Three Responses to The Tomb

Easter 2023

Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.

The Tomb of Hopelessness

Where we encounter our greatest fears…

• “…as they were on their way to the tomb.” Vs 2

The Tomb of Fear

When you find that things are not as they’re supposed to be…

• “As they entered the tomb…and they were alarmed.” Vs 5 (Frightened, amazed, bewildered, filled with terror, startled, dumbfounded, astonished, afraid, troubled, panic stricken, stunned, shocked, etc…)
• You will never find risen saviors in the tombs of dead men!!!
• Understand that what we look for, may not always be found in the places in which we are seeking it!

“If Jesus was too great to be contained by His own tomb, He is certainly too great to be contained
by our man-made tombs that constrain us!”

The Tomb of Wonderment

What began in hopelessness, ends in wonderment…

• “…they went out and fled from the tomb.” Vs 8
• Bewildered — Ekstasis
“Amazement…being thrown into a state of wonderment and fear.”
• “You look for Jesus…but he is not here…He has gone on ahead of you!”
-This is called fresh revelation!
-God is speaking to us to move beyond our tombs and to move forward!
-Jesus is not here; HE HAS GONE AHEAD OF YOU!!!

Take Away’s and Life Group Questions

1. What emotions can you identify in this text from Mark 16: 1-8 that the women may have felt? What emotions would you have possibly felt in the same situation?

2. Can you verbally identify some of your tombs in life? Have they held you back spiritually? How did you arrive there?

3. Describe a situation in your life where you’ve experienced “fear and wonderment.” How do you think that translated to the other disciples when the women shared of what they had seen in the tomb?