Pastoral Sole: Not How the Resurrected Christ Looks, But What Christ Resurrected Means; Mark 16:1-8

Rev. George Miller

March 31, 2024

Mark 16:1-8

What a week it has been! Jesus concluded his rural ministry by riding into town on a colt in which people “see” him.

They create this magical moment by running into the fields to grab whatever kind of green they could find and they lay their one and only coats on the ground.

He teaches about love of God and love of neighbor. He tells of the upcoming doom and gloom.

He dines with the differently-different Simon; is shown love by the woman with the alabaster jar who anoints his body and embodies the entire Gospel.

Then…he is betrayed by one of his own, denied by another, deserted by all the rest.

He is publicly shamed, abused, and made to suffer in front of the eyes of his enemies.

If THAT’s what love of God and love of neighbor gets you…no thank you.

The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross, wrapped in linen, and placed in a tomb. The sun sets and the world is dark…

But Mark does not end the story of Jesus there; he has 8 more lines to share.

When the soul-less Saturday comes to an end, as the sun rises, 3 brave women make their way to where the body of Jesus lays…

…and they find out that Jesus is not there…

Jesus is not amongst the maggots and mites; Jesus is not amongst the flees and the vermin at all.

The three women are told that the Jesus they are looking for is not there, for he has been raised.

If they want to see him, they can go to Galilee.

The women flee in terror and amazement, afraid.

First, let’s talk about these women. This Mary Magdelene, this Mary mother of James, and this Salome.

What an interesting bunch of women they are.

Mark tells us that they were there at the crucifixion. We are told they were there to see where the body of Jesus was laid.

We are told that while not a nary Disciple was in sight, these three women were out in public buying what they needed to properly care for the dead body of Jesus.

We are told that at the end of that horrid weekend, as the sun rose and new light washed over the earth,

that Mary, Mary and Salome made their way to the tomb with not a single man or disciple, son or strong person to roll away the stone.

But more than that, we are told that these women were always there.

In Mark chapter 15, verse 41, the author reveals to us that these three women, as well as many other women, were caring for Jesus since the very beginning of his ministry in Galilee.

We are told that all along there were women who were traveling with Jesus, walking with Jesus, looking after Jesus, and they too entered into the Big City so they could be with him.

Which means that while the disciples get all the mentions, screen time, and almost all the lines,

there is an entire other story of Jesus’ life and ministry that involved the women who were with him, beside him, co-caring with him.

Now we have an even grander image of just what the ministry of Jesus looked like.

That he just didn’t go into Peter’s home to heal his mother-in-law, he didn’t just heal a Gentile woman’s child, he didn’t just offer new life to a Temple leader’s daughter….

But that Jesus had an entire ministry that involved the actions and presence and the wisdom of people like Mary Magdalene and Salome.

Women who gave their time, their talents, their compassion, their love, even if they didn’t get the accolades or narrative arc.

Now we have an even more robust image of what the Kingdom of God looked like-

that it wasn’t just Jesus and 12 fishers and farmers and tax collectors doing the work,

but it was also mothers and sisters, aunties and household managers who were there.

Maybe it was these women who let the lady with the blood know about Jesus;

maybe they were the ones who tipped off the woman with the alabaster jar.

Maybe these women were the ones who said to Jesus-

“You know, our daughters deserve just as much attention and care as you give our sons.”

When Peter, James and John get to walk up the mountain and see Jesus transfigured…

…Peter, James, and John are nowhere to be seen in chapters 15 and 16, as they run away and hide in fear.

But the women- this Mary Magdalene, this Mary mother of James, this Salome-

they are there as Jesus suffers, they are there as he dies,

they are there when his body is buried, and they are there first thing Sunday morning to hear the unexpected news-

“He is not here- he has been raised. He has gone ahead to Galilee, where you will see him.”

Second- why are we told the women and disciples are to go to Galilee and we never get to see the Resurrected Christ as we do in Matthew, Luke and John?

Why does Mark end his Gospel this way?

Perhaps…Mark did not want us to get caught up in how the Resurrected Christ looked, but he wanted us to focus on what the Resurrected Christ means.

Christ Resurrected means that he has been raised, and that it is God who raised him.

Christ Resurrected means that his ministry was not for naught, that his ministry was legit and Heaven-blessed.

But more than that- it means if you want to know what the Resurrected Christ looks like,

if you want to know what Resurrections means,

if you want to know how Christ Resurrected affects our daily lives….

…Go back to Galilee and witness if for yourself.

For Galilee is where the ministry of Jesus began, and it is in Galilee that we see the Kingdom of God at its purest.

Mark 16:7 says “Go to Galilee and there you will see him.”

Do ya’ll remember what we saw in Galilee?

Galilee is where we experienced Jesus being baptized so he could be like us. Galilee is where he met the man trapped by an unclean spirit and set free.

Galilee is where Jesus went into the intimate living space of Peter’s mother-in-law to bring her wellness, validating her work and her worth.

Mark 16:7 says “Go to Galilee and there you will see Jesus.”

Galilee is where we see Jesus bring wholeness to people living with disease, where Jesus speaks words of life,

where friends care enough about each other that they take apart Jesus’s roof so their buddy can experience wellness.

Galilee is where Jesus interacts with the average day-to-day person who is fishing, fixing, sowing, reaping, trying their best to make an honest living.

Galilee is where Jesus spoke to people where they worked, where they lived, instead of expecting them to come to the Temple to learn about God.

Galilee is where Jesus talked of mustard seeds and those who worked with their hands,

he healed women who were bankrupt and made it so families could eat together at table.

Mark 16:7 says “Go to Galilee and there you will see him.,”

which basically means: if you want to see the Resurrected Christ,

if you want to experience the Jesus who has been raised from the dead…

…go to the places and time where daily relationships and activities take place.