Mark 16:5-8 They were afraid
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 11, 2018, Mark 16:5-8
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.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And 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. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And 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.
(Understanding the Text) Three women started out for the tomb “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome,” but somewhere along the line Mary Magdalene must have gotten separated from the others. Either that or they did not start out together but were going to meet there. Mary Magdalene could not have been there when they entered the tomb or she would have known that Jesus was resurrected. Maybe, she had gone to try to find someone to roll away the stone and left the two older women to make their way more slowly to the tomb. Thus, I believe from what I have read so far that Mary the mother of James and Salome went on to the tomb and were surprised to find it already open. They entered together and saw a young man sitting there. We are told that he was sitting on the right side and that he was dressed in a white robe. There must have been something strange and alarming about him that made them worried and afraid. He calmed them down and told them that Jesus was not there. I find it interesting that first he identifies who they are looking for as the person that he is talking about. He is clarifying that they are not in the wrong place and that his message is for them. Then, he reinforces the idea that they are not in the wrong place by having them look at the place where Jesus had been laid. Why? So that the disciples would have every chance to believe that the women were telling the truth. They did not just listen to some man and run back; instead, they were told specific information and guided to examine the scene.
Then, the man gave them a mission. He told them to tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus was going to Galilee to meet them. This is the second time that Mark mentions that Jesus was meeting them in Galilee. The meeting in Galilee must have been for a special purpose. Jesus actually meets with them before Galilee, yet it is this meeting in Galilee that is emphasized. The disciples are to be reminded that Jesus told them before His death that He would meet them there after He had risen from the dead.
There was something terrifying about this young man. Maybe, he looked alien to them. Maybe, he exuded a power that they could feel and sense. They stayed for the message but as soon as they could they ran away in fear and trembling. It says that they didn’t say anything to anyone because they were afraid. This explains why even though they were first to hear the news, they did not bear the message to Peter before Mary Magdalene. They delayed and lost their chance to be the first to proclaim the news and caused unnecessary sorrow to others who could have gone to the tomb with joy instead of running in fear towards their beloved Rabbi’s tomb. Once again Mary Magdalene displayed more courage and devotion than her peers.
(Revelation of God / Application) We are told in Matthew 28:9-10 “Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They went up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus told them, “Stop being frightened! Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” Thus, Jesus also appeared to the women. I may have misunderstood what happened. It may be that Peter and John were in a separate place from the other disciples and Mary Magdalene went to them while the other two women went to the other disciples. We know that He appeared first to Mary Magdalene and so the other women were second on the list. When we add Matthew 28 to the picture, there is a lesson that even when we are scared and not following God’s instructions, He will come to us and comfort us and then send us back out to follow His will.
(Application / Prayer) What were these women thinking? Had they been accused too many times in the past of being hysterical. Had they been disbelieved too many times simply because they were women? Was coming into contact with an angel simply too much of a shock to their systems so that they had to recover for a bit before they were ready to tell others what they had seen? I don’t have enough details to know, but I pray that when God gives me a message that I will proclaim it fearlessly as He asks rather than fearfully holding it to myself and harming others through my lack of faith. I think that too often I have been like these women hugging the good news of Jesus to myself for fear of being disbelieved and mocked that I am illogical and emotional and unbelievable. Too often I have held back because I simply could not see a way to tell others my message and make them believe it. I pray to have the courage and devotion to simply believe and follow the message that I have been given.