“Resurrected Hope: God’s Power in Our Weakness” | Mark 15:40-16:8 | The Gospel of Mark Series | Hillside Baptist Church

When we set out on a journey, we often underestimate the cost and overestimate our abilities.

We think we can handle the obstacles, navigate every turn, and maintain courage under pressure.

But the path is rarely as simple as we imagine.

Along the way, we stumble, we get lost, we lose our way, we falter, we grow weary, and we feel defeated, overwhelmed by waves of discouragement.

John Bunyan captures this reality so well in Pilgrim's Progress.

Christian, the main character, begins his journey full of hope and resolve, but before long he sinks into the slough of despond.

He is imprisoned by giant despair.

He doubts the road he's been called to walk.

Again and again, his progress is marked by weakness and fear.

Yet Bunyan reminds us that the journey doesn't end with failure.

Christian reaches the celestial city.

Not because he never stumbled, not because of anything else but the power of God working in him to carry him.

And we see this same truth in Mark's gospel.

From the beginning, Mark has shown us that discipleship is not a straight line upward.

Jesus calls his disciples, teaches them, reveals his glory to them, and still they misunderstand.

They argue about greatness, they resist his warnings about suffering, and when the pressure finally comes, they collapse.

Judas betrays, Peter denies, and all of them flee.

And now at the cross we have reached what looks like the end.

Jesus has breathed his last.

The darkness has lifted, the curtain has been torn, and a Roman centurion, an outsider, a Gentile, an executioner, stands beneath the cross and declares, truly this man was God's son.

It's a true confession, but it doesn't yet feel like victory.

The Son of God is still dead, the kingdom still appears defeated.

And the disciples, the ones who heard the promises, saw the miracles, and pledged their loyalty, are nowhere to be found.

We now come to the end of Mark's gospel.

As we close this series out, I want you to notice what Mark is doing here.

He doesn't follow the centurion, he doesn't gather the disciples back together.

Instead, he shifts our attention to the edges of the scene, to those who remain.

When the excitement has faded and the cost has become clear.

What we will see in our passage today is that Mark deliberately slows the story down as it comes to a close.

In fact, he doesn't even give us the kind of resolution that we might expect.

And it's right here, in weakness, confusion, and apparent failure, that God brings life out of what looks like the end.

Let's turn together in our Bibles to Mark chapter 15, verse 40.

Mark 15:40

And before we read God's word, let's go to Him in prayer.

Father in heaven, as we turn to your word this morning, as we read about not just the death of your Son Jesus, but even greater than that, his resurrection.

Let it bring us to pure worship.

God, let us see with fresh eyes the glory of the resurrection, that it would spur us to something new, that it would transform us.

God, we ask for your Holy Spirit's help in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Mark chapter fifteen, beginning with verse forty.

And there were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James the Less, and Joseph and Salome, who when he was in Galilee were following him and serving him, and there were many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Now let's stop there for a moment.

Up to this point, none of Jesus' twelve disciples have remained.

Judas has betrayed him, Peter has denied him, and the rest have fled.

And yet here at the cross, Mark draws our attention to some unlikely characters, those who, while fearful, have not completely abandoned him.

First we are told of Mary Magdalene, and that is not her last name, but a reference to where she is from, Magdala, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Luke 8.2 tells us that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her.

She is a woman whose life had once been marked by deep spiritual bondage, and yet here she is, remaining with Jesus, when so many others have gone.

Next, Mark mentions Mary, the mother of James the Less and Joseph.

Some have suggested that this could be Mary, the mother of Jesus.

After all, Mark 6.3 names James and Joseph as sons of Mary and half-brothers of Jesus.

However, that identification is unlikely.

Throughout the Gospel, Mark consistently identifies Jesus' mother simply as Mary, or as the mother of Jesus.

It would be unusual to say the least for Mark to now identify her by the lesser-known names of two of her sons.

