Mark 16
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 And looking up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, 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 that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
8 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.
[Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.]
9 [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
An Excellent Gospel Chapter for this Unusual Easter!
This Easter, we have prayed more, had more concerns, had fear, upset, boredom and questions. And then if you watched different Easter Services and different Good Friday Services, you are out of your regular zone and seeing new traditions and various approaches to God. You might have read John 20 and 21 in one Service and Matthew 16 in the other.
When I was a child, my mother used to enroll me in every VBS near the house. We learned Scripture
and answered questions, rewarded from bites of a cold Chocolate Bar. When I went back to Parochial School (we were Episcopalian, as my Step-Grandfather was an Episcopalian Priest for almost 60 years) and we were fortunate to have a laughing Priest who liked the Presbyterian Chocolate Bar idea and he included this in our weekly lessons.
This is nothing short of something Peter and Paul faced in the First Century.
1 Corinthians 14
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.
33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
When Father God set forth on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter to implement His New Covenant to save the world in Jesus Christ - He began with different kinds of people. God was Proclaiming Jesus Christ as a Light to the Nations.
He included Jews, Legal Temple Officials very orthodox, Political Sanhedrin Council some were very liberal in belief, Governor who reported by letter to the Roman Emperor, King telling his brother and sister about Jesus, maids, Disciples about to travel to all the know Continents, multitudes of women on Good Friday staying in Judea, guards and soldiers from other Nations going back to Rome, women He ministered to, the hiding Disciples and all of Israel.
And in 16 Years the Roman Emperor is going to be Very Upset.
Father God sorted this out expeditiously. Peter, who lived next door to the Synagogue, by choice in his adult life, outspoken, tactless, sometimes disloyal was going to the Orthodox Law Giving Jews. And Peter was going to build the New Church of Jesus.
Father God chose Paul, not of the flock in the 3 year ministry, to take half the world, having been educated at the feet of Gamaliel, wanting to kill Christians for the Temple efficiency and wanting to climb in Temple Orthodoxy career. To Go to the gentiles to explain Jesus Christ as the Merciful Son of God.
We've just said God is a God of order. God is. We look at this and see pandemonium. God has done as Julius Caesar said and rolled the dice. And the soldiers, who were Roman, did this at the Cross. God took their praises and created a truth about the very Body of Jesus Christ.
The Body of Jesus Christ is diverse. We have Stoics who are happy to have the Law to put their lives in order. Who are so grateful for forgiveness and the stability of a God path, that Grace and Forgiveness triumphing over past and future sin, is looking up. The Guidance of God the Father. The Bible calls these Nazarite.
We have Peter, who is sent to the Jews, who has an immediate response to the Works of God to Flee. Because he knows he is a sinner. And God sees something worthy in the man interested in John the Baptist before Jesus began His ministry. And Peter and Paul have something in common, they love the people they tell Jesus to. They are so full hearted, Mark writes His Gospel according to what Peter is asked about the most. The First Pope is so busy in the catacombs telling about Jesus and in the foreign quarter of Rome, Mark becomes a son to Peter in their Spirits and writes the Gospel. Stoic meets Epicurean with Love.
Romans were not generally Epicurean. They had pride in the Stoic ability of engineering, duty, dignitas, lineage. They were a little like - the Jews. God has an interesting way of Blending Hearts.
The Reason the Roman Empire was inspired during the dire weather of the 2nd Century A.D., the robbers and interruptions to trade and family business, the conflict of divorce ending cohesive families - the massive storms and fearsome lightning. The Antonine Plague caused by trade and probably smallpox or measles. Probably the reason the Roman Empire was inspired, prayers for healing, healing happened, care instead of disdain. God of Love. God of Encouragement.
The Roman Empire was erupting because Stoics and Epicureans and trauma and history and conflict and illness and family and plague all happened at once.
Now we have the framework to ask a question...
Why is the Gospel of John different from the Gospel of Matthew? John rejoiced to find Jesus. Jesus is telling of their thoughts of John's Blessing to have remained by the side of Jesus on Good Friday. Peter is told speaking to Jesus about their rather serious disagreement and parting on Good Friday. John not only has Wonderful Jesus Alive and fixing breakfast, Peter has given up walking on water and has had to swim like the rest of us. John has a portion of warm Emmaus in his heart, blessed of Jesus to want us to remember Jesus and His Love. John, we can all believe, wanted Peter there the day Jesus faced all of the Roman Legion and the multitude of women as Jesus suffered and John comforted Mary and His Aunt. John records not only is Jesus Loving, Jesus gets His Point across about Justice.
Matthew's chosen career, a tax collector, interested in benefiting himself and taking from the people while allowing Romans to flourish. His first response to being Called by Jesus, throw a party with the other Thugs. Let them know something Wonderful about Jesus. See Jesus Loves. Matthew is not recorded once as saying, anywhere, he wished to die with Jesus, As Thomas informed the Disciples Jesus had really gone and made them mad to make Lazarus alive and they'd be called to die with Jesus a week before Easter. Matthew is simply - silent. Disbelief, alarm, trembling and Jesus saying His Miracles persist. Jesus is back. Unbelievably. And just as Jesus as ever. Matthew is coming to Jesus from real guilt. He is so rattled "All of Israel" knows, Matthew is going to have to process all of this over time. How do tax collectors get taxes from the unwilling? Soldiers! Who showed up on Maundy Thursday after the New Covenant when Jesus was told not to go to Jerusalem? Matthew has been utterly and completely terrified. Matthew isn't a conflicting Easter, Matthew is a different seat at the Feast of Heaven table.
Could Matthew comprehend beyond thinking his former compatriots would nail him to a cross? Yes. Jesus is suggesting going forth into the world. Suddenly a very good idea. God says He makes His Enemies at Peace. Matthew wasn't a friend of Jesus to have heard what Thomas said a week before Maundy Thursday. Matthew doesn't run out entirely. You'd think he might have. Matthew is part of something as big as Revolution in the face of the Roman Empire. Matthew has had personal life ending fear, career buddies - soldiers, prophecy, prophetic failure, loss of Jesus, loss of Jesus Unbelievable. Matthew's Lava Lamp is very shaken.
He has the ability to see a few aspects of Jesus. Something like - what did the doctor say - in the middle of a week of medical emergencies.
And now, you will never forget, a social, career oriented, historical, saintly, sinner, economic, political discussion on Holiness of God's Abilities to Work all Things for Good in the middle of a century 200 A.D. known to be unprecedented.
God works in the middle of the storm, to bring Peace.
Psalm 131:2
Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Matthew 18:2
Jesus invited a little child to stand among them.
Matthew 18:4
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:14
But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Mark 10:15
Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
Luke 18:17
Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
How the Pandemic will look from early, early pre-quarantine and again as the Pandemic ends!
Abba,
Grace and peace to us from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
May Jesus Christ in His Love, Mercy, Grace and Glory
surround us in His Love, the people we Love, in His Power and Kingdom.
To have eyes to see His Miracles and build daily on His Blessings.
To Bless our Nation,
In Healing, in Mercy, a Comfort to the Nations,
In Shining the Light of Jesus Christ,
for President Trump, Vice President Pence and the Virus Response Team.
The Governors and all the people up to their elbows in our daily care. Heroes.
All the Lights of Jesus Christ deciding how to Shine daily!
To know the Blessing of Seeking Him first and His Kingdom.
To Live Love, Joy and Peace.
Jesus saves the world. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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