He Is Not Here

6 · Establishes the theological distinction between inspired Scripture and faithful commentary, asserting that only the inspired text carries God's authority and is therefore the proper object of preaching

So what do we categorize verses 9 through 20 as is the question. I say we call it faithful commentary. Okay? Faithful commentary that does not contradict Scripture. It accords with Scripture.

But why does that matter? Why are we starting this sermon off this morning with this little bit of like, oh, let's let Vince nerd out on something that he likes? Because I can nerd out on this stuff, okay? I'm trying to contain myself.

Well, the doctrine of inspiration tells us that men wrote Scripture as they were carried along by the Spirit. Okay, that, that's what Peter tells us. And so the thing is, God sets his message and his authority in the inspired text, not in faithful commentary. We preach the inspired word, not faithful commentary in this church. That's why we stop reading at verse 8.

7 · Demonstrates the extraordinary manuscript evidence for the New Testament by contrasting it with universally accepted ancient historians who have far fewer and later manuscripts

We preach Scripture. And here's the thing, we have great confidence in knowing what the original Scriptures said because of the amount of evidence we have. Some scholars say we have an embarrassing amount of evidence. We have over 5,700 manuscripts that contain all or part of the New Testament. You might be thinking, well, I mean, 5,700, We could have more, couldn't we?

Well, yeah, we could. We could also have a lot less. Okay, let me put this into kind of context compared with other ancient manuscripts. Okay, first-century historians Josephus and Tacitus. You've maybe heard those names.

Okay, thank you. Glad someone has.

So they're Jewish and Roman historians, right? Their writings are never in doubt. As a matter of fact, universities will say, "No, we know what Josephus said. We know what Tacitus said." Guess how many manuscripts from Josephus? 33.

How many from Tacitus? 3. All of them, earliest from the 11th century, 1,000 years later. But we know what they said. We know without question what they said.

8 · Establishes the temporal proximity between original composition and earliest extant manuscripts, demonstrating unprecedented reliability compared to other ancient documents

Scholars will tell you the earliest New Testament manuscripts that we have date from 125 AD. 125. Depending on how you look at when things were written, that could be as close as 30 years from the time that the canon was closed. Okay, it is, it is to within 70 years from when some of the originals would have been penned, like, like 1 Corinthians in 55. That's amazingly early evidence.

We know what the New Testament and by extension Mark's Gospel said in the original.

9 · Pivots from textual criticism to theological claim—Mark's Gospel attests to Jesus' resurrection as historical certainty that enemies could not refute

And what did Mark's Gospel say?

That Jesus was raised from the dead. It was a certainty. It was never in doubt. If the Jews or the Romans would have stolen Jesus' body, they would have said, "Hey, he's not dead. Here's the body." It was a certainty no one could refute it.

They would have shown that the effects of crucifixion were final. They couldn't because He was raised from the dead. He was alive and there was no doubt about that, and it is contained in the inspired text of Scripture, the standard of truth that we have today. Oh, church, we can be sure what it says.

10 · Places the hearer in the position of a first-century person encountering Mark's Gospel for the first time, experiencing its narrative arc and confronting its abrupt ending—which demands personal response

And remember the context when Mark wrote his Gospel, right?

It's the 1st century. Jesus has been crucified, buried, and raised. There's persecution going on and many Christians are leaving Jerusalem because of the persecution. And they're moving out and they're taking the Gospel with them. And imagine yourself living in the first century, and your neighbor says, hey, you heard about this guy Jesus?

I got a group of friends that meet in my house every Sunday.

I'd love you to come check out my church, my group of people that meet in my house every Sunday. And, and, and you know what?

Here's a copy of Mark's Gospel. Read that. It tells the story of Jesus.

And you read it, you see all that Jesus did and said and accomplished, and you're getting to the end and you're reading it, and there's something stirring within you, and you're like, "Man, this is amazing." And then Jesus is arrested.

And you read about his mockery of a trial, and then he's beaten and he's put to death.

And after you read of his death, you read the text we read earlier that talks about his burial and his resurrection. And you get to the part about the stone being rolled away and the ladies finding a man dressed in white, and he's telling fantastical tales of Jesus having been raised from the dead. And he tells Mary, and Mary, go and tell the disciples that Jesus is going before them. To Galilee, just as he said.

And they run from the tomb, and that's it.

What do you mean, that's it? How can Jesus be raised from the dead and that's the end of the story? Isn't there more to the story? It's got to go on. And you would be right.