Matthew's Gospel also helps us here, referring to this woman at the tomb as the other Mary, which strongly suggests she is distinct from Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In addition, the names James and Joseph were extremely common in the first century.

Then Mark mentions Salome.

Matthew tells us that she was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John.

This is the same woman who once asked Jesus that her sons might sit at his right and at his left hand in glory.

Now, instead of standing near a throne, she stands near a cross.

Mark tells us something important about all three of these women.

Verse 41 says that they followed Jesus and ministered to him when he was in Galilee.

And he adds that they were among many women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

And the language that Mark uses here is deliberate.

These women had persistently followed Jesus.

They had continually served him.

This is true discipleship language, and it stands in stark contrast to the men who had pledged their loyalty and then fled when the cost became clear.

And yet, notice how Mark makes a point to say that the women were watching from a distance.

That phrase should sound familiar.

It's the same language Mark used earlier of Peter, when he followed Jesus at a distance on the night of his denial.

These women are faithful, yes, but it is still imperfectly expressed in weakness.

Their faith is real, but they are still overwhelmed by fear, confusion, and grief.

They remain, but only at a distance.

The main point here isn't be brave like these women.

Rather, Mark shows us what discipleship looks like when courage has drained away and all that remains is fearful faith.

Faithfulness doesn't mean fearlessness.

We all need to be reminded of that sometimes, especially if you've been following Christ for decades, but now find yourself following from a distance because of loss, physical weakness, disappointment, or lingering guilt.

But praise God, he meets us in our weakness.

He remains faithful even when our faith is trembling.

Let's continue with verses forty two through forty-seven.

And when evening had already come, because it was preparation day, that is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, came, a prominent council member, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

And Pilate wondered if he had died by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether he had already died.

In ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

And when Joseph had bought a linen cloth and took him down, he wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock.

And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

And Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joseph, were looking on to see where he had been laid.

Once again, Mark draws our attention to an unlikely character, Joseph of Arimathea.

He's a member of the Sanhedrin, the very council that condemned Jesus.

And yet here he is, stepping forward in a risky, public act of faith.

Luke tells us that he did not agree with the council's verdict.

And Mark says that he was looking for the kingdom of God.

In other words, Joseph had been longing for the coming reign of God, and in Jesus he saw a reason to act on that faith.

So as we consider this moment, we can imagine the tension.

The disciples have all fled.

Even after John the Baptist was executed, some of his followers had the courage to care for his body.

But here, with Jesus' death, no one else is willing to act.

And so Joseph steps forward.

And nothing about this is safe.

He has a reputation to uphold.

His request is public and costly.

It identifies him with Jesus, who in the eyes of his colleagues was their enemy.

Mark notes that Joseph asked Pilate for Jesus' body, and under Roman law, Pilate had the final say over a condemned man's corpse.

Pilate, surprised at how quickly Jesus had died, grants the request.

And so Joseph takes the body and prepares it for burial.

We see him purchasing linen, wrapping Jesus' body, and placing it in his own tomb, a rock cut family tomb, carefully prepared and sealed with a large stone.

All of this was done in a careful, loving, and reverent way to honor Jesus.

The Gospel writer John tells us that Nicodemus, the Pharisee, also helped by bringing burial spices.

But Mark's gospel emphasizes Joseph, this one man stepping forward when all others have stepped back.

We often think of faithful obedience in terms of what we can accomplish.

However, faithful obedience often looks like acting when it matters most.

Joseph acts after Jesus is dead, after the cross, after failure has surrounded him.

Yet God meets his act of faith with the opportunity to serve the Messiah.

And there's a lesson to take away here.

Obedience late is still obedience.

It doesn't matter how old you are or what you may have done in your past, it's never too late to become a disciple of Jesus, so long as you're still alive.

Whether it's placing your faith in Christ truly for the first time, or even if you've been walking with Him for many years, obedience late is still obedience, and God honors that.

For some of you here, you live with regret.

You didn't expect to grow old so fast, you didn't expect your body to fail you so soon.

