Is your tomb empty?

It isn’t Easter. Yet for followers of Jesus, every day is Easter. Here is the short account of the Resurrection from the perspective of Mark:

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 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 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16).

As you may have noticed in my reflections on Mark’s Gospel, I have been focusing on the emotional responses of the disciples, the crowd and the religious leaders of the day to Jesus.

Circle these words: alarmed, trembling, bewildered, afraid.

Notice their actions: asked each other (questioning), fled, said nothing (silence).

As you think about your experiences with God, do you ever find yourself experiencing these feelings and actions?

All around us are events that should cause us to be alarmed, trembling, bewildered and afraid that cause us to question, run and be silent.

Take time today to be aware of your feelings and your actions.

Ronald Friesen © 2015