The Road to Calvary - Day 16: What the Resurrection Means to Me

Everyone loves the end of a thrilling story. Every wrong is made right, good triumphs over evil, and chaos gives way to peace.

In literature, it's called the resolution. Well, coming up on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, we invite you to join us for the riveting final chapter of Jesus' life on earth, as told through the context of Mark's Gospel. I'm Dave Drouy, and today we wrap up our newest series, The Road to Calvary. We pray that as we've studied the life of Jesus together, you've seen your faith grow. So if that's your experience, let me encourage you to pass this series on to someone else in your life.

You can do that through the Chip Ingram app or at livingontheedge.org. Thanks for sharing what God is teaching you through the work of our ministry. Okay, if you're ready, here's Chip with a powerful conclusion of his teaching, What the Resurrection Means to Me. Welcome to day 16 of this fabulous journey with you through the book of Mark. What a ride it's been just from chapter one all the way through the death, the burial, and today resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Mark's message to a Roman audience who value power and action. He gives us a Jesus that is straightforward, who's a servant, who serves, who makes a difference, and then positions his disciples to change the world. Many of you have heard the story of the resurrection, actually obviously very, very recently for some. What I'd like to do is give you hopefully a devotional time together with me where let's just list the facts to give us a framework of this is what happened. And then I want to begin in chapter 15, verse 42, and we'll read it and the rest of chapter 16 and think a little bit about, yes, he died, this is what happened. He rose from the dead. These are the appearances. And then to ask ourselves, implications then and implications now.

Let's just go with the facts. Jesus is buried in chapter 15. Joseph of Arimathea requests for the body. After ascertaining that Jesus was really dead, Pilate grants the body. Joseph buries the body in the tomb. And the women who watch from a distance, they see where the body is so they can come back and give it a proper burial later. Jesus early in the morning, first day of the week, he rises from the dead. Contrary to anything culturally you would ever dream, he actually appears to women first.

The tomb is empty. They meet an angel. He's sitting there and says, hey, he's not here. He rose just like he said he would.

You can meet him in Galilee. After he appears to Mary Magdalene, she goes and tells others and they don't believe her. Next, he appears to two people walking to Emmaus.

They report it and people don't believe them. Finally, Jesus appears in person to 11 of the disciples and actually eats in this resurrection body. Then he draws them all together and he ascends to the right hand of the Father and the disciples go everywhere and they preach the message and it's confirmed by signs and wonders and miracles. And here we are.

A little over 2,000 years later, this Jesus that Mark tells us about from firsthand knowledge has changed billions of lives and is still changing them today. So let's get a couple thoughts that you may not be aware of. One is that the leaders are scrupulous about keeping the law.

I mean, the irony of ironies, right? We'll break a bunch of laws to kill Jesus, but hey, you know, the Sabbath is coming and we know the law. We can't have dead bodies hanging around. And so they request, can you get these bodies out of here before the Sabbath begins? So they get permission and the only way to do that is you break their legs. Because crucifixion, you know, maybe you've done a lot of research or maybe you haven't.

For me, it was a bit new. There certainly was a lot of pain. You would push up and that nail going in your feet, pull up with your arms, pulling the tendons and all the rest to get a breath.

And it was not enough to make you normally go unconscious, but it was just like the most excruciating painful experience. So basically you died of suffocation and often it would take sometimes 36 to 72 hours before a slave or a criminal would die. So, you know, these three people on these three crosses have not been there very long. So what we know is from the gospel writers and from history that they go and they break the two legs because those two are now going to die pretty quickly.

And when they get to Jesus, it's only been six hours. I mean, how can he be dead? Well, he can be dead because he chose, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And he was dead. So if you're a professional executioner, you are in really, really big trouble if you say someone's dead and they're really not. So the guy takes a spear.

There's a little sack around the heart and it has fluid and then the heart. And he pokes it with the spear and both water and blood come out. And he's now convinced for sure that Jesus is dead. Well, then, you know, we have a sort of a secret disciple. And I think he was a little ashamed of himself. He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin.

He was one of those that did not vote. And what he realized was, I need to step up. And we're going to read about him getting the courage to step up and get the body. When we think of a tomb, sometimes we think of, you know, down in the ground. But this apparent tomb, a lot of them were built into rock.

And I had privilege of going to Israel a couple times and seeing various kinds of tombs. But what you don't understand is like there's a tomb and it's in rock, but then there's a groove that they cut out and it's a bit downhill. So what happens, you have this huge kind of cylinder, round rock, and it takes usually a number of men that are strong and you get it down in there and then it goes into place. And so getting it out takes a number of very, very strong men to open it up.

