MARK 16:1-8

 TEXT TO REFLECT

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

MARK 16:1-7

REFLECT

It had been a heart-rending two days for the three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. They had witnessed their beloved Lord’s crucifixion, watched his limp body taken down from the cross and sealed in a tomb with a large stone. Through it all, no one had accorded any dignity to their beloved Lord. Even cleaning his body and putting spices on him had become impossible. And now they faced one more challenge. The tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid was sealed, and there was no one to move the stone away.

The women naturally fretted over this new obstacle. Life just seemed like a series of hopeless situations. No one was available to help; not even God. 

But this time, something had changed. The women found that the large stone had been rolled away, and seated in the tomb was a young man with a message: “Go tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus is going ahead of you into Galilee.”

Even before the women had fretted over who would push the stone away, God had already done it. And God had a message to the despondent disciples: “Even before you reach Galilee, Jesus has already gone ahead of you.”

God was steps ahead of the women and had opened the tomb before they arrived. Jesus was ahead of his disciples in reaching Galilee. In fact, God has gone ahead of a despairing, helpless world, to prepare a victory for us.

RELATE

Everyday, sometimes every moment, we fret over many things. And this is understandable. Because before us always stand obstacles to which we cannot conceive any solutions. Who can save me from the impossible binds that I find myself in? Who can untangle the mess that I have created for myself? Who can move those mountains that stand in my way? Try as we might, we cannot see any solution to the troubles we face. And this helplessness moves us to despair and to inertia. 

The unseen reality though, is that God has gone ahead of us and has already done the work. In Matthew 6:8, Jesus tells the crowd, “God knows what you need before you even ask Him.” Jesus then was addressing a crowd of people who fretted over details of survival, such as what they would eat, or wear. And He assured them that God knows their needs and their anxious thoughts, and provides for them.

We fret because we are able to see only what lies right ahead of us. And what often lies right ahead are impossible obstacles. And we are unable to see beyond these obstacles. But we have a God who not only sees what is far ahead, but cares enough for us to pave the way. What He calls us to do is to trust His heart.

REST

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understand

When don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His Heart

Charles Spurgeon popularised in the song Trust His Heart by Babbie Mason 1989.

Chiu Ming Li