We gather here this morning to remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel writers put a great amount of time into sharing the details of our Lord’s trial and crucifixion; however, the account of the resurrection is contained in only a few short passages; and yet the resurrection is the basis of the Christian faith, the very event upon which our faith is founded.
In 1 Corinthians 15:16-17, the Apostle Paul declared, “If the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen; and if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” But Jesus has arisen! And because Christ has arisen from the grave, those who put their faith and trust in Him will be released from the bondage of sin; and we’re going to discover and celebrate this morning how Jesus Christ, through the resurrection, has rolled away the enormous stone of sin in our life.
A Stone Needs to Be Removed (vv. 1-3)
1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
On the third day after the crucifixion (which was on Sunday, the first day of the week) these women set out to anoint the body of Jesus. This Scripture says this took place “when the Sabbath was past” (v. 1). These women were not allowed to purchase spices or even travel on the Sabbath.(1) As a result, there had not been time to render the last services to the body of Jesus. So, immediately after the Sabbath had passed, as early as possible, they set out on their difficult task.(2)
These women awoke to great sorrow, for they had perceived that Jesus lay cold and lifeless in the tomb. You see, death represents loss and separation; and for those who do not have salvation from their sins, it represents the loss of heaven and eternal separation from God. Death can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair; but this particular Sunday morning was a new day and a very special day. “The beginning of this week [was to mark] the dawning of a new beginning for humanity.”(3)
These women were apparently still grief-stricken when they set out, because they gave no thought to how they would move the stone once they arrived. As they made their way to the tomb it finally dawned on them, and they asked among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” (v. 3). “When the word ‘door’ is mentioned it literally means ‘opening.’ In front of the opening there ran a groove, and in the groove a circular stone . . . and the women knew that it was quite beyond their strength to move a stone like that.”(4)
“Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” (v. 3). There are many people all across the world – and even in this room – asking this same question. The Bible is very clear in telling us that we’re all sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have all fallen short of God’s standard of holiness; and according to Isaiah 59:2, our sin results in separation from God. In fact, it’s even worse than that, for our sin leads to spiritual death and eternity in hell. Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death.”
So, the big question we have is this: “Who will roll away the stone on ‘our’ tomb, and save ‘us’ from a spiritual death?” And why might we be asking this question? Well, the reason why is because the stone of sin stands between us and receiving eternal life; and it is a stone too heavy for us to move alone. In John 10:9, Jesus declared of Himself, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” But how can a person enter the door of salvation, and enter into heaven, if there is a massive tombstone that stands in the way? He can’t. So, is there any way for the stone of sin to be removed?
Jesus Has to Remove the Stone (vv. 4-6)
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away – for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”
The women arrived at the tomb expecting it to be blocked with a large stone; one which none of them could remove. However, we read here that “when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away” (v. 4). It was already gone, and none of them expended any effort in removing it. In fact, even if they had tried, there was no way they could have budged it, for we read of its size that “it was very large” (v. 4). And do you know what else is so large that it can’t be removed by human effort? The answer is “sin.”
So, how exactly was the stone removed from the tomb? In Matthew 27:62-66, we learn of how the chief priests and Pharisees petitioned Pilate to post a guard at the tomb to make sure His disciples did not come by night and steal His body; so, it wasn’t removed by Jesus’ disciples. Did the young man in white – or rather, the angel – take away the stone? No. The answer is that Jesus removed the tombstone. It was already rolled back before the women or the angel ever arrived on the scene. The angel was only there to announce the good news of the resurrection. We need to understand that Jesus can also remove the stone in our life and save us from sin and spiritual death.
We can’t save ourselves from sin; salvation can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The Bible says of those who have confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord, and put away their former life of sin, that (quote) since “we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5). If we will put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, then we’ll be saved from our sins and be resurrected spiritually, receiving eternal life in heaven.
Through the resurrection “God has decisively answered the women’s question, ‘Who will roll the stone away?’ – not only from Jesus’ grave but also from ours. Jesus’ resurrection destroys the power of death over human beings, which seems to be a huge stone that no one can ever roll away. The message of Jesus’ resurrection transforms a hopeless end into an endless hope.”(5) And that is what we have when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ; we have an endless hope! Amen?
We Must Tell of the Resurrection (v. 7)
7 “But go, tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
So, what is our responsibility to the good news of the resurrection; both of Jesus Christ and our own resurrection from sin and death? What is our responsibility? From our passage we learn that “the women must go to the disciples, who must in turn go to Galilee. This command,” according to commentator David Garland, “is the first time that Jesus’ followers are told to tell something about Him. The crucifixion and the resurrection, therefore, mark a turning point. There is no need for silence or secrets now (see 9:9) . . . Whereas before those events, Jesus commanded secrecy and open proclamation was disobedience, now Jesus commands open proclamation and secrecy is disobedience.”(6)
You see, our responsibility is to “go and tell.” The angel commanded the women, “Go, tell His disciples – and Peter” (v. 7). In the book of John, we read how when Mary Magdalene told Peter about the resurrection that “Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple . . . So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first” (John 20:3-4). So, whenever we “go and tell,” it results in people “coming to see” – to see the empty tomb and to see Jesus, that is – and to hear the good news that they too can be resurrected from spiritual death into eternal life.
“Many will hear [the good] news during [today’s] Easter Sunday worship, that Jesus has been raised, and will sing hymns praising God. All too many will then go home quietly to an Easter dinner and go back to the routines of their lives, largely unaffected by the news. They are neither filled with awe nor compelled to tell anyone about what they know. Will the [account] be told by anyone other than the evangelist?”(7)
Time of Reflection
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, Paul said, “[Let us not] sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” If we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, then one day we will be resurrected just as He was; raised into new spiritual life, to live forevermore in the kingdom of heaven. If you’ve never before confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord, I encourage today to put your trust in the resurrection of Christ. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
NOTES
(1) David E. Garland, “Mark,” The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), p. 612.
(2) William Barclay, “The Gospel of Mark,” The Daily Bible Study (Edinburgh, Scotland: Westminster Press, 1954), p. 387.
(3) Garland, p. 612.
(4) Barclay, p. 387.
(5) Garland, pp. 624-625.
(6) Ibid., p. 614.
(7) Ibid., p. 629.
