Christ Is Risen! He Is Not Here. He Is here!
Click here to listen to this sermon. “ And [the angel] said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you’ ” (Mark 16:6–7). Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah! Amen. St. Mark brings us a puzzling picture in our text. Did you notice how his resurrection account is different from the other Gospel writers in a significant way? What is different? There is no Jesus. There is no sighting of Him. St. Mark reports to us that people are talking about Jesus’ resurrection, but there still is no Jesus. This is troubling. It sounds like a myth in its infant stages. Could it be? If we do not see Jesus with our own eyes, did He really rise from the dead? You can see where this might lead, can’t you? When one questions Jesus’ resurrection, then the cruci...