By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, April 24, 2011 · Easter
Sermon Text: Mark 16:1-8
Sermon Theme
Jesus’ grave was made secure by the fact that a large stone had been rolled across the entrance to the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea no doubt wanted to prevent any desecration of the body. Yet for the women coming on the first Easter morning to anoint Jesus’ body the stone was a tremendous barrier. None the less the image of a great stone is well established in the Old Testament. More than a problem, the stone has represented both God’s promises and his power.
Sermon Outline
- Problem. When that Sabbath was over Jesus had been in the grave three days according to Jewish reckoning. With the ending of the Sabbath, stores had opened in the evening and the women had purchased spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Early the next morning as they were on their way to the tomb they had to raise the inevitable question about the stone. “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” (Mark 16:3). The stone for them represented a barrier, a major problem in carrying out their intended act of devotion. The image of a “very large” stone (Mark 16:4) is a powerful symbol. In our lives, including even the spiritual part of life, we often encounter very large stones which block and obstruct us. These “stones” can be problems of health, family relations, work, school or personal issues such as doubt and fear. The “stones” can appear to be blocking our way even to Jesus. We have no way of removing them. Yet throughout history God has rolled away the large stones. He empowers Jacob to roll away the stone at Rachel’s well (Genesis 29:1-12). Part of the Easter message is that the very large stones in our lives will not last.
- Promise. A large stone is not only an obstacle. It can be a sign of God’s promise. Moses commands the people of Israel “to set up large stones” when they come into the promised land (Deuteronomy 27:1-2). On these large stones they were to write all the words of God’s law (Deuteronomy 27:3). Having done so they were to set up an altar and offer burnt offerings, eating and rejoicing before the Lord (Deuteronomy 27:6-7). Moses concludes his instructions with the admonition that they were to write all the words of God’s law “very clearly” (Deuteronomy 27:8). God’s law is ultimately a word of promise. Our failure to keep the law doesn’t negate that fact. God’s law is also God’s Word. The God who is revealed in the law is the God who brought Israel “out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:1). The large stones with God’s law written “very clearly” on them were a statement of the abiding promises of God. We can depend on those promises. We can act on them. No promise was greater than that God would one day raise up a great prophet who would speak everything that God commands (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). The greatest promise about this coming prophet is that he would rise from the dead (John 1:45; Mark 10:33-34).
- Power. A large stone is also a symbol of God’s power. At one point the Philistines,in battle with Israel, took from them the ark of the covenant which contained God’s law. They offered the ark as a gift to their god Dagon. Yet after bringing the ark before the statue of their god they later came in and found the statue lying on the floor with its head and hands cut off. The people then were afflicted with illnesses (I Samuel 5:1-7). In great distress the Philistines send the ark back in a cart. The Levites set the ark upon “a large stone.” The people of Israel celebrated offering sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord (I Samuel 6:13-15). This large stone symbolizes the power of God revealed in the ark of the covenant (the influence of this story is clearly seen in Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark). We continually underestimate the power of God. That power is in no way dependent upon us. The women at the tomb only see the stone as a barrier. Yet God’s Word reveals the very large stone to be a symbol of promise and power. The destiny of the stone is revealed fully on Easter morning.
Questions for Us
- What are some of the large stones in our lives which seem to be a barrier to our drawing close to Jesus?
- How does it help us to think of God’s Word written “very clearly” on large stones? Why are we so often unaware of God’s promises in Scripture?
- What encouragement do we receive from the power of God revealed throughout Scripture and climaxing in the Resurrection?
