Easter Sunday April 12, 2009
Scripture	Mark 16:1-8 16 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and 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 They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 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 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth , who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Devotional	Woman’s witness was not valid in a Jewish court of law. Mary Magdalene was instructed to tell the disciples of the news of Jesus’ resurrection. “ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee ; there you will see him, just as he told you.” The women went our and fled in terror and amazement but did not tell anyone. Have you ever spoken to someone and sensed that your words being ignored? After you finish, it is as if you had never spoken. This is what and how women were heard in this setting. Their testimony was not reliable. Apostles were those who witnessed the resurrection and spoke about it. Why weren’t these women defined as apostles? Mark has us face many questions. He challenges us whether we can break the old tradition and accept the witness of women. Jesus’ resurrection broke the powers but a short time later they are back. A short time later the witness to the resurrection were Peter, the disciples, a large group, and later Paul, The old powers return. The good news of the resurrection is that the powers do not have the last say. Could the disciples both then and now be described as deficient rather than good or bad? Pheme Perkins describe it for us. Mark’s ending reminds Christians that resurrection is exaltation to God’s glory, not another event in the sequence of events that we catalogue as history. The women’s response also brings readers face to face with the mystery of faith. There are no heroes among Jesus’ followers. The hostility that puts Jesus on the cross has reduced them all to flight and fearful silence. Nevertheless, God brings faith out of just such weakness and failure. Jesus did not need to come once again and choose a new team in some grand lottery for better disciples. Despite all the appearances, Jesus did accomplish the will of God through suffering on the cross. However imperfect our faith and however many times we remain silent when we should testify to the gospel, we can always return to the Lord. None of us can get so far away from Jesus that we cannot be touched by God’s healing presence. (Pheme Perkins, “The Gospel of Mark” in the The New Interpreter’s Bible Vol. VIII p. 733) If Perkins is correct God did win over the powers.