An Empty Tomb and Reluctant Witnesses ( Mark 16:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

On Easter Sunday we have a combined service with the Antioch Korean church which also use our church buildings on Sunday. The service is done in Korean and English and also as St Peter's is a multi cultural congregation, we had the words for the call to worship, the Lord's Prayer and the Blessing in Maori, Samoan and Tongan  and people were encouraged to use which ever language was closest to their heart.  We had hoped for more languages but many of our families chose to celebrate Easter in a very Kiwi way by going away for the last holiday weekend before winter. for the Third time ever I preached in English and was translated into Korean, this time by Pastor James Park from Antioch Korean church...(I've simply posted the English version and then the English Korean interlinear after it).  All these languages on Easter Sunday reminds us of how important the message of the empty tomb is and how important for the whole world that we are willing to witness to the fact that "he is risen, He is risen indeed). 

The Gospel of Mark reads very much like a mystery story. Mark starts by telling us that this is the beginning of the good news about Jesus the messiah and the Son of God… then in his fast paced telling of Jesus ministry and life, from his baptism by john to his crucifixion, you are invited to explore the question ‘who is Jesus?’ for yourself.  We along with the disciples and the crowd round Jesus are amazed and astounded at what Jesus says and does.  Who is this Jesus? What does it mean that he is the messiah, and the son of God?

That comes to a crescendo and a climax at the crucifixion, with the declaration of the Roman centurion. If you were to think of the gospel in cinematic terms, like a movie, the centurion stares in to the camera lens and locks eyes with us, what movie makers call breaking the fourth wall, and says “surely this was the son of God!” if the centurion can come to that conclusion on simply the scene at the cross, then what is our conclusion as we have walked with Jesus through the gospel.

The burial of Jesus and the actions of the women who had followed him and witnessed his death might then feel like a postscript a way to round out the story. Except the story does not end there and we are presented with one more amazing witness to who Jesus is, an empty tomb… and the amazing news about what that means…“Don’t be alarmed, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.” 

Three women who had been close to Jesus, had waited out the uneasy rest and inactivity of the Sabbath, and now at the first light of the first day of the week they set off to finish the task of preparing Jesus Body. Normally this would have been done before the burial, but we are told that as the day was ending, and it was Sabbath the next day they had only been able to do the bare minimum for him.

There is a sense that they are driven by both devotion; wanting to do the right thing for the one who had done so much for them, and grief; that they have lost the one who was so important to them. That sense of grief comes to the fore as it is only as they are coming with their spices to the tomb, that they start to think who will roll the stone away for us. Tomb’s were sealed with large stones to stop them being opened and reused illegally by other people.

There is no expectation for these women other than that Jesus is dead and they find themselves in the hopeless situation of what to do with the stone.  We are invited to share in the surprise of the women, they were not expecting that. They go in Jesus body is not there. They encounter rather a young man dressed in white. For Mark’s first century Jewish readers this would have told them he was an angel, but that is downplayed to emphasise his amazing news. ‘Jesus the Nazarene is risen he is not here!’

The women are invited to see the place where they laid him! Then go and tell the disciples and Peter, ‘he is going ahead of you into galilee. There you will see him Just as he told you.”

Mark does not mention the earthquake or the angels rolling the stone away, he wants to focus on the facts. None of the gospels tell us the how of the resurrection happened, which is the one thing I guess our twenty first century minds would love to know, we are simply left to see the stone rolled away and the empty tomb as an act of God. An act we only understand through a divine messenger, who tells us this is God at work… Jesus is risen. An act that has formed the basis of Christian proclamation of the Good news of Jesus Christ for two Millennium ‘Jesus is risen, he is risen indeed.”

Mark finishes his account, by telling us that the women fled the empty tomb and didn’t tell anyone because they were afraid. There is irony in this as in Mark’s gospel people who Jesus healed  are told not to tell others about what Jesus has done, but do tell and here the women who are asked to tell of the empty tomb stay quite.

Maybe we can understand their reluctance as witnesses. They have not yet meet and seen and touched the risen Lord. In Jewish Society women’s testimony was not deemed reliable. Would they be believed? 

