Mark 15:6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
Have you ever asked a question for which there was an expected reply of “Yes” or “No”, and instead the answer took you down a rabbit trail? This often happens when you are in a hurry and don’t have time for rabbit hunting. I notice this often when I am on the phone. Some people just love rabbits!
The writer of our text had a way of boiling down the story to the barest of essentials. And out text is no exception. Jesus has been crucified and buried. The women have observed the Sabbath day of rest. And now it is time to finish the burial process with Jesus’ body.
So the three women mentioned in verse one of this chapter are heading to the tomb. They were the ones who observed His death, and probably His burial in the borrowed tomb. They are walking together and start to think about the logistics of the next minutes and hours.
Step One: Roll back the stone. This makes sense. You can’t deal with the body until you have dealt with the stone that was rolled over the opening in the tomb, a common practice in those days when tombs were often carved into cliff faces. There had to be something to seal the opening to prevent wild animals from entering and ravaging the body.
And this stone must have been an exceptionally large stone. They probably heard the men wrestling it into place, maybe even heard the thump when it stopped in the slot carved for this purpose. And we know the Jewish leaders requested the tomb be sealed by the approval of the Roman authorities. And the power of Rome had even placed Roman soldiers to guard against grave robbery and deception.
So the women had several obstacles. The guards. Would they be allowed to do their job? The stone. Would they be strong enough to roll it away from the entrance? Their own grief. Would they be able to carry out their task on someone whom they loved so much and who loved them so much in return?
And then the answer comes. They arrive at the tomb and the stone is rolled away. “What is this about?,” they thought to themselves. And before they have time to ponder the answer, they are in the tomb and encounter a young man sitting in tomb. “That is weird! What kind of person would sit inside a tomb!” And before they even have time to say anything, the man speaks.
And the young man confirms the identity of the previous occupant of the tomb. He lays out the identifying characteristics in rapid succession. Jesus the Nazarene. Crucified. And the women are right there with him.
Risen. Absent. Wait a minute! What did he just say? We followed what he was saying right up to that risen part. And if He isn’t here, where is He? Their minds are spinning, not even sure what is up and what is down.
“See the place where they laid him.” In their overwhelmed daze they look, and the shelf where His body was laid was empty. This doesn’t make sense. What are we to do now? We have the spices all collected and ready. What is our next move?
And then it comes. “Go! Tell!” Now they have their next move, but so many questions still remain unanswered. Where is Jesus? We can see He isn’t here, but where is He?
Mark doesn’t answer these questions. He just lets us hang here. What would you say the next step should be? What would you advise these women knowing what you know? Is there any better instruction than “Go! Tell!”? I don’t think so!
The Arnold Journey 