Crossing Church

Preached on 7.20.08 by Dustin Neeley
Sermon Notes

MARK: Scared Speechless

“When the Sabbath was past, 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 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back- it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 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. 7 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.” 8 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.

Mark’s Point: Jesus is the Resurrected Son of God! (covered at Easter.)

“Sabbath past” About 6:00PM on Saturday night.
“Mary Magdalene A female follower of Jesus (significant) with a checkered past.
“brought spices…anoint him” They didn’t embalm then or like flowers at a grave today.
“Who will roll away the stone…?” There would have been a large stone to seal the tomb.
“a young man…” Luke records 2 men. Matthew tells us he was an angel. O.K.!
“…disciples and Peter…” Most believe this means that God has not given up on Peter.
“just as he told you” Jesus’ resurrection was completely in line with His prophesy.
“they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” In essence, they were scared speechless.

Why Don’t We Go and Tell Others about Jesus? FEAR.

Understanding Our Fear:
1. Afraid because we don’t like any awkward situation.
2. Afraid we won’t know what to say.
a. We don’t know enough about our faith.
b. We won’t be able to address the questions others may raise.
3. Afraid they will reject our message.
4. Afraid they will reject us. This

Addressing Our Fear :
1. Recognize that life is full of unavoidable awkward moments. This is worth it!
2. “Learning what to say” is a biblical command (2 Pet. 3:15).
a. We have plenty of resources & people that can help you at Crossing.
b. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” or “Let me get back to you on that.”
3. Recognize that the Scriptures recognize that some will reject the message.
a. You are not responsible for their response—only to share.
4. *Use the Scriptures in your battle against fear (Ps. 46:1, 2 Tim. 1:7, Heb. 13:6).
5. *Apply the Gospel to your “fear of man’ :
a. Ask the question “What is behind my fear?” (the “sin behind the sin”)
b. Keep asking the question, “And what is behind that…?”
i. Deeper understanding leads to deeper healing.
ii. The goal is for you to try to get to the ‘bottom’ of the issue.

How is my fear keeping me from telling others about Jesus? What steps do I need to take to address these fears? In what areas of my life is the ‘fear of man’ disrupting what God wants to do?

SOME OF THE EARLIEST MANUSCRIPTS DO NOT INCLUDE 16:9-20. 9 [Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.] Mark 16:9-20 ESV

So What Is Up With This Passage…?
1. “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20”

a. Based on both internal and external evidence, this part, was most likely not written by Mark. This is not a ‘liberal idea.’ Many, many pastors and scholars who love and take the Bible seriously hold this position.* It should, in no way, cause us to mistrust our feel shaky about our Bibles.

b. What is the Bible and how did we get it? It is a collection of books that all tell one big story that point to what God has done through Jesus (redemptive history). It is more of a ‘portable library’ than a single book. We have it because God inspired writers (like Mark) to write down certain things to tell us what He wants us to know about Himself. We believe that those original autographs (what the inspired writers wrote) are completely inerrant (without any error in any form). Though we don’t have any of the autographs today, we have thousands and thousands of early, accurate manuscripts going back to shortly after the time the autographs that attest to their writings and accuracy. (Additional resources online for this.)

c. Since verses 9-20 from Mark 16 do not appear in those earliest manuscripts, there is legitimate reason to be suspect about whether or not they would have appeared in the original autographs. Some believe Mark actually ends in verse 8. Others believe there was a longer ending to Mark that was lost.

d. In either case, the Church throughout history has never built any of its doctrine based on these verses AND the principles found there are readily apparent in other parts of the Bible so ultimately…it’s not that big of a deal and is no cause for alarm. Ultimately, I believe that it is likely a summary statement constructed by an editor or the early church to draw together some of the facets of the continuing work of God.

P: The Story of Jesus continued powerfully after His resurrection.

Works Consulted : Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Life Application Bible, MacArthur Study Bible, Messages by Steve Hart, Tim Keller