Psalm 34:8 and Mark 16:6

 “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8).
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.” (Mark 16:6).
 

Comment:

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8).

We’re told that David composed this psalm and sang it when he was a captive of King Abimelach, convincing the king that the shepherd boy was obviously mad and should be sent away rather than slain. Isn’t it often the case that spiritual truth sounds totally insane to those hearing it from a limited human perspective? And indeed, to the Abimelach energy in our own minds, seeking answers and happiness with logic and manipulation, rather than surrendering to the Christ Power within. That Power of infinite love is always present within us—all we have to do is be willing to “taste,” to try listening and obeying its guidance so that we can experience for ourselves the dimension of happiness available to us when we do. 

But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.” (Mark 16:6).

I’m not sure why you would separate this particular verse from the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark, which describes the visit of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome to the tomb where Jesus had been laid. Unlike the later Gospels, Mark does not interpret or expand or justify. He reports what he has been told. For me, the implication is that the physical body of Jesus is no longer important. Jesus Christ—the spiritual essence, the divinity—has been lifted to a higher dimension. We will not find him by looking down at the material world, but by lifting our vision, as he taught us to do, and receiving the joyful news that death is simply a part of the mortal illusion. It has no spiritual reality, for Jesus or for us, and so we can go forward knowing that there is truly nothing to fear.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed