Woman’s work
Mark 16:1-8
I have gotten my self in trouble several times when I made a remark about some task like cleaning or cooking as “Woman’s work.”
I really did make it in jest. I made it to get a response from the women present. Sometimes, I had to work really hard to make a formal apology.
But there is a small amount of truth to that statement; I personally believe that it can be made as a real compliment. Most of the time women are more detail oriented than men. They work hard to make a seeming small event special.
A great example, Women want to choose s present for a birthday and wrap it nicely. Men will stick cash in a card and sometimes leave it in the CVS bag. Men and women are very different and I praise God that we complement each others strengths most of the time.
This morning we are celebrating a miracle that happened over 2000 years ago.
It starts with death.
The event of death is not unusual at all. It happens around us all the time.
When we read about Jesus death it seems very strange to us. The event is horrible, the abuse and torcher are foreign. We don’t drive down the road in the United States and see a line of crosses with people bead and alive being tortured to death on them.
Personally I believe that is a direct improvement that happened because of Christianity. But in Jesus day, it happened everyday.
Death on a cross was capitol punishment. Capitol punishment was used on people that resisted government authority, Murder, theft…It was easy to get yourself killed. While the means of death could be harsh the score was exactly the same. The ratio was 1 person born and at some point one person dies.
Amazingly, even with all of the medical innovations and improvements in life style and even the kinder environment the ratio of death comes out exactly one on one. For every person in Jesus day until today for every life in this world there is one death.
So what is so great, because it seems that I am trying to put all of you on a downer? The difference is the math is more complex than that. While the count for earthy death is a 1 to 1, the conversion to eternal life holds much better odds. The story of Jesus resurrection is the story about beating the math. Because Jesus was raised from death as evidence of the promises from God himself it is evidence that what Jesus told us was true. We are able to beat the math too.
We need to talk about our scripture reading this morning. According to the majority of bible scholars the book of Mark ends with verse 8.
I know that most of you have additional verses. And some of them have some really neat things.
-Jesus meets the disciples and scolds them for not believing Mary Magdalene or two other disciples about his rising and instruction to meet.
15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Some of this material we to like to skip over. The preaching the good news stuff is pretty nice. Believing, being baptized and we will be saved is not bad.
Oh, I would so love to see the signs, casting out demons, speaking in new tongues, placing hands on people and seeing them healed. That is great stuff.
But I skipped a couple, Picking up snakes and drinking poison. I started thinking that my faith was not strong enough because these things don’t seem like good ideas to me.
But I realized that God has never told me to grab a snake, any snake and I am positive that I am not tempted to drink poison.
But it is not the scary things that made the scholars decide that verses 9 – 20 were added by scribes or someone else that lived long after Mark.
The real reason is that the oldest and most reliable manuscripts that we have end at verse 8. These manuscripts were not available when the bible was canonized or officially set. Today most bibles include the longer ending with a notation of the discrepancy.
For this morning we will remain focused on 1-8.
Our scripture starts with the phrase, when the Sabbath was over. Let me explain, that the Jewish Sabbath starts at Sundown and ends the next day at sundown. That means that near or after dark the ladies went out and bought spices on Saturday night.
When the Sabbath ended they could do the work of cleaning up around the house, doing laundry but, the problem was that they did not have enough light. So you do what you need to do, run over to the quick mart and pick up some fresh milk and some meat then back home for the night.
These women had plans for the next mourning, because of the Sabbath, they had not been able or properly mourn. They did not have time to properly prepare the body of Jesus. I am sure that they thought the men, did they best they could so short notice.
But you know they were not direct followers, Joseph of Arimathea, he secretly believed but he kept his position on the Sanhedrin. That Nicodemus, well he had changed. But, you know men just don’t take the same care.
So, they had plans to be up early, perhaps before day break. They go and pay their respects and handle the details. They were not worried about the smell; they just knew they had to go. They got up early and headed over to the cemetery.
After they left the house maybe, after they left he city walls, the start thinking about a problem. Who is going to roll away the stone? The tomb was carved out of Rock, they cut a track in front of the entranced that would let the tomb be opened an closed when the need arose. The stone was at lest round on the bottom side so that several men could roll it up a slight incline to its open position.
Here were these three ladies that had their plans mapped out,
#1 buy spices,
#2 get up early,
#3 head to the cemetery at day break.
#4 Anoint Jesus’ body.
