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. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“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. 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.’ ”
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:1-8 NIV)
It was a dark morning that first Easter. At least three women—Mary Magdalene, another Mary, and Salome—went to Jesus’ tomb very early in the morning. They had probably been up all night. When the Sabbath had ended at sundown on Saturday, they had rushed to buy spices for Jesus’ dead body. As soon as the first rays of light lit up the sky on Sunday morning, they headed to Jesus’ tomb. Can you picture them that morning? Not joyful like us today. Weary. Burdened. Sad. With blood-shot eyes from the endless tears they had cried because of Jesus’ death. Death does that. It makes everything dark. The morning light doesn’t make death’s darkness go away.
One of those women knew a lot about darkness—Mary Magdalene. Do you know what she was like when Jesus met her? She was possessed by seven demons. That’s darkness—from the devil himself! But Jesus had set her free from that darkness! He had driven those demons out of her. So Mary Magdalene had followed Jesus everywhere. She even stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross. But now fear gripped her heart. Had the devil won? Had the demons won? Would they be back?
For all those women, there was another darkness lurking in their hearts. Not just sadness at Jesus’ death. Not just fear of the devil’s victory. What had they done to stop it? What had they done to help Jesus on his worst day? Nothing. They must have felt guilty. Sinful. Ashamed. They had to try to do something to calm their guilty consciences. But what? It was dark that first Easter morning. That day dawned full of death and the devil and sin and guilt and shame.
Do you have mornings like that? Mornings when it doesn’t get light, even when the sun comes up? We all do. Actually, we have whole days like that, don’t we? Maybe you would say you’ve had years like that. Or a whole life like that. Lots of darkness. Death. The devil. Sin. At least one of those things is making your life dark today. Maybe all three together. Death knocks at your door or claims people you love. The devil burdens you with trials and temptations. Guilt weighs down your heart. You understand what it was like for those women as they headed to the tomb.
What did they expect to find? Well, they planned to go inside Jesus’ tomb and put more spices on Jesus’ body. That would involve unwrapping Jesus’ dead body, which had been dead for almost two days (as we count them). They would rub oils and spices into his dead body, then wrap it up a final time. That was their plan for that morning. Sound fun? What a hard, heavy job!
Speaking of heavy, as they trudged, they remembered something: The stone! The door to Jesus’ tomb was blocked by a huge stone. They had forgotten about that. “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” They couldn’t. Chances were that they would have to just turn around without accomplishing anything. Figures. It was that type of a weekend. Except, when they looked up, “they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” Huh?
Now this dark story starts to pick up. They started walking quicker. Their hearts started beating faster. Suddenly, they weren’t so tired anymore. “As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side.” They went right into Jesus’ tomb. There, sitting calmly in the tomb, was an angel who looked like a young man dressed in a white robe.
If you think that made them feel better, think again! “They were alarmed.” Frightened! It must have been like having someone turn on the light in your room in the middle of the night. Ahh! They did not expect to come face-to-face with an angel. So they quickly tried to wipe the tears from their eyes, but they couldn’t wipe the fears and guilt and sadness from their hearts. All that darkness of death and the devil and sin was coming into the light. What would this angel say?
The angel looked at them and said, “Spices? Really ladies? Didn’t you listen to anything Jesus said? Jesus said he would rise in three days. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Can’t you count? That’s 1, 2, 3 days! He doesn’t need spices. He’s alive! Don’t you know that? Aren’t there any disciples with you? Those losers! After all that Jesus did for them, they abandoned him. We angels always knew you people are worthless. Wait ‘til you hear what Jesus has to say to all you faithless sinners…” That’s what the angel could have said, isn’t it? And it would have all been true.
But that’s not what the angel said. Instead, with a smile on his face, he said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” No criticism. No condemnation. Just the most beautiful message in the world: He has risen! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! The same Jesus who was crucified had risen from the dead. They could see the proof. There was the spot he had been laid. Empty!
