Lost

Mark 16:9-20

      Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away portrays a man stranded on a desert island by himself after his plane crashed. A soccer ball became his new best friend. He had to learn to adapt in order to survive. And this drive to survive has spawned a whole series of TV shows. They are about how people make it through, although it is really about holding our attentions to the next commercial and next week’s episode.

      If you notice our text today, you will notice that most modern translations put this text as a separate section of the text. Often the put a footnote telling us that the oldest and most reliable manuscripts and most ancient sources don’t have this section. What does that mean?

      The Bible was written as men were moved by the LORD to write, and they wrote on the paper of their day or on animal skin. They didn’t have a printing press, or a scanner to make copies, so every copy that was passed along had to be copied by hand. They knew they were copying the most important document in the world, so they would have carried on the Jewish traditions around safeguarding the accuracy of the text. Thousands of these handwritten copies survive. They are remarkably similar. Only a few places have differences, and none of these differences change the meaning of the text or our understanding of theology. They are mainly spelling differences around places and people. Some have to do with the sound of words and regional variations.

      And since it was God’s Word, other people quoted these texts and commented on what they meant to everyday life, just like I try to do with this BLOG. They would often quote large sections in their writings. It is said that you could destroy all the copies of the Scriptures and reconstruct the entire Bible just from these ancient quotes. When the content of a book changes so many lives, it is bound to be copied and cherished.

      So when our footnote tells us that verses nine through twenty aren’t in these old copies or quoting sources we are led to doubt whether these verses were in the original. By the way, this is the largest section of the Bible that is in doubt. Most are a word or two, some a verse or two. So we can trust the accuracy of our Bibles.

      I think that the ending of Mark’s Gospel was lost very early, perhaps before even one copy was made. That would account for the lack of copies and ancient witnesses. Then I think someone down through history realized that the book ended abruptly without telling about the post-resurrection appearances, so they added them. Another possibility is that this part of Mark was broken off, only to be reunited with the rest of the Gospel at a later date. Or maybe a dog ate the last page and the owner of the manuscript wrote down what he remembered it said.

      We know from the other Gospels that Jesus did appear to His followers as out text today states. He is alive. He did send out His followers to reach the world with the news that sins are forgiven and relationship with God restored in Jesus. And the power that Jesus had while He was here on earth will be present with His followers, validating their message of hope.

      So while these verse may not be part of Scripture, part of God’s Word, the content is certainly validated through other texts that we do know are part of the Bible.

Gripped with Fear

Mark 16:8

      It can be hard to hold fear inside in a way that doesn’t let it show on the outside. It is difficult to hide the emotion of fear. Fear can affect us much more than we are willing to admit. Fear can keep us locked up for years. Fear can give a person a heart attack or a stroke. Fear can end relationships, leading to divorce. And yet, fear is a God-given emotion. Fear has its place.

      The women who arrived at Jesus’ borrowed tomb had good reason to fear. The One they had followed and interacted with over the past three years had been killed, brutally killed just a few days before. They had seen it happen with their own eyes. They probably helped tuck the temporary grave clothes around His body. They saw the stone rolled against the entrance to the tomb. They had walked home to wait until time had passed, the Sabbath had been completed, and they could return and finish the job of burial.

      But now the time had passed. They had returned to find the stone rolled away and a scary angel told them things their minds couldn’t fully comprehend. Fear was their dominant emotion. It had taken over their grief. And the absence of the closed tomb and the presence of the angel had completely rattled them. They just didn’t know what to do with the information they had obtained.

      As a woman in that society at that time, their testimony wasn’t officially accepted. They were like women in many Muslim cultures today, second class, subservient. But the Gospel changed all that. Everyplace across the globe where the Gospel has been preached and accepted women have been freed. Their status in society has been raised. In the Gospel, men and women stand before the Lord as equals, equal sinners and equal saints. Nothing enables the recognition of human value more than the Gospel. The LORD cared enough about us, placed so much value in us, that He was willing to interrupt history to correct the fatal flaw that sin caused.

      But silence can be hard to maintain. Once the fear had worn off, they told what they had seen. But for those first minutes, fear had their tongues tied in knots. Their grief and sorrow was transformed to fear. Fear is about survival, and these women had encountered a scary angel. So what do they do? They flee, they skedaddle, they get their tails in gear and leave.

