Mark 15:42-16:8. So Jesus is dead. The women who had followed him saw it.  By Mark’s account the eleven disciples were no where around.  According to John though, one was, the disciple whom Jesus loved (a reference to John himself) and Jesus instructed him to take care of his mother (Jesus’ mother).  There is no other indication that any of the others were at the crucifixion, and certainly not in any public way, just the women.

In today’s reading we see that it is close to the end of the day.  We are told it was the “preparation day, the day before the Sabbath”.  The Sabbath was and is Saturday in Jewish practice so it is Friday.   Earlier in the chapter when Mark is describing the crucifixion he uses the Roman method for reckoning time.  In the Roman mind the day started at 6 AM and time was measured from that point.  The third hour would be 9 AM (v. 25) the sixth hour would be noon (v. 33) and the ninth hour would be 3 PM (v.34).

According to Mark Jesus died around the ninth hour or sometime after 3 PM.  Now it was evening, a couple of hours before sunset.  In the Jewish mind the day started and ended at sunset, so the Sabbath would begin at sunset.  As we have seen in earlier posts no work was to be done on the Sabbath, and remember they were very strict about that.  In modern Judaism one group of Jews, the Orthodox, are strict too.  They will not drive a car on the Sabbath, will not operate switches or button (like in an elevator or on a stove), and will not walk more that a certain distance from their homes.  In our story the important Sabbath rule actually comes from the Bible.  In Deuteronomy 21:22-23 we are told that if a person has been convicted of a capital crime and is “hung on a tree” that it shall not be left there over night, but it shall be buried on the same day.  If it is left out all night it is considered an offense to God by the nation.  Very interesting law since capital punishment in the Law of Moses was to be carried out by stoning, a practice where the individual was surrounded by people and the people threw large stoned onto the person until they were burred and died in one way or another (from the blows of the rocks or from the crushing weight).  Also many historians believe that crucifixion was invented by the Assyrians (no earlier than 800 BC) several centuries after the Law of Moses (about 1440 BC) was written.  That has led some to suggest that the Law in Deuteronomy was about hanging with a rope (the kind we think of.  In Esther Haman was preparing to use this form of execution on Mordecai, about 45 BC).  Still that doesn’t fit with the prescribed method of execution in the Law.  In Galatians 3:13 Paul uses the same description of hanging on a tree to describe what happened to Jesus.  Although the meaning of the rule in Deuteronomy may have been a reference to rope hanging it also could have been prophetic in God’s omniscient (all knowing) preparation for the death of the Messiah; a setting of the stage for the event in our reading today.

What ever the case a dead person was not to be left out all night, so a guy named Joseph went to Pilate to ask for the body.  The Romans liked to leave the bodies out to be eaten by birds and animals and rot.  The image would then be a deterrent to others who though to stir up the wrath of the Roman government.  Clearly Joseph was very serious about his Jewish religion and so he worked up the courage and went to Pilate.  We are also told that Joseph was a member of the Jewish Council of leaders.  We are also told he was looking for the “kingdom of God”.  He was clearly a man who took the Old Testament seriously and literally.  He may have thought or hoped that Jesus was the promised coming king, but now that hope was ended, or so he would have though.

But Jesus was still on cue fulfilling all of the predictions made about the Messiah.  Mark tells us that Joseph was a “prominent” member of the council.  That word in Greek (the original language Mark wrote in) can mean several things including noble, graceful, influential or even rich.  In Matthew’s telling of the story he tells us that Joseph was rich and that he was a disciple of Jesus.  Although we usually think of the disciples as the close and serious followers of Jesus but the root meaning of the word is learner or student.  Joseph was somewhere on that path.  According to John Nicodemus helped bury Jesus.  Some scholars think that the fact that he was buried in a rich mans tomb was part of the prediction in Isaiah 53:12 which told us that he would be counted with law breakers (a reference to him being crucified with the two criminals).  That verse in Isaiah also tells us he would have a “portion with the great”, a possible reference to being buried in Joseph’s tomb.  If that is the case we have another fulfilled prophecy about the Messiah.  Regardless Jesus was still on cue, he had died for the sins of many.

There probably wasn’t time before sunset to properly prepare Jesus body for the grave but John tells us that it was “bound with linen wrappings” Some think that that contradicts what Mark tells us here but that is not necessary.  Mark does say he was wrapped in the linen cloth.  Jesus was then placed in the rock tomb (a little cave, in this case one that was actually carved out of the rock) and a large stone was rolled over the entrance.  The rocks were usually quite large to prevent grave robbers from easily entering the tomb.  Often the rock was a carved disk and it was rolled down an incline in a track or groove in the dirt.  That would make it even more difficult to reopen the tomb.  Finally we are told that the women watched to see where Jesus was buried.

