Mark 16

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Mark 16:1-20
The Resurrection
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. 2Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. 3They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"
4Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back--it was a huge stone--and walked right in. 11They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.
6He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. 7Now--on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."
8They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.
9[After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. 10She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. 11When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't believe her.
12Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. 13They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either.
14Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. 15Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all. 16Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.
17"These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, 18they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well."
19Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. 20And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.]

Copyright Statement: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageThis edition issued by contractual arrangement with NavPress, a division of The Navigators, U.S.A.Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’
It is absolutely the day of resurrection, absolutely. Who will roll the big rock that stands in our way of anointing the head and body of our Lord in daily worship, prayer, Bible reading, for us? No one, no man, God has done the work for us, has given us all recourses. We have to go with the oil and anoint Him, if we want to, then othing can prevent us, nothing stands in the way except abstract ideas. We imagine the rock, we worry about the rock, but the rock is not there!
When they did it, went for it, they were astonished at what they saw. They saw a supernatural man a pure man a clean and holy man. I wonder if that is the man we are waiting to see and if that man is me? I’m whole there, clean there, but won’t get there.
I may think maybe Jesus is still nailed to the tree, but He rose for me, He’s gone, has gone on to God for me now. So, must I. He’s not in the dead place I started, where I left an old dead life, He’s gone on from the place of the dead. Yes, He died, once for all, but now it is time to live. I’ve got to go tell others He is risen for them too.
Yeah some may not believe it, but we’ve still got to say it. That is our responsibility as believers. It’s about our faith before God, not their decisions. I’ve many times withheld what I needed to say in truth, because I imagined the outcome, a rock over a tomb, so to speak. I am responsible to speak. God will sort out their unbelief. If I didn’t speak He’ll be sorting out my unbelief.
Jesus left us with the co-mission of good Christian soldiers. If we do not join the co-mission, we are not soldiers, period. There are no other options. We are damned. We are not only recipients of His grace, we are also to be givers of the same grace given us. If we do not give the grace, we do not really believe. Jesus had the co-mission of His Father., He did His Father’s will, then He left us as an army of soldiers to do the same, His and now also “Our” Father’s will.
Go Do, Go Be the will of Your Father- God!
No excuses, not your way, His way. Jesus is the Way.
Go for it, leave fear conquered, it is an excuse.
Leave imaginations behind, they are death, lead to further excuses. Ditch them.
Go to the Rock (haha, it is the name of our church!)

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Isaiah 58:12 You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language