      Their reactions were just like our reactions. People often run from scary situations, seeking safety in other more familiar surroundings. They put distance between themselves and the fearful object or situation.

      One other things that fear does. Fear often shuts down the brain’s ability to speak and articulate rationally about the situation. Different parts of the brain are used to survive, and all the resources to survive are the priority. Paying attention to the aesthetic beauty around you will not save your life. Quoting or composing poetry will not protect you. Running will. So the fact that they didn’t tell anyone makes sense. Fear gripped them and telling people wasn’t important.

Universal Reactions

Mark 16:6-7

      The entertainment industry loves universal reactions. They want something that gets everybody reacting the same way. They can use that reaction to their advantage. If it is a universal negative reaction, then their product can solve it! If is a good reaction, then their product gets connected to images of their product. They try to find emotional responses that as many people as possible have when presented with a repeatable stimulus.

      There is one reaction that we see repeatedly in the Scriptures. Every time a being from Heaven shows up, there is fear. We usually identify these creatures as angels, God’s messengers. When they show up, people always react in fear, visible fear. This is the kind of reaction advertisers could use!

      The problem with this is that you can never predict when angels are going to show up. They just won’t respond to the advertisers’ advertisement for angel actors. They won’t send resume’s and they don’t appear in headshot photos. Angels seem like uncooperative creatures!

      Angels are not the Precious Moments creatures we have created here in the United States. We wouldn’t want to invite them to spend a few hours playing with our children in the back yard. We probably wouldn’t like having figurines made four our mantels, unless we collected warrior figures.

      Angels, besides bringing messages, messages that always start with “don’t be afraid”, they fight battles on God’s behalf. They show up and win decisively. And they are efficient in their killing.

      An angel shows up inside the tomb where Jesus’ body should be. These women have come to finish the burial and this angel is where they don’t expect any life. But the angel tells them to stop being afraid, to stop fearing. I’m not sure telling someone to not be afraid really helps. If fear has struck, it can stick around for some time.

      So what message does this angel bring? He starts by stating the facts. He wants them to know that he knows what they know. They are here for Jesus. He was crucified. Those are the facts as the women know them. He makes sure they are on the same page of music.

      And then he brings them up to speed on what he knows. He knows much more than they know. Jesus isn’t dead anymore. He is alive. He isn’t there in the tomb. The place is empty.

      Notice that the angel tells them in short statements. He tells them in several different ways. He is risen. He is not here. The place is empty. If He is risen, He could still be there, but He isn’t.  He is going to meet the disciples in their old stomping ground. This is some good news, news that might be hard to swallow. I can see the puzzled look in their eyes. This does not compute.

      They came ready to finish the burial, and now a terrifying angel has told them Jesus is alive and will be seen by the disciple back in Galilee. And if they had been paying attention, this is what Jesus said would happen all along. Somehow they had missed it.

      The first people to carry the message of the Resurrection are these women. Jesus often picks people that we don’t expect to be His vessels. Not many wise, Paul says, are called. These women were not among the expected, just like the disciples. None of them should have been in any position to be used by the LORD, and yet this is exactly what happens, and the world is changed.

Unexpected Visitor

Mark 16:4-5

      Have you ever entered a room that you expected to be empty and found an unexpected guest? It can be unnerving to find someone where you thought there was no one. Sometimes it can be a good surprise. Sometimes, not so good. It might be someone you haven’t seen in years, someone who you have wanted to see. Or it could be someone you don’t know, someone you see as a threat to your life and limb. And the moment of surprise knows no difference. Your body reacts in that first instance in that fear reaction. There is the sudden jump, the racing heartbeat, probably a yelp, and the adrenaline pumped into your bloodstream. And all this takes place in a fraction of a second, without any conscious thought or choice.

      So why do I talk about this? Because that Sunday morning, as the women arrive at the tomb where Jesus body had been placed, they find the stone rolled away, something they hadn’t expected. Their first internal reaction was probably a startle reflex. Then their minds would have searched for explanations.