And so that's kind of the dynamics. And some of the interesting things are it was prophesied in Zechariah 12, 10 that they would pierce his side. Now think about that. Hundreds of years before this, Isaiah 53, 9, he would be buried with the rich despite being crucified with the wicked. I mean, it's just so interesting to me. I think someone counted up to 300 prophecies Jesus fulfilled in his life, his death, and his burial.

And so that's just some background. And the only other thing, this is a point of irony for me, is the religious leaders were really concerned. You know, they heard enough of his teaching. Even though the disciples couldn't get their arms around that he's going to die and rise from the dead, word on the streets was he made these crazy claims. And so they go to Pilate and they say, hey, we may have a potential problem.

This guy, he had a huge following and he made all these claims that he's going to rise from the dead. We need you to give the official seal, right, you know, the seal that you can put on a tomb. If anyone breaks it, it's a capital offense. They get killed.

And we want some guards there. So the disciples don't believe that he's really going to rise, even when some women come and tell him. But the religious leaders don't really believe it.

But they're so concerned, they make sure it gets sealed. And, you know, in the sovereignty of God, what makes that so very interesting is this, is it really authenticates that he was really buried. It really authenticates that a supernatural thing occurred. We know there was an earthquake.

We know that guards, you know, were in shock or kind of fell like they were asleep and they were overwhelmed. And we know that the stone was rolled away. But none of that would have the power if those religious leaders hadn't taken all the time to make sure this is airtight and no one can break it.

And so with that, let's look at the text together. We'll pick it up in verse 42. Sunday's coming is the way I look at this. It was Preparation Day, that is the day before the Sabbath. So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the council who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that it was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus was already dead. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph brought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance, probably he and some friends.

We actually know that Nicodemus helped him, who was also sort of a kind of a secret disciple. And Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joseph, also saw where he was laid. So things are winding down, the Sabbath is ready to start, the sun's coming down.

When the sun's completely down, you know, the Sabbath starts. Joseph, in a moment of courage, says, this is terrible. He's a very wealthy man. He was looking for the kingdom. He believed.

He realized what's happening. He asked for permission. He has this very, very fine linen. They also would put a napkin over the face. They would take up to, when they were doing, Jews don't get embalmed. And they would take the linen, they'd take aloe and myrrh, and they'd put it on the linen and they would wrap the body. And so they did a sort of a quick job, and later on the ladies are going to come, not knowing how much burial was taken care of. They're going to bring spices to honor Jesus. And that's kind of where things end. When the Sabbath was over, they were just waiting.

You know, we need to get there. He needs a proper burial. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Salome, brought spices so they might anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb? It's like three women.

I mean, there's no way. We've got a big problem. But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

Don't be alarmed, he said. You're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen. He's not here. See the place where they laid him? But go, tell his disciples and Peter, he's going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you. Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb.

They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. You're listening to Living on the Edge. We'll get you back to our series, The Road to Calvary, in just a minute. But first, if this teaching has ministered to you, consider becoming a monthly partner. Your regular financial support goes a long way to help us encourage pastors, create resources, and share Jesus with today's youth. Visit LivingOnTheEdge.org today to learn how to support us. With that, here again is Chip.

Is that great? You know, we're living in a day when I hear people attack Christianity and talk about, you know, the teaching of the Bible, of male headship, or that a man, you know, called to cherish his wife, to give his life for his wife, to see her as a co-heir. Women's liberation was promoted most profoundly by the Son of God. If you were in a court of law during this time, a woman couldn't testify. And yet Jesus decides the first testimonies that will ever tell about the greatest miracle that has ever happened, Jesus rising from the dead, he decides he's going to tell women.

And not just women. One of them happened to be Mary Magdalene. You talk about a checkered past, a difficult past, a painful past, seven demons, and all the kind of stuff that went with it. It is as though the writer, directed by the Holy Spirit, just keeps wanting to tell all of us, God isn't who you think he is. God doesn't look at people the way you look at people. God cares for people. Everybody matters. Everyone's important. You all don't care about women. I'm going to give them the privilege of carrying my message. You don't care about children.

I'm going to take children. I'm going to put them in my arms and say, unless you can come to me like this, you can't even be a part of my kingdom. The kingdom of God is where the king rules. And Jesus came and the kingdom is here already, but not yet in its fullness. But the Sermon on the Mount and the Book of Mark is a journey where he says, the values that this king has is the opposite of the values in this world. Instead of power, it's servanthood.

Instead of getting, getting, getting and acquiring, it's giving. Instead of my way, my way, my way, it's concern for others. Be a servant. Notice what's going on in the lives of others. The way you gain your life is give it away. I just want you to make sure we don't just go through the resurrection story and talk about the women and this happened and now we know the story and we maybe have a good Easter service.

