16 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.’” 8 Trembling and bewildered,
the women went out and fled from the tomb. They
said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
I would like to think if I ever have the good fortune to witness a real-live, honest-to-goodness, amazing and awesome miracle of otherworldly proportions, I will respond with appropriate awe, wonder and gratefulness. Unfortunately, I am a child of the modern world and a mother of two sons. As a result, I have developed an inquiring mind and a healthy bit of skepticism.
I think, if this would have been me, I would have engaged with the young man dressed in white and started asking him some pointed questions about exactly what he was doing in there. I would have probably been glancing around looking for TV cameras and Alan Funt – or for you twenty somethings – Ashton Kutcher. In fact, I know that’s how I would have responded – and to be honest, it makes me kind of sad.
In this passage, Mark doesn’t tell you what to think. Mark simply describes what happens so you can experience the event yourself. I love Mark, because it is so full of terrific dialogue and powerful adjectives. I like this particular passage because it marks the “moment before the celebration.” It describes a very human reaction to something that cannot be explained. In a word, it’s awkward.
“Don’t be alarmed,” the guy in white said. Well thanks, Captain Obvious. How in the world is one not supposed to be alarmed in this situation? The women were trembling and bewildered. Process that. How does that feel? I hate that feeling – that awful, heart pumping adrenaline rush you get when you are freaked out. The women “fled” from the tomb. They let the guy say his peace and then got the heck out of Dodge. And they didn’t say one more word about what happened. How very normal. How very human.
Passages such as these help me realize I am not necessarily expected to always react perfectly to things. Shoot – the Bible is full of people who don’t react perfectly to things. We are, after all, human. God became human in the form of Jesus so he could understand us. Jesus sacrificed his life to create a bridge between our imperfect selves and God. Hallelujah! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!
Brenda Hicks is the Director of Financial Aid at Southwestern College
I would like to think if I ever have the good fortune to witness a real-live, honest-to-goodness, amazing and awesome miracle of otherworldly proportions, I will respond with appropriate awe, wonder and gratefulness. Unfortunately, I am a child of the modern world and a mother of two sons. As a result, I have developed an inquiring mind and a healthy bit of skepticism.
I think, if this would have been me, I would have engaged with the young man dressed in white and started asking him some pointed questions about exactly what he was doing in there. I would have probably been glancing around looking for TV cameras and Alan Funt – or for you twenty somethings – Ashton Kutcher. In fact, I know that’s how I would have responded – and to be honest, it makes me kind of sad.
In this passage, Mark doesn’t tell you what to think. Mark simply describes what happens so you can experience the event yourself. I love Mark, because it is so full of terrific dialogue and powerful adjectives. I like this particular passage because it marks the “moment before the celebration.” It describes a very human reaction to something that cannot be explained. In a word, it’s awkward.
“Don’t be alarmed,” the guy in white said. Well thanks, Captain Obvious. How in the world is one not supposed to be alarmed in this situation? The women were trembling and bewildered. Process that. How does that feel? I hate that feeling – that awful, heart pumping adrenaline rush you get when you are freaked out. The women “fled” from the tomb. They let the guy say his peace and then got the heck out of Dodge. And they didn’t say one more word about what happened. How very normal. How very human.
Passages such as these help me realize I am not necessarily expected to always react perfectly to things. Shoot – the Bible is full of people who don’t react perfectly to things. We are, after all, human. God became human in the form of Jesus so he could understand us. Jesus sacrificed his life to create a bridge between our imperfect selves and God. Hallelujah! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!
Brenda Hicks is the Director of Financial Aid at Southwestern College
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