Read | Mark 15:42–16:8
When it was already evening, because it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin who was himself looking forward to the kingdom of God, came and boldly went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had already died. When he found out from the centurion, he gave the corpse to Joseph. After he bought some linen cloth, Joseph took him down and wrapped him in the linen. Then he laid him in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where he was laid.
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they could go and anoint him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” Looking up, they noticed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away.
When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you.’”
They went out and ran from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.
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Notice hope on display as the women came to the tomb in grief and met the news of resurrection. Where are you facing a situation that feels like an ending? How can you hold on to hope this week?
Focus
Each week we are focusing on a different classical virtue, a habit of excellent character, and exploring what small steps you can take today to cultivate that virtue in your life. This week, we are looking at the virtue of hope. This virtue is the confident expectation of divine fulfillment and ultimate happiness that God will bring about one day. Often we use the word “hope” to talk about a vague wish or desire (for example, I hope we have pizza for dinner tonight). But Christian hope as a virtue is the sure confidence that God will make things right one day, whether in this life or the next. Far from escapism, as C.S. Lewis notes, “...the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.” It motivates and encourages us to act, not out of despair, but with the recognition that God will reward our obedience.
Grow in hope this week by bringing to mind one area of your life that feels like a sealed tomb: dead, finished, beyond change. Each morning this week, speak one sentence of hope over it and ask God to show you a sign of new life. Stay watchful for the stone already rolled away.
Pray
Jesus, anchor me in hope. When I face endings and empty tombs, remind me that you bring resurrection, and that nothing is beyond your power to redeem.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.