By Rony Kozman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, Samford University
GOD IS LIFE-GIVING
Mark 16:1–6; 1 Corinthians 15:1–4, 20–22
The death, burial and Resurrection are historical events. (Mark 16:1–6)
In Mark 16 we read of three women who came to the tomb where Jesus was buried. They were Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of James; and Salome. When they arrived, they were surprised to find that the tomb was opened, and Jesus’ body was no longer present in the tomb in which He had been buried.
The inclusion of the names of the women functions to authenticate the story that the tomb was found empty by these three women. And the specification of the named women indicates that when the Gospel of Mark first circulated, it did so while witnesses to these events were still alive.
Mark 16 is not the first time that we see the Gospel of Mark including its eyewitness sources. In the previous chapter — Mark 15 — we see Joseph of Arimathea as another named witness. He was a known member of the Jewish council who, upon receiving permission from Pilate, took Jesus’ body, had it wrapped and laid in the tomb, and had the tomb closed (15:42–46).
Mark indicates for us that Jesus had died and was buried in the tomb, and this was witnessed by this prominent member of the Jewish council who could substantiate this claim.
This claim is a foundational historical premise of the gospel that the evangelists and the apostles proclaimed. But Joseph was not the only witness to the events that are recounted. Others saw that Jesus had died and that His body was laid in the tomb, which was shut. The three women who witnessed the empty tomb had also seen Jesus’ death (15:40), and the two Marys also witnessed where Jesus’ body was placed by Joseph of Arimathea (v. 47).
Christ’s death and resurrection are central to the gospel. (1 Cor. 15:1–4)
The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that the death and burial of Jesus are critical components of the message of the gospel that he received and that he passed along to them.
This news preceded Paul’s ministry. It is part of the apostolic tradition that he received and that he relayed to them. The truth of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection — in addition to being rooted in the testimony of eyewitnesses — are also witnessed by the sacred Scriptures.
Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection fulfill the Scriptures, and Israel’s Scriptures testify to these events, hence Paul’s emphasis that Christ has done these things “in accordance with the Scriptures” (15:3–4).
Christ’s resurrection means eternal life for those who belong to Him. (20–22)
For Paul the historical reality of the resurrection of Christ secures our hope that we are no longer enslaved and entombed in our sins (v. 17), but we have been made alive from sin and will be raised in the future resurrection from the dead (v. 22).
Just as the first human brought the whole world under the sway of sin and death, so now Christ has defeated sin and death and will raise from the dead all those who are in Him. This is the hope of the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Those who are unified with Christ — buried with him in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life — will be resurrected as
He was.
Share with others: