A brief overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible lesson of Mark 16:1-14, “Alive,” scheduled for Sunday, November 26, 2023. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

ONE WAY to introduce this lesson would be to post this quote and discuss it: Church historian Jaroslav Pelikan has said that “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters.” Do you agree with that, and why? 

Then say, Today’s lesson is about the most important event in history, the resurrection of Jesus. 

ALTERNATE INTRO: Joe McKeever, a retired pastor friend of mine, known nationwide for the cartoons he’s done in Baptist periodicals, told this story: 

“When my friends Jim and Darlene Graham were in Istanbul, their tour group was showing them relics of Mohammed–a hank of hair and part of his sandal. 

At the conclusion, the guide said, “Now, you Christians–where are your Jesus’ relics?” 

Someone in the back of the group said, ‘As for his hair, it’s still on His head. He’s still alive!” (Joe McKeever Facebook post 4/03/23)

CONTEXT

Last time we saw that Jesus was crucified, and we looked the different characters that were there, and what their attitudes were. Mark tells us that after Jesus had breathed His last, Joseph of Arimathea got permission from Pilate to take His body, and :46 says he laid Him a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. 

OUTLINE

I.   The Women and the Spices (:1-3)

II.  The Empty Tomb (:4-8)

III. The Appearances (:9-14)

I. The Women and the Spices

“(:1) When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. (:2) Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. (:3) They were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’”

What significance is there in the fact that these women were bringing spices for Jesus body that Sunday morning?

(I can see several things:

1. They kept the Old Testament Law. The chapter begins, “When the Sabbath was OVER.” They didn’t do it on the Sabbath. Luke 23:56 says, “They rested on the Sabbath, according to the commandment”. So these women remained faithful to God’s word, even though they were sorrowful, and though they did not yet understand why Jesus had died. There is something commendable about this, and it’s a good example for us: keep God’s word, no matter what situation you are in. Don’t say, “Well, it doesn’t matter if we keep that now …” or that kind of thing. Always be faithful to the truth of His word. These women are a great example of that.

2. This tells us that they did not expect Jesus to rise again from the dead! Think about it!  Why were they bringing spices? Because they thought He was still dead! They were coming to prepare His body for long-term burial. So as faithful as they were to Jesus, they did NOT have faith that He would rise again, or they wouldn’t have brought the spices!

3. I think one of the primary things this shows, is that they CARED for Jesus. They really loved Him.

??? What all evidences can you find in these first 3 verses that these women really cared for Jesus???

— :1 they brought spices to care for His body. WHY? What were they going to get out of Him at this point? They had nothing to “gain” — and potentially a lot to lose, if they identified with this executed criminal! It could have cost them their freedom, or their life. But they went to care for Him anyway. 

— :2 says they went “very early” on the first day; “when the sun had risen.” So they got up EARLY to do it; when we get up early, that involves special effort. Shoppers, hunters — and people who want to walk with God! — get up early. It shows effort/care.  

— :3 “They were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’” So they didn’t even know how they were going to do it; but they were going to do it! 

They were really committed to care for Jesus — whom they thought was dead and gone, with nothing He could do for them.

:3 By the way, the fact that at least THREE WOMEN combined could not move this stone away from the entrance to the tomb, says something about how large it was! 

:4 says it was “extremely large.”  Experts say it may have weighed as much as TWO TONS!

(Either here or in the next point you might show a PICTURE of a tomb in Israel, with a stone that rolls for the entrance.)

What is the significance of this?
It rules out a number of so-called “explanations” for the missing body of Jesus:

— for example, some have suggested that maybe Jesus “wasn’t quite dead” on the cross; that He had just a glimmer of life in Him, so He got out of the tomb when He “came to.” But an “almost dead” man would not be able to roll away a stone that three women couldn’t move! 

— it probably rules out ANY one person from sneaking in and stealing the body either. It was so large, no one person could do it alone. (15:46 does say that Joseph of Arimathea rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb, but I don’t this necessarily means he did it without any help. He was a rich man, and undoubtedly had many servants/employees if he needed assistance.)

The size of the stone makes it much more difficult for some of these alternate explanations for the resurrection of Jesus to have taken place. Especially when you consider that Matthew says that they put a seal on the stone, and had a guard posted there. It was not easily compromised. 

II. The Empty Tomb (:4-7)

“Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

When they got to the tomb, they did not see what they expected. Instead of having to roll the stone, or get someone to do it, it was already rolled away. And a “young man” — the other Gospels clarify that and say that it was an angel told them Jesus was not there! “He is risen; He is not here; behold here is the place where they laid Him.”

Here is the most important event in history, that Jaroslav Pelikan was talking about. 

Because the “young man”/angel could say “He has risen, He is not here,” now we can say the same thing.