Perhaps their reluctance reflects a bit of our own. The empty tomb is a God event. It calls us to have faith. That Jesus own words about himself that he would die and be raised to life again are true.  To tell of the empty tomb is to acknowledge God’s witness to Jesus as his Son. Is to acknowledge the truth of all that Jesus life and death and resurrection has done for us, That God sent his son into this world to save us, to tell of his kingdom and demonstrate its reality in his healings, that he died on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven, that  we can be reconciled to God, and in being raise to life, that death and sin are defeated, that we too can know new and abundant life. The empty tomb changes everything.

While Mark chooses to finish his account of the resurrection there, we know that the women did not stay quite, that they did what they were told and went to the disciples and to Peter with the good news. Peter and John came to the tomb that day and found the amazing truth that it was empty. There is some debate over whether the second half of Mark 16, verses 9-20 are a later addition, but they tell us of Mary Magdalene meeting the risen Jesus Christ.  An account of which we have in John’s gospel.  Where she is only convinced that Jesus has risen when she hears her voice. Mark tells us that she was not believed, at first. Mark also mentions the two on the road to Emmaus that Luke also tells us about. Then gives an account of Jesus meeting his disciples in galilee and giving them the great commission. Of course, in the other passage that we had read out to us today from 1 Corinthians 15 Paul gives us a run down of the many witnesses to Jesus resurrection, and in typical Jewish legal fashion he does not include the women.

You and I are also witnesses to the empty tomb and the risen Jesus. Two thousand years later the reality of Jesus death on the cross and the empty tomb are still impacting and changing lives. The Risen Christ still goes before us and meet with us by the Holy spirit, in a way that we know that he is alive. The facts and reality of the empty tomb are still here today and inviting people to answer Mark's question who is this Jesus, what does it mean that he is the messiah the son of God.  And we are commanded to witness to the empty tomb in our words and our lives. 

The empty tomb and the reluctant witnesses (Mark 16:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8)

빈무덤과 주저하는 목격자들

The Gospel of Mark reads very much like a mystery story.

마가복음은 신비한 이야기와 아주 흡사합니다.

Mark starts by telling us that this is the beginning of the good news about Jesus the messiah and the Son of God…

마가는 “하나님의 아들 예수 그리스도의 복음의 시작이라”는 말로 복음서를 시작합니다.

then in his fast paced telling of Jesus ministry and life, from his baptism by john to his crucifixion, you are invited to explore the question ‘who is Jesus?’ for yourself. 

그러면서 세례 요한에 의한 세례로부터 십자가의 죽음에 이르는 예수의 사역과 생애를 빠르게 이야기 하면서 여러분들로 자신에게 “예수는 누구신가?”라는 질문을 탐구하도록 이끕니다.

We along with the disciples and the crowd round Jesus are amazed and astounded at what Jesus says and does.  

우리는 예수님의 제자들과 주위에 있던 군중들처럼 예수님이 무엇을 말씀하시고 행하셨는가에  경탄하고 놀라워 합니다.

Who is this Jesus? What does it mean that he is the messiah, and the son of God?

이 예수는 누구십니까? 그분이 메시아요 하나님의 아들인 것이 무엇을 의미합니까?

That comes to a crescendo and a climax at the crucifixion, with the declaration of the Roman centurion.

이 질문은 로마 백부장의 고백으로 십자가의 죽음에서 최고조와 절정에 이르게 됩니다.

If you were to think of the gospel in cinematic terms, like a movie,

만일 여러분이 영화적인 측면에서 복음서를 생각했다면, 하나의 영화처럼

the centurion stares in to the camera lens and locks eyes with us, what movie makers call breaking the fourth wall,

제 4의 벽을 허물기, 즉 영화제작자가 관객과 배우 사이의 가상의 벽을 허물기라고 칭하는 것으로, 백부장은 카메라 렌즈를 응시하고 우리와 눈을 고정시킵니다,

and says “surely this was the son of God!”

그리고 “이 사람은 진실로 하나님의 아들이었도다” 라고 말합니다.

 if the centurion can come to that conclusion on simply the scene at the cross,

만일 백부장이 십자가의 장면에서 단순하게 그런 결론에 도달할 수 있다면,

then what is our conclusion as we have walked with Jesus through the gospel.

복음서를 통해 예수님과 동행했던 우리로서 우리의 결론은 무엇일까요?

The burial of Jesus and the actions of the women who had followed him and witnessed his death might then feel like a postscript a way to round out the story.

