"The Crucified Is Risen - Go and Tell!" Mark 16:1-8

The Resurrection of Our Lord                                         9-April-2023
Sermon Text: Mark 16:1-8
Sermon Theme: “The Crucified Is Risen - Go and Tell” by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “The Lord is Risen! : He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Mar 16:8 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. Amen...go home quietly? Why do you seek the living among the dead? Alleluia! Remember how he told you, Alleluia, that the Son of Man must be crucified and on the third day rise. Alleluia! (Luke 24:5b—6b)” Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us! The sins of the world are carried away by the Lamb of God. Pouring out His holy precious blood your deadly sins are washed away. God remembers them no more! Jesus poured out His life for sinners - for life is in the blood. Giving His innocent flesh to be sacrificed reconciling lost and condemned sinners with our Holy God. On the cross the King - The Way- The Truth- The Life - took all my waywardness as His own - took all my lies and self-deception into Himself - took my just sentence of hellish eternal death into Himself laying down His life to rescue mankind from Satan’s deceptive deadly terrorism.
      This is the Day the Lord has made - by His sacrifice laying down His life to fully pay our debt of sin. This is the Day - my Brother Jesus taking up His life again - forever lives declaring us reconciled to His God and our God - to His Father and our Father. This is the Day - we will rejoice and be glad in it! Today is the 8th day of creation - the 1st Day of the new creation. On the 6th day the second Adam atoned for our rebellion and breathing out His Spirit chased death back into the grave returning us to His Father - that all creation be once more declared “very good.” On the 7th day God rested in our grave. Today the 8th day, Easter morning, - He rose - all things are new. Sin is forgiven, Satan has lost - hell is breeched, the devil’s fearful lies cannot stand against the living breathing Truth, the grave is forever robbed of those who trust in Jesus crucified for their sins and raised again to life for their justification. How can we be silent?
      Starting with sundown Saturday evening John Mark recounts the historical events of that first Easter morning.(Mk 16:1) Mark records the eyewitness testimony of the women who told it all Peter and the other disciples. From John’s historical eyewitness account of this day we know that Peter and John immediately ran to Jesus’ tomb and found all things just as the women reported to them. The Holy Bible isn’t “fake news” such as the sensationalism that passes as reporting in our day - it is eyewitness fact for which most of those who testified of the truth of Jesus’ physical resurrection sealed it with their own blood.
      Listen to the Truth. At 3p.m. - the time of the evening sacrifice in the Temple Jesus laid down His life upon the altar of Calvary. At sundown the great Passover Sabbath began - shops were closed- work ceased, families gathered to celebrate the Lord’s deliverance of their forefathers from Egyptian slavery through the blood of the Passover Lamb. The Hebrews counted days from evening to morning. Jesus is buried before sunset on Friday - the first day. The Passover began that evening and the second day ended when the sunset on Saturday. With the shops reopened Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased the necessary spices to finish the burial process of their beloved Rabbi - Jesus.
      Death stinks. There is no more putrefying smell than the lifeless rotting corpse of a human being. These women knew the truth of death and decay, still in love they sought to complete honoring the Lord’s physical body - for human life is a gift from our Creator. A human being is a person from the moment of conception. Our human bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made by our God. He creates us either male or female - calling us to honor these bodies as His calling for us to serve our neighbor through. We are not spirit beings who are chained to a fleshly body - we are flesh and soul creations - a unified whole person from the moment of conception. Three years ago, in fear of death, many state governors forbade Christians for gathering together to celebrate this day. Abortion clinics - where it death is guaranteed for any human person in the womb - remained open - while churches are to be locked? Grocery stores crowd more than 10 people in at a time to feed the body, but the Bread of Life to feed the soul was deemed “non-essential”? Our world seeks the living among the dead. Listen to the Word of the One who is Life! “Joh 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." And again, Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." It is Satanic deception to steal Christ’s Word away from the dying claiming that it is for public safety.
      Sunday morning had not yet dawned when these women leave for the cemetery where Jesus’ body had rested. (Mk 16:2,3) In darkness they journey nearing Jesus’ grave as the sun rises upon a new day. Suddenly occurs to them they had forgotten to bring the man power with to roll the massive stone away from the door of the tomb. Matthew’s gospel records a Roman guard had been posted at the door of the tomb at the request of the high priest to prevent the disciples from becoming grave robbers. The women and the disciples weren’t aware of this.