The story is not done. The scribes were in fact right. The story is not done. Why? Because Jesus was raised from the dead and that truth demands a response.

It demands a response from every human being. Not just from Christians. Every person must come to terms with the truth that is contained in Holy Scripture that Jesus is alive today. That He was crucified, buried, dead, and is raised to life and will live forever.

11 · Signals structural shift from textual criticism to exposition proper, previewing the two-part movement: death's effects and resurrection's effects, while reiterating that resurrection truth demands response

So let's leave a little bit of the nerdiness of text criticism behind. Let's get into the inspired text. We're gonna look at it in two sections. One very short section, the effects of the death of Jesus, and then the effects of his resurrection. Whew.

What does his death produce? What happened after he breathed his last? That will be the first section. And then the second section, the effects of the resurrection. What does the resurrection mean for mankind?

What does it mean for believers?

See, it's not just an intellectual truth, or it's not an allegory. It's nothing like that. No, it is a certainty. And that certainty places a claim on all of mankind. Jesus has been raised from the dead.

It demands a response.

12 · Expounds the burial account, highlighting Joseph's courage and the multiple witnesses confirming Jesus' death before his body was released

And when evening had come, since it was the day of preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.

13 · Draws attention to Mark's deliberate vocabulary shift from 'body' to 'corpse,' emphasizing the absolute finality of Jesus' death

Guys, we know that Jesus is dead because of the words that Mark used here. There's an abrupt shift in language, right? Joseph goes and what? He asks for the body of Jesus. Pilate's surprised.

What do you mean, he's dead already? No way! Centurion's like, yeah, he's dead. He's dead.

And Mark shifts.

He, that is Pilate, granted the corpse Joseph.

Jesus is a corpse.

That sentence carries with it all the finality of that word.

14 · Catalogs Jesus' mighty works throughout Mark's Gospel in anaphoric repetition, each followed by 'Gone,' building emotional weight around death's finality before pivoting with a rhetorical question

Think about what that means.

The one who had turned water to wine Gone. The one who had fed 5,000, gone.

The one who had calmed the storm with a word, gone.

The one who had driven demons, a legion of demons, from the man among the tombs, Gone.

The one who had brought healing and wholeness to lepers, paralytics, blind men, mute people. He'd raised little girls back to life. He had healed Simon's mother-in-law. Gone.

A huge stone. Like the door of a bank vault rolled in front of his tomb to keep him securely in there.

He is dead. He is a corpse.

The Mighty One, the Son of Man, a corpse.

It's over.

Or is it?

15 · Signals pivot from death to resurrection, moving into the sermon's climactic second movement

This brings us to our second section, the effects of the resurrection.

16 · Expounds the women's journey to the tomb with spices—not expecting resurrection but planning to cover death's stench—and their discovery of the empty tomb

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, brought spices so that they might go and anoint him. And very early On the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb, and they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" Mary and Mary. First day of the week, they're headed there. We're told they come to anoint His body.

This is not embalming. The Jews didn't practice embalming. Okay, this is to go and cover the stench of death. This is to— like, it's been 3 days and it's hot in Palestine. Why is this important?

They weren't expecting a resurrection. They weren't expecting to find anything alive there. They come to cover the smell of death. To anoint a risen King. And what do they find?

They find an empty tomb. See, they knew where Jesus was buried. They didn't make a mistake. You don't mistake that. The man you followed for 3 years is laid in a tomb dead.

You don't go to the wrong tomb. You know where it's at. It's burned in your memory.

17 · Contrasts the women's faithfulness with their discovery—they remained loyal when others fled, came expecting death, but encountered the living Lord, which demands response

Think about what the effect of the empty tomb has on them.

See, they were the ones who stayed true. They were still following Jesus. They didn't run away. They didn't desert Him when He was on the cross. They didn't leave Him when He was in trial.

Deny Him.

They're still following Him.

They're there as an act of love.

But now that He is raised, what effect will that have on them? You see, they come to cover the stench of death and they find the raised Lord of life. See, it wasn't an elaborate hoax. They didn't make this up and somehow steal the body away. No, Jesus is raised from the dead and that demands a response.

18 · Applies the women's experience directly to the congregation—where are you treating Jesus as distant or dead, when he is in fact alive and aware of your need?

Where are you in your life thinking like Mary and Martha?

Well, it's over. Let's make the best of a bad situation. Let's cover the stench of death.

