Resurrection; God of Second Chances

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April 5, 2026

Mark 16:1-8

Key Verses 16:6-8 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.”

What does resurrection mean to you? The resurrection of Jesus is the completion of the world's salvation plan by God, starting from Genesis chapter 3. God opens the heavenly gate through Jesus who is the way and the truth and the life. (Jn 14:6) For Christians, this resurrection of Jesus is the core of the gospel in the whole Bible and as a result, we worship the Lord God, on this resurrection Sunday, not on the Sabbath, which is Saturday. So each and every Sunday, whenever we come for worship service, we should come to God, expecting the resurrection news again which will renew us with new hope and vision. Today, we will join together with the women who heard the news of Jesus’ resurrection, but failed to share this Good news to others briefly due to fear. Also, we learn another meaning of resurrection, that is, resurrection gives us second chances, especially for people who failed and were defeated, like Peter.   

 

1. The Empty Tomb, The Evidence of The Unseen; Resurrection  

Let’s look at verse 1. “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.” They witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross and witnessed that Joseph of Arimathea hurriedly put him into the tomb because of the Sabbath. Jesus died at 3 pm, and the Sabbath started around 6 pm. Joseph of Arimathea buried him without having completely prepared his body for burial. For that reason, Mary Magdalene and others went to his tomb after the Sabbath, hoping to complete the process. See how much they loved Jesus! They had nothing to gain by doing this one last act of love. Who would do this except these women? Women like these are truly beautiful and sacrificial. They might have been crying all the way through from the moment of Jesus’ arrest until they went back to their home for the Sabbath. They prepared spices to apply to Jesus’ body and left early Sunday morning without any plan on how to access Jesus' body.   

Look at verses 2-3. “Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’” They remembered the massive stone which blocked Jesus’ tomb. They realized they would not be able to move it, and they didn’t bring any strong men along to help them. But they didn’t have to worry about that. Look at verses 4 and 5. “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed." Unlike their concern, the heavy stone was already cleared. The obstacle they feared has been removed—not by them, not by human hands, but by God. Before they could even act, the way has been opened. How often is this true in our own lives? We carry anxieties about obstacles we cannot overcome, stones we cannot move. We rehearse our fears, imagining the worst. And yet, when we arrive, we discover that God has already gone ahead of us. The stone is already rolled away.  

They enter the tomb. And inside, they encounter not a corpse, but a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side. Let's read together verse 6. ""Don’t be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." For sure, anyone will be alarmed when sudden miracles happen in front of their eyes. Not only has the stone been rolled away, a young man talks to them in the tomb this early morning. He is an angel who knows the reason for these women coming. Also, he gave them the unbelievable news, "He has risen." They witnessed with their own eyes when Jesus was crucified on the cross and put him in this tomb. So they were expecting the heavy stone and the dead body of Jesus inside this tomb. Even before they ask, "So, where is he now?" the angel said, "He is not here. See the place where they laid him." All they can see was the empty tomb and the linen which wrapped his body. Technically, these women cannot see the risen Jesus in person at this point.   

Seeing, namely, the vision, can be the most essential sense of a person's life. Most of the information in our lives is acquired by our eyes. We show proof to other people when we do legal contracts. Everyone here may have had experiences of moments when we forgot to bring ID, Passport or documents that can prove our identity, which our testimony alone cannot prove. By showing the documents and by seeing, we accept it as fact and the truth. However, we are now living in the era of AI. You may have seen many fake photos and videos, which can confuse us. The boundary between reality and the artificial is narrowing down day by day. More and more, we may not believe what we see. Overwhelmed with fake images and videos, how can we distinguish whether the information is true? The definition of news is that we listen to new information about what has happened to others. We cannot distinguish whether the news is true or not, but we assume the integrity of the news depending on who the speaker of the news is.  

From the angel to the women, the news of the risen Jesus was shared. Given the circumstances, the women had to agree that the news of the resurrection of Jesus is true and real. The core of the gospel, Jesus' death and resurrection, should be delivered in this way; a person's testimony who met the risen Jesus by faith. All gospels mentioned that even disciples could not believe the news of the resurrection of Jesus until they met the risen Jesus in person. Believing the resurrection of Jesus which happened 2000 years ago, is a miracle. Thomas was one of the disciples of Jesus who doubted Jesus' resurrection. He declared that he would not believe unless he saw the nail marks on Jesus’ hands. The risen Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:29, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”    

 

2. God of Second Chances Through Resurrection (7,8)  

Look at verse 7. ""But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"" Notice the tenderness in the words: “and Peter.” Peter, who denied Jesus three times. Peter, who failed so publicly and painfully. The resurrection message includes him by name. There is restoration, even before repentance is spoken. There is grace, even for the one who fell the farthest. God is the God of second chances. Jesus' resurrection means restoration of relationships, healing of broken hearts, and the hope of second chances to follow Jesus. Not only did the angel give them the news of Jesus' resurrection, but also commanded them what to do next. 