Suddenly, the darkness of that morning seemed to fade away. Death had been defeated. Death seems to be the most final thing. Some people worship death, because there seems to be nothing more powerful than death. But Jesus raised himself from the dead. Who does that? Only God. The tomb was empty. Sure, there are people who deny that. There always have been. But all of Scripture proves it. Jesus defeated death for us: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
That means that the devil was defeated too. I wonder if seeing that angel had special meaning for Mary Magdalene. Remember what I said she had been through? She had been possessed by seven demons, until Jesus drove them out. When Jesus died, it must had felt like the darkness was closing in on her again. Was it? No. It wasn’t. It couldn’t. It never would again. Instead, God sent his angel of light. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). When Jesus rose again, he crushed all the devil’s hopes and dreams and plans.
Because every sin had been forgiven at Jesus’ cross. The angel told the women, “Go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” Those eleven guys who had totally abandoned Jesus in his moment of greatest need… Especially that Peter guy who had acted so confident and then had totally denied Jesus three times… Tell them that Jesus loves them. That Jesus has forgiven them. That Jesus is going to see them again. Wow! Every sin had been forgiven. Even Peter’s. Especially Peter’s! Three words turned darkness into light. “He has risen! He is not here.” Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.
Those words are true for you. Today God sends his Easter angel to you and me. He could say the same thing to us, couldn’t he? “Full church? Come on. Everybody knows you’re only here for the breakfast. Nice clothes? God can see right into your hearts. It sure doesn’t look so nice there. How come you’re so polite to people at church but not at your house?…” He could say so much against us, couldn’t he? And every word of it would be true. We’re as sinful as those disciples.
But he doesn’t. God’s angel says to you and me, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!” Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! How many of you have had someone you love die since last Easter? It hurts, doesn’t it? But there is light in the darkness. Jesus defeated death, not just for himself, but for us. He gives eternal life to all who believe in him. That led Job long ago to say, even in the face of death, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart years within me!” (Job 19:25-27). Death cannot overcome those who believe in Jesus.
The devil can’t either. There is darkness in our world. We see it. We worry about it. We wonder how far it will spread. We wonder if it will overcome us. Know this: The devil is defeated. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Our Savior Jesus is stronger than the devil. Our Savior Jesus holds the world in his hands. Know what that means? We don’t have to fear. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Because every sin has been paid for at the cross of Jesus. Ultimately, the worst darkness for each of us is the darkness in our own hearts. It’s the guilt and shame about who we really are inside. Know what? Jesus knows. Jesus knows exactly what you’re like inside. And he died for you. And he rose for you. And he tells people to tell you, “Go tell his disciples and Peter and Nathan and… whatever your name is… go and tell them that I love them. That I forgive them. That I saved them.” That’s what Jesus would have his angel tell you today. “He has risen!” That’s the foundation of Christianity. The foundation of hope. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.
So, “trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” What? Isn’t that the most unexpected ending to the Easter story? The women fled trembling and bewildered. This is so important. Don’t think for a second that hearing about Jesus one time is all you need. The true message of Jesus and his resurrection takes time to set in. God’s Word usually works slowly. Those women needed to hear about Jesus and his resurrection again and again and again before it truly brought light to their hearts.
That means you need to come back. I’m not saying that for me, although I do like having a full church. I’m saying that for you. You need to come back. You need to hear about Jesus and his forgiveness and salvation over and over again. Millions of people go to church on Easter and then don’t go again and then wonder why it didn’t seem to do any good. Because that’s not how God works. He works through his Word, over and over again. If your heart is encouraged right now, you need to come back. You need to hear this message of Jesus again and again and again.
Because there will be more dark mornings. You know that, right? There will be more dark days with tear-stained eyes. Where can you turn? Jesus. When death grabs you or people you love, the empty tomb cries out: “He has risen!” When the devil casts a shadow over your life, the angel cries out: “Don’t be alarmed. He has risen!” When the guilt of your sin weighs down your heart, the cross cries out: “He has risen!” You are forgiven. You are loved. There will be dark days, but light is always found at the empty tomb of Jesus. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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