Just this morning we buried a deacon in our church, Lonnie Vance, who I can honestly say is one of the sweetest people I have ever known. But at the service, with an open casket before us, I could say “He is not here. He is with the Lord in glory!” How can I say that? Because Jesus rose from the grave, we know He has power over death, and can give us eternal life.

But we need to know that all Christianity hinges on the empty tomb.

Paul said it well in I Corinthians 15:14, 17-20:  “… if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. … 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead …”.

The resurrection of Jesus makes all the difference, one way or another. If Jesus Christ rose from the dead, Christianity is true, and you need to sell your life out for it. If Jesus did NOT rise from the dead, none of it is true, and you shouldn’t mess with it.

You could share stories of two men, who had two entirely different view of the resurrection of Jesus:

— everyone knows Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States. In the Smithsonian Institute there is a copy of what they call the Thomas Jefferson Bible, which he created sometime during the winter of 1819-1820 at Monticello. Using a razor knife, Jefferson cut passages out of six copies of the New Testament, and re-arranged them into chronological order. His “Bible” begins with Luke 2:1-7, Joseph & Mary’s journey to Bethlehem, and ends in Matthew 27:60, where it says that after Jesus was laid to rest, the stone was rolled across the door of the grave! His “Bible” ends there! The passages he left in between include the moral teachings of Jesus but it omits all of the miracles. One museum official said that Jefferson “removed those things that could not be proven by reason.” 

If Christ isn’t risen, that’s what you end up with, what is rational to man.

— You probably do NOT know the name of Albert Henry Ross, who was born in 1881 and died in 1950. He was an English advertising agent and writer. In the late 1920s he set out to write a book on the last days of Jesus, which would de-bunk the story of the Resurrection. He felt sure that by study the different Bible resurrection stories in detail, he could disprove it. Later he called it, “The Book That Refused To Be Written,” because as he studied the Resurrection, in copious detail, the more and more convinced he became that it was indeed true. And under his literary name of Frank Morison he published the book, “Who Moved The Stone,” which analyzes every detail of Jesus’ resurrection, and proposes and answers many objections to its veracity. He said the best explanation for the empty tomb, is that Jesus really DID rise from the dead! His book has been read by countless people, who have come to Christ through Morison’s witness.  

After telling them about Jesus’ resurrection, the angel said :7 ‘But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.”

There’s a couple of important points in here:

??? What do you think is the importance of the angel saying, “AND PETER.”??? Why would he say that?

(Peter has denied Jesus in a flagrant way, more spectacularly perhaps than any of the others, since he had so confidently said that he would never deny Him.
It seems like Jesus is holding out special hope to him: YES you messed up, big time. But I am not finished with you. I still know you, love you, will forgive you, and use you.

It had to be such a meaningful word. Imagine that YOUR name was the one He mentioned! That He would remember YOU would be such an amazing thing.

You might ask your group: ???Were you ever surprised that somebody remembered YOU???

(This is not a “big” occasion or a celebrity, but Cheryl & I went out for lunch one day last week, and when the waitress brought out our waters, she brought mine in a “to-go” cup, with a slice of lemon on top, just like I like it! Cheryl said, “HOW did she know to do that?” I said, well, this is where we have pastor’s breakfast for our association on Thursday mornings — but I didn’t know that she knew me like that. I was pleasantly surprised — and I left her a big tip! It meant something to me that she would know me!

You/your group can share instances like that, when you were surprised/blessed that someone knew you. And then make the point: How much more special is it, that the LORD would know you? That He would say, “AND PETER”! 

And the thing is, we CAN all put our own names in that place. And Shawn … and Cheryl … and YOU! Because He does know you, and love you, and has a special forgiveness for YOU and YOUR sins, just like He did for Peter. 

— Galatians 2:20 says “He loved ME, and gave Himself for ME.”

It is very personal. 

— Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (:18) If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.”

Amazing! That GOD would think about US! And not even just once, but that His thoughts towards us — each of us — would outnumber the sand!  Like David says here, “How precious” that is!  

“How precious” that the angel would say, “And Peter.”

And “how precious” that you can put YOUR name in there too! 

:7 Then the words “Just as He told you” are significant.

As we have mentioned a couple of times along the way, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus didn’t just “happen.” 

— it was prophesied in advance

— and Jesus Himself told them at least three times that it was going to happen:

— Mark 8:31

— Mark 9:30-31

— Mark 10:33-34

There’s such a power in that; not only did it happen, Jesus predicted that it would happen, before all these witnesses, adding to the power and credibility of what He did.  

III. The Appearances  (:9-14)

I plan to ask my group to scan these verses and call out: ??? Who all do :9-14 say that Jesus appeared to, after His resurrection???

(List these on the board: 

— :9 Mary Magdalene

— :12 two on the road (Road to Emmaus)

— :14 the 11 at the table 

Then talk about each of these three appearances:

— :9 “He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast seven demons”

??? Why do you think Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene first???
(There’s no “right” scriptural answer that I know of, but it’s an interesting question, right?

