Mark's Gospel Part 29 - The Foundations of Our Faith

The series on Mark's Gospel concludes with this sermon from Sunday 17th August 2025.

The bible reference is Mark 15v40 - 16v8

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Good morning. Please pick up your Bibles. If you haven't got one, one can make its way to you to page 853 from Mark's Gospel. Chapter 15, verse 40. Page 853. It's my privilege to bring us and preach for the last part of Mark's Gospel. Now you might know that Mark's Gospel is the shortest of the four Gospels. Mainly because Mark likes to keep his record of accounts quite short. He likes to be abrupt, leaving you wanting more. And this last section is no different. You'll notice in your Bibles we're going to stop at verse 8 of chapter 16. Despite there being some paragraphs after that, that's because most of the earliest and most reliable manuscripts of Mark's gospel end there. So that's where we'll be ending. It seems there were some who are unhappy with his sudden end, so felt the need to fill in some more details. But that sudden end, as we'll see, was Mark's intention. And I think he had good reason, which we'll see. So we're joining our passage this morning, just a short distance from the cross, where Jesus has been crucified, and we're with a small group of faithful women who are looking on at the terrible scene. Let me pray before I read. Father, make your word a swift word, passing from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the life and conversation, that as the rain returns not empty, so neither may your word but accomplish that for which it is given. Amen. So chapter 15, verse 40. We're starting there. There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James the younger, and of Joseph and Siloam. When Jesus was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. And when evening had come, since it was the day of preparation, that is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died, and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph brought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shrouds, and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on, the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb? And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. Back, it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 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. 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. 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. It's a great end, isn't it? Children, did you know that before you start building a house upwards from the ground, you first have to start building downwards into the ground. Builders have to lay foundations, a solid base on which to lay the bricks to build a house. Because without strong foundations, your house will crack and eventually fall. And just as buildings have foundations to stand firm on, so too does the Christian faith. And the foundations of our faith are the death and resurrection of Jesus. Without them, our faith will crack and fall. So Mark, in his final section, he wants people to be sure of their foundations. He wants us to be confident in them, that they really are historical events. And a bit like a building inspector comes along during a building project to make sure the foundations can be trusted, Mark provides us with eyewitnesses. Those who saw and heard the foundations being laid, so that we might be confident of what our faith is built on. Because if the death and resurrection of Jesus didn't happen, then we might as well all go home. As Paul the Apostle once said, our preaching is in vain, our faith is futile. So we have two main headings today. The first is this Jesus Christ truly died. And foundation two, Jesus Christ was truly raised. And we're also going to look at four of the implications of the death and resurrection. There are many, many more. We'll just be looking at a few. So let's look at that first foundation, verses 40 to 47, Jesus truly died. And throughout Mark's gospel, we've seen that he loves a sandwich. And he's kept his best sandwich till last, because this time it's a club sandwich. There's two sandwiches put on top of each other. If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain. Basically, Mark likes to make his main point obvious by surrounding it by two other points. It's a bit like a sandwich, and in the middle is the main filling. And in this first section, both pieces of bread describe women who have witnessed both the death and the burial of Jesus. Look at verse 40 in the first slice. Mark introduces us to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and another lady called Salome. And we're told they're watching Jesus from a distance. Your first slice. And then later on in verse 47, the second slice, the two Marys are named again and described as watching where Jesus was finally buried. And then in the middle, verses 41 to 46, of these two bits of bread are the filling marked main point. Jesus truly died. I expect there's a few of us in the room who are old enough to remember the Monty Python sketch about a dead parrot. If you haven't, it's very funny. It's about a man who buys a parrot from a pet shop and then he returns 30 minutes later because the parrot's dead. It'd been held up on its perch by staples. Then there's this ridiculous exchange between the pet shop owner and the man, and the pet shop owner tries to convince him that the parrot's not dead, it was just sleeping. But it's obviously deceased. It's ridiculous to say otherwise. Now, various people throughout history have tried to say that Jesus didn't die on the cross, that he was just unconscious, and that he was brought down, that he