Larry King hosted the top-rated CNN Interview show, Larry King Live. For twenty-five years, King interviewed the movers and shakers of the day. On one occasion, King was asked if he could interview anyone in history, whom would it be? He answered, “Jesus Christ.” When asked what he would ask and why, King answered, “I would ask if he was really born of a virgin, because the answer to that question changes everything.” That’s a good answer. But it demands and deserves an asterisk. 

• The virgin birth is great. 
• The resurrection is greater. 

Matthew and Luke record the miracle of Jesus’s birth. All four Gospels record the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection. Mark’s report is the most succinct. Chapter 15 spends forty-seven verses chronicling the day Jesus died. Chapter 16 tells the story of the resurrection in eight verses. This short passage is sufficient to make the point that the crucified Savior rose again. However, it does not describe the resurrection event. For the matter, the risen Savior does not make an appearance in the text. When the women arrive at the tomb, the stone is rolled away. An angel tells them that Jesus has risen and instructs them to tell the disciples. Then the women ran from the tomb in fear.

Mark 1:1 is Mark’s thesis: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The crucifixion is the climax of the story. Mark 15:39 says, “And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” But that’s not how the story ends. Jesus died and was buried. On the third day, he rose again. The crucified one is the resurrected one.

The resurrection is the most foundational truth claim of the Christian faith. 1 Corinthians 15:19 says, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” Charles R. Erdman noted: “While no one saw the Savior rise, no event of history is better attested.” What proof is there that the crucified Savior rose again? Mark 16:1-8 reports four proofs that the crucified Savior rose again.

The Verifiable Witnesses  

Jesus was crucified on Friday. He was taken down from the cross and buried before the Sabbathbegan that evening. All was silent that Saturday. Verse 1 says, “When the Sabbath was past.” It was not just a new day. It was the last God-ordained Sabbath ever. The promise of rest is fulfilled in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. As a result of these redemptive acts, the church worships on the Lord’s Day, not the Sabbath. 

  Verse 1 says, “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.” This is the third time Mark mentions these women. 

• Mark 15:40-41 says these women witnessed the crucifixion. 
• Mark 15:47 says these women witnessed the burial of Jesus. 
• Now Mark tells us these women witnessed the resurrection. 

These verified witnesses prove the veracity of the resurrection story. The ancient Near East was a man’s world. Jewish courts did not accept the testimony of women. If the early church made up the story of the resurrection, they would not have made women the first eyewitnesses. The only reason the Gospels report this detail is that it is true.  

The two Marys and Salome bought spices to anoint the body of Jesus. The Jews did not embalm, as the Egyptians did. They anointed corpses with fragrant oils to cover the stench of death. This was about more than that for these women. John 19:39 says Nicodemus brought seventy pounds of spices for Jesus’ burial. The women saw Jesus buried according to the custom of the Jews. But they determined to do something for Jesus themselves. Do not use others’ worship, service, or giving as an excuse not to do what you can for Jesus. 

Verse 2 says, “And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.” Mark begins this verse with two time references. It was early Sunday morning. The darkness of the night had just begun to give way to the light of the morning. At daybreak, the women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus. Their plan reflects their doubt. They did not expect Jesus to rise again. Although you can criticize their doubt, you cannot criticize their devotion. Love made them do what they could for Jesus. Do you love Jesus that much? 

The Empty Tomb 

 After verifying the witnesses, Mark gives another proof of the resurrection: the empty tomb. The empty tomb does not prove Jesus rose from the dead. It does raise a critical question: Where’s the body? Before Mark answers, he confirms the tomb is empty.  

The Problem Stated. On the first day of the week, as the sun rose, the women went to the tomb of Jesus. Along the way, a dilemma came to mind. Verse 3 says, “And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’” The tomb was closed by rolling a stone against its entrance. It prevented graverobbers from gaining access to the tomb. The stone was so large that it would take at least several able-bodied men to move it. 

Love compelled these women to do something for Jesus without thinking about how they would overcome obstacles to get it done. It was not until they were on their way to the tomb that they asked who would roll away the stone. Unfortunately, the answer was not the disciples. The eleven were in hiding. The women had no one to help them move the stone. The situation was worse than they thought. Matthew 27:65 says Pilate authorized a guard of soldiers to secure the tomb, lest the disciples steal the body. Matthew 27:66 says they sealed the tomb, making it a capital crime to move the stone. 

The Problem Solved. Have you ever worried about a situation that never happened? While you were trying to figure it out, God was working it out. That’s what happened with these women. Verse 4 says, “And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back – it was very large.” “Looking up” suggests the women walked to the tomb with bowed-down heads. As they neared the tomb, however, they saw the stone had been rolled away. 

“Had been rolled away” is a divine passive. The stone did not roll away on its own. No person did it. Matthew 28:2 says, “An angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.” This miraculous act caused the soldiers to pass out in fear. The religious leaders bribed the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body, as they slept. That was a ridiculous lie that no one believed. There have been a lot of theories about this over the centuries. Yet all the evidence points to the fact that the stone was moved, the tomb is empty, and the corpse is missing because Jesus rose from the dead!

The Angelic Announcement

The women went to the tomb, wondering who would roll the stone away. When they arrived, they found that the found the very large stone had been rolled away. They then encountered a shocking presence who made a shocking pronouncement. 

