Today Daily Devotional

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.”

— Mark 16:6

Sometimes we might wonder if the Easter story could have gone differently. Maybe something like this: “He has risen, and—look—here he is!” And then there could have been cries of amazement, hugs, tears of joy, and dancing. What a great time that could have been!

But instead the announcement was “He is not here. . . . He is going ahead of you into Galilee.”

What? He’s not here?

There is no invitation to stay at the tomb. The invitation is to go and follow where Jesus is leading.

So let’s not make a shrine of the tomb or turn the stone into a potential object of adoration. This is not where we need to stay. We need to be following the risen Lord.

As Mark’s gospel comes quickly to a close, we are directed away from the tomb to realize that the story has not ended. Instead, the story continues in the lives of everyone who will follow Jesus into the world. It is as if the resurrection is opening a doorway to an entirely new life that is yet to unfold for Jesus’ followers—including you and me.

Today, because Jesus has risen, your life can take a new course and have a new purpose.

Jesus, I can often feel like I simply want to stay where I am in life or else go my own way. Help me to live a new life, following your leading and guiding. Amen.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

— 1 Corinthians 15:17

When our street was closed for a utility repair, there was only a sign that said, “Road Closed.” There was no explanation. We soon learned that a sewer line had broken, and the repair would only take a day—but the sign did not say any of that.

As we saw yesterday in the book of Mark, the angel at the tomb announced that Jesus had risen, but there was no explanation of what that meant. “He has risen” is a declaration, not an explanation. Mark 16:6 simply records the angel’s ­announcement.

Thankfully, the Bible includes many other passages that help to explain this announcement, and the church and believers continue to work out the implications of that message for our daily living today.

For example, 1 Corinthians 15 fills several pages with a discussion of the resurrection, including the point that “if Christ has not been raised . . . you are still in your sins.”

And to put this positively, this means that because Christ has been raised, your sins have been forgiven, washed away, gone forever! This is the good news that Jesus came to bring and to make real in the lives of all who believe in him.

This declaration is true: Christ lives, and our sins are gone! Jesus arose for me and for you! Thanks be to God!

Dear God, even if I don’t fully understand how Jesus’ resurrection means that my sins are removed, help me to trust in you—and to see how powerful your love is for me. In Jesus, Amen.

“Don’t be alarmed. . . . You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

— Mark 16:6

The women who went to the tomb on Sunday were expecting to find a corpse. They went there to carry out the unpleasant task of anointing Jesus’ body with spices, even though they were not sure if they could get into the tomb.

I like how the book of Mark says they were on their way to the tomb “just after sunrise.” A new age was already beginning as the women made their way to a remarkable discovery. Instead of a closed tomb with a dead body in it, they found the stone rolled away from the entrance and “a young man dressed in a white robe.” “And they were alarmed.”

I imagine they wondered if they were even at the right tomb. But the angel was quick to assure them that they were at the right tomb and that he knew they were looking for the crucified Jesus. And the angel announced, “He has risen!”

This would have been far more than the visitors could process quickly. So it’s no wonder they were confused and afraid after hearing everything the angel had told them.

As we learn from other accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, a lot more happened later (see the closing chapters of Matthew, Luke, and John). But here in Mark we are invited to wonder what would happen next. And in the coming days we’ll focus a bit more on what the angel said and how we can peer into the new day that has dawned.

Christ has risen!

Lord, fill us with new life in Jesus, who rose for us. Thank you! Amen.

Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

— Mark 15:46

This story tells us that three women—Mary Magdalene, another Mary, and Salome—and also “many other women” had been watching the crucifixion from a distance. It seems that two of them also followed to see his burial.

And we might wonder, “What was it like for them to witness all this? What were they thinking and feeling?” These people and many others had been with Jesus and had followed him through Galilee as he taught and preached. And now they had seen his suffering, his death, and his burial in a tomb. We have been told what the centurion said (Mark 15:39), and we are told of the bold and kind action of Joseph of Arimathea, but what about the people who watched from a distance?