#5 stay there most of the day to mourn their loss.
Oh, goodness, we needed to bring along some men for the heavy work. They decided to go ahead and go and perhaps one would o for help or maybe there would be someone there that might help.
The real point was to be there, to be as closes as possible to Jesus, to go in spite of the dangers and risk, to mourn their loss and shed tears. The loss was so great the pain so deep. They had been witnesses to the cruelty and suffering of Jesus. They know what the mob could do.
But they were going because, it was their place, It was their job, to tend and care for this dear man. They had chosen it as their ministry. Their job this morning was women’s work because they made it their job to support Jesus and all the disciples. They would not desert him now.
They get close enough to see the entrance to the tomb. The stone was rolled back into it’s resting place.
I doubt that their first thought was one of joy…it was probably fear.
Fear of the unknown. Who did this, When, WHY would someone else do this.
The Romans, thieves who, the Jewish officials? Who?
I imagine that they run or at least walk faster. Maybe they drop their bags to lighten their load…
What will they see? What does this mean?
The scripture says they entered the tomb. And there was a young man there.
Other portions of scripture tell us he an angel. Something about the man is alarming to the ladies, it could be the surprise of him being in there, perhaps there was something more about his appearance, but Mark does not give us any additional guesses.
He has a message, "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. "
The message includes a special knowledge of who they are looking for. Jesus the Nazarene, that he was crucified. Both subjects are facts. Then the new information starts.
He has risen! He is not here. Do you think that they could connect the words of the man with anything they could actually understand?
Folks, People don’t just get up and walk away after they are crucified. The Romans are really good at it. They do it everyday.
The women’s minds had to be all jumbled up. All this was just crazy.
Where is the body of the Lord? Who is this man?
The message continues; Go tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee.
Ok, the first neat piece of information is they are given another Job. They are to go tell the disciples that Jesus has risen and will meet them in Galilee.
The Disciples and Peter - What is the difference, isn’t peter a disciple……
Not if he did not know the man. Peter had denied 3 times, he ran away in sorrow for being so weak and shallow. He had not kept his word and died with Jesus.
--Peter would probably not have considered himself a disciple. He might not be with the group.
The women are to carry the amazing message. The scripture says that they were afraid; they ran from the tomb confused and afraid.
If this is the point where Mark really ends his scripture, I don’t see any condemnation of the women for failing to do as they were asked.
Personally, I wonder would I have been brave enough to enter the sepulcher. Would I have let out a scream when I was surprised by a young man just sitting there…Would I have stayed long enough to hear the message?
Folks we are here to day to celebrate the proof of our faith.
We are here to let out a sigh of relief that Jesus was not a mad-man that claimed to be something he was not. We are here because of the proof recorded in scripture that the death of Jesus Christ happened, the witnesses testify to it. Believers, Joseph of Arimathea , the women that were at the crucifixion and went to mourn the loss. The centurion that reports to pilot.
Jesus was dead.
We don’t celebrate death, the death of Jesus or of our friends and family. What we celebrate is beating the math, the gift of eternal life. If Jesus did what he said that the would rise again, then the promises of believers being given eternal life are just as true.
Marks account of the event leaves the options open.
It is almost like a Question….The ladies had a faith that would draw them to the cemetery with an angry mob that could start up at any moment. They risk going out early with no men to accompany them risking personal safety. The women set out to perform an impossible task, if they had thought about what needed to be done, would they have setout. Aren’t we the same, if we thought about the task we are asked to do would we fail to start?
How will you respond to the good news? Your heads are clear, the pressure is low the risk is small…..are you going to tell anyone the good news?
Are you going to take on the responsibility of sharing the news that Jesus did what he said he would do … He was raised from the dead!
That means his promises are true…..Folks this is not our little secret….it is the good news from God himself….
I know you have a heart for Jesus, or you would not have come here so early on a Sunday morning to share in a simple act of worship. But, does the Good News give you joy, does the good news make you walk faster, Does the good news well up inside of you and make you want to sing?
Hear the good news:
Chris is risen…..He is risen in deed!
Will you say that with we…
3 times
Pray with me,
Gracious God, we come to have the fire renewed within our very should. We come to receive the good news in a fresh new way, we come to give you our worship and praise. Father, renew us lake he spring we see all around us.
Let us live the live you give with the joy and excitement of people that had real hope and peace.
All Glory, honor and praise belong to you. AMEN