Let's dress it up as best we can. Maybe you think Jesus is far from you. The Lord isn't watching. He doesn't care. He's removed from you.

Where do you need to remember that the Lord of life is alive. The stench of death does not linger anymore. Where does the resurrection demand your faith be built or strengthened or grabbed ahold of? Remember, Jesus is raised. Not only that, He is aware of your need, just like He was Mary and Martha.

Who will roll away the stone for us? Jesus already did it. The stone was already rolled back when they got there. Life was already flourishing. Oh, church, what kind of response does that call you to?

19 · Expounds the angel's declaration 'He has risen'—a single word in Greek that reverses every event of the passion and vindicates the women's faith

And then the angel, "Hey, don't be alarmed. Don't be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified.

You're in the right tomb. You're in the right place. You are looking for the guy that was laid here." He's not there to cause alarm. No, he's here to bring about joy and celebration. He has risen!

One word in the original undoes everything over the last few days. It undoes the unfair trial. It undoes the beatings. It undoes the crucifixion. It undoes the 3 days of doubt and questioning.

Did I get it right in following this guy? Was he really the Messiah? He has risen. You got it right, ladies. You got it right, church.

One word undoes it all.

20 · Connects the women's fearful flight to the appropriate response to divine glory—healthy fear of Jesus is right when confronted with who he is

See where he was laid. "Jesus is not here. He is not here." The other gospels tell us, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here." And fear seized them and they fled. Why?

Jesus was raised from the dead, and that demands a response. Why would they flee?

See, the angel was right. They should no longer be fearful, but a healthy fear of Jesus is an appropriate response to who he is and what he has done.

21 · Direct pastoral address—some in the congregation need a healthy fear of the risen Christ

And there are some of us here today who maybe need that appropriate amount of fear.

22 · Traces the pattern of fear throughout Mark's Gospel whenever Jesus manifests his divine power, establishing that the resurrection is the ultimate glory-manifestation

The disciples even experienced it beforehand, some of them, right?

The calming of the storm. Fear. They were afraid. Why? Because Jesus was manifesting his glory and his power over nature, and it scared them.

The healing of the Gerasene demoniac. The whole town comes out and they're like, "Man, man, don't stay here any longer. Please leave." Fear had seized them. When Jesus was walking on the water, the transfiguration, all of these things, the disciples reacted to Jesus in fear. Why?

Because when God manifests His greatness and glory, glory, fear is a natural outcome. And the resurrection is the greatest manifestation of Jesus' glory.

23 · The resurrection inaugurates the kingdom that Jesus preached as 'at hand'—it has finally broken in (though not yet fully), and this demands personal response

He is not here. He has risen. They were confronted with the truth and the fact that Jesus is God, and he laid down his life because he had authority to do so. And now he had authority to take it back up, and that induces fear.

But then the angel's right: don't be afraid, Mary and Mary. He probably just said Mary once.

Don't be afraid.

Why?

Because with one word and one act, Jesus finally ushers in the kingdom. The kingdom which had been at hand is now finally inaugurated. The resurrection shows that the kingdom finally, not fully, has broken in. And it demands a response. Jesus was raised.

He was resurrected.

What is your response?

What is your response?

24 · If Jesus' death alone inspired Joseph's courage to publicly identify with a condemned criminal, the resurrection should inspire even greater courage in believers

Yes, it should induce a little bit of fear as we see Jesus for who He truly is, but it should also move us to courage. Look back at Joseph. Just the death of Jesus moved him to courage. How much more after the resurrection? We don't know.

But we can imagine, right? This guy who was afraid of the council and afraid of speaking out against those that he was a part of, now goes and says, "Give me the body that I might bury it." And many times, the associates of those guilty of treason and sedition, they were put to death too. So this is very risky. Like socially in the circles of Jewishness. No, he might be put to death by Pilate.

And just the death of Jesus inspires courage in him. How much more should the resurrection give courage to his people?

25 · Direct imperative—approach God confidently because the resurrection has made believers children of God through Christ

Draw near. To the throne of grace in confidence. We have been made children through Christ.

26 · The empty tomb proves that those who remained faithful to Jesus—the women, Joseph, Nicodemus—made the right choice

Ah, the empty tomb vindicates his followers. Mary and Mary, Joseph, even Nicodemus, they all come after his death. Nicodemus is mentioned in the other gospels, not in this one. They all come after his death and served in some way, and the empty tomb vindicates them as being right.