You didn't expect your days with loved ones to be so limited.

You wish you could have done more, especially when it comes to serving God's kingdom.

Maybe as a new Christian, you imagined doing great things for the kingdom to make a real impact.

But now as you look back, you wish you were more intentional with your time.

You wish you were bolder in your faith.

But our gospel writer Mark reminds us that God keeps late our servants.

God honors faith, even when it comes after failure, hesitation, or fear.

Joseph of Arimathea is a model of courageous, costly, but faithful discipleship.

He reminds us that discipleship isn't always dramatic or triumphant.

Sometimes it's quiet, costly, and comes when the world seems darkest.

And yet, even in those moments, God is at work, setting the stage for restoration, hope, and a new life.

Let's close out with Mark sixteen, one through eight.

And when the Sabbath passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might come and anoint him.

And very early on the first day of the week they came to the tomb when the sun had risen, and they were saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?

And looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was very large.

And entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, wearing a white robe, and they were amazed.

And he said to them, Do not be amazed, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified.

He has risen, he is not here.

Behold the place where they laid him, but go, tell his disciples and Peter, he is going ahead of you to Galilee.

There you will see him just as he told you.

And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment were gripping them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

And so we won't be spending much time at all on those verses today.

That leaves us with verse 8, which can feel abrupt and even perplexing.

But before we get there, let's pause to notice the best part of the entire story.

The three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Saloon, make their way back to the tomb.

They had waited until sunset for the Sabbath to end, carefully preparing spices and oils to anoint Jesus' body.

By the time they arrive, it's sunrise, and their first thought, the stone, how will they possibly move this huge heavy stone that seals the tomb?

There are no men to help them, no male disciples who have all fled in fear, and yet when they reach the entrance, they find that the stone has already been moved.

God has already acted.

The obstacle that seemed insurmountable is no longer a problem.

They worry about a problem already solved by God.

And how often do we do the same thing?

I can't tell you how many times I have spent$10 on a 10 cent problem.

We're stressed about something that never even came to pass?

How often do we spend hours, days, even years worrying about problems that God has already solved?

How often do we let fear, doubt, or past failures keep us from stepping forward in faith when God has already rolled away the stone?

The women came expecting difficulty, expecting the impossible, and they find God's power already at work.

But the stone is just the beginning.

As the women enter the tomb, they are met with pure astonishment.

The body of Jesus is gone, and in his place, a young man, an angel of the Lord, dazzling in white, gives them the message that will change everything.

Do not be amazed, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified.

He has risen, he's not here.

Behold the place where they laid him.

But go, tell his disciples and Peter, he is going ahead of you to Galilee.

There you will see him just as he told you.

He has risen.

Three words that changed everything, three words that transformed history, three words that still carry power today.

He is alive.

This Jesus who was crucified, who was pierced, who hung dead on a Roman cross, has been raised from the dead, not resuscitated temporarily like Lazarus, not as if his life would one day return back to the grave.

No.

This is the resurrection of the crucified Messiah.

He is Alive forevermore.

And the significance cannot be overstated.

As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection is the keystone of the Christian faith.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.

You are still in your sins.

In other words, if Jesus remained dead, our hope is dead too.

Every promise of God, every assurance of forgiveness, every hope of eternal life, all of it collapses without the resurrection.

But He is risen, and that changes everything.

Death has been defeated.

The grave no longer has the final word.

Our ultimate enemy, the one that we all fear, has been conquered by the Son of God.

Sin has been defeated.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has paid the penalty for our rebellion and restored us to God.

Our failures have been redeemed.

The disciples, they fled.

Remember, Peter denied him.

Even Joseph came late.

And yet the resurrection proves that failure never disqualifies those whom God calls.

Even in weakness, even in fear, even in doubt, God's power brings life.

The resurrection isn't just some historical fact to admire.

The resurrection is transformative power.

It changes how we live, how we follow, and how we hope.

It's a call to renewed discipleship.

