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Scripture Reading: Mark 16:1-18
In chapter sixteen of the Gospel of Mark we have three matters: the resurrection of the Slave-Savior (vv. 1-18), the ascension of the Slave-Savior for His exaltation (Mark 16:19), and the Slave-Savior’s universal spreading of the gospel through His disciples (Mark 16:20). In this message we shall begin to consider the Slave-Savior’s resurrection.
Since the Gospel of Mark in a very real sense may be called the Gospel of Peter, let us consider Peter’s words concerning Christ’s resurrection as recorded in the book of Acts. In his gospel messages in chapters two, three, four, and five of Acts, Peter speaks concerning the Lord’s resurrection. Actually, the resurrection of Christ was the center of Peter’s gospel messages.
In Acts 2:23-24 Peter says, speaking of Christ, “This man, delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you, through the hand of lawless men, nailed to the cross and killed; whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, since it was not possible for Him to be held by it.” In Peter’s very first gospel message, preached on the day of Pentecost, he testified that the crucified Jesus was raised up by God. Peter testified that Christ could not be held by death. Since Christ Himself is resurrection (John 11:25), it was impossible for Him to be held by death. How can resurrection be held by death? This is impossible.
In Acts 2:32-36 Peter speaks concerning both the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Regarding the Lord’s resurrection, he says in verse 32, “This Jesus God raised up, of which we all are witnesses.” Here Peter seems to be saying, “We were present when the Lord Jesus was crucified, and we saw Him after His resurrection. Therefore, we are eyewitnesses of His resurrection.”
In verse 33 Peter continues, “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He poured out this which you both see and hear.” This verse speaks of Christ’s ascension.
In verse 36 Peter refers to both resurrection and ascension: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.” It is in resurrection and ascension that Jesus has become the Lord and the Christ.
In Acts 3:15 Peter told the people that they had killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. The Greek word rendered “Author” means origin, originator, chief leader. Here it denotes Christ as the origin or originator of life, hence, the Author of life. Peter was telling the people that they had killed the Author of life, the One whom God had raised from the dead. Here Peter seems to be saying, “We are eyewitnesses of the One who is the origin, the source, of life. You killed this One, but death could not hold the One you have killed. God has raised up from the dead this One who is the source of life.”
In Acts 4:10-12 Peter again preaches concerning the resurrected Christ: “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in this name this man stands before you well. This is the stone which was despised by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is no salvation in any other; for neither is there another name under heaven given among men in which we must be saved.” Here we see that the crucified Jesus, the One whom God raised up from the dead, is the cornerstone rejected by the Jewish leaders.
If we read these verses carefully, we shall see that salvation is in the resurrected Christ. Furthermore, this salvation is for God’s building. The Savior in resurrection is the cornerstone for God’s building, which is also in resurrection. By this we see that the Lord’s resurrection is not only for our salvation but also for God’s building. Both our salvation and God’s building are in the resurrected Christ.
In Acts 5:30 and 31 Peter says, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you slew, hanging Him on a tree. This One God has exalted to His right hand as a Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” God has exalted Christ to be the Leader and Savior. We need to see that Jesus is the Lord, the Christ, and the cornerstone for God’s building. He is also the Leader and our Savior for our salvation. Furthermore, He gives repentance and forgiveness. All of this takes place in resurrection. In his gospel messages Peter testifies that the Lord Jesus is the One in resurrection.
According to the book of Acts, Peter also pointed out that Christ, the resurrected One, has been exalted and is now in the heavens. Furthermore, Christ has poured out Himself as the Spirit upon His believers, God’s chosen ones, to make them the members of His Body. This is for the composition of the new man.
The new man is the expression of the resurrected Christ. The resurrected Christ is everything to the new man; He is the content and reality of the new man. As we have seen, this new man is actually the kingdom of God, where God rules, reigns, and acts to fulfill His desire. Hence, the kingdom of God is the sphere of God’s reign for His expression. This is in resurrection.
In the book of Acts Peter says that the Christ whom he saw and followed is now in resurrection and ascension. It is not possible to divide the Lord’s ascension from His resurrection. Both resurrection and ascension are very much involved with the Spirit. Today the Spirit is the reality of the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ. When we have this Spirit, we have Christ. In particular, we have the pneumatic Christ. Having this pneumatic Christ, we also have the reality of His resurrection and ascension.
If we have an understanding of the New Testament as a whole, we shall realize that the New Testament reveals to us a Person who is the Triune God incarnated to be the God-man. This God-man went to the cross and died a marvelous all-inclusive death. That event was greater than the event of God’s creation. The Lord’s all-inclusive death took away our sins, condemned sin, crucified our old man, terminated the old creation, destroyed the Devil, Satan, judged the satanic cosmos, and abolished the ordinances among the different races and social classes. By this we see that the Lord’s death has taken care of every negative thing in the universe once for all.
