What significance does "very early on the first day of the week" hold? Seeing the Phrase in Its Context Mark 16:2: “Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb.” • The women arrived at daybreak on Sunday, the first day after the Sabbath. • All four Gospels mention this timing (Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1), anchoring the Resurrection to a precise, literal moment in real history. The Day Jesus Rose: Fulfilling His Own Words • Jesus repeatedly promised to rise “on the third day” (Matthew 16:21; 17:23). • The first day of the week completes that third-day timetable: crucified Friday, in the tomb through the Sabbath, risen Sunday morning. • Mark 16:9 affirms, “After Jesus had risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared…”. Echoes of Old Testament Promises • Feast of Firstfruits—Leviticus 23:10-11 required the first sheaf to be waved “on the day after the Sabbath.” – Christ rose on that very day, becoming “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). • Hosea 6:2 foretold revival “on the third day,” a prophecy Jesus embodies. New Creation, New Week • Genesis opens with creation “in the beginning”; the Resurrection opens a new creation “on the first day.” • 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation”. • John places the empty tomb in a garden (John 19:41-42), recalling Eden and signaling restoration. The First Day and Christian Worship • Acts 20:7: “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” • 1 Corinthians 16:2: believers set aside offerings “on the first day of every week.” • Revelation 1:10 calls this day “the Lord’s Day,” marking it as the regular rhythm for gathered praise and remembrance of the risen Christ. A Sunrise of Hope and Certainty • “Very early…just after sunrise” underscores both timing and symbolism: light drives away the darkness of death (John 8:12). • Malachi 4:2 speaks of “the sun of righteousness” rising with healing—fulfilled in the risen Savior. • The precise note about dawn reflects eyewitness accuracy, reinforcing confidence in the historicity of the Gospel accounts. Living in the Light of Resurrection Morning • The first-day dawn declares that death is defeated (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). • Every Sunday gathering echoes that morning, keeping the church’s focus on a living Lord. • Believers now walk in resurrection power, rejoicing that “His mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23), especially evident from that first-day sunrise onward. |
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