Between a Rock and?Self
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, ?Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?? 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away?for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.~Mark 16:1-5 Men and women are bent on relying on themselves. When these 3 came to Jesus?s tomb, they sought to ?do something? for Jesus?s body, which is noble.
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. ~Mark 16:1
It was clearly prime on their list of ?things to do? as it records how they went ?very early in the morning, on the first day of the week?. They had a severe, though very logical, misconception about the power of their Lord, however. Their statement as they arrived at the burial place of Christ, though very logical and understandable, implies self-reliance. They did not yet grasp the truth of the power of their Lord saying:
And they said among themselves, ?Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?? ~Mark 16:3
There is the logical, self-reliant, self sufficient human being?s plan. It tells us that whatever we set out to do ? good or bad ? relies directly and completely on our own ability to accomplish it. That?s why people have stress about health, finances, relationships and life in general. We never stop trying to figure out ways to ?do it ourself?. Unfortunately, when our ability, strength and reason is too little for what we?re up against (and it usually is!), we still continue to seek ways to ?roll the stone away? through another, perhaps slightly stronger person. Just like these women, we must shift gears and ?look up? rather than looking all around frantically searching for a new, better human plan. We must see the God who has already accomplished that which we are seeking to do apart from Him yet lack the strength to complete.
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away?for it was very large. ~Mark 16:4
It was not until they ?looked up? that their problem was solved. They were right about one thing, they knew they could not enter the tomb until their dilemma was resolved. What had to be revealed to them was hoe that monumental struggle (rolling away of the stone) was going to be overcome. There was no human strong or able enough to move that stone alone. The God of the Universe did it for them. When we come seeking do something for God, we repeatedly find that He has already done everything for us.
We should never cease to ?do something? for Christ?s body ? the church. Love, service, edification, encouragement, exhortation, correction, etc. are a few examples of what we?re called to do with the gifts the Lord has given to us. And I?m not talking about compartmenatlized ?ministry? (the term itself is an oxymoron), I?m talking about daily, honest, truthful interactions with every person the Lord places into our lives. ?Annointing? the body of Christ after their ?death? to the world is to be prime on our list of things to do today. Our ability to overcome the obstacles standing in front of that task -the main objective for each of us every single day whether it means loving someone unlovable (which is all of us), correcting someone in error, working to provide for our family or patiently waiting on the Lord for guidance ? however that task manifests in our lives, we must recognize our own inability and insufficientcy to do it alone.
Could those women have found six strong men to roll away that stone? Perhaps. Would the power of the Lord be displayed in their lives and the message of the gospel been proclaimed as it was if that would have happened? No. God?s ways are not by our means, but by His. Thank God! His are infinitly better!
Stop looking around. Don?t frantically search your means, your friends, your neighbors for answers and strength. What we must do is look up. Whether our obstacle is paying our bills or loving our enemies today ? or both -we must rely solely on the power of God (not man) to accomplish His will in His body ? of which we are merely a part. He will accomplish whatever He desires through us by Himself.
We must see the God who has already accomplished that which we are seeking to do apart from Him yet lack the strength to complete. When we come seeking do something for God, we repeatedly find that He has already done everything for us. We must recognize our own inability and insufficientcy to do it alone. God?s ways are not by our means, but by His. Thank God! His are infinitly better! He will accomplish whatever He desires through us by Himself.
?Awakened and distressed sinner! Seek not to heal yourself by forced obedience; learn the obedience of faith that you may be purged in your conscience from dead works to serve God.?~Bogatzky