8-31-19 Today in the Word

Servant Discipleship: The Gospel of Mark
THE EMPTY TOMB
Saturday, August 31, 2019 | Mark 16:1-8

Mark’s Gospel account ends on an odd note. In many Bibles, verses 9–20 contain a commentator’s note about the disputed authenticity of the closing section of the book. Many Bible scholars say that the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel do not contain this ending.
Equally odd is the description in verses 1 to 8: the reaction of the three women at the tomb of Jesus. They are there, having overcome obstacles to get to Jesus, including awaiting the Sabbath to finish, the sun to rise, and having the stone rolled away. Yet, they are described as “alarmed” by the appearance of the angel at the tomb (v. 5).
Moreover, after multiple reassurances that the crucified Jesus is alive, this account says that they leave fearful and even more —“bewildered” (v. 8). In the conclusion of Mark’s Gospel, despite the assurances to tell Peter and the disciples about the resurrection and the promise from Jesus that they will see Him alive, they do not announce it to anyone.
Even when there are no obstacles preventing us from remembering Christ’s death on our behalf, we might be hesitant to tell others about Him. Even with the scores of reassurances we have from His Word, history, and the Holy Spirit within us, we still might find ourselves hesitant to proclaim to others that the tomb is indeed empty.
The end of the Gospel of Mark proposes a challenge to servants of Jesus: Will we be silent with the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection? Or, will we use the empty tomb and the proclamation of His resurrection as a starting point to take the message of the Gospel of Mark—the good news of Jesus—to everyone without fear, assured by the promise of His return?
APPLY THE WORD
Now that you we have finished the Gospel of Mark, we suggest you go back and read the full story again. With the end in mind, you will notice the many references to Jesus being the Son of God and King of the Jews who came to offer eternal life. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you boldness and courage to tell others that Jesus’ tomb is empty.
PRAY WITH US
In conclusion of our study of the Gospel of Mark this month, let’s thank God for His wondrous salvation extended to all who believe, and for His grace that is always sufficient. Let’s pray that our lives would be pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 It's Coming

It Is Coming - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/24/it-is-coming-by-daymond-duck/ On Dec. 17, 2022, it was reported that Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island, has introduced legislation to permanently bar former Pres. Trump from running for president again, and 40 Democrats have signed on. Cicilline is accusing Trump of orchestrating an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time of this writing, it is debatable as to whether Cicilline’s legislation will get voted on before the new Congress takes office in 2023, but some conservatives have said from the beginning that the main purpose of the Jan. 6 fake show-trial was to stop Trump from being elected again. Some, including this writer, have said there is no telling what the U.S. shadow government will do to prevent making America great again (MAGA) because they want to surrender the sovereignty of the U.S. to the New World Order (coming world government). It was easy to see this comi
Read more

9-18-23 Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022

Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022 – By Hal Lindsey - https://harbingersdaily.com/rage-against-jesus-and-his-people-the-ominous-trend-of-2022/ By the end of 2022, eight billion people lived on the earth. They were besieged by a series of plagues, droughts, false prophets, war, the threat of greater war, hatred, rage, theft, and violence. The eight billion were fragmented in a variety of ways — according to their nations, level of income, race, gender, various understandings of gender and human sexuality, along with religion or the lack thereof. Change became overwhelming to most of the eight billion. For those over 40, it was almost unfathomable that by the end of 2022, not even half the students at Cambridge University identified as heterosexual. In 2022, deception ruled the day. Trust in government, educational institutions, and the news media had been largely obliterated. Trust in health officials and doctors had become severely damaged. In suc
Read more

9-16-23 Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19

Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19 :: By Paul J. Scharf Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles The Messiah was a descendant of Abraham. More than that, we considered last time how He was, in fact, promised within the covenant that God made with Abram (Gen. 12:1-3). According to the Apostle Paul in Gal. 3:16 and 19, He is the ultimate recipient of that covenant! Our Savior Jesus Christ is finally the One through whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Paul also quoted and discussed that portion of the covenant in Gal. 3:8-9. We ended last time with the realization that the promised Messiah would be the final Davidic king over Israel. As declared then, however, there are several intermediate steps, with accompanying prophecies, which are given between the times of Abraham and David and speak about His coming and the offices He would hold as the greatest prophet, priest, and king. And there are also more ance
Read more