In verses 1-8 of chapter 16 we see the same women back at the tomb on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath.  They had with them spices to finish the burial preparation that they felt was incomplete on Friday.  It is now the third day from Jesus’ crucifixion.  As they approached the tomb that were thinking about the large stone, that it would be too much for the three of them to move.  Mark makes no mention of the guard that had been placed at the tomb by Pilate at the request of the religious leaders.  According to Matthew the guard was requested and sent on the “day after the preparation day”, that would be the Sabbath.  Hmmm!  I guess putting a guard on the tomb wasn’t work!  So the women would have not expected a guard to be there.  When they arrived they saw that the rock had been moved.  Mark comments that it was very large, clearly an indication that everyone should be surprised that it had been moved.  So the women peeked in the tomb, pretty gutsy if you ask me, and to their surprise they saw what they considered a young man sitting in the tomb in a white robe.  According to Luke the women saw two men and they bowed down before them.  The description and reaction tells me that these guys were angles.  I think one of them was there waiting for the women to give them the message and the other one appeared (like Luke tells us as the women were there).  The message that the women received was that Jesus was not there, he had risen from the dead.  According to Luke (Luke 24:5) the women were also told they would find Jesus with living people not in a graveyard.  According to Luke the men or angles also reminded the women that Jesus had predicted that he would be killed and come back to life on the third day (Luke 24:6-7, see also Luke 9:22, Mark 8:31).  So Jesus was still fulfilling the plan God had laid out before the world began.  The angle then told the women to go tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead and that he would meet them in Galilee.  Again we are told that this to was predicted before hand.  We find this promise from Jesus in Mark 14:28 9see also Matthew 26:32).  We need to be careful that we don’t ignore this prediction because it was made by Jesus just before his death.  It is no less a prophecy just because it was made close to the time of it’s fulfillment.  I could make the same sort of prediction before my death and it would never ever come true.  I just cannot resurrect myself and I doubt God would do such a crazy thing for no purpose either.

Verse 8 brings us to the end of Mark with the women fleeing the tomb.  They were shaking and afraid and they didn’t even deliver the message (at least not right away).  You may be thinking, “No there are twelve more verses in Mark.”  We will get to that tomorrow.  But for now let me just say I think this is where Mark’s original story ended. You may also be thinking, “What a sucky ending!” and it is but it is not the end of the story just the end of Mark’s story.  Tomorrow I’ll tell you more.  For today we need to see what those early believer in Rome would have seen and that is Jesus continually fulfilling predictions.  The plan of God and his promises were true and secure.  And Jesus was not dead he was alive, he had not only conquered physical death as proven by the resurrection but he had conquered spiritual death by the cross.  He had given his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) and the resurrection proves that he was God and that his death was good enough.

This week I was talking to someone about Heaven and Hell and death and the fact that Jesus had promised one of the two guys being crucified with him that they would be in Paradise that day together.   Paradise is a way of describing Heaven, the place where we live together with God (I think the original Paradise was an example of that truth).  Unlike believer from the Old Testament who could not go to Heaven immediately (See Luke 16:19-31) the thief could.  Why?  Because after the death of Jesus the penalty, fine, or cost had been paid; sin had been formally and legally dealt with.  The last thing Jesus said before he dies was, “It is finished”.  In Greek that is one word “tetelestai”.  That word was stamped on the list of charges of a criminal after they had served their jail time.  Jesus was declaring that his death had finished our sentence for us.  Legally we can all be free (though many reject his offer).  The cross is what sets us free the resurrection is the proof to us that the job was finiishe dnd that Jeus had the authority to do it.  It is also our hope that we too will one day share in the resurrection, eternal life both spiritual (with God) and physical (in a new body).  So those early Roman believers had something to believe in as they went through all tht the world had to throw at them.  I also think it is important that we see the last hold outs in the story, the women, shaking with fear.  Of course we know from the rest of the story and the other “gospels” that their fear wasn’t the end of the story, but is was there and it stopped them, at least for a time.  But then they and the disciples went on to start a movement for God that will continue into eternity.  But it stopped them.  Perhaps some or many of those Roman believers were afraid, had been stopped in serving God.  But their story didn’t need to end there either, they too could be effective for God.  God would not reject them.  He didn’t reject the eleven and he won’t reject us today either.  If (when) we make mistakes in our relationship with God, when we hide out or deny him we need to realize it is not the end of the story; it is not the end of our story with him.  We need to remember his promises and meet back up with him wherever he has told us he would be and continue along the path with him.  Our God is a great loving and forgiving God and we need to accept his continual forgiveness and walk with heim today.

God thank you for your mercy.  Thank you for your promises.  Thank you that it’s about you and not me.  I’m a failure too much of the time and when I do walk with you it’s only because you are there helping me.  Let me get better at it though and be honored in the world by my life.  Thank you again for your patience with me.