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Mark 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.”

   The passing along of the message to the disciples had to wait until Jesus actually appeared to Mary. At first the women were all very afraid, as we see here.

Heavenly Father, You know how easily we become afraid. The circumstances of life are enough to keep us nervous most of the time. We need courage from You. Only You can help us face life as it is. Thank You for Your patience with our weakness. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:7 “But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

   Jesus did not make His reappearance in Jerusalem. Why? There are a lot of answers to that question. One reason, however, was that not all would believe even if He did. So, in His infinite wisdom, the Lord chose to let His followers share the good news.
   Notice the reference to Peter. This makes it sound as if he was not considered a disciple at this point. But that assumption is unfounded. Remember, all of the disciples forsook Christ, not just Peter. It is doubtful that Peter’s denial put him in a different category. But, the way it is stated may have been meant to include Peter in case he thought he would be left out because of the denial.

Heavenly Father, thank You for using us! It is a mystery to us, yet we know Your way is best. We have been given a great task, and only You can give us strength to carry it out. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:6 “But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”

   Notice how specific the angel is. Jesus of Nazareth. This is, by the way, a very human way of speaking of Him. It is how even a passing aquantance might refer to him. It doesn’t use any of His Messianic titles. Why does the angel do this? He is intentionally emphasizing the miracle of the resurrection. He is saying, in essence, you came to find a man, a dead man to be precise. But, Jesus is the Lord of glory, not just a man, so He is alive!

Heavenly Father, give us the wisdom to understand Christ and present Him as He truly is. Make us witnesses for Him. He is worthy of our best effort. And You can take that effort and make it what it should be. May Your Name be praised! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:5 “And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.”

   This was all very unexpected to these ladies. It’s strange, but we tend to easily forget the power of the Lord. In spite of all the amazing things they had seen Jesus do, they were very surprised.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your patience with us. You understand how we think, even if we don’t. We will praise You forever for Your amazing power! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:4 “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.”

   Picking this stone up was not an option. To roll it aside was the only way to deal with it. As we know from Matthew, an angel had been sent to do this. We don’t know the exact timing of these things, but it seems they happened rather quickly. Jesus may have exited the tomb earlier, but likely he had just done so at the first hint of daybreak.

Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your Son! Jesus is our wonderful Savior. Thank You for Him! May we proclaim His Name forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:3 “And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

   The awkward moment when you realize you can’t do what you planned to do, happens to all of us. They were already there, and now they happened to think of the stone. Chances are, they had a plan beforehand, but they just hadn’t sorted out the details completely. Life is like that. We have to fly by the seat of our pants sometimes. But God understands, and sometimes He has a special surprise in store.

Heavenly Father, life really sneaks up on us. We never really feel ready for things. It is all so fast. But we know we can trust Your plan. You are always ready. You always know how to lead us. May we always follow You. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:2 “Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.”

   Notice how specific this is. The sun had risen. The picture here is easy to miss, but don’t miss it. Hebrew time starts the day at sunset for a very important reason. It follows the order of creation. In Genesis chapter one we see the evening and the morning, in that order. Why? Because the darkness precedes the dawn. Every morning is a promise, a promise that the darkness shall pass. And this particular morning was a special promise. And every Sunday we celebrate this promise. And every morning when we wake up we can be reminded of this promise. Jesus is the One Who overcomes the darkness forever.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of light every day! We are daily reminded that light is here to stay, and that the darkness is fading. Give us Your mercy in the day time. May we proclaim the kingdom of light for our whole lives. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:1 “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.”

   The Sabbath would have been over at sunset on Saturday. But that wouldn’t have been a good time for this activity. So, they waited till first thing Sunday morning. Salome was most likely the mother of James and John, two of the twelve.

Heavenly Father, we praise You for the resurrection. Though this world rejects the truth, we know that You have given us the only hope. We praise You and thank You for saving our souls. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:47 “And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.”

   Mary was a very common name back then, to say the least! Mary Magdalene was a woman Jesus had cast demons out of. The mother of Joses was the mother of James the son of Alpheus. This James was one of the twelve. These women took note of where Jesus was laid, intending to go back to tend to the body.

Heavenly Father, You have done so much for every one of us! We cannot forget, nor shall we fail to appreciate the salvation which is ours in Christ. We see in this passage the devotion of these women to Christ though they as yet did not understand the resurrection. We too should be in love with You, regardless of all that You do for us. You are worthy of our love and devotion. I praise You for Your loving kindness and truth. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:46 “Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”

   Many have wondered if Joseph of Arimathea did use the tomb for himself later. This is more than doubtful. Being a believer himself, and especially so after the resurrection, he would not have wanted to use it. Though the actual tomb may not have been found, it is quite likely that the traditional site is indeed the borrowed tomb.
   I noticed here that Joseph bought new linen for Jesus. Surely an affluent man would have had something on hand that he could have used. But, he wanted the best thing. Even if he did understand and believe that Jesus would rise anyway, he wanted to offer him the best burial shroud he could. We should always give our Lord the best.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your best. We will always seek to serve You the best way we can. We will give You our best efforts, and our best strength. Of course, You have to give us the strength and ability to serve You anyway. But, we’ll respond as You would expect. We will follow Your ways, and make Your paths our delight! I love You, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.