예수님의 장사됨과, 예수님을 따르고 그의 죽음을 목격했던 여인들의 행동은 이 이야기를 완성시키는 하나의 해설, 하나의 방식처럼 느낄 것입니다.

Except the story does not end there

이야기는 거기서 끝나지 않고

 and we are presented with one more amazing witness to who Jesus is, an empty tomb…

예수님이 누구신가에 대한 또 하나의 놀라운 증거인 빈무덤을 우리에게 제공합니다.

and the amazing news about what that means…

그리고 그것이 무엇을 의미하는지에 대한 놀라운 소식 입니다.

“Don’t be alarmed, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.” 

이 놀라운 소식은 “놀라지 말라, 너희가 십자가에 못 박히신 나사렛 예수를 찾는구나. 그는 살아나셨고 여기 계시지 아니하니라.(막 16:6)”라는 것입니다.

Three women who had been close to Jesus, had waited out the uneasy rest and inactivity of the sabbath,

예수님과 가까이 했던 세명의 여인들은 안식일 동안 편하게 쉬지도 못하고 활동도 할 수 없이 기다려야 했습니다.

 and now at the first light of the first day of the week they set off to finish the task of preparing Jesus Body.

그리고 안식 후 첫날 첫 새벽에 예수님의 시신을 위해 준비한 것을 완료하기 위해 출발했습니다.

Normally this would have been done before the burial,

보통 이 일은 장사되기 전에 행해져야 했겠지만

but we are told that as the day was ending, and it was sabbath the next day they had only been able to do the bare minimum for him.

날은 이미 저물었고 다음날은 안식일이였기에 그들이 할 수 있는 것은 예수의 시신을 천으로 싸는 것뿐이었습니다.

There is a sense that they are driven by both devotion;

그녀들이 이끌린 것은 두 가지 측면의 헌신입니다.  

wanting to do the right thing for the one who had done so much for them, and grief; that they have lost the one who was so important to them.

그들을 위하여 많은 일을 행하신 분을 위해 올바른 것을 하길 원하는 마음과, 비통함, 곧 그녀들에게 아주 소중했던 분을 잃었다는 깊은 슬픔입니다.

 That sense of grief comes to the fore as it is only as they are coming with their spices to the tomb, that they start to think who will roll the stone away for us.

그런 비통함은 여인들로 향품을 가지고 무덤을 향하여 가면서 조차 ‘누가 우리를 위해 돌을 굴려 줄 수 있을까’를 생각하는 것에 주목하게 했습니다.

Tomb’s were sealed with large stones to stop them being opened and reused illegally by other people.

무덤은  여인들이 열지도 못하고, 다른 사람들에 의해 불법적으로 재사용하지 못하도록 큰 바위로 막혀 있었습니다. 

There is no expectation for these women other than that Jesus is dead and they find themselves in the hopeless situation of what to do with the stone. 

그녀들에게는 예수님은 돌아가셨다는 것과 자신들은 그 큰 바위를 어떻게 해야할 지 모르는 절망적인 상황속에 있는 모습을 볼 뿐 어떤 기대도 없었습니다.

We are invited to share in the surprise of the women, they were not expecting that.

그러나, 여인들이 기대하지 못했던 놀라운 사건에 참여하도록 우리를 이끕니다.

They go in(, but) Jesus body is not there.

그녀들은 무덤속에 들어갔지만, 예수님의 시신은 거기에 없었습니다.

They encounter rather a young man dressed in white.

다만 그녀들은 흰 옷 입은 젊은 사람과 마주칩니다.

For Mark’s first century Jewish readers this would have told them he was an angel,

마가가 살았던 일세기 유대인 독자들에게는 그가 천사였다고 알려졌습니다.

but that is downplayed to emphasise his amazing news. ‘Jesus the Nazarene is risen he is not here!’

그러나, 그 사실은 그가 전한 놀라운 소식, “나사렛 예수는 살아나셨고, 여기에 계시지 아니하다”라는 것을 강조하기 위함입니다. 

The women are invited to see the place where they laid him!

여인들에게는 그들이 예수님을 두었던 그 장소를 보도록 초청되었습니다.

Then go and tell the disciples and Peter, ‘he is going ahead of you into galilee. There you will see him just as he told you.”

그리고 가서 제자들과 베드로에게 전하라는 것입니다. “예수께서 너희보다 먼저 갈릴리로 가시나니, 전에 말씀하신 대로 너희가 거기서 뵈오리라.”