It says to every follower of Jesus: no matter your past failures, your lingering doubts, your fear, Jesus is alive and he is calling you forward.

So when we hear the angel say, He is risen, we are hearing the good news of restoration, hope, and victory.

Hallelujah.

It's the declaration that the story of failure doesn't have the final word.

God's story of redemption is held in the hands of the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is both the beginning and the end, who transforms death into life and despair into hope.

Notice some other remarkable things here as well.

First, the angel's words are about restoration.

He says, Go, tell his disciples, and Peter.

Peter is singled out, not to shame him, but to restore him.

The very man who denied Jesus is called by name to follow him yet again.

This shows us that our failures do not disqualify us from God's kingdom.

His grace is sufficient in our weakness.

And though our sins are many, his mercy is more.

Second, fear and silence are not the final word.

If we look at only verse eight, it might appear that way.

The women fled from the tomb, trembling and gripped by astonishment, saying nothing to anyone, and afraid.

But in the words, he is going ahead of you to Galilee, there you will see him just as he told you.

Jesus not only delivers his promise, he points them to their next mission as his disciples.

Galilee was the place where it all began.

And it will be the place where they begin the next adventure on their grand journey of discipleship.

It's the start of something new.

Finally, notice that the resurrection is God centered, not man-centered.

From start to finish, this story is about God's power breaking into a world of weakness, failure, and despair.

Christ's triumph doesn't depend on us.

He is risen.

That simple declaration changes everything.

The tomb is empty, the stone is rolled away.

Christ is alive, and he is calling us forward here and now as his church.

The women trembled and were bewildered at the empty tomb.

They faced fear, uncertainty, and obstacles they could not overcome on their own.

And yet God met them in that moment.

He transformed their fear into purpose, their confusion into mission.

Their story reminds us that resurrection power isn't dependent on courage or perfection, just dependency on God Himself.

Church, we need that same hope today.

We're small, our numbers are dwindling, many of us are limited in strength and energy, and the future looks uncertain.

But just as Christ overcame death, he can revive this church.

Because he lives, Hillside Baptist Church can be brought back to vibrant life again.

We are called to live faithfully, to worship him with all our hearts, to proclaim the gospel clearly, and to be salt and light in our community.

We are called to love God, make disciples, serve our neighbors, and shine his light in Pembroke and beyond.

And while growth and blessing are in God's hands, our obedience is in ours.

Our faithful action, praying, serving, loving, reaching, that's the seed that God uses to bring about life.

The resurrection reminds us that faithfulness does not require fearlessness.

Obedience late is still obedience.

Courage doesn't have to be perfect.

God can use small, trembling acts of faith to accomplish great things.

So today we take our next step together.

We commit to being a church centered on Christ, driven by the gospel, shining as salt and light in our community, even when it feels like the odds are against us.

We commit to serving, loving, and reaching our neighbors, trusting that God will do what only He can do.

Our failures, our limitations, our fear, they don't have the final word.

Christ does.

His resurrection transforms what seems dead back to life again.

So by the grace of God, let's unite like never before.

Let's serve with hope.

Let's step forward in faith, trusting the same power that rolled away the stone, and knowing that he is not finished with Hillside Baptist Church.

The story isn't over.

The mission isn't complete.

The best is yet to come.

Go, love, serve, reach, make disciples, shine as salt and light, all because he lives.

Let's pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that your Holy Spirit would move in us this morning, that you would give us a new found love for you and for our neighbors and for your church.

God, we pray that we would be equipped and empowered by your Holy Spirit to carry out everything that you have commanded us to do as your people.

And God, we pray that you would bear much fruit in our personal lives, in our church, and that you would bring about generations of faithfulness.

We know that this is not in our own strength, in our own power, and our own determination.

Has nothing to do with whatever we can scheme up.

God, all of this is truly dependent on you.

Give us fervent prayer.

Drive us to our knees.

Because we are reminded that all of this comes from you and it is for you, for your glory.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.