What A Difference A Day Makes

Mark 16:1-8

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

Intro: I have always been amazed at how fast life can change. Things are one way one day, and the next day they are totally different. One day a spouse is here, the next day they are gone. One day you think you are well, the next day you discover that you are extremely ill. One day everything in your life is going well, the next day everything has fallen apart. One day it appears that there is no hope for your situation, the next day your problem has been solved. It is true that many changes can occur over the course of one day.

What a difference a day makes!!! What a difference a day makes !!!

That was never more true than the day Jesus rose from the dead. When the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus the day He was crucified, that was a dark and terrible day. As the sun went down that night, so did the hopes and dreams of all the Lord’s disciples and followers.

Mark is the only Gospel writer that speaks of that dark, dreary Sabbath that passed between the day Jesus died and the day He rose again from the dead. I am sure it was a long, miserable day for all those who loved and followed Jesus.

But, what a difference ,,,a day makes!

Mark moves us beyond that tragic Saturday to a glorious Sunday, when the world changed forever.(amen)

I would like for us to look into the events of that first Lord’s Day, the day Jesus rose from the dead. Why is that day so important? That day is important because the events of that day have made a difference in every day that has and will follow that day. That day makes a difference because what happened that day has influenced many people in this room. That day is important because what happened that day can make a difference in your life today.

Let’s look in on that the events that occurred at that tomb just outside Jerusalem the morning Jesus Christ rose from the dead. I want to preach on the thought, What A Difference A Day Makes. I want that day to make a difference in your life!

I. v. 1-3 A MINISTRY OF LOVE

A. v. 1 Their Desire – The three women mentioned in these verses ,,,observed the long, dark Sabbath day. They rested in their homes as they were commanded by the Law. Just the day before, they had witnessed the death of Jesus. They watched as His body was placed in a tomb and a stone was rolled over the opening to seal His body inside, Mark 15:46-47. As sundown, and the Sabbath began, these women went to their homes to wait.

When the Sabbath ended, on Saturday at sunset, they emerged from their homes, went into town and purchased “sweet spices” to “anoint” the body of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus had already wrapped the body in linen strips and poured embalming spices on the body. The perfume these women were intending to use would have served the purpose of masking the smells of decomposition.

So, they go out on Saturday night and make their purchases. Their intention is to go to the tomb the next morning and perform one final act of love and service to the Lord Jesus Christ. For them, it was a way to have closure concerning His death.

B. v. 2 Their Devotion – In that society, most people arose just before dawn, at around 5:30 AM. It would appear that these women got up earlier than that. They arose from their beds, gathered their spices together and made their way from Bethany, where they lived, to the tomb just outside the city of Jerusalem. It was a trip of some 2 miles.

Their love and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ is seen in this labor of love. They are broken hearted over His death and they are in a hurry to get to Him so that they might minister to Him one final time.

C. v. 3 Their Doubts – As they walked, they kept talking about the stone over the door of the tomb. It must have dawned on them after they purchased their spices that they might have trouble accessing the body of the Lord. After all, the tomb had been sealed by having a large stone rolled over the door. By some estimates, this stone could have weighed around 1,000 pounds. These ladies could never have moved that stone by themselves, and they know it. They are concerned about that.

They are also oblivious to the fact that the Jewish leaders had convinced Pilate that the Lord’s disciples might try and steal the body of Jesus. The Jews believed the disciples would take the body and claim that Jesus was still alive. So, they asked Pilate to post Roman guards at the tombs and to have the tomb sealed with Pilate’s official seal. Pilate did this for the Jews, Matt. 27:62-66. Had they known about that, their fear would have been even stronger as they made their way to that tomb.