Look at verse 8. "Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." Originally, this Gospel of Mark was finished at this verse 8. John Mark, the author of this gospel, finished here abruptly, somewhat awkwardly. It is a general opinion that verses 9-20 were later added by prestigious Bible scholars to make it similar ending with other gospels for consistency. It is my personal opinion that this sudden, abrupt ending is beneficial to understand the intention of Mark. Verse 8 is filled with negative descriptions like trembling, bewildered, and fled. It is finally finished with “afraid.” Just a while ago, their love made them brave enough to come to see Jesus' body. They even did not care about the Roman soldiers who guarded the tomb and carried out the execution of Jesus on the cross before. What makes them so afraid after verses 6 and 7? This time, it is not because of the angel, a supernatural being. Generally from the Bible, to meet an angel can be a traumatic experience like sudden appearing out of nowhere and their indescribable figures. So every time when an angel appeared, he said, "Don’t be afraid". However, this time, the angel looks like a young man dressed in a white robe and sitting in the tomb. They were alarmed at first, seeing a young man in Jesus' tomb. As soon as their surprised heart was settled down, the encounter with the angel may not be that traumatic for these women.     

But verse 8 ends, “They were afraid.” Why would Mark end his gospel in this way? Because this is what the resurrection feels like. We often imagine the resurrection as a moment of clear joy, immediate understanding, and confident proclamation. But Mark reminds us that encountering the living God is not something we can easily contain or comprehend. It shakes us. It unsettles us. It fills us with awe and even fear. The women are not faithless; they are overwhelmed. They have encountered something truly beyond their expectations. Their world has been turned upside down. The categories they used to understand reality—life and death, presence and absence, loss and hope—have all been disrupted. “Trembling and bewildered.” The Greek words here suggest a kind of holy shock, a mixture of fear and wonder. This is not mere terror; it is the recognition that they are standing on the threshold of something divine. And so they flee. They say nothing to anyone, for they are afraid. But here is the question we must ask: if they said nothing to anyone, how do we know this story? The answer, of course, is that the silence did not last forever. At some point, the story was told. At some point, fear gave way to proclamation. At some point, trembling became testimony. And perhaps that is where we, as readers and hearers, are drawn into this story. Mark does not give us a neat ending because he is inviting us to complete it, as he, himself, has experienced. The women stand at the edge of fear and faith. They have received a message, but they have not yet spoken it. The question is: will they? And the deeper question is: will we?  
 

We, too, have heard the proclamation: He has risen. We, too, are called to go, to follow, to tell. And yet, like the women, we often find ourselves caught between astonishment and fear. We fear that the message is too good to be true. We fear that we will not be believed. We fear that we do not fully understand what we are saying. We fear the cost of discipleship, the vulnerability of witness, the risk of the future. And so we remain silent. But the resurrection does not allow us to remain silent forever. Because the resurrection is not simply an event to be believed; it is a reality that redefines everything. It means that death does not have the final word. It means that failure is not the end of the story. It means that God is at work even in the darkest places, even in sealed tombs. It means that the crucified one—rejected, abandoned, executed—is vindicated and exalted. It means that the powers of sin and death have been broken. It means that a new creation has begun. And if that is true, then everything changes. The resurrection calls us out of our tombs—out of despair, out of fear, out of resignation. It calls us to follow the risen Christ into Galilee—that is, into the ordinary places of our lives, where he goes ahead of us. Notice this: the women are not told to remain at the tomb and contemplate what has happened. They are told to go. The resurrection is not something we simply observe; it is something we follow. 