27 · The resurrection vindicates Jesus' identity, his message about the kingdom, and his stated purpose to give his life as a ransom

But the empty tomb doesn't stop there. The resurrection and the empty tomb also vindicate Jesus. It proves he is who he said he was. It proves his message: the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel. It vindicates his His purpose, that He came to serve and not be served and to give His life as a ransom for many.

28 · The resurrection demonstrates that Jesus died for our sins (not his own), that God accepted his payment, and that believers have been ransomed—demanding personal response

The resurrection proves He died for our sins, not His own. The wages of sin is death.

They weren't His wages, so they had no power over Him.

The resurrection proves that he paid the penalty for our sins, and it proves that God accepted the payment.

The resurrection proves that we, his people, have been ransomed from sin and death.

What will you do about that?

29 · Traces a pattern of 'resurrection' types throughout the Old Testament—Seth replacing Abel, Isaac received back, Joseph revealed alive, David's victory, Solomon's enthronement—all pointing to the true Son's resurrection

The resurrection also vindicates God and his message. You see, the Old Testament— God has made promises that are finally and fully fulfilled in the resurrection of the Son. You know, how is that? Well, Abel was slain by Cain. Afterward, Seth was born.

Eve said, God appointed me another in place of Abel.

It's a sort of a resurrection.

There's one in place of the one who had died. Then Abraham offered Isaac on the Mount of Moriah, right? He ended up getting his son back at the cost of a substitute who was caught in the thorns. Then Joseph was thought to be dead, and after saving not only his family but the whole known world at the time, He revealed Himself to the family back from the dead.

David, when he faced Goliath, everyone was like, that little dude's gone.

There's no way he's going to make it through this. And he triumphed. Back from the dead in a sense.

Later, David's son Absalom elevated himself to the throne, sought to rule, right? And then when he was fleeing, What happened? He was caught in briars and thorns and he died. And then Solomon was placed on the throne. Do you remember what Solomon was called?

Jedidiah. Beloved of the Lord. The beloved of the Lord, the son, is now reigning over God's people. But he wasn't the true Son who would be raised from death to a place of ruler over God's people. No, these all point to the true Son of God, beloved of the Father, unique, only begotten, sent by the Father, sent to have our sins placed on Him, killed because of those sins, raised on the third day, freeing us from sin and death and overcoming The devil.

The true Son with one word vindicates himself and his Father by fulfilling all the promises. He has risen.

30 · Returns to the textual criticism discussion—the scribes were right that Mark's story is incomplete, but hearers complete it through their own response to the resurrection

Jesus is raised and that demands a response. And this brings us back full circle again, describes were right. Mark's Gospel is not complete.

It's not. Jesus is raised, but the story isn't finished.

But a scribe doesn't finish.

You do, and I do.

31 · Presents three possible responses to the resurrection—faith like the centurion, scoffing like the Pharisees, or flight like the disciples—with direct application for each category of hearer

Jesus was raised from the dead. That demands a response. What is your response?

Do you respond like the centurion?

His words give evidence of faith, right? Truly, surely, this was the Son of God. If so, you have eternal life. As the Spirit has brought new life to you and now lives within you, follow Him. Be baptized publicly, aligning yourself with Him as Joseph did.

Do you respond in scoffing like the Pharisees? If so, Jesus Himself says you stand condemned because you have not believed in God's only Son, and as such, you are dead in your sins.

Don't stay that way.

Don't stay that way. You can finish this gospel story today. Bow to him, respond in faith, repent of your sins. Or do you respond like the disciples, running away?

If so, stop. Turn back. Turn back.

And he has words for you.

Just as he had words for his disciples. "Go tell them I'm going to Galilee." Galilee, the place of good times. The place where it all started.

Before all the threats, before Jesus talking about his death, "Hey, go tell my disciples and Peter." Turn back to him if you're running. You finish that story and I finish that story and it is finished. Today, Jesus was raised from the dead. That demands a response.

What will yours be?

32 · Closes in prayer, thanking God for the certainty of the resurrection and asking for faith to respond appropriately—to finish the story in whatever way God calls

Let's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you, Lord, that Jesus is in fact raised from the dead. Lord, thank you that, that there is no doubt in the resurrection.

Thank you, Lord, that we can have great confidence in not only your word, but in what your word says, that he has been raised and he is no longer there. The tomb is empty and will be empty forever.

Lord, give us faith today, faith to finish the story in whatever way you're calling us to do today, Lord. Give us faith, give us strength so that we may glorify Jesus. It's in his name we pray. Amen.