Who Moved the Stone? 4-9-23

Mark 16:1-7, NLT

Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise they went to the tomb. On the way, they were asking each other, “who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.

When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.

Who wants to go inside a tomb? What does that tell us?

1.The culture and what was normal then was very different than our culture and what is normal now. This is a good thing to remember when you read the Bible.

2. The women expected Jesus body to be there.

A young man clothed in white = He was an ANGEL . Angels have some different roles to play in the Bible:

1. MESSENGERS.
Luke 1:26-28 Gabriel comes to tell Mary she would be the Mother of Jesus.

  1. PROTECTORS.
    Psalm 91:9-11, NLT For if you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he (God) will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
  2. WORSHIPPERS.
    Hebrews 1:6, NLT And when he brought his supreme Son (Jesus) into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him”.
  3. WARRIORS.
    Michael, the Archangel, is described in the books of Daniel, Jude and Revelation. Revelations 12:7-8, NLT Then there was a war in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle and he and his angels were forced out of heaven.

The Message the Angel brought:

1. Don’t be afraid.
2. I know who you are looking for–he isn’t here he is ALIVE!

3. Go tell the disciples.
4. Include Peter
5. Jesus will do what he told you he would do.

John 11:25, NLT

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this Martha?”

What is YOUR answer?

REFERENCES: https://faithinthenews.com/4-important-roles-angels-bible/

John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985)

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