The women’s fear, then, is not a failure; it is the beginning of faith. Faith does not begin with certainty. It begins with encounter—with something that exceeds our understanding, that calls us beyond ourselves. It begins with the recognition that God is doing something new, something we could not have imagined. And so, if you find yourself today feeling uncertain, overwhelmed, even afraid in the face of what God is doing—take heart. You are not alone. You stand with those first witnesses, at the edge of the empty tomb. The question is not whether you feel fear. The question is what you will do with this. Will you let fear silence you? Or will you allow it to be transformed into awe, into wonder, into a deeper trust in the God who raises the dead? Because the story does not end in silence. We know, from the rest of the New Testament, that the message was proclaimed. The disciples did go to Galilee. They did encounter the risen Christ. The church was born. The gospel spread. And it all began with these women, at the tomb, trembling and bewildered. Their silence was not the final word. God’s word is the final word: “He has risen.” So today, we stand in that same tension—between fear and faith, silence and proclamation, death and life. And so we do not remain at the tomb. We do not cling to what we have lost. We do not let fear have the last word. Instead, we step forward—trembling, perhaps, but also trusting. Astonished, but also hopeful. And we begin to speak. “He has risen.” This is the message entrusted to us—not because we fully understand it, but because we have encountered it. Not because we are fearless, but because we are called. The empty tomb is not the end. It is the beginning. 

Born in a Christian family, I have heard about Jesus' death and resurrection so many times. But it was just one of many stories from book of Bible in my youth. At university, I accepted Jesus' death for my sins deeply. However, I could not believe the resurrection part for more than 20 years. Resurrection seems like the sound of catching floating clouds. Without resurrection faith, my life still feels guilty like Peter, who let Jesus die alone on the cross for me. About 10 years ago, I was depressed for 2 years. Because as an immigrant, I thought that I had nothing in this foreign land, Canada. There was the time I even stopped coming to worship service for a while. However, prayers from church members, and by God's mercy, I came back and even got a chance to deliver the resurrection message which opened my spiritual eyes to believe the glorious resurrection of Jesus and wiped away the tears of guilt on the cross. The risen Jesus called me and you to follow him by giving us second chances with open arms. All our pains and struggles, even failures for the glory of God, turn into the Holy scars.   

It is okay to fall down after struggles. God knows our weaknesses. For my sin and my betrayal, Jesus died on the cross. And the risen Jesus who broke the power of death, calls us again into the Galilee. The life of a Christian is coming to the cross again and again with this resurrection hope.  

Big Idea: Resurrection; God of second chances  

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Offering Song: 하늘소망 (My Hope for Heaven)
Original Korean version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv7dKaW4msI
Praise team (Markers Worship) with C key Korean with English sub: https://youtu.be/HgVp9SBIhoE?si=GlmVKpbTeChQTBBl

 

Translated to English version:  https://youtu.be/Z6r4tV7jrIE?si=2HCu4KNFz8WSdzBU  

My Hope for Heaven (하늘소망)

I live on earth befriending this world (나 지금은 비록 땅을 벗 하며 살지라도) 
Still my soul is walking to heaven above (내 영혼 저 하늘을 디디며 사네) 
Where there will be no more crying or tears (내 주님계신 눈물 없는 곳) 
My hope is hidden in heaven above (저 하늘에 숨겨둔 내 소망있네) 

Faces I long for, names I yearn for (보고픈 얼굴들 그리운 이름들) 
Often cross my mind (많이 생각나) 
My heart pounds to go there and meet them all again (때론 가슴 터지도록 기다려지는 곳) 
My Father will run to me and hug me (내 아버지 너른 품 날 맞으시는) 
My hope is stored in heaven above (저 하늘에 쌓아둔 내 소망 있네) 

Until I enter His kingdom, oh God (주님 그 나라에 이를 때까지) 
I will not stop my journey to heaven (순례의 걸음 멈추지 않으며) 
No matter what trials may come (어떤 시련이 와도) 
Fearlessly I face as I walk this pathway (나 두렵지 않네 주와 함께 걷는) 
With my Lord) (이 길에) 

Faces I long for, names I yearn for (보고픈 얼굴들 그리운 이름들) 
Often cross my mind (나 많이 생각나) 
My heart pounds to go there and meet them all again (때론 가슴 터지도록 기다려지는 곳) 
My Father will run to me and hug me (내 아버지 너른 품 날 맞으시는) 
My hope is stored in heaven above (저 하늘에 쌓아둔 내 소망있네) 

Until I enter His kingdom, oh God (주님 그 나라에 이를 때까지) 
I will not stop my journey to heaven (순례의 걸음 멈추지 않으며) 
No matter what trials may come (어떤 시련이 와도) 
Fearlessly I face (나 두렵지 않네) 
As I walk this pathway with my Lord (주와 함께 걷는 이 길에) 
No matter what trials may come (어떤 시련이 와도) 
Fearlessly I face (나 두렵지 않네) 
As I walk this pathway with my Lord (주와 함께 걷는 이 길에) 
As I walk this pathway with my Lord (주와 함께 걷는 이 길에) 
With my Lord (이 길에) 
As I walk this pathway with my Lord (주와 함께 걷는 이 길에)