And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid

Place for books, articles, and websites with content that connect or detail Anabaptist theology
Post Reply
User avatar
Bootstrap
Posts: 14438
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:59 am
Affiliation: Mennonite

And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid

Post by Bootstrap »

Some of the earliest manuscripts of Mark end with this account of the resurrection:
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” Looking up, they observed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; they were amazed and alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there just as He told you.’”

So they went out and started running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.
Today, we know how it all worked out, and we rejoice at the resurrection of Jesus. So it's surprising to read their emotions - amazed, alarmed, trembling, overwhelmed with astonishment, afraid. We just don't know what to do with this kind of amazing good news - and maybe they weren't sure it was good news at this point, maybe they just didn't know what to make of it.

According to Mark, this was the first response to the resurrection: They said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid. The angel said "go, tell His disciples and Peter", and they told nobody.

We don't always get it at first. Eventually, God can break through ... but God is so far beyond our ways that it's not surprising we don't always get it. More than we can ask or imagine ...
0 x
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
Hats Off
Posts: 2532
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2017 6:42 pm
Affiliation: Plain Menno OO

Re: And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid

Post by Hats Off »

Just try to imagine what all they had experienced in the recent past. Nothing went as they had anticipated. I think of the men on the Emmaus road following the death and resurrection - is it any wonder they turned to Jesus "are you a stranger in these parts that you have not heard of these things that happened in the last few days?" How would Conservative Anabaptist's respond to the marvellous things that happened in those days? The resurrection of Lazarus, the cleansing of the temple, the crucifixion and the resurrection, the ascension and Pentecost. Nothing of this magnitude has happened to us in our lifetime. Could we have been part of those thousands who did believe and were baptised? Would we have had the courage to step outside of our norms?
0 x
temporal1
Posts: 16275
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2016 12:09 pm
Location: U.S. midwest and PNW
Affiliation: Christian other

Re: And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid

Post by temporal1 »

Hats Off wrote:Just try to imagine what all they had experienced in the recent past. Nothing went as they had anticipated. I think of the men on the Emmaus road following the death and resurrection - is it any wonder they turned to Jesus "are you a stranger in these parts that you have not heard of these things that happened in the last few days?"

How would Conservative Anabaptist's respond to the marvellous things that happened in those days? The resurrection of Lazarus, the cleansing of the temple, the crucifixion and the resurrection, the ascension and Pentecost.

Nothing of this magnitude has happened to us in our lifetime.
Could we have been part of those thousands who did believe and were baptised?
Would we have had the courage to step outside of our norms?
:-|
0 x
Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.


”We’re all just walking each other home.”
UNKNOWN
User avatar
Bootstrap
Posts: 14438
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:59 am
Affiliation: Mennonite

Re: And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid

Post by Bootstrap »

I've been thinking about this passage quite a bit. On Saturday night, I was at an Orthodox Easter service where this was read in Greek - ending at verse 8.

Why did the women stay far away, observing where he was laid in the tomb? I guess they didn't know the people who were laying him there, and they didn't know if it was safe to approach them - or the tomb?

They wanted to make sure that they could care for the body of Jesus. They started making preparations on Friday, then had to sit out the Sabbath, when this could not be done. The text says that they went there very early, perhaps to make sure they got there first? Did they want to make sure that Jesus was cared for by people who loved him and knew him, and not some stranger?

This seems so much like some women in churches I have been in, quietly watching and planning and caring, not necessarily getting any attention for what they are doing, embodying love at the deepest level, even when they are afraid. This passage seems so very human ...
0 x
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
Post Reply