recovered in the tomb, and that would explain his resurrection. Now I'm sceptical that someone who's been flogged to within an inch of their life and then crucified and then has travelled to Galilee and appeared in front of his disciples and tried to convince them that the splints and the bandages and the wounds they're just superficial. It's just ridiculous to say that Jesus hadn't died. Even the disciples who are a little bit slow on the uptake sometimes, they would not have been convinced. And most Muslims, they uh they claim that the Quran says that Jesus didn't die on the cross, that he either survived it or he was swapped with someone else. Well, the Quran was written 500 years after Jesus died without any eyewitness testimony, and so has no place to take that stance. This is Mark's main point. Jesus truly died. There is no other explanation. Let's look at Mark's evidence. First, we've got the testimony of Joseph of Arimathea. He's a respected member of the ruling council of Israel. He'd been there when Jesus was condemned to death, and he goes to Pilate to ask for Jesus' body so he could bury it. Look at verse 44 though. Pilate is surprised that Jesus has died so quickly in just around six hours. He's surprised because victims of crucifixion could take two, three, or even more days to die. But Jesus' death was no normal death. And so in God's providence, Pilate asks for an expert witness. And so he calls for the centurion. And centurions, you may well know, were experts in death. This was his job. He knew what a dead body looked like. And so in front of Pilate, he confirms that Jesus had died, and that's not the sort of thing you want to get wrong in front of Pilate. And so in verse 47, Mark uses the word corpse. He wants us to know Jesus has died, and Joseph is granted his body. But now Joseph has to race against the clock. He needs to get Jesus buried before sunset, before the Sabbath starts. It's unlawful to keep a body out and unclean and unburied. And on the Sabbath they couldn't work, they couldn't bury them, so Jesus, Joseph had to act quickly. So he buys a shroud, which is a big linen cloth. He returns to the cross. He has to remove Jesus from the cross. And he wraps him in the cloth and places him in a tomb. And surely Joseph would have noticed during that time if Jesus had been shallow breathing. But he wasn't, because he was truly dead. And then, secondly, we've got the eyewitness testimony of the women. They watch Jesus die from a distance. They see the tomb. They see his body taken inside. And it's interesting, isn't it, how Mark keeps naming them, doesn't he? And three times in eight verses he names them. But why do that? Well, it's very likely that Mark, when he first wrote the gospel, the eyewitnesses to these events were still alive. So he goes to great lengths to name them and provide details about them. He's saying to those first readers, go speak to them, go check it out for yourselves. And secondly, you may well know that women in those days, they were not allowed to give evidence at court. They were seen as too emotional, unreliable, and so they had no legal status. There's a second-century philosopher, he was called Celsus, and he claimed that Mary Magdalene was a hysterical female deluded by sorcery. So if you wanted to make up a story that Jesus had died and risen, you wouldn't choose women to be your main witnesses. You'd at least as well have called one of them a different name other than Mary. And thirdly, by naming the women those three times in quick succession, doesn't it make you think, where are the disciples? If you're going to write a story to make it more believable, wouldn't you have had the male disciples bravely returning to the cross to stand with their leader as he died, boldly approaching Pilate for his body and burying him? Wouldn't you have had them returning the next morning, standing waiting expectantly for their leader to come out of the tomb? But that's not what happened. The men are cowering behind closed doors, fearing every approaching footstep. And so instead it's the women who are the eyewitnesses. And so the end of Mark's gospel is dominated by these three women who have been with Jesus, we're told, since the start in Galilee, faithfully following him, faithfully ministering to him, and they're with him to the very end. And it's right to reflect on that, isn't it? And the gospel dominated by the male disciples, these women were there too, listening, watching, serving. And there were many others, Mark tells us too in verse 41. And so at the most critical point in God's plan of salvation, he turns to this little group of faithful yet fearful women and entrusts them with seeing and witnessing his son fulfill all of the Old Testament promises and prophecies. No one else witnessed all three events: the death, the burial, the resurrection. What a joy, isn't it? Brilliant when God turns things upside down. He loves the unexpected. And yet there's more to come. Yes, Mark wants us to know Jesus truly died, but he didn't stay dead. So Mark moves on to the lower section of his club sandwich. And foundation two. Jesus was truly raised, verses one to eight. Now I've never been to Mexico. I expect there's a few people here that have. But I've read that when you first get into a shower in Mexico, you expect the H to mean hot and the C to mean cold. And you wonder why you're crying out in shock, having turned the H full whack and there's a cold blast of water on you. Because H means halado, which means cold. You expected one thing, but you got another, and it was a shock. But the two slices of bread in this section, once again involving the women, are all about expectations. So you look at verses 1 