Sunday
School Lessons
Commentary by Walter Albritton
April 20
Up from the Grave He Arose, with a Mighty
Triumph Over Death!
Mark 15:1 – 16:8
Key Verse: 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. .
–
Mark 16:6
Death could not keep
Jesus sealed in the tomb! This was the startling news received by the women who
went early in the morning hoping to anoint his dead body with spices.
Imagine the shock on
their faces when the angel said, “He has been raised; he is not here.”
Devastating sadness turned to unbelievable joy. Their hearts pounding with
excitement, they returned to share the good news with Peter and the disciples.
Today is Easter, and
we are Easter People! On this glorious Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of
our Lord. We share in his victory over sin and death. We affirm with glad
hearts that because He lives, we shall live also. This is his promise to
believers.
Let me, however, issue
a word of caution. My concern is expressed in the song that pleads, “Lest I
forget
Easter will mean more
to us if we have first made a personal journey to
You see him there, do
you not? He is exhausted from a long night of trials, verbal abuse, and brutal
flogging. The cruel whipping has left his back bleeding. Blood drips from the
torn flesh on his brow, the crown of thorns having done its grisly work.
What appears to be
sweat on his face may actually be saliva, for merciless men have spit in his
face. Unthinkable cruelty he is experiencing right before your eyes.
Exhaustion and the
weight of the cross on his back cause him to stumble. A man passing by at that
moment, Simon of Cyrene, is compelled by the soldiers to help carry the cross. Simon
does not object. He even gives Jesus a hand as they make their way to
Simon stands nearby
now, awestruck by the rough treatment of the soldiers. They show no mercy as
they stretch Jesus out on the cross. You and the other bystanders wince at the
sound of hammers viciously nailing the hands and feet of Jesus to the wooden
cross. Listen, you can hear the terrible thud as the heavy hammers strike the
nails.
The soldiers show
little emotion. Crucifixion is their work. Watch now as they raise the cross
skyward, dropping the bottom of it into a hole. You can almost see the flesh of
Jesus tearing as the weight of his body sags against the nails. Blood is
everywhere.
Walk around the cross.
Take a good look at it. Hear the heavy breathing as three men struggle for air.
You can hear the cursing from the angry thief, the mockery and the laughter of
the soldiers who consider their role just another day at work.
The man suffering and
dying there, on the center cross, is doing this for you. Say these words to
yourself, “Jesus, you are dying for me, for me, for me.” Let his dying become
personal to you.
Charles Wesley did.
That is why in his hymns he cried, “for me, for me, he died.” Wesley learned
that, felt it, knew it, when he made his own personal journey to
Listen now to what
Jesus is saying. Yes, amazingly, he is speaking. If you cannot hear everything
he says, be sure you hear with your own ears those three words, “It is
finished!” Understand now, he is not talking about his agony being over; what
is being completed before your very eyes is the plan of God that opens the gate
to heaven for you.
Consider this
staggering thought: without his death, you would have no hope of salvation. His
death means that you will not have to endure eternity without God. That is why
what John says is so breathtaking:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John
Now, finally, you can
make your way to the tomb. You can look inside, and as you “behold the place
where they laid him,” you can hear the angel say, “He is risen; he is not
here.” Allow the words to resonate in
your soul, for the announcement of his resurrection is the best news the world
has ever heard.
However, do not hasten
back to “the real world” until you see, as the women did, the Risen Christ
standing before you. Listen to him, for his message is still the same: “Go and
tell others!” He still expects his disciples to “go tell it on the mountain”
that hell and death have been conquered by the mighty power of our God.
Now, and only now, are
you ready truly to celebrate Easter. Now the focus of Easter can never again be
frivolous things, like new clothes, bunnies, and Easter eggs.
Now, perhaps, you are
ready to fall on your knees, as the amazed women did that first glad morning,
and cry with Paul, “thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
Yes, Easter is our day
to celebrate God’s gift of eternal life through the death and resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, as we celebrate, we can never, ever, forget the
terrible price Jesus paid for our salvation.
We are indeed Easter
People, but people with a vivid memory, and a grateful heart, because we have
personally walked where he suffered, and stood outside the grave that could not
keep him. We have seen it, heard it, felt it, with our own eyes, our own ears, and
our own hearts.
Now, we are ready to
sing with all our hearts, “Up from the grave He arose”! Happy Easter! Glory to
God! + + + + +