Oh, that's great. But let's not miss. Mark is telling a group of people who don't respect women, who view power as the most important thing ever, that this Jesus is different. He's the most powerful because he overcame sin, he overcame death, he overcame Satan and he can do whatever he wants.

He could have called down a legion of angels, but he doesn't. Because it's an old King James word. He was meek. And the word meek, don't confuse it at all with weak. The Greek word for meek means power under control. In the ancient world, it was used for a strong, powerful stallion after it was broken. And now it had all this power, but it was under control and was useful.

That's the model. Jesus said, you can come to me, all of you people and all your struggles and all your pain, when you're distressed, when you're downtrodden, when life's not working, when you're overwhelmed, come to me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. And then it's the discipleship moment.

And this is what this is all about. Take my yoke. It means come under my teaching and walk with me.

Take my yoke and learn from me. And then it's because of who he is, because I'm humble and lowly in heart, or the older translation, for I'm meek and lowly in heart. Result, you'll find rest for your souls. As we talk together on this day, and for many, yesterday was Resurrection Day, it was Easter Sunday, I wonder how many are really experiencing peace. In other words, what's the result of the resurrection? The forgiveness of your sin, power over the sin that even as a believer we still have. And Scripture says in John, he defeated, he destroyed the works of the devil. That's what I want you to get today, that the resurrection isn't just a great moment, a great celebration.

It's a reality that changes everything. Notice in verse 9, when Jesus rose early on the first day, he appeared to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping, when they heard that Jesus was alive and that she'd seen him, response. They didn't believe. I wonder how many people went to an Easter service this year, heard the story one more time. Have seen lives change, have heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit draw you, and you still don't believe.

Well, it seems like that's not all that unusual. Afterwards, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking the countryside. These returned and reported to the rest, but they didn't believe either. Later, Jesus appeared to the leaven as they were eating. He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

This is about a mission. He said, go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. And then this next section of the text, these early translations have this.

Some of the other translations don't, and so you may see a footnote in your Bible. Verse 16, whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name, they will drive out demons. They will speak in new tongues.

They will pick up snakes with their hands, and they will drink deadly poison, and it will not hurt them at all. They will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well. After the Lord had spoken to them, he was taken up to heaven, and he sat at the right hand of the Father. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by signs that accompanied it. And so here we have the resurrection.

He meets with them. He tells them and tells us, go into all the world and preach the gospel. And although the job is not even close to being done, it is amazing what's happened in the last 2,000 years that validate this. And I would just encourage some of you, don't get stuck on that last section of that passage.

The fact of the matter is, is that depending on how you view textual criticism, some people have strong beliefs that this was in the actual original and others don't. What we do know is some people have taken some of these things and grossly misused them. Here's what we know from Scripture.

Here's what we know from history. When God needs to intervene in a supernatural way to protect his people, to authenticate his word, and cause the gospel to go forth, he can do whatever he wants and he does. God can heal people. I have a friend who translates for people all around parts of Europe. I met with him and he's an amazing translator. And I said, hey, how'd you get so good? He goes, I don't tell a lot of people this. It's an unusual story.

I said, what's the unusual story? He said, well, this famous person, you know, pastor, evangelist type guy was coming to do a conference and the translator who was supposed to do it didn't show up. And I knew a tiny bit of English, but I couldn't speak it, couldn't understand it. And he comes from a more Pentecostal, charismatic background, worldview.

God does the supernatural on a regular basis. And so he said, you know, a couple of the older pastors got with me and said, you need to translate. We don't know any English at all. And you know a little. He said, so they prayed for me.

And we didn't say anything to him. So I went out there and he started speaking and I understood what he said. And I translated it. And he goes, I've been doing it ever since. And he goes, it was such a miraculous moment in my life. You know, I realized that now that I could translate English, I could actually in my country make quite a bit of money.

And I got lined up to do some translation and I took about one or two steps in that direction. And the Spirit of God said, I didn't give it to you for that. And he says, I only translate for Christian messages.

Why did I share that story? Because I just want some of you to know that God can do whatever he wants to authenticate his word and get the message forward. And I would also say that anyone who tests the Lord by grabbing snakes, drinking poison, that is a crazy, unbiblical practice that was never intended by any of these words, whether verses 16 through 20 were in the original text or not.

Here's what I can tell you in terms of application. I think there's something about the resurrection that some of us think about in a way that is unfortunately very unhealthy. We see the resurrection as sins being forgiven, receive Christ. Great.

