Mark 16:1-4 The Large Stone
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: May 10, 2018, Mark 16:1-4
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
(Understanding the Text) The Sabbath ended about 7 p.m. more or less, so after about 8:00 that evening, two of the Marys and Salome went and bought spices to anoint Jesus’ body. They had waited all during the Sabbath and made plans. They already knew where to go and had the money between them to buy the spices. They knew that Joseph and Nicodemus had only made minimal preparations, and they wanted to take care of Jesus.
(Application) We humans cause more hurt and anguish for ourselves because of our lack of faith than we should. God knows that this world gives us hurt, but He would save us much hurt if we would simply believe His promises. Jesus had told them that He would rise again. However, even Mary Magdalene who had listened and believed that Jesus was going to die, did not have faith in His promise of resurrection on the third day. The women spent Sabbath in anguish and hurt and went to the tomb expecting a dead Messiah. When we allow our human expectations to color and overpower God’s promises, we only cause ourselves grief.
(Understanding the Text) I have heard people make a big deal about women being the first to know of Jesus’ resurrection, and the implication is that God favored the women over the men. However, I see it from a different angle. The women were the first because they were actively caring for Jesus. Even though they only expected to find a corpse, they went looking for Jesus instead of staying behind closed doors wallowing in their grief and regret and fear. They were fearlessly taking the steps to help another, and so they were the first to see the miracle that God had performed. They even got to meet with an angel from God. Their anguish was relieved sooner than the others because they were putting themselves on the front lines to help. Their faith was not more than their brothers, the disciples, but in following what they knew was right, in behaving unselfishly, their lack of faith was remedied faster.
(Application) My application for myself is that even when I do not believe, if I step out without that belief but knowing the right actions that I should do, I will find the belief faster than if I stay isolated in my unbelief. Action in helping others and taking the right steps will lead me to situations where my faith will be strengthened and restored.
(Understanding the Text) The women had not only felt fear and anguish, but they were also now worried. They had solved the problems they could and made the preparations that they could. They had bought the spices and brought what they needed to prepare the body, but they worried that there was another insurmountable obstacle ahead of them–the heavy stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. They worried about who would roll it away for them. There were three women in this group, and I know from personal experience that three women working together can have a lot of strength. They can roll a car out of a street and carry enough water to feed animals and family; however, they felt that this stone was too heavy for them to move even with the three of them pushing together. It must have taken a lot of strong men to push it out of the way. On the other hand, maybe two of the women were older without strength to help the younger Mary Magdalene, so maybe I am reading too much into the text here.
(Application / Revelation of God) My application to myself is that even insurmountable barriers may simply disappear when it is the right time for me to take action. The rock did not stop the women from continuing on to the tomb. They believed that there was an impossible action ahead of them, yet they continued forward as if the problem was solved already, not because they had faith that the problem was solved, but because not going forward was simply not an option in their mind. As they moved forward, they tried to think of solutions to their problem, but when they reached the tomb, they saw that not only had God taken away the problem, but also that He had moved in ways that they never imagined or predicted. Thus, I should not worry ahead of time about having enough money or a job or new people in church or baptisms or converts. Instead, I should go forward making the plans that my human mind can come up with, but also, believing that God has plans and means that will alter everything when I least expect it. The lesson for me in this passage is to remember God’s promises and have faith that He will deliver on them even when they seem totally impossible. I need to go forward actively serving even when I have no hope because I know that it is the right action to take although I see no reason to believe that anything good is coming. I do not know what God is planning partly from my own blindness and partly from my limitations as a human, but I can believe God’s promises that He is with me and He wants to save as many as He can. I just have to keep going forward with what I know to reach what God has already delivered.
(Prayer) You have revealed the problems that I will face and have given me promises and instructions so that I can avoid some and overcome the other problems. Help me to remember those instructions and promises and to follow in Your path even when I do not know how to be successful in carrying out the actions that I know are right. Give me the faith to believe in Your ways even when I cannot see how they can work in this sinful world. I pray that Your will be done on this earth and in my life.