to 3. This is the first slice in which we see the women on their way to the tomb. What are they expecting? They're expecting a dead body, aren't they? We know this because Mark says they're there to anoint him with spices, to anoint his dead body. And then in the second slice of bread, verse 8, we see the women running from the tomb. Why? Because they weren't expecting a dead body. They weren't expecting an angel, or the stone rolled away, or an empty tomb, and definitely not a resurrection. And then sandwiched in the middle is the unexpected. The body of Jesus is gone. There's an angel staring these women in the face, saying, He was raised. Look, he's not here. And he'll meet the disciples in Galilee just as he told you. You should have expected it. Here's the Paul, the point Mark's making. The unexpected has happened. Jesus has truly raised from the dead. And then look at the reaction of the women, stunned silence. They're in complete shock, aren't they? Mark describes them, verse 6, alarmed, and then trembling, and astonishment has seized them in verse 8. They're totally overwhelmed by what they're seeing and hearing. So much so they're unable to tell anyone anything in verse 8 because of fear. What a great way to end the gospel. The sight of three women sprinting away from an empty tomb, faces full of shock and fear. But shouldn't we expect this? Isn't this an entirely fitting way for Mark to end his account? And we obviously know that these women didn't stay silent forever. If we had, we wouldn't have this account. The disciples might have died in their room hiding. But don't you think on a human level it's absolutely appropriate for these women who have just received the shock of their lives to respond in stunned fear and silence. It's what Jesus did, wasn't it? Throughout his three years of ministry, he shocked people. Five times Mark records people being astonished at his teaching. Six times he records people being either afraid or trembling in response to a miracle or something he said. Because he turned things upside down, what we knew about life, the world, and God. And it's easy, isn't it, to sit here and think, well, these women, they should have all expected his resurrection. But I guarantee we would have been running away alongside them. In some ways, isn't that right? The single most awesome event in human history, shouldn't it lead to fear and silence? Because if Jesus was raised, it changes everything. And in those seconds, as the women fled, I bet they'd realised it too. And I wonder if we do. The implications of the resurrection are too many to mention. We're going to look at a few of them now. So implication one. Jesus' death and resurrection prove we can trust his words. Now, after Peter had confessed that Jesus was the Christ back in chapter 8, he began to teach his disciples that he would be rejected by the religious leaders and then killed and then rise three days later. And we're told that he taught it plainly, what that weren't parables, just plain and simple, I'll be killed and I'll rise three days later. And Mark records Jesus saying this to disciples several times, and it all happened just as he told them. He even said these familiar words to them back in 14, verse 28. He said, This, we've just heard it, but after I'm raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. And in John's Gospel, he records that event. It is what happened. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies that he made about himself. He fulfilled all the prophecies made about his death and resurrection in the Old Testament. What he says happens. And if a man says he's going to die and then rise, and then he does, we can certainly trust everything else he ever said. Implication 2. Jesus' death and resurrection secure our forgiveness. The resurrection proves that Jesus' death was enough to deal with and atone for our sin. In his rising, he defeated the power to condemn us for sin, and he brought us forgiveness from God. Take another look at the message that Jesus gives the three women via the angel in verse 7 of chapter 16. This is what the angel says: Go tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him just as he told you. You'll probably remember, just two days prior to this, uh, just two days prior to Jesus being arrested, he told his disciples that they would all desert him. And how Peter, despite his protest, he would deny him three times. And that's what happened. Imagine the guilt and the shame as they hid behind locked doors as Jesus died. They betrayed the man who'd loved them. And I imagine Peter more than most felt a huge weight of guilt and shame. And so for him to hear those words, and Peter, it's wonderful, isn't it? How Jesus wanted the angel to specifically name Peter. Jesus must have known his hurt. And so Jesus was saying so much in those two little words, and Peter, there was forgiveness there. There was reconciliation. And the resurrection secured them. You can imagine Peter asking himself, Jesus still wants me? Because in those two words, Jesus was saying, Peter, of course I still want you. You were chosen by the Father before all time. You were given to me by him, no matter what you've done or what you will do. You're mine. No sin, no man can snatch you from my hand, not even your betrayal. And it was the same for all his disciples. The death and the resurrection secures their forgiveness. And it changed these eleven men. Just a few weeks later, in Acts 4, you can read it. The disciples were out in public in front of the religious leaders, declaring aloud that Jesus had died and was risen. And how salvation can only come through him. What a change from running scared and hiding to being out in