Mark does not mention the earthquake or the angels rolling the stone away, he wants to focus on the facts, (Jesus’s resurrection and the empty tomb).

마가는 지진이나 천사들이 돌을 굴려놓은 것을 언급하지 않습니다. 다만 그는 (예수님이 부활하셨고 무덤은 비어 있었다는)그 사실에 초점을 두는 것입니다.

None of the gospels tell us the how of the resurrection happened,

어떤 복음서도 어떻게 부활이 일어났는지 우리에게 말하지 않습니다.

which is the one thing I guess our twenty first century minds would love to know,

내가 생각하기에 이것은21세기를 살아가는 우리들이 그것을 알고 싶어하는 것 일수도 있습니다.

(but) we are simply left to see the stone rolled away and the empty tomb as an act of God.

하지만, 우리에게 단순히 남겨진 것은 하나님의 한 일하심으로써 옮겨진 돌과 빈 무덤을 보는 것입니다.

An act we only understand through a divine messenger, who tells us this is God at work… Jesus is risen.

하나님이 일하신다라고 우리에게 전해주는 하나님의 사자를 통하여 우리가 이해하는 이 일하심은  “예수님은 부활하셨다”는 것입니다.

An act that has formed the basis of Christian proclamation of the Good news of Jesus Christ for two Millennium ‘Jesus is risen, he is risen indeed.”

지난2천동안 예수 그리스도의 기쁜 소식으로 기독교인의 선포의 근거를 형성한 이 일하심이 바로 “예수님은 부활하셨다, 그는 참으로 부활하셨다”라는 것입니다.

Mark finishes his account, by telling us that the women fled the empty tomb and didn’t tell anyone because they were afraid.

마가는 여인들이 빈무덤에서 도망치고 두려움 때문에 아무에게도 말하지 않았다고 하면서 그의 기록을 마칩니다.

There is irony in this as in Mark’s gospel people who Jesus healed  are told not to tell others about what Jesus has done, but do tell and here the women who are asked to tell of the empty tomb stay quite.  

여기에는 풍장하는 것이 있습니다. 마가복음에는 예수님께 고침 받은 사람들에게 예수님께서 무엇을 하셨는지 아무에게도 말하지 말라고 하셨지만 그들은 나가서 전파했습니다. 하지만 여기서 여인들은 빈무덤에 대하여 가서 말하라고 전달받았지만, 잠잠했습니다.  

Maybe we can understand their reluctance as witnesses.

어쩌면 우리는 목격자들로서 여인들의 주저함을 이해할 수 있을 것입니다.

They have not yet meet and seen and touched the risen Lord.

여인들은 아직 부활하신 주님을 만나지도 보지도 만지지도 못했습니다.

 In Jewish Society women’s testimony was not deemed reliable. Would they be believed? 

유대인 사회에서 여인들의 증거는 신뢰할 수 없는 것으로 생각되었습니다. 그런 사회속에서 여인들의 증거를 그들이 믿을 수 있었겠습니까?

Perhaps their reluctance reflects a bit of our own.

아마도 여인들의 주저함은 어느 정도 우리 자신을 나타냅니다.

The empty tomb is a God’s event. It calls us to have faith.

빈무덤은 하나님의 하나의 중요한 사건으로, 우리의 믿음을 요구합니다.

That Jesus own words about himself that he would die and be raised to life again are true.

죽었다가 다시 살아나실 것이라고 자신에 대해 하신 예수님의 말씀은 사실입니다.

To tell of the empty tomb is to acknowledge God’s witness to Jesus as his Son.

빈무덤을 말하는 것은 예수가 자신의 아들이라는 하나님의 증거를 인정하는 것입니다.

 Is to acknowledge the truth of all that Jesus life and death and resurrection has done for us,

빈무덤을 말하는 것은 우리를 위해 행하신 예수님의 삶과 죽음과 부활이 진리임을 인정하는 것입니다.

