Mark 16:1-8

Be Still: As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God. Amen

Read: Mark 16:1-8

‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!’ (v.6)

Encounter: People have differed over the years about the most important aspects of the Gospels. Some say the central thing is simply the incarnation itself – that God stepped down to Earth, to experience human life and to show us his loving, caring character. Some point to Jesus’ teaching – what could be more important for human life than to ‘love our neighbours as ourselves’? Others focus on the Cross, where Jesus absorbed for ever the worst that the forces of evil could do. But above and beyond even these miracles must come the story of this Easter morning, the root and core of our faith. Jesus becomes the ‘firstborn from the dead’ (Colossians 1:18) and confirms that death is not the end. As the song puts it ‘I know the plans He has for me - don’t finish at my grave!’

And as each of the Gospels tells us, the first witnesses to this earth-shattering event are women. As soon as Sabbath was over, on Saturday evening after sunset, they would have gone to the marketplace and purchased the aromatic spices to dress, as they thought, the corpse of Jesus. 

Then at first light, weighed down with both spices and sadness, but still determined to do the right thing by their Lord, they set off to where they have seen him laid. We lack suitable words to express their feelings as they discover an empty tomb! Mark gives us ‘trembling and bewildered’ – and there his Gospel seems to end. There is endless debate among theologians about whether Mark actually wrote, or intended to write, more beyond this rather abrupt ending. Ancient scrolls did sometimes lose their final section from constant handling and unrolling. Or perhaps Mark wanted to leave us with a challenge: what do you, in your personal faith, write here to continue the story?

Apply: Again, we are on holy ground here. Stand outside the open, empty tomb of Jesus. Trembling? Bewildered? Or – Rejoicing? Hoping? Trusting?

Devote: Lord, please help me to live this day as a resurrection day.