Text: Mark 16:1-8
In 1998, United States Journalist Lee Strobel released the book, “The Case for Christ.” The book resulted from Mr. Strobel’s years of research looking for proof that Christianity’s claims about Jesus were legitimate. Like a good investigative journalist, the book lays out evidence for the accuracy of the Bible, evidence outside of Christian writings that supported its claims, and answers to key questions like, “Is there any reason to believe that the resurrection was an actual event?” What is interesting is that Mr. Strobel was an atheist at the start of his project and he aimed to prove that Christianity’s claims about Jesus were NOT true. However, through his research, the information he found proved to him that Jesus was real and the claims about him were true. It brought him to faith and Mr. Strobel is a Christian to this day.
The gospel of Mark has a very different version of the resurrection, one that Mr. Strobel would have found disappointing. Unlike the other gospels, Mark gives little evidence that Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus doesn’t make an appearance – not to Mary or the women, not on the road to Emmaus or in the room where the disciples touched the wounds on his crucified body. All Mark’s account tells us is that a young man tells the three women Jesus is not in the tomb. And Mark’s account tells us that the three women were so terrified at what they saw and heard that they went away and said nothing because they were afraid. Mark’s Easter account provides us with little proof that this story is true. Instead, we are left with only a promise: “Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee and is waiting for you, just as he told you.”
I think many of us are like Mr. Strobel, and we insist upon a “Case for Christ” – that everything must be proven before we can believe, before we can speak, before we can act. A promise seems to be very little, especially when we consider how untrustworthy promises are in our current times. We need proof, we want facts. Yet, what do we miss out on when we only insist on proof?
I remember an older gentleman who had come to me quite regularly to talk about the Bible and theology. This man was quite intelligent, well-read, and knowledgeable about Christianity. His father was a pastor, and while the man did not feel called to ministry himself, he was no less interested in Christianity. Our conversations were quite extensive – we talked about systematic theology, the meaning of various passages and books in the Bible, Christian ethics, and worship theology, to name a few. I will admit that the conversations challenged me because this man’s knowledge often exceeded my own. However, he would also talk to me about his struggles – trying to relate to his wife, his dissatisfaction with his work, and even questions about the church. At the end of these conversations, I would ask, “What do you think God is leading you to do? How do you think what you know about Jesus might help you?” He would always reply, “I don’t know, and to be honest, I’m too afraid of what might happen if I try something.”
The power of the Resurrection is not found in the certainty of facts. It is in the good news that “Jesus is risen, he has gone ahead of you and is waiting for you, just as he promised.” The power of the Resurrection is the promise that there is nothing Jesus hasn’t experienced before you, and there is nothing that Jesus hasn’t overcome – suffering, persecution, temptation, and even death. Promise, not information, moves us to faith and it is faith, not proof, that raises us out of our fear of the unknown, suffering, and death. Because of faith, we can speak, we can act, we can believe, and we can LIVE – because of the promise that Jesus lives.
For those facing illness and disease,
For those held captive by addiction or temptation,
For those who are lonely or isolated,
For those who long for meaning in their lives - have faith and live.
And for all of us, who feel hopeless and cynical in a world of injustice, violence, and death – have faith and live!
Christ is risen. He has gone ahead of you and is waiting for you. Alleluia! Amen.