SCRIPTURE: Mark 16
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. [Mark 16:6] This declaration of the angel is so well-known to us, that it hardly registers on the surprise monitor. He has risen! This is the most important declaration of all, for it brings hope to an otherwise impossible situation. In this life, death is always the last word. There is no way around it, all things have an appointment with death. Not only does death impact us physically, but spiritually, emotionally, mentally, socially, relationally… even our dreams die. We do what we can to deny it, it ignore it, or to delay it, but its inevitable.

Some believe in reincarnation, some believe in the ongoing existence of our spirits (in heaven?), some believe in death as the absolute end, nothing beyond it. Sometimes Christians talk as if we were the one’s who believe in the ongoing existence of our spirits, but the resurrection of Jesus actually speaks to the ongoing existence of our bodies. We believe in the physical resurrection of the body from death. And we believe this because He is not here, He has risen! Jesus has defeated sin, satan, death and hell. He has opened the door to a new and wonderful life, in the body. One day, because of Jesus, we will enjoy life in God’s new creation as it was meant to be (paradise restored!).

Because He lives… This makes all the difference in the world. It changes how we look at life – we now see it with eternal opportunity! We look at our struggles differently – the birth pains that precede the blessing of life! We approach each day with hope, not despair! When things turn against us, we see them as detours, not defeats!

I am not focusing on the latter part of this passage [Mark 16:9-20} because it is a disputed ending. Most of what it says is repeated elsewhere in the bible, so I believe its true, whether or not Mark wrote it. And what it describes is the calling that follows Jesus’ resurrection: the call to go to everyone and tell them the good news and the Holy Spirit power that will energize us for this calling!

If the resurrection is not true, then we are without hope. Our lives here are temporal, meaningless. But if it is true, then it is the best news of all, and people need to hear about it. Do I believe it? Am I living it? Am I sharing it?

PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for this new life, new hope, and the new joy that it gives me. May I have the opportunity to share it today!