— It was obviously His plan to (but why?)

— Maybe she loved Him most?

— Maybe He loved her most!

— Maybe there is a clue in the words “from whom He had cast out seven demons” — that the first person He appeared to, was someone who had needed SO much grace, would be an encouragement to all the rest of us, that there is enough grace in Jesus for any of us to come to Him!

— It also put the others “in their place” — the apostles were not the first, but a woman

— The fact that it WAS a woman was highly unlikely in their society.

Bible scholar N.T. Wright says that the place of the women in the Gospel narratives is “fascinating.”  He writes: “In the ancient world, Jewish and pagan, women were not credible witnesses in the law court. … So it’s fascinating that in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John we have Mary Magdalene, the other Marys, and the other women. And Mary Magdalene, of all people (we know she had a very checkered career in the past), is chosen as the prime witness: there she is in all four accounts. As historians we are obliged to comment that if these stories had been made up five years later, let alone thirty, forty, or fifty years later, they would never have had Mary Magdalene in this role. To put Mary there is, from the point of view of Christian apologists wanting to explain to a skeptical audience that Jesus really did rise from the dead, like shooting themselves in the foot. But to us as historians this kind of thing is gold dust. The early Christians would never, never have made this up. The stories—of the women finding an empty tomb and then meeting the risen Jesus—must be regarded as solidly historical.”

(N.T. Wright, Appendix B, Anthony Flew, There Is A God, pp. 206-207)

So it actually lends to the credibility of the report. You wouldn’t “make up” a story where women were the witnesses; they weren’t considered reliable. So you just wouldn’t do that. The only reason you’d say He appeared to a woman first, that HE DID! It’s yet another reason to believe this story is true!

??? What was the response of those she told???
:11 “they refused to believe it”

— :12 “After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country”

This is the story in Luke 24 of the men on the road to Emmaus. You might read that story if you have time (I don’t think I will!)

??? What was the response of those they told???

:13 “they did not believe them either”

— :14 “Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table

A couple of things here:

— “the eleven” were the 12 apostles, minus Judas

— “reclining at the table” is literally just “reclining”, because that is how they ate: reclining at a low table. The pictures you see, like Michaelangelo’s “The Last Supper,” are not historically accurate.
It was more like this: 

SHOW PICTURE FROM INTERNET of reclining for a meal.

??? What does the response of those who were told about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead by Mary Magdalene, and the two on the Road to Emmaus, say to us about how people might respond to US when we share???

(— they may not believe US either!

— But there is HOPE in it! Because although NONE of these people believed at first, later they ALL did! 

So one lesson is: don’t be discouraged because someone you tell about Jesus doesn’t believe. One rejection does not mean it’s final! MANY people come to Christ after hearing it a number of times. (I heard the number SEVEN times as the average; I don’t know where they got that …) but the point is, don’t give up because someone rejects the message immediately. That’s not the end of the story.

We have a deacon and Sunday school teacher in our church, whose dad is 94, and he is still witnessing to him about the Lord. He was telling me the other day that he is trying to listen, and be patient — and he is also sharing the gospel with him; he’s telling him all the right things. The important thing is, he’s not giving up.

And you shouldn’t either. Keep praying, keep building the relationship, keep sharing — and see what the Lord will do. But remember the example from Mark here, that an initial rejection is not necessarily final.  

But this is such an important lesson, on the resurrection of Jesus. We mustn’t forget just how important it is.

R.W. Dale was a pastor in England in the 1800s. One time Dale was preparing an Easter sermon when the truth of Christ’s physical resurrection burst in upon him with compelling power. “Christ is alive!” he said aloud; ‘He is alive — alive!’ he began to walk about the room saying to himself, ‘Christ is living! Christ is living!’ Not only that following Easter Sunday, but for months afterward he exulted in the theme of the resurrected Christ. He even began the practice of having a resurrection hymn sung each Sunday morning, just to remind the people that they were worshiping a living Christ.” (Warren Wiersbe, Walking With The Giants, p. 45) 

We need to make sure we don’t take Jesus resurrection for granted. Let’s let the importance of it sink in this week, and remind your class: Jesus is alive! It makes all the difference!

______________________________________________________

— If you’ll type your email into the “follow blog via email” blank on my home page, WordPress will automatically send you next week’s lesson and you won’t have to search for it.

— And if you write something in the Comments below, I’ll be sure to pray for your and your group by name this week. 

Per my licensing agreement with Lifeway:

– These weekly lessons are based on content from Explore the Bible Adult Resources. The presentation is my own and has not been reviewed by Lifeway.

– Lifeway resources are available at: goExploretheBible.com  and: goexplorethebible.com/adults-training

– If you have questions about Explore the Bible resources you may send emails to explorethebible@lifeway.com