    Looking up in the clear morning light they are astonished to see the stone thrown away from the tomb’s entrance. (Mk. 16:4) It hadn’t been rolled back in its groove, but violently thrown out on the ground. The women assume the worse. John’s eyewitness historical account reports that it is at this point Mary Magdalene leaves the other women to run back into the city to inform Peter and John, “Joh 20:2 ..., "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."Far from assuming a bodily resurrection of Jesus, His followers are certain that His tomb has been desecrated by the order of the High Priest and His body has been disposed of elsewhere. A final insult to Jesus’ followers. There is comfort in knowing where the body of our loved ones is buried. So we seek to recover remains of our fallen soldiers to bury them on home soil. Families whose loved ones are presumed dead - never can fully mourn without burial of their loved ones remains.
    The other women walk into the tomb of Jesus. They are not mistaken, this was a tomb set apart, a rich man’s tomb - Joseph of Arimathea’s in a beautiful garden. A new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. Family tombs were used for generations - so Abraham purchased and buried Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. After a year her bones would be placed in a small “bone coffin” or “ossurary” - Abraham would then be buried in that tomb, along with Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob. Jesus’ lifeless body was hastily wrapped in linen burial cloth and spices by Nicodemus and Joseph and laid to rest on the burial shelf in the tomb. The stone rolled in place to isolate death from the living. The women entering the tomb expected the stench of death - instead the Church is found with a preacher of life! (Mk 16:5) St. Luke records that the women see “two men standing by them in shining garments.” Mark focuses us in on the preacher - an angel messenger sent by God - who appears as a young man vested in a long white robe. Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Christ’s Church is a “mouth house” where our Lord still sends messengers - called and ordained men vested in robes to preach to us the comfort of the cross and the victory of the empty tomb.
      Listen to the Easter preacher - (Mk 16:6) “Do not be alarmed!” All of us felt ill at ease when a virus turned our world upside down. Fearful reports of the dead and dying still make the news. We are warned to find security in man made solutions or we will die. Job was quarantined as soon as an incurable skin disease broke out over all his body - the community isolated him away from the healthy to protect itself. Still people hoping to avoid death isolate themselves from their neighbors. Job had hope suffering a painful terminal disease - He knew that his Redeemer lived! How? He heard His Word and promise. By Word breathed Holy Spirit given faith - he clung to Jesus - the One who would buy him back from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. He lived - and after death and the grave had done its worse - Job knew - not felt - he knew through the Word and Promise of God - that his body would be raised from the dust and with his body restored - with his eyes he would see his living Redeemer face to face! Job wanted his words written in stone and preserved in lead for all to read his death bed confession.
      Dear Christians go and tell! Don’t wait to have a Bible verse written on your tombstone. Speak hope - “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Don’t be alarmed! Death could not hold the physical body of Jesus - it doesn’t rule over you either who are baptized into His death and resurrection. Crucified for your sins Jesus physically rose to life bearing the scars of your redemption. He has written your name upon the palm of His hands with those nails. He has called you by name baptizing you into His death and resurrection. Don’t seek the living among the dead - the world’s wisdom, reason, and power - cling alone to His Word and promised. 2Co 3:2-3 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; (3) clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
    The Gospel is for all real sinners! (Mk 16:7) The preacher sends Easter absolution to the man who asked God to damn him to hell if he had ever known Jesus of Nazareth. This good news is for Peter the sinner, for Nathan the sinner, for all of us real sinners. Jesus’ Word is Truth. He goes ahead of the disciples to meet them in Galilee - just as He had promised them before His passion. He would meet them where He had promised to meet them. By water and with a meal prepared - He would restore Peter to the pastoral office - and send them all out to preach the Gospel to all creation - to make disciples by baptizing and teaching - to care for the lambs and to feed the flock on the rich pasture of His living body and blood under bread and wine given only to Christians to eat and drink.
      The women leave speechless (Mk 16:8). They don’t tell the news to anyone but to Jesus disciples as the angel had commanded them. Dear Christians -your mouth isn’t been sealed - tell the good news - live in hope - Jesus lives! Serve your neighbor in love - not fear - Jesus lives! If your vocation calls you to care for the sick and dying - do not fear - carry the message of Easter to them - Jesus lives! If you are dying - listen to the Promise of your wounded living Shepherd! Joh 10:27-30 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (28) And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. (30) I and My Father are one." Every Sunday is an Easter celebration Go and Tell! “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is Risen Indeed! Allelluia!” Amen.