Awestruck and Silent: Responding to the Resurrection

In chapter 16 of his Gospel, Mark applies striking brushstrokes to the canvas of the resurrection story. Among the inviting colors he paints are the nervous lines of a handful of women uneasily approaching Jesus’ tomb. These women carry a mixture of apprehension and quiet resolve—apprehension because they face an uncertain future in light of Jesus’ death, and resolve because they are willing to embrace its reality.

Alongside these nervous contours is the bright display of an empty tomb and a lone figure boldly proclaiming that Jesus “is not here” (v. 6).

Looking more closely at the texture of these brushstrokes reveals something deeply intriguing.

First, the discovery that Jesus has been raised from the dead leaves the women overcome with fear. The text tells us they were “trembling and bewildered” (v. 8). The overwhelming reality of an empty tomb produced profound astonishment. One might even say they seemed almost out of their minds, so stunned were they. Yet this fear is not mere panic—it is awe. Awe born from the realization that something profoundly supernatural has taken place. They came expecting to embalm a dead friend; they left confronted with the reality that a dead man now lives.

Another striking feature is that this discovery leaves the women overcome with silence. Mark is unambiguous: “They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid” (v. 8). This does not mean they never spoke of the resurrection. Rather, it suggests that in that moment, they were so stunned that a deep, reverent quiet fell upon them. Their shock and awe gave way to a kind of stillness. What could they say? How could words possibly carry the weight of what they had just seen?

The resurrection left them awestruck—and silent.

What about you?

Let me invite you to do something. Carve out some time—perhaps even now—to revisit the resurrection accounts in the Gospels. You might begin with Luke 22–24. Place yourself within the scene. Hear the buzzing of flies around Calvary. Smell the mingling of blood and sweat. Feel Peter’s isolation in the courtyard. Breathe in the damp, cool air of the empty tomb.

Allow yourself to enter the story.

Allow yourself to be awestruck all over again by what Jesus has done and who He is.

And then, sit quietly with this reality: Jesus suffered, died, and rose again so that you—you—might be made whole and free, reconciled with certainty to the Holy One of heaven and earth.