Mark 16: 1-7 (NIV)
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.’”
In Jesus, God entered that [fighting] arena, where evil seems
at times to have the upper hand. Jesus took the worst blows
of the enemy, subject to the powers that conspired to destroy him.
He was beaten, abused, and eventually knocked out.
But just when the match seemed lost, Jesus arose;
and in his resurrection he dealt a finishing blow
to the forces of evil, sin, and death.
Christ [offers us] the opportunity to join forces with him;
to be set free from the power of evil, sin, and death;
and to live lives of hope, freedom, and love.
24 Hours that Changed the World by Adam Hamilton (p. 125)
Knowing that Jesus will have the final word gives us courage
when we face the problems of our time. That knowledge does
not call us to hide in a room. It does not lead us to bury our heads
and say we do not care about the problems we face.
Of course we care about what is happening in our world,
and because of the Resurrection we are able to face
those things with hope and great courage.
24 Hours that Changed the World by Adam Hamilton (p. 131)