (Mark 16:8)

We can feel defeated by many things in life: the loss of a job, ill-health, not having enough money, the death of a loved one, not enough time, loneliness, the threat of violence, the loss of purpose. The women who attended the tomb on ‘Resurrection Sunday’ did so with a sense of defeat.

They went to the tomb with little expectation that their weekend was going to improve. We can tell this by how Mark finishes his gospel in 16:8: “So [the women] went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid”. How we are feeling is often exposed by our actions – in this case the women fled and remained silent. [We should remember that the disciples had already fled from the crucifixion scene, and according to Mark had not yet put in any appearance at the tomb.]

I’m sure we could understand why Mary, Mary and Salome approached the tomb with such a sense of defeat. They had seen Jesus cruelly crucified, then taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea, and laid in a tomb. All seemed lost! There had been so much hope with Jesus around … now amongst his followers there was only disappointment. So what these women had expected to do was anoint the dead body of Jesus with spices (according to custom).

What these women encountered was much different to what they expected. The large heavy stone had been rolled back from the entrance to the tomb. They were “alarmed” to see a “young man” dressed in white, who told them that their friend Jesus (who had been crucified and laid in this very tomb) was no longer here because he had been “raised”. Now, even the empty tomb seemed to add to the women’s sense of defeat, for this is not what they had expected. ‘Who had stolen Jesus’ body and why’, they must have asked themselves! They had simply wanted to honour their fallen master, and he wasn’t there.

This confusion, despite what Jesus had said at least three times:
"… the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again" (10:33-4).

Jesus’ disciples had reacted so ardently against the first part of this, that they entirely missed the second part … “and after three days [the Son of Man will] rise again”! Their own negative reaction and sense of dread about Jesus’ impending death closed their ears to the revolutionary news that followed. Even when the words concerning the crucifixion were fulfilled, they did not expect what followed. [This may be like us sometimes praying for something or someone, but because we already feel beaten up about this issue, we don’t really believe things can change for the better.]

Such feelings of hopelessness, as experienced here by Mary, Mary and Salome, can of course get on top of anyone; so much so that even the best of news passes us by. Our ears are just blocked to positive possibilities; we just can’t see anything getting better. For the women, this led to their fear, flight and silence. These women had just witnessed their friend, leader and inspiration in life, crucified on a Roman cross. Perhaps no words of expectation and reassurance could prepare anyone for that. We know that in so many people, their sense of defeat is so strong, that they take all sorts of destructive paths to try to quell the pain. This … when God is reaching out a hand of compassion to them!

Having received the message from God, through the “young man” dressed in white, to tell Peter and the other disciples that Jesus had risen, and that Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee, and that they should meet him there – what did the women do? They fled in fear and remained silent! Does this ring any bells for us (in terms of where we are with our Christian faith)? How do we respond to the radical news that Jesus is alive?

This is the very unsettling way Mark concludes his gospel. What response is being sought by Mark? Why have first the disciples, and then these women been exposed in such a way as this … so that all will know of their fear? Weren’t they heroes of the faith! Couldn’t the story have been told with more triumph? But doesn’t this have the ring of truth all around it! We know how hard it is to maintain and share our faith, in the hustle and bustle of life, especially when things don’t go the way we expected or planned them to? How are we supposed to respond to this?

The challenge here is for us to act differently; not in silence, flight or fear, but in other ways. What might be appropriate responses to Jesus’ resurrection for us?

(1) CELEBRATION

We shouldn’t just treat today as any other day. The fact that Jesus defeated death to offer us new life in him should really be consuming us and busting out of us. This freedom from any sense of defeat and any sense of shame should really excite us. We should celebrate! When we sing “Free to Dance” later, this should be such a remarkable celebration that causes such a stir, that it makes the local paper next week. Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest event in world history!!

(2) WORSHIP

Then we remember that this is not all about us, but more about what God has done. When God was faced by the arrogant rebellion of his created beings, he took drastic and wondrous action. God sent Jesus to exhibit grace, and give human beings the opportunity to reconnect with God. When we were weighed down, God gave us Jesus, to bring us forgiveness and offer a new start to the world. So we need to be grateful, and offer up our thanksgiving in prayer and song.

(3) COMMITMENT

In celebration and worship we acknowledge that God is the number one focus in our lives. But these are not just one-off acts that are separate from everyday life. Jesus’ resurrection should impel us to look for his leading and follow him every day. This would include following him into places that we would not have chosen for ourselves to go. The women in Mark didn’t want to go to Galilee into more unknown territory –they wanted to hide at home. Jesus wants us to be risk-takers and adventurers. Being committed to Jesus also includes living out the ethics we see him promoting in the gospels.

(4) WITNESS

In the context of our time, Mark’s Gospel promotes a concern for all those who have not previously had the opportunity of experiencing God’s grace. Whether that’s been as a result of hardheartedness or material distraction, or whether that’s been the result of abuse and growing mistrust, or whether that’s been because of never seeing the life of Jesus lived out. We need to provide proof of the resurrection of Jesus. You say how can we possibly do that? Just by getting up in the morning and going from there! The reality of Jesus’ resurrection is not proved by simply insisting people should believe it or else. Rather it is proved by being lived out in the lives of his followers. We need to see all of life through a special ‘contact lens’. This special ‘contact lens’ asks the questions: what is God saying here … what is it that God thinks we need to learn here … what is God wanting to say to other people through us?