Step one. But when Paul talks about the resurrection, when he teaches about how to walk and live out your faith, here's what he says. What shall we say then? I'm in Romans 6. Shall we go on sinning so grace may increase? And some of the opponents were saying, great, we'll sin a lot so we get a lot of grace. And he goes, what shall we say then? Can you go on sinning so grace may increase? And then he's, I mean, the grammar here is by no means.

Notice what he says. Here's the reality that happened. We died to sin.

How can we live any longer in it? Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus, in other words, when you trusted Christ, were also baptized into his death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life? Later, Paul will tell us that the same power that was in Jesus Christ raising him from the dead, that same spirit now lives in you and me as a follower of Christ. And so the resurrection isn't just my sins are forgiven. The resurrection is we have resurrection power to walk in newness of life, to live a pure life, to break addictions, to overcome prejudice, to treat women and children and people from all kinds of background regardless of where they are and what they've come from and the way that Jesus did. Because God doesn't see as man sees.

Man looks on the outward appearance. The Lord weighs the heart. This transformation, if any man, if any woman is in Christ, the scripture says you're a new creation.

You're an absolutely new person. The old, like someone going under baptismal water, the old passed away. You died with Christ.

Paul's theology is we're united with Christ in faith. And when he died, we died with him. And when he rose, we rose with him that he can live the life.

In your own energy, in your own power, by your own will, absolutely not. In the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit of God will take the Word of God as you're in it on a regular basis in the context of the community of God's people. We need each other. Jesus needed people. We need one another.

We need to do life in community. And his calling is to be on mission 24-7 by our words, our life, to love others and to preach the gospel with words and with actions. And Mark is telling us this is a journey, oh strong, powerful Roman culture. If you want to see power, it's Jesus. And the power comes through serving. And the way to life is die to yourself. And this is the love and this is the light that can transform any life of any single person on the face of the earth who would humble themselves, admit their sin, turn from it, receive the gift, and then with the Spirit of the living Christ living in them, walk as he walked. That's the gospel.

That's God's agenda. And you get to be a part of it. Lord Jesus, thank you for Mark. Thank you for Peter. Thank you for his time with Paul.

Thank you that we're getting to hear from someone who failed badly and you still used him greatly. That's a lot of us. Would you help us to follow you? You are God. You are Christ. You are Messiah. You have told us to follow you in service, to follow you in suffering, and to give our lives for the lives of others. We pray that you would grant us the grace and the faith and the courage to do that today and every day for your glory.

Amen. This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening to Chip's message, What the Resurrection Means to Me, which is from our series, The Road to Calvary. I'm Dave Drouie, and if you've missed any part of this teaching from the Gospel of Mark, go back and catch up through the Chip Ingram app or at livingontheedge.org. Chip's with me in studio now, and Chip, many of our listeners have heard you talk about becoming a financial partner with Living on the Edge but aren't sure how their support is actually making a difference. So take a minute, if you would, and share how the gifts we receive are having an impact on real people everywhere.

I'd be glad to, Dave. You know, I get letters, emails, and Facebook messages from people every day who tell me how Living on the Edge has impacted their life. People of all ages from, I mean, every walk of life. Many of those letters also share painful events, deep wounds, or hard times that people are wrestling with. Like many of us, they're pressing in, they're seeking God, and I'm deeply moved when they've taken the time to write and say thank you. Thanks for a message they've heard or a resource they've been using or, you know, seeing God work through His Word, and they understand Him, and the Holy Spirit is beginning to work in their life like never before. They aren't only thanking me or Living on the Edge.

They're thanking you. All of you that invest in this ministry and walk alongside us by praying for us daily, giving every month to keep the doors open, or giving to our matches once or twice a year to develop new resources and reach more people, these folks, they're thanking you too. And so I just want to pause and thank you for your financial investment in all that we do right here at Living on the Edge. And if you're listening and you've never given or didn't realize that we rely on contributions until just now, would you prayerfully consider giving financially to the ministry that we could keep creating new resources, keep helping people to be the kind of Christians that live like Christians? And let me say just thank you in advance for whatever God leads you to do.

You don't need to do more or less. We're just asking everyone, do your part, and we'll see God work. Well, as you prayerfully consider your role with this ministry, I want to remind you that every gift is significant, no matter the amount. When you partner with Living on the Edge, you support and multiply the ministry work we're doing all over the globe. Set up your monthly gift today by going to LivingOnTheEdge.org or by calling 888-333-6003. That's 888-333-6003 or visit LivingOnTheEdge.org. App listeners, tap donate. And let me thank you in advance for doing whatever the Lord leads you to give. Well, from all of us here, I'm Dave Drury, thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge, and I hope you'll join us again next time.