July 30, 2021 – Mark 14-16

The time of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the plot to kill Jesus. The people turned against him. Even Peter denied him. Sure, the enemies of Jesus succeeded, in the short term, in reaching their goal.

In his Pentecost sermon, Peter correctly interpreted these events: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know--this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:22-24). Dead, at the hands of his enemies, but raised to life, in order, by his death, to redeem a great people for himself. Yes!

And, so, when Mary and Salome got to the tomb that Sunday morning, they saw that Jesus was not there! And the young man sitting there explained, “tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee, just as he told you” (16:7). And because of him, we sing:

Alleluia, alleluia,

alleluia, alleluia!

O sons and daughters of the King,

whom heavenly hosts in glory sing,

today the grave has lost its sting.

Alleluia! --Jean Tisserand; Translator: J. M. Neale