      Imagine walking into a graveyard, looking for a family member’s grave marker. But as you approach the place where you know the grave is, all you see is a large pile of dirt next to a large hole. You look around to make sure you are at the right place. The trees are in the right places. The graves next to the hole are the ones that should be there. But the grave you seek is open. Who would have dared to dig up this grave? What a disgrace! What happened to the casket? Where is Fred?

      These must have been some of the things those women felt and thought as they saw the opening to the tomb unexpectedly open. Well, maybe they wouldn’t have asked where Fred was, but otherwise, you know what I mean. There would have been all these questions running through their heads.

      And then as they step into the tomb, there is someone in there! Yikes! A young looking man, and dressed in dazzling white. Who is this strange looking person? Where did they get that white robe? I wish I could get my clothes that white. But what is he doing here? And where is Jesus?

      Mark makes an observation about which I am not sure what to do. Mark says that this man dressed in white was sitting on the right side, not the left, or in the back, or in any other place. What was it about the right side that was important to Mark? I think it had something to do with where Jesus’ body had been placed on that late afternoon. Either he was sitting where Jesus had been placed, or he was sitting where Jesus wasn’t placed. Either way, it pointed to the fact that Jesus wasn’t there any longer. He was gone. He wasn’t sitting on Jesus, and the other places were empty.

      The specifics mentioned in Scripture were important enough for the writers, and to the Holy Spirit, that they are there for a purpose. This unexpected visitor is seated in the tomb that should only be holding the dead body of Jesus. These women have come to say their final goodbyes, something they didn’t think they would be doing that Sunday morning. Things had moved so fast in the last five days. That final supper, the goodbye words, the walk to the garden, the agony in prayer, the arrest, the sham trials, the verdict, the beaten Jesus barely walking, the indignities, the spikes, the jolt into place, the mocking, the insults, the grace-filled interactions, the adoption of Mary, the final breaths, the end, the release, the hasty burial.

      And now the stone is out of place and a strange young man is here where only a body of Jesus is supposed to be. Too much to take in.

Missed Step

Mark 16:3

      The best thought out plans sometimes miss some things. It can be almost impossible to think of every possible contingency. This is where having many minds focused on the task is important. But not just minds like yours. We need a variety of minds, temperaments, training, professions, backgrounds, and learning styles, among other things. You need fresh eyes, as well. Sometimes things are too familiar, too routine. And because of that, you can miss some obvious things, things an outsider would see right away, but you miss.

      Well, our ladies missed something in their plans to finish the burial process of Jesus. They forgot about the stone rolled in front of the entrance. They were not strong enough to move it. You see, normally all the burial preparations would have been made prior to the stone being rolled in front of the entrance. The body would have been washed, wrapped and placed in the tomb, along with the normal burial spices. Then the stone would have been placed.

      But because Jesus burial was done hastily, all these steps did not take place. Pilate had released the body to Joseph, and Joseph had to rush to get it in the tomb before the beginning of the Passover festival. On these holiday celebrations, everyone was required to attend. The death of a non-relative was not a valid excuse for missing it. So things were done quickly.

      The women, in their grief and sorrow, missed the stone step. Their minds kicked into ‘burial routine’ mode and as is usual when there is an unexpected death, they were probably running on autopilot. Their emotions were numb, with occasional moments of overwhelming sorrow.  That is the way grief is. Things seem to be going just fine, all of a sudden out pops the grief. Over time there are fewer pops, but they can still happen, even years later.

      But for these women, the grief is fresh. They aren’t thinking straight. This is why it is important to have other people be around when important decisions need to be made right after a death. Talking with the funeral director about the arrangements is one of those times when a clearer thinking mind is needed.

      Someone must roll the stone away. It seems so obvious to us. How could they forget to think about it? But they did. And now they are walking to the tomb on that Sunday morning, and it hits one of them. I can almost see the light bulb go on. I can see it on her face. Her eyes widen, realization, shock, dismay, and then she speaks the words. It had probably been a fairly quiet journey up until that point. I don’t imagine them joking and kidding around. And then she speaks and the others react as she did. Can you see it? Can you imagine what it would have felt like to realize you had forgotten about the stone?

      You see, these women were people just like us, real emotions, real life situations. Their reactions would have been very much like our reactions. They were on their way, doing their job, and the missing piece hits them.

      Who will roll away our stones and let us into the life that Jesus’ resurrection brings?