31: The Resurrection: Go to Galilee, you will see Him there (Mark 16:1 – 20)

After the resurrection, Jesus seemed to play hide and seek. He didn’t appear to His dear disciples but, instead, called them to Galilee. They needed to go to Galilee to meet the risen Lord. 

👉 Read Mark 16:1- 20

1. Three (          ) were coming to the tomb in order to (               ) Jesus. However, they had no idea how to move the (             ). 

Women, anoint, stone.

Why did they not bring anyone who could help move the stone? Anointing a corpse was not recommended according to the OT laws, for it makes one ritually unclean. 

Love for Jesus made them come this early morning, and thus, they became the first to hear about Jesus’s resurrection.

2. What did the young man say to them? (two, 6 – 7)

He has been raised! He is not here.

Tell his disciples, ‘You will see Him in Galilee.’

‘He is not here. Look, there is the place where they laid him.’ Jesus was handed over, crucified, and laid in the place of death by humans. But He has been raised from the place of inability. 

They could not meet Jesus because He was not there, the place of death. They needed to go to Galilee to meet the Risen Lord. 

Before the crucifixion, they could come to the Lord whenever they wanted. But after the resurrection, it was not like that anymore. You have to go to the place of ministry that the Lord sends you. There, you can meet Him. 

They loved Jesus and came to the tomb that early morning, risking their safety. However, the news of resurrection terrorized them, so they ran away and said nothing to anyone. 

Jesus was not in the tomb, the place of death and defeat.

‘Even Peter’ Though Peter denied Jesus, he was still regarded as a disciple. Our failure doesn’t change our status as God’s child, for He had known our weakness before our failure and loved us.

3. Verses (             ) records the summary of Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene (John 20:10 – 18). Verses (        ) summarizes how Jesus appeared to them on the way to Emmaus and Jerusalem (Luke 24:13 – 43). In this passage, the author emphasizes their (                        ) regarding the resurrection.

9 – 11

12 – 14

unblief

Theologians and Commentators agree that the original version of the Gospel of Mark ends at verse 8. You can see the change in the sentence tone. Nevertheless, there is no reason to exclude verses 9 – 20 from God's inspired words.

You can find several expressions showing their unbelief and Jesus’ rebuke. 

Note that Jesus made the report of resurrection to be delivered to them before He physically appeared to them. The report of resurrection is supposed to be believed, not verified. 

4. What did Jesus promise when He sent them out to preach the gospel? (16, 17-18)

The one who believes will be saved

The signs will accompany those who believe

Salvation comes when you believe. 

When you believe and walk in the name of the Lord, you will experience His power. Everywhere they proclaimed, the Lord worked with them. This is the way how you encounter the risen Lord.

If verse 8 is the ending of Mark, as mostly probable, what would be the most urgent thing for them to do? They heard about the resurrection but did not encounter the Lord. They must have returned to Galilee right away in the middle of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is a seven-day feast, to meet the risen Lord. Note that they had come to Jerusalem from Galilee, their hometown, to keep the Feast.

You heard of Jesus' resurrection. Then, have you met the Risen Lord? If not, meeting the Lord should be the most urgent task in your life, for it determines your eternal destiny. If you have met Him but lost the first love, you need to meet Him again. Your life's goal should be to keep encountering the Risen Lord. It is how to walk with the Lord.

The Gospel of Mark introduced and asked us to believe the gospel. If you believe and march forward in faith, you will meet the risen Lord and experience His powerful hands. It is how to overcome our unbelief.