In the sight of God, all negative things have been cleared up for eternity. Of course, in our experience we still face the matters of sins, sin, the old man, the old creation, Satan, the world, and the ordinances. Nevertheless, the day is coming when in our sight, as well as in God’s, these things will be no more.
Praise the Lord for what has been accomplished by the all-inclusive death of Christ! As we read the account of the Lord’s crucifixion in the Gospel of Mark, we need to realize that His death was all-inclusive, terminating all negative things. As we have seen, the Lord’s death also released the divine life from within Him.
Through Christ’s all-inclusive death, God’s chosen people are ushered into Christ’s resurrection. When Christ was resurrected, God’s chosen people were resurrected with Him. Consider what 1 Peter 1:3 says concerning this: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead.” Here we see that the Father has regenerated us through the resurrection of Christ unto a living hope. This living hope will be fulfilled completely in the New Jerusalem.
Living hope is a hope of life. This is the hope that the life within us will develop until it reaches maturity.
We may use the birth of a child as an illustration of living hope. After a woman gives birth to a child, she will have a hope for that child, a hope for his growth and development. Perhaps the mother of a certain child may hope that he will become a medical doctor or even the president of the country. The basic factor of this hope is the life in the child. Because the child has life, the mother will have hope for his future.
In a similar way, we have been regenerated unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This hope is the hope of life, a life that will grow and develop until it consummates in the New Jerusalem.
This living hope issues from our regeneration. Do you know when you were regenerated? You may answer this question by saying that, in your experience, you were regenerated some years ago. Actually, you were regenerated when Christ was resurrected. It is a divine fact that you were regenerated before you were born. In the sight of God, you had your second birth before you experienced your first birth.
Acts 13:33 indicates that Christ’s resurrection was a birth to Him, for in resurrection He was begotten as God’s Son. In resurrection and through resurrection the Lord Jesus as a man was born to become God’s firstborn Son. The word “firstborn” indicates that the Lord Jesus has brothers. In Romans 8:29 Paul speaks of Christ as the firstborn among many brothers. In resurrection we all have been born with Christ to become His many brothers. How marvelous!
As we read the Gospel of Mark, we need to realize how much the death of the God-man includes and also how much His resurrection comprises. When the process of Christ’s death and resurrection was taking place, we, represented by Peter and the other disciples, were involved. In chapter fourteen Peter wept after he denied the Lord Jesus (v. 72). We may say that Peter wept because he was spiritually bankrupt. However, because he was brought into the death of Christ, Peter was ushered by that death into the Lord’s resurrection. At least by the time of Pentecost Peter realized this. Instead of weeping, he was proclaiming the gospel to the people of Israel. On the day of Pentecost Peter could have said, “I can tell you good news concerning Christ because I am now in His resurrection. The resurrected One is within me. He is the all-inclusive, compound Spirit saturating me. He is one with me, and I am one with Him.” Peter had been brought into the death and resurrection of Christ, the One who had become his all-inclusive replacement.
We have seen that regeneration issues in a living hope, in a hope for the full development of the divine life within us. We have the hope that this life will grow and develop in us to the uttermost. We are in this life, and this life is within us growing and developing.
First, this life issues in today’s church life, which is the reality of the kingdom. Eventually, with many, this life will reach maturity in the millennium, which will be the manifestation of the kingdom of God. Ultimately, the divine life within all believers will reach its fullest development in the New Jerusalem, God’s eternal kingdom in the new heaven and new earth. This will be the consummate development of the life we received through our regeneration.
No doubt, we lack an adequate realization of the divine life within us. Nevertheless, we have had at least some realization of the fact that we have been regenerated through Christ’s resurrection unto a living hope. Many saints can testify that, on certain occasions, they have prayed themselves into an ecstasy. When they were in such a state, they may have found it difficult to say where they were — in the church, the millennium, or the New Jerusalem — for they were beside themselves in the Lord. All of us need to have experiences like this.
Although we are of different nationalities and come from different places around the world, we all have had the real experience of being in resurrection. When we are beside ourselves in the Lord, perhaps not knowing where we are, that is an experience of being in resurrection. Because we have been regenerated, we have been ushered into Christ’s resurrection.
How wonderful it would be if we were always in resurrection! However, we may face problems that cause us to feel that we have been buried and placed in a tomb. But we know from experience that when we cry out to the Lord, calling on His name, we once again experience His resurrection. This is the story of our Christian life. Unbelievers, of course, do not have such experiences, because they have not been regenerated. Praise the Lord that He has brought us into His wonderful resurrection!
