Were you as surprised or shocked as I was to read that Mark concludes his marvelous Gospel writing in chapter 16, verse 8 with the words, "and they said nothing to anyone--for they were afraid." We know from personal experience that fear is not always a negative response, but to end a portion of God''s word in this way almost seems out of place. However, it is not God''s response to the resurrection that Mark is being honest about; it is the human response. The resurrection was God''s response, but the first human response to God''s response was that of fear.
Yes, we are almost shocked as we read the Word of God from Mark''s gospel today and discover that it tells that the first response of the women and the disciples was that of silence and fear. To begin with, the most unlikely of witnesses discovered the tomb to be empty. One is a woman who had a lousy reputation and who was once filled with seven evil spirits. We know by the question they asked, "Who will roll away the stone from the tomb for us?" that they were not exactly expecting a miracle to have taken place. Even when they see that Jesus is not there, they must be instructed by this messenger of God to leave the tomb with the good news. They were like Flip Wilson, who said, "I am not a Jehovah''s Witness. I am a Jehovah''s bystander. I am not sure I want to get involved." Yes, the messenger must commission them to be a witness, not a bystander, to what God had done in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Why were the women and 12 disciples full of fear and silence? Let me share some possibilities today that can transform us from timid, silent bystanders to faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ.
First, they were afraid it was still a Good Friday world.
There is a story about two old codgers who went moose hunting in the forests surrounding Moose Lake in northern Maine. As the pilot of the small seaplane let them off on the shore of the lake, he reminded them, "Now like I said, I''ll be back in three days to get you. But remember, this is a small plane, there''s room for two of you and one moose."
At the appointed time, the pilot returned, taxied to the shore and found the two men standing proudly beside not one but two moose, huge ones at that. "Look," he said, "I told you, the two of you and ONE moose." The hunters looked at each other in arch surprise and replied, "Funny, the fellow last year didn''t complain."
Fear of competition winning out over other fears, the pilot relented. Grumbling, he helped them pile both moose into the little plane and the two hunters lay on top of them. The plane took forever to get off the lake and barely cleared the trees on the far shore. Then about a quarter of a mile further on, it clipped a tall pine and crashed. Pieces of wing and moose antlers flew in all direction. Finally, one of the good ol'' boys came to, spied his companion a short way off, and asked, "Where are we?" His companion replied, "Oh, about a hundred yards further than last year." (1)
We all know that if you look in all the wrong places, you will find evidence of the Good Friday world still operating quite strongly in our world today. The forces of evil displayed during Holy Week can be the defining orientation and focus of your life if you allow it.
This brings up another reason the disciples were silent and afraid. If Jesus were alive and well, then the disciples were expected to share the Good News.
In other words, they could no longer live a safe but defeated and despairing life in Jerusalem. Resurrection meant that they no longer had to be a victim of Good Friday''s evil, but they could share in the victory the resurrection makes possible. It would mean they would have to get involved. They would have to sign on for more. They would no longer be bystanders but witnesses. It would require courage and commitment. However, you and I know that we do not like to get involved when costly commitment is necessary. It would be easier to be a victim. It would be easier to go along "with the Roman authorities" and hope to get along in the future.
In one of Rudyard Kipling''s, "Just So," animal stories, Riki-Tiki-Tavi, a mongoose, bravely kills many poisonous snakes who menace the family living in India under British rule. He becomes a much-loved pet who gives a feeling of safety to the people relying on his protection, and they know that he will fight to the last to defend them. In fact, one of his battles with a huge cobra almost costs him his life, as he clings to the snake''s head with his teeth deeply embedded in flesh, and is thrashed from side to side by powerful blows.
In the basement where this conflict took place, another little animal lived, a muskrat, who was consumed by fear. Each evening, he would tentatively emerge from his hole, and then run anxiously around the edge of the room, ready at any moment for a quick retreat. He did not like himself; he wanted to be brave, and he dreamed of one day making it into the very middle of the room. But he never got there. Scurrying around and around the basement, he lived a frightened, defeated existence that never led him anywhere.
Yes, at times we love to admire the courage and commitment of our Lord Jesus at a distance, but not as a foundation for our life and witness. This is amazing, because we have pages of Biblical testimony declaring that our Lord has never ended any adventure "on the wrong side of the Red Sea, or on the wrong side of the Cross." As Tony Campolo likes to say, "I''ve been reading the Bible. And I''ve peeked to see how it ends. Jesus wins!!" The game is fixed. I know there are some setbacks along the way. It happens. Why it happens will not be answered until, as Paul wrote, "we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully." But there is a way to live until then. Look up to God! Keep the faith! Run the race! Reach for the finish line!
Allow God''s spirit to transform you from a frightened, scared bystander to a winsome witness for our Lord and His Kingdom.
Yes, the word of God gives us the confidence to do more than "Honk for Jesus"; any dumb fool can do that. What does the Lord require of us? He requires us to seek justice, to love kindness, and to humbly walk with our God. His power enables us to be confident, so we can take Christlike stands everywhere we are living.
We do so not because we are possessed of a unique power to control temporal affairs, but we speak out for God because underlying human life, there is a greater power to which all of human life must ultimately come under judgement.