The Shocking Presence. Verse 5 says, “And entering the tomb.” This is a hint at how large Joseph’s new tomb was. It was large enough for several women to enter together. The phrase is also a statement about why the stone was rolled away. 

• The stone was not rolled away so that Jesus could get out. 
• The stone was rolled away so that the women could get in.

Once inside, “they saw a young man.” Matthew 28:2 says it was “an angel of the Lord.” Mark reports is at appeared to the women: “a young man.” H.A. Ironside wrote: “His was eternal youth, for he belonged not to earth but to heaven.” This spirit-being was “sitting on the right side” of the tomb. He was “dressed in a white robe.” Luke 24:4 says it was “dazzling apparel.” The young man was dressed in angelic, glorious, heavenly apparel. Verse 5 ends with the women’s response to this majestic sight: “They were alarmed.”

• The term is translated “greatly amazed” in Mark 9:15. 
• The term is translated “greatly distressed” in Mark 14:33. 

The shocking presence of the angel left the women dumbstruck, flabbergasted, overwhelmed, stupefied, and thunderstruck. 

The Shocking Pronouncement. If the women were shocked by the angel’s appearance, they were even more shocked by the angel’s announcement. 

 A Word of Comfort. Holy angels are God’s messengers. An encounter with these supernatural emissaries is an encounter with the divine. In scripture, when humans meet angels, they respond with alarm, as these women did. The angel’s first words are often to relieve fears. That’s what happens in our text. Verse 6 reads, “And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed.’” The grammar issues a cease-and-desist order: “Stop being alarmed.” This was an occasion of triumph, not terror. Matthew Henry wrote, “As angels rejoice in the conversion of sinners, so they do also in the consolation of sinners.” 

A Word of Confirmation. After comforting the women, the angel told them why they had come to the tomb: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” The angel provided two forms of identification:

• His incarnation: “Jesus of Nazareth” 
• His crucifixion: “who was crucified” 

The women had not come to the wrong tomb. This was the tomb where Joseph had buried Jesus after he took him down from the cross. It was the right place and the wrong place at the same time. The angel said, “He has risen.” Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God confirmed his finished work by raising him from the dead. Having stated the cause, the angel then stated the effect: “He is not here.” The resurrection best explains the empty tomb. Verse 6 ends with an invitation: “See the place where they laid him.” There were no skeletons in God’s closet. The women could check for themselves. His graveclothes were still there. He was not! The crucified one was the resurrected one.

The Prophetic Fulfillment 

Many who deny the deity of Jesus affirm him as a prophet. It is a strange contradiction, since Jesus’ greatest prophecy was that he would rise from the dead. Romans 1:4 says he “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”

A Great Commission. Before Jesus gave the Great Commission to the eleven apostles, the angel gave the women at the tomb a great commission. Verse 7 says, “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.”The news of the resurrection compelled them to “go, tell his disciples.” The disciples had forsaken Jesus, but he did not forsake them. The women were to tell his disciples, “and Peter.” Peter was not singled about because he was the lead disciple, but because of his great failure. Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. His failure was not final. Rescuing grace fully restored Peter. It can do the same for you! J.C. Ryle wrote: “If Christ is so ready to forgive us, we ought to be very ready to forgive others.”

The eleven were to meet Jesus in Galilee. Mark 14:28 says, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Graham Scroggie said, “Christ never forgets his appointments.” Jesus would meet the disciples in Galilee, not Jerusalem. Mark 15:38 says, “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” God put the temple out of business.

• Jesus is the union of humanity and deity. 
• Jesus is the meeting place of time and eternity. 
• Jesus is the intersection between earth and heaven. 

Verse 7 instructs the women to tell the disciples, “There you will see him, just as he told you.”Throughout Mark, the disciples’ lack of faith has been described as a failure to see. You do not see Jesus if you only see him as the babe in the manger, teacher of wisdom, or worker of miracles. You must see him as the risen Savior! The angel said, “There you will see him, just as he told you.” The hope of the gospel is not in things you can see. It is in taking Jesus at his word! Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” 

An Open-Ended Response. Verse 8 says, “And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” The women who rushed to the sealed tomb that morning fled the empty tomb just as quickly. Why? “Trembling and astonishment had seized them.”

• Their bodies were trembling. 
• Their minds were astonished. 

Using double negatives, Mark says, “They said nothing to anyone.” The women did not tell it in the streets. They waited until they reached the disciples with the news. But on the way, they said nothing to anyone, “for they were afraid.” Matthew 28:8 says they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy! Mark only mentions their fear. What Larry King said about the virgin birth is ultimately true about the resurrection. It changes everything! It turned the frightened disciples into bold witnesses willing to die for the gospel. The Gospel of Mark is open-ended because the rest of the story is not about how the women or disciples responded to the news. It’s about how you will respond. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a righteous life, performed mighty works, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead on the third day! What’s your response to this news?

A bugler played taps at the funeral of Winston Churchill, the World War 2 Prime Minister of Great Britain. Taps is a military song that marks the end of the day. Afterward, another bugler played “Reveille,” which marks a new day. Churchill wanted it to be known that although one day was ending, a new day was coming. That’s the good news of the risen Savior!