Maybe that’s the point. For all who witness the story of Jesus from a distance—like us today—what do we think about him? From a distance of 2,000 years we have followed Jesus through Galilee, heard his teachings, and seen his healings—and now we have observed his death and burial.

How has all this affected you? What is your reaction?

Our response to Jesus is a big part of the story.

Jesus, pull us into this story to respond to you as the centurion did and to honor you as Joseph did. And since we are like the many people who watched from a distance, draw us close enough to see you as the Son of God. Amen.

When the centurion . . . saw how [Jesus] died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

— Mark 15:39

This statement by the centurion is astounding. He was a commander of soldiers, a warrior for Rome, and he was supposed to worship the Roman caesar as his god. Yet here, at the scene of Jesus’ death on a cross, this non-Jewish man says Jesus is surely the Son of God. We don’t know exactly how the centurion came to this conclusion. The drama of the moment may have had something to do with it; Matthew reports that there was also an earthquake (Matthew 27:54). But somehow the Spirit of God moved the centurion to speak out this truth about Jesus.

While there are people who don’t believe in God, there will be a day when everyone will recognize that Jesus is the one Lord and King over all (Philippians 2:9-11). It could be at the time of their death or on judgment day, but it will happen. All who believe in Christ will make this confession with joy and praise, but, sadly, others will admit this reality with dread. Before we die and before the day of judgment, though, we can recognize that Jesus is the Son of God. Each one of us can ask God to help us see this today.

Jesus truly is the Son of God, whether we see it or not. It is a gift to see this reality for what it is, and it is only by God’s grace that we see the truth about Jesus.

Jesus, I do not know the depths of your love and sacrifice for me, and I wonder, “How can it be that you would die for me?” Help me to know you as Lord and King, and thank you for all you have done. Amen.

Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

— Mark 14:22

Souvenirs and keepsakes remind us of places we have been and of people in our lives. Maybe you have a stone that you picked up on a mountain hike, or perhaps you have a seashell from a beach. Maybe you cherish an heirloom that a grandparent owned. Reflecting on it can bring back warm memories.

At the last supper, Jesus was sharing his final Passover meal with his disciples. Ever since then, the deep significance of this meal has become precious to Jesus’ followers as a sacrament in the church.

I imagine that Jesus’ disciples later thought about him and what he did nearly every time they took bread and ate it during a meal. Think of how signifi­cant it was that Jesus used this basic, universal food to remind his followers that he gave his body to be crucified to pay for all our sin. Similarly, he used wine to remind his followers of the blood he shed.

Whenever you take a piece of bread today—maybe a piece of toast or a muffin or a bagel—or if you bite into a sandwich or a tortilla or another food made with some type of bread, may you be reminded that Jesus offered himself for us all, that we can be forgiven and have new life forever with him.

Jesus, remind me each day that you have given yourself for me. Even more than I need bread or food each day, I need you. Amen.

“By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked.

— Mark 11:28

The three major groups of religious authorities—the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders—came to ask Jesus about his authority. But they were not really asking for information. Their question was filled with disdain and ­accusation.

They were not searching for understanding. They were making a hostile inquiry, seeking to undermine Jesus. Earlier in Mark 11 we read that they were “looking for a way to kill him” (v. 18)—so we know they were not looking to be enlightened, and Jesus knew that too.

Even so, their question is a good one to ask, as long as we are not hostile and we real­ly want to know: “Jesus, how do you have the authority to do what you are doing and to teach what you are teaching?”

In a world where there are so many different teachings and authorities, it can be hard to know which way is right or true. We need to know why we should listen to Jesus and follow him. And Jesus gladly shows us the way. He is not threatened by our honestly seeking understanding.

