Marc 16

The Explanation

Very early, the day after the sabbath, three women walk toward the tomb. Marie de Magdala, Marie the mother of Jacques, and Salomé. They carry sweet-smelling spices, because they want to anoint the body of Jesus one last time. It is a sad task. Their friend and Master is dead.

On the way, they wonder: "Who will roll the stone away for us?" That stone was huge, much too heavy for three women. But when they look up, they see the stone has already been moved. They walk into the tomb, and there, on the right side, sits a young man in a white robe. The women are terrified.

The young man says: "Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the crucified. He is risen, He is not here. Look, that is the place where they had laid Him." Then he gives them a message: they must tell the disciples, and especially Pierre, that Jesus is going before them to Galilée. There they will see Him.

The women run out of the tomb, trembling. They are so shaken that at first they say nothing to anyone.

Then Jesus Himself appears. First to Marie de Magdala, the woman from whom He had once cast out seven demons. She goes to tell the disciples, but they do not believe her. Later Jesus appears to two disciples on the road, and they too go and tell it. Again nobody believes them.

Finally Jesus appears to the eleven disciples themselves, while they are at table. He tells them plainly that their hearts have been too hard, that they should have believed the witnesses. Then He gives them a great task: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

At the end, Jesus is taken up into heaven and sits down at the right hand of God. And the disciples? They go out and preach everywhere, and the Lord works with them.

What Does This Mean?

This chapter is about the greatest morning in history. Jesus is truly alive. Not as a ghost, not as a memory, but as a living Person you can meet.

But notice something honest: almost nobody believes it right away. The women are afraid. The disciples call it nonsense. Even after two eyewitnesses report it, the group at table still does not believe. Jesus even has to correct them for their hard hearts.

That is comforting. Faith is not always easy, not even for the people who walked with Jesus. And yet, Jesus keeps coming to them. He does not give up on them. He gives them a task and sends them into the world.

The Common Thread

At the very beginning of the Bible, in Genèse, something goes terribly wrong. People turn away from God and death enters the world. From that moment on, God is working on a rescue plan. He makes promises to Abraham, to David, to the prophets: one day the Rescuer will come.

That Rescuer is Jesus. He died on the cross to carry our sins. But if He stayed dead, the story would end in darkness. The empty tomb shows that God's plan has succeeded. Death did not have the last word. Jesus lives, and He goes back to His Father, and now He sits at God's right hand. That is the highest place. From there He rules, and from there He sends His Spirit so that the good news reaches every country.

For You

You may have questions. Why is it sometimes hard to believe? Why do I not see Jesus with my own eyes, the way Marie did? Those are good questions, and you are allowed to ask them.

Look at the disciples. They doubted too. And still Jesus came to them. He knows your heart. When you pray and say honestly, "Lord, help me to believe," He hears you.

And there is something else. Jesus said, "Go and tell." That was not only for the disciples back then. Even at nine or ten, you can tell a friend that Jesus lives. You do not have to know everything. You only have to share what you know.

Talk About It

Why do you think the disciples did not believe the women right away, even though they had walked with Jesus for three years?

What would you say if a friend at school asked you: "How do you know Jesus really lives?"

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, thank You that the tomb was empty. Thank You that You live and that You are with the Father. When I find it hard to believe, please help me. Make my heart soft, and teach me to tell others about You. Amen.