public declaring Christ's laws. Why the change? Because they were forgiven men. And this forgiveness is for you, for all who believe the gospel, so that when you sin and you're cut to the heart, when you doubt you're forgiven, when your conscience or the devil reminds you of some past sin and those feelings of guilt rise again, remember and Peter, and replace his name with yours. The forgiveness he received is yours, and the resurrection secured it. Implication three. Jesus' death and resurrection mean judgment is coming. Back in chapter 13, Jesus spoke of a day when the risen Son of Man would come in clouds of great power and glory to collect his elect. But for those who refuse to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, crucified and risen, they will be judged and found wanting. And they will have to take the judgment on themselves. And it will be eternal and it will be hell. And now the Son has risen. And so that day we can be assured of his coming. Now please be assured that the warnings that Jesus gives are filled with grace. His motivation is for people to see their sin and to repent and believe before it's too late. Now you might not think that's what you need. You might not think that's what really matters. Well, you're not on your own. Mark introduced us to plenty of people throughout his gospel who thought they needed something else out of life. There was something more important, and they didn't realize what really mattered. What really matters is where you stand before God. So the friends of the paralyzed man, remember them? They brought him thinking he needed a new body, new health. But he needed to repent and believe. Remember Levi and the rich young man, they thought they needed to be wealthy, but they needed to repent and believe. Jesus' family and the farmers of the Gerosines thought they needed Jesus to stop making trouble so they could live quiet lives, but they needed to listen to him and to repent and believe. Remember King Herod and the Pharisees. They thought they needed power and reputation, but they needed to repent and believe. Whatever you think you need in life, think again. You need to escape the coming judgment. You need to repent and believe in the risen Christ. An implication for our last one. Jesus' death and resurrection free us from fear. Fear can be crippling, can't it? It comes in all sorts of forms. It can be fear of illness, fear of death, fear of the future, fear of what people think of us, fear of missing out. It can take many forms, but it can consume us, and it can stop us from thinking and behaving rightly. Well, Joseph of Arimathea, he had fears. Look in verse 43 of chapter 15. Imagine Joseph waiting outside Pilate's palace. He's ready to ask for the body of a man who's been condemned as a traitor and as a blasphemer. And he takes a deep breath before knocking, and he considers again the fallout of what he's about to do. He's a respected member of Israel's ruling council. This will tarnish his reputation and likely end his career progression, but we're told he took courage. He'll likely lose friends and make some enemies, but he took courage. He took courage and decided to stand with Jesus. I wonder about you. Have you taken courage to stand with Jesus at school? At work? In your family, in your streets? Do they know you're a Christian? Somehow the death of Jesus caused Joseph to make a decision. Take courage or hide. But he's looking for the kingdom of God, Mark says. And he knows that Jesus is the key to it. And so he takes courage. See, the death and resurrection of Jesus frees people from fear. You only have to read the book of Acts to see the change in the disciples. They went from being frightened of other people to men on a mission, bold and courageous. And the death of resurrection gave them the confidence to live publicly for Christ, even if it cost them, and for most of them, it cost their lives. But they knew it was worth it. They knew they didn't need to strive in this life to live their best life. Because this isn't it. And so we don't need to fear that we're missing out by sacrificing our best life to live for Jesus and obediently stand with him. Because our best life is still to come. And the resurrection proves it. So how should we live? Do you remember what Jesus said back in chapter 8? If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Don't you think it's worth following the one who destroyed death and promises to raise you from yours, even if it costs you to stand with him? Isn't it worth it? I leave you with the lyrics of one of our family's favourite songs, in which the writer sings to death. This is what he says. O death, I will not be afraid. In the end you will lose. I will dance on your grave with the one who buried you. You ain't nothing but a stone that my Saviour rolled away, set you straight and set me free. O death, you are dead to me. So let the death and resurrection of Jesus be the foundations of your faith. May they help you to trust his words, assure you of his forgiveness, long for his return, and free you from your fears. And would they from time to time leave you trembling and astonished and silent? Let's pray. O Lord, we marvel that you took on flesh, coming to be crucified and buried. The tomb calls for our adoring wonder, for it is empty and you are risen. The gospels attest to it, the eyewitnesses prove it, and by your spirit our hearts' experience knows it. Give us to die with you that we may rise to new life. For we wish to be as dead and buried to sin as you were. Help us, trust your word, love your forgiveness, long for your return, and have the courage to deny ourselves and serve you as we wait for the best life yet to come. Amen.