Jesus invites us to see that he is the Son of God and that he has divine authority to heal and forgive. He also has authority to lay down his life for our sake, and to take it up again (John 10:17-18).

Jesus has done all this for our salvation, and this is the most important truth to know!

Dear Jesus, your authority over sin brings hope and gladness. Help us all to trust in you as the one and only Savior. Amen.

Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

— Mark 11:15

Having seen everything at the temple the day before, Jesus comes back and puts an end to all the buying and selling of sacrifices there. This creates quite a disruption.

Jesus clears out the courts so that believers from all nations can gather there for prayer. He rebukes the moneychangers and the vendors for making the Lord’s temple a “den of robbers.” And by toppling tables and benches, he shows that the whole system of continuous sacrifices is about to be overturned.

Jesus is here to fulfill the Old Testament law by paying for our sins once and for all. The tables of the money changers, where people got the temple currency needed to pay for temporary sacrifices for their sins, will no longer stand. Jesus will replace these with the table of bread and wine representing his body and blood, which pays for all sin once and for all. He will personally replace animal sacrifices with the sacrifice of his own life.

Until now the temple has been the central place for sacrifices and forgiveness. But God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, will now be the essential source of forgiveness for all people.

Because of Jesus, we no longer have to pay for sacrifices for our sins. Jesus has come, and he has paid the price for us all!

Lord Jesus, help me to find comfort in knowing that your sacrifice is perfect and complete for all time for me and for everyone. Thank you! Amen.

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

— Mark 11:11

Jesus has just entered the temple courts in Jerusalem, riding a colt in a great procession. Inside the temple courts, Jesus looks around and sees everything that is happening there. He sees doves, lambs, goats, and more—all being sold for sacrifices. According to the Jewish law, those sacrifices were necessary each year to pay for the sins of the people. But now Jesus has come, and this means that the time of paying for sin with the blood of animals is coming to an end. The hour is late, as the Greek text of Mark puts it, and that means the time of Jesus’ sacrifice to bring full forgiveness is arriving.

This is a proclamation that the stage is being set for the week ahead. Jesus sees that the time has come for these temple sacrifices to end, and for the one perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God to fulfill the need of all peoples.

Jesus looks around and sees everything. He sees that the time for salvation has come, and that nothing we can offer, buy, or sacrifice will really be enough to pay the debt of our sin. No other blood will do. Only Jesus, the sinless one, can pay the full price for us once and for all. His sacrifice is every­thing we need.

Ask God for forgiveness in Jesus’ name today. His blood had paid the debt of all your sin too!

“Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” have mercy on me! I rejoice that by your sacrifice for my sake, my sins are paid for in full. Amen.

“If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it. . . .’”

— Mark 11:3

As Jesus comes within a few miles of Jerusalem, he begins making arrangements for a large-scale public event. This is a strategic time, when crowds of people are gathering from all nations for the Jewish Passover celebration.

The crowd around Jesus is all excited about him. His entry into Jerusalem will not be missed—but it is misunderstood. He is not coming as a rival to the Roman king, as many in the crowd were thinking. But as the King of kings, he is coming to lay down his life as a sacrifice for everyone’s sins. Instead of being treated as an earthly ruler, Jesus will be crowned with thorns, sentenced to death on a cross, and mocked as a king of fools.

To prepare for this, Jesus sends two of his disciples to fetch a colt for him. Knowing that they will be asked about what they are doing, he also tells them what to say.

Jesus knows what is ahead. He knows what he needs in order to fulfill God’s plan to save us. Riding a colt to proclaim peace for all nations through the blood of a new covenant (Zechariah 9:9-11), Jesus will go right to the temple, where sacrifices are offered for the forgiveness of sins.

On the first day of this important final week for Jesus, we are invited to know what we need. We need Jesus to be offered for the forgiveness of our sins.

Dear God, help us to see that Jesus knew what it would take to pay for all our sins, and that we desperately need forgiveness. In his name, Amen.