Jesus Flips the Table on Death

This is the last episode in the Mark Series. Quick talking Mark with His fast scene changes leaves us wondering, "Where's Jesus?" and "What happened to His body?" The ending feels abrupt. We don't want to just take the angel's announcement, "He is risen!" We want to see Jesus being reunited with His followers.  Mark seems to want to leave with a bit of a cliffhanger. Mark wants us to decide based on his whole gospel: Was Jesus the Messiah? Based on all we've learned about Jesus: Do we believe that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead, just as He said He would? Text: Mark 16, John 1:1-3 Julie paraphrases John 20. In C.S. Lewis's book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when Aslan (the Christ figure) comes back to life after he willingly gave his live to save the guilty betrayer, Aslan says, "It means that though the Witch knew  the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still that she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time.  But if she could have looked a little further back, into the Stillness and darkness before time began, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who has committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's Stead, the table would crack and death itself would work backwards." The Resurrection of Jesus turns back time itself.  By placing our faith in Jesus, The Resurrection and the Life, the clock on our life gets reset. Time starts over for us. As followers of Jesus, resurrection hope dawns over the rest of our lives. Resources Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth The Chronicles of Narnia box set (audio)