Mark 16:6

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted. For there is no fear in love. Why should they fear, who had found Him whom they sought? But the bitter root of the Cross has disappeared. The flower of life has burst forth with its fruits, that is, He who lay in death has risen in glory. Wherefore he adds, He is risen; he is not here.

The Angel who appeared said to the women: "Do not be alarmed." First he frees them from fear, and then proclaims the good news of the Resurrection. He calls Jesus Christ "the Crucified," for he is not ashamed of the Cross, which is the salvation …

Do not be afraid, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified; he has risen, he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. Do not be afraid, he says. As if he clearly states: Let those who do not love …

When we worship the likeness of the priceless and life-giving cross, we know that it is made out of a tree. We are not honoring the tree as such (God forbid), but the likeness as a symbol of Christ. For he said to his disciples, admonishing them, "Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven," meaning the cross. And so also the angel of the resurrection said to the woman, "You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified." And the apostle said, "We preach Christ crucified." For there are many named Jesus and many who may claim to be the Christ, but we worship the one crucified. He does not say pierced but crucified. It behooves us, then, to worship the sign of Christ. For wherever the sign may be, there also will he be. But it does not behoove us to worship the material of which the image of the cross is composed, even though it is gold or precious stones.

For he does not blush at the Cross, for in it is the salvation of men, and the beginning of the Blessed. As if he had said, Do ye wish to be certain of His resurrection, he adds, Behold the place where they laid him. This too was the reason why he had rolled away the stone, that he might show the the place.

And he saith unto them, be not affrighted,.... See Gill on Mat 28:5, Mat 28:6, where the same things, and almost in the same words, are said as here.

Jesus of Nazareth - The Jews had given this name to Christ by way of reproach, Mat 2:23; but as it was under this name that he was crucified, Joh 19:19, the angel here, and the apostles after, have given him the same name, Act 4:10, etc. Names which the world, in derision, fixes all the followers of God, often become the general appellatives of religious bodies: thus Quakers, Puritans, Pietists, and Methodists, have in their respective times been the nicknames, given in derision by the world, to those who separated themselves from its corruptions.

We may well believe that it required great courage to do this. To visit the grave in the dim twilight of an eastern day-break, would try most women, under any circumstances. But to visit the grave of one who had been put to death as a common malefactor, and to rise early to show honor to one whom their nation had despised, this was a mighty boldness indeed. Yet these are the kind of acts which show the difference between weak faith and strong faith — between weak feeling and strong feeling towards Christ.

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted--a stronger word than "Fear not" in Matthew (Mt 28:5). Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified!--"the Nazarene, the Crucified." he is risen; he is not here--(See on Lu 24:5, 6). behold the place where they laid him--(See on Mt 28:6).

OUR Lord always told His disciples that He would rise. They were astonished to hear that He would die at all—they did not think it possible that He could die by the terrible death which He often hinted at. Had they understood and really believed that He would rise again, they might not have been so surprised at His death. But as often as He spoke of it, their minds seemed to have been like their eyes, on some occasions—held back that they should not see!

We may well believe that it required great courage to do this. To visit the grave in the dim twilight of an eastern day-break, would try most women, under any circumstances. But to visit the grave of one who had been put to death as a common malefactor, and to rise early to show honor to one whom their nation had despised, this was a mighty boldness indeed. Yet these are the kind of acts which show the difference between weak faith and strong faith — between weak feeling and strong feeling towards Christ. These holy women had tasted of our Lord's pardoning mercies. Their hearts were full of gratitude to Him for light, and hope, and comfort, and peace. They were willing to risk all consequences in testifying their affection to their Savior. So true are the words of Canticles — "Love is strong as death — many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it." (Cant. 8:6, 7.) Why is it that we see so little of this strong love to Jesus among Christians of the present day? How is it that we so seldom meet with saints who will face any danger, and go through fire and water for Christ's sake? There is only one answer. It is the weak faith, and the low sense of obligation to Christ, which so widely prevail. A low and feeble sense of sin will always produce a low and feeble sense of the value of salvation. A slight sense of our debt to God will always be attended by a slight sense of what we owe for our redemption. It is the man who feels much forgiven who loves much. "To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." (Luke 7:47.) Let us observe, secondly, in this passage, how the difficulties which Christians fear, will sometimes disappear as they approach them . These holy women, as they walked to our Lord's grave, were full of fears about the stone at the door. "They said among themselves, Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?"

OUR Lord always told His disciples that He would rise. They were astonished to hear that He would die at all—they did not think it possible that He could die by the terrible death which He often hinted at. Had they understood and really believed that He would rise again, they might not have been so surprised at His death. But as often as He spoke of it, their minds seemed to have been like their eyes, on some occasions—held back that they should not see! And if they perceived His meaning, it ran so contrary to all their ideas of a Kingdom for a Messiah, that they could not grasp it as a reality! Now one of the first things that strikes the reader of the Chapter before us shall furnish us with our first head of contemplation tonight— I. THE ALMOST UNIVERSAL POWER OF UNBELIEF IN THE CHURCH. This is a good instance to illustrate a general fact, for our Savior had told them in plain terms that He would rise again. Yet on the third day not one that we know of expected Him to rise! When they were informed that He had risen, by eyewitnesses—persons whom they had been accustomed to treat as deserving of all credence, persons with whom they had been long acquainted—they, everyone of them, were incredulous! They could not believe it, though it were testified to them again and again.