That God sent his son into this world to save us, to tell of his kingdom and demonstrate its reality in his healings,

그것은 또한 하나님께서 우리를 구원하시기 위해, 그의 나라에 대해 말씀하시기 위해, 그리고 병을 치료하심으로 하나님의 나라의 실제함을 나타내시기 위해  그의 아들을 이 세상에 보내셨음이 진실임을 인정하는 것입니다.

that he died on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven,

그것은 예수 그리스도가 십자가에서 죽으셨고, 그래서 우리의 죄는 용서될 수 있다는 것이 진실임을 인정하는 것입니다.

that  we can be reconciled to God, and in being raise to life, that death and sin are defeated, that we too can know new and abundant life.

그것은 우리는 하나님과 관계가 회복되어 질 수 있고, 죽음에서 부활하심으로 죽음과 죄는 정복되었고, 우리 역시 새롭고도 풍성한 삶을 알 수 있다는 것이 진실임을 인정하는 것입니다.

The empty tomb changes everything.

빈무덤은 모든 것을 변화시킵니다.

While Mark chooses to finish his account of the resurrection there, we know that the women did not stay quite, 여자들이 아무말도 하지 못했다는 것으로 마가는 부활의 기록을 마치고 있습니다. 하지만 우리는 여인들이 입을 다문 채로 있지 않았음을 압니다.

that they did what they were told and went to the disciples and to Peter with the good news.

여인들은 자신들 이 명령 받은 대로 했습니다. 기쁜 소식을 가지고 제자들과 베드로에게 가서 전했습니다.

Peter and John came to the tomb that day and found the amazing truth that it was empty.

그날 베드로와 요한은 무덤으로 달려가서 무덤이 비었다는 놀라운 진실을 발견했습니다.

There is some debate over whether the second half of Mark 16, verses 9-20 are a later addition,

마가복음 16장 9-20절이 후에 첨가된 것인지에 대하여 약간의 논쟁이 있습니다.

but they tell us of Mary Magdalene meeting the risen Jesus Christ. An account of which we have in John’s gospel.

하지만 이 구절들은 부활하신 예수 그리스도를 만나는 막달라 마리아에 대하여 말해주며, 이 기록을 우리는 요한복음에서 볼 수 있습니다.

Where she is only convinced that Jesus has risen when she hears his voice.

여기서 막달라 마리아가 예수님이 부활하셨음을 유일하게 깨닫게 된 것은 예수님의 목소리를 들었을 때 입니다.

Mark tells us that she was not believed, at first.

마가는 막달라 마리아도 처음에는 믿지 못했다고 말합니다.

Mark also mentions the two on the road to Emmaus that LUKE also tells us about(Luke 24:13-35).

마가는 또한 누가복음에도 기록되어 있는 엠마오로 향하는 두 제자를 언급합니다.

Then gives an account of Jesus meeting his disciples in galilee and giving them the great commission.

그리고 마가는  갈릴리에서 제자들을 만나 그들에게 지상명령을 주시는 예수님에 대해 기록합니다.

Of course, in the other passage that we had read out to us today from 1 Corinthians 15 Paul gives us a run down of the many witnesses to Jesus resurrection, and in typical Jewish legal fashion he does not include the women.

물론, 우리가 오늘 읽은 고린도전서 15장과 같은 구절에서 바울은 예수님의 부활에 대한 수 많은 목격자들이 있음을 보여줍니다.  그리고 전형적인 유대인의 법적인 관습에 따라 바울은 여인들을 포함시키지 않았지만 말입니다.

You and I are also witnesses to the empty tomb and the risen Jesus.

여러분과 저 또한 빈 무덤과 부활하신 예수님의 증인들입니다.

Two thousand years later the reality of Jesus death on the cross and the empty tomb are still impacting and changing lives.

2천년이 지난 지금도 십자가위에서 예수님의 죽음의 실제성과 빈 무덤은 사람들에게 영향을 미치고 삶을 변화시키고 있습니다.

The Risen Christ still goes before us and meet with us by the Holy spirit, in a way that we know that he is alive.

부활하신 그리스도는 우리 앞서 행하시고, 우리로 그분이 살아계심을 알 수 있도록 성령을 통해 우리를 만나주십니다.

 The facts and reality of the empty tomb are still here today and inviting people to answer Marks question who this Jesus is,

빈 무덤의 사실과 실제성은 오늘날도 여기에 있고, 사람들에게 이 예수님이 누구신가라는 마가의 질문에 답할 것을 촉구합니다.

(What is your answer? He is ) the messiah the son of God.    

여러분은 무엇이라고 답변하시겠습니까? 그분은 메시아, 하나님의 아들이십니다.