You see, it is not true that this world and its people are doomed to die and be lost--that is fatalism, not the rich soil of Christianity. This is true: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Today and every day. We have the confidence. We''re gonna win! Now serve Him. Nobody can destroy our soul.
You see, it is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination. This is true: Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Today, not someday. We have the confidence that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church.
You see, it is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word and that war and destruction have come to stay forever. This is true: "For unto us a child is born and unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulders and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
You see, it is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world. This is true: "To me is given all authority in heaven and earth, and lo, I am with you even to the end of the age." Today and every day we can claim victory over Satan. What is impossible for man is possible for God.
You see, it is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are prophets of the church before we can do anything. This is true: "In the last days, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream." You can do all things through Christ--just have confidence in Him.
It is not true that our dreams for liberation of humankind, of justice and human dignity, of peace, are not meant for this earth and for this history. This is true: "The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth." You and God are a majority of One, any time you choose to do His bidding. (2)
However, you cannot accomplish all these acts of service for the Kingdom of God as a bystander. You must get involved and become a witness empowered by the good news of the resurrection.
Another reason they were silent and afraid was this: if Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, truth had triumphed over falsehood. This would turn their despairing world topsy-turvy. It is a scary thing to see the truth. It demands a response.
Dr. Robert Schuller, of the Crystal Cathedral, tells of a witness he felt compelled to make. In 1968, he felt called by God to make a witness in the Soviet Union. He shared in his book, "Life''s Not Fair, But God is Good," that "God''s Word was directly needed by the people." He was stopped in customs for trying to smuggle Bibles. That might have ended his trip but miraculously he was allowed to enter the country. When he was in Leningrad, he was both shocked and intrigued when he learned of the Museum of Atheism. "I felt that I had to see the museum in order to understand the State''s fear of a religious belief system," he later wrote.
The Museum of Atheism was housed in a confiscated Catholic Church. "This house of God had been transformed into a house of unbelief," Dr. Schuller wrote. A couple of displays caught his attention. "Heroes of the State" included people like Lenin, Castro, and Marx. The guide enthusiastically told them about each of these men and how they had helped the country. In another was a display "Enemies of the State." They were people he knew: Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Pope and Robert Schuller. When he saw his own picture on display, he was frightened. In the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door of his hotel room." "Follow me," the stranger said. "Don''t ask any questions." Suddenly, they drove through the dark city out to the country. Dr. Schuller was afraid. He did not know where he was being taken. Out in the country there was a plane waiting for him. The plane flew for hours. From the plane, he was led to a train which took him safely out of the Soviet Union. It looked like the power of evil had won!
However, some twenty-five years later, Dr. Robert Schuller found himself flying to the Soviet Union to investigate the possibility of preaching a sermon on the one and only state controlled television network. "I had returned to the country where I was once branded an enemy of the state," Schuller reflects, "and now was exploring the possibility of preaching to these same people."
Yes, the truth of God''s word always triumphs over the kingdom of falsehood and fear. Helmut Thielike testified to this truth when he shared these insightful words, "The day we begin to believe in the resurrection is the day the universe changes."
Yes, this belief transforms us from bystanders to witnesses. "In the year 1403, one of the wealthiest men in Paris died. He left his entire estate to his teenage daughter, Agnes. She was beautiful and virtuous young woman, and many men wanted to marry her. But Agnes decided to give up her fortune and become a recluse. To isolate herself from society, she asked to be sealed into a cell within the wall of a church. The entrance was plastered shut except for one small hole through which food could be passed. She was confined in that small area at 18 years of age and remained there until she died at age 98.
We may admire this woman''s determination to be free from the world''s influence, but we cannot help but feel that hers was a tragically wasted life.
To serve the Lord effectively, we must not isolate ourselves from the world but rather be a witness to the world.
Recently, Billy Graham responded to someone who shouted out "God is dead! God is dead!" Dr. Graham with tenderness replied, "That''s strange because I just talked to Him in prayer a few minutes ago." Yes, the day you believe in the resurrection is the day you change the universe, and most importantly, you can reflect that transforming truth.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross for a world which included eleven frightened disciples, and one woman full of seven evil spirits, the world thought Jesus Christ to be crazy. Yes, Jesus was just "crazy" about them. Yes, Mary and eleven disciples were poor witnesses, but Jesus believed in them and changed them from bystanders to become the most famous names in human history. They took His story and spread it everywhere they went. They were no longer victims but victors. They were no longer paralyzed by fear but propelled forward by faith. They were no longer bystanders but witnesses to the greatest news the world has ever heard or ever will hear.
Yes, the day you believe in the resurrection is the day you change the world. I urge you not to look in all the wrong places this year. Look at the Lord, Jesus Christ!
If your response to the Resurrection has been and is one of silence or fear, I plead with you to stay with the story and allow the truth of this glorious day to lead you from "fear" to "faith" in Jesus Christ. Because the day you believe in the resurrection, you change the world and yourself. Now that can be a frightening thing, but it also could be the start of the most fulfilling adventure of your life. Just ask Mary Magdalene and the rest of the disciples.
A distinguished pastor once shared a marvelous way that God''s people can respond to the great Easter message:
He came singing love
He lives singing love
He died singing love
He rose in silence.
If the song is to continue,
we must do the singing.
The Resurrection awaits your response.
Amen and Amen.