• 马可福音 16:1-8

耶稣复活

1过了安息日，抹大拉的马利亚、雅各的母亲马利亚，和撒罗米，买了香料，要去膏耶稣的身体。 2七日的第一日清早，太阳出来后，她们来到坟墓那里， 3彼此说：“谁要替我们把石头从墓门滚开呢？” 4她们抬头一看，看见石头已经滚开了，原来那石头很大。 5她们进了坟墓，看见一个年轻人坐在右边，穿着白袍，就很惊奇。 6那年轻人对她们说：“不要惊慌！你们寻找那钉十字架的拿撒勒人耶稣，他已经复活了，不在这里。来看安放他的地方。 7你们去，对他的门徒和彼得说：‘他要比你们先到加利利去，在那里你们会看见他，正如他从前所告诉你们的。’” 8于是她们出来，从坟墓那里逃走，又发抖又惊讶，什么也没有告诉人，因为她们害怕。

星期六晚上，安息日结束后，在十字架前的两个马利亚和撒罗米（马可福音15:40）拿香料来膏耶稣的遗体。第二天一早，她们去了坟墓，却惊觉可能无法移动入口处的石门。这石头只要嵌入石槽，就可以容易关上，但之后就很难打开。或许她们应该带一些男门徒来帮忙。

她们到达坟墓的时候，大吃一惊——入口的石头已经被挪开了。马可福音15:47很清楚地指出，她们并没有搞错地方；她们知道坟墓在哪里。冲进去后，她们更震惊地看到一个身穿白袍的年轻人坐在里面（根据马太福音28:5，他是天使）。他告诉她们不要惊慌，耶稣已经复活了！他带她们去看耶稣遗体原本所在的地方，那里是空的。然后，他吩咐那些惊讶的妇女去告诉耶稣的门徒“和彼得”（这表现出宽容的主特别心疼笨拙和悔改的彼得），耶稣已经复活了，并且会先他们一步到加利利去，在那里他们将再次见到他。耶稣早已把这件事告诉过他们（见马可福音14:28）。

在当时的文化中，女人的证词是不被重视的（见路加福音24:10—11）。如果我们记得这一点，就能体会到神选择妇女作为复活的第一批见证人是多么不可思议。假如耶稣的复活是被人捏造出来的，捏造者就肯定会把男人列为第一批见证人。既然最先看到空坟墓和见到天使的人是妇女，这就证明了耶稣复活的记载是真实的。

那些妇女“发抖”（希腊原文的意思是“狂喜”）、“惊奇”、“害怕”（马可福音16:8）。在看到坟墓里空空如也，并被告知耶稣已经复活之后，她们震惊地从坟墓中跑了出来。她们害怕，但又充满喜乐。

思考

最早的门徒中，有些人即使听说了耶稣对自己的预言（马可福音8:31；9:31；10:34）也很难相信。请你同那些妇女换位思考，问问自己：你会如何回应当时的场景？为什么我们和其他人会如此难以相信耶稣的话？

教会的礼拜和聚会被缩减，以减少新冠病毒传播的风险。在这样的情况下，我们如何才能继续为复活的主做见证？我们可以说什么或做什么来分享关于空坟墓的事？

• 花点时间向神献上感恩与祈求

• Mark 16:1-8

The Resurrection

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

On Saturday evening, when the Sabbath was over, the two Marys and Salome who were present at the cross (Mark 15:40) brought spices to anoint the body of Jesus. Early the next morning, they went to the tomb, and it dawned on them that they might not be able to move the stone at the entrance, which could be closed with relative ease by slotting it into a groove on the rock floor, but was very difficult to open afterwards. Perhaps they should have brought some of the male disciples to help them.

They got a shock when they reached the tomb: the entrance stone had already been moved. That it was not the wrong tomb is made clear in Mark 15:47—they knew where it was. Rushing in, they were further shocked to see someone sitting inside it. It was a young man dressed in a white robe (an angel, according to Matthew 28:5). He told them not to be alarmed, and that Jesus had risen! He showed them the place where Jesus’ body had been—it was empty. He then instructed the astounded women to tell the disciples of Jesus, “and Peter”, (a special touch of the forgiving Lord who felt for the fumbling and repentant Peter) that Jesus had risen and was going ahead of them into Galilee, where they would see Him again. Jesus had already told them about this (see Mark 14:28).

That God chose women to be the first witnesses of the resurrection is incredible, if we remember that in that culture of those days, the testimony of women was not taken seriously (see Luke 24:10–11). If the resurrection of Jesus was invented, the “inventors” would have placed men as the first witnesses. That the women were the first to see the empty tomb and meet the angel is surely proof of the authenticity of the resurrection account.

The women were “trembling” (the Greek word means “ecstasy”), “bewildered”, and “afraid” (Mark 16:8). They ran away from the tomb, after the shock of seeing it empty and being told that Jesus had risen. They were afraid, yet filled with joy.

Think It Over

Some of the earliest disciples found it hard to believe what Jesus had predicted about himself, even when they heard about the evidence (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34)? Put yourself in the women’s sandals, and ask yourself: How do you think you would have responded? Why can it be so hard for us, and others, to believe Jesus’ words?

As church services and meetings are being curtailed to reduce the risk of spread of the coronavirus, how can we continue to be a witness of the risen Lord? What can we say or do to share about the open tomb?

• Take a moment to give thanks and prayers to God