Choosing Faith Over Fear

Anxiety is at an all-time high, especially among young people. As followers of Christ, it’s easy to feel like we are doing something wrong. Over and over again, the Bible shows God telling His followers not to be afraid, yet we still are. It feels impossible to follow the examples of great Biblical heroes like Moses, Peter, Mary, or Jesus. How can we do what they did while feeling such fear?

Mark 16:1-8 tells a story of fear that many would relate to today.

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

"They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." This shows that anxiety was not uncommon in Jesus' time. There are several hints of anxiety in the passage: the women wonder how they will move the stone. The angel tells them not to be afraid. Even so, they tremble in fear and astonishment, disobeying the word of the angel out of fear.

Why were the women afraid? They had just seen an angel! Jesus was alive! What was there to fear?

Put yourself in the shoes of these women for a second. The earthly powers had just killed Jesus — the man in whom they had invested all of their hopes and futures in. Suddenly, He was forcefully stripped from them. They were still living in shock. The women were also deeply aware that, if they went around announcing that Jesus — the man who they had just executed — was alive, they could be killed. News of His return would not be welcomed. Even if they weren’t killed, people would question their sanity. They could become isolated, shunned by everyone. 

They could even become shunned by the twelve disciples. Imagine them rushing to the disciples with the good news of Jesus’ return, only to be met with despair and cynicism. In that culture, the word of a woman did not hold much value. They might think the women were playing some kind of prank. Why risk all of that? Staying silent was the safest option. Or so anxiety told them. 

Have you ever felt that kind of fear? What happens when in a room full of people saying something you know is wrong? How about when your friends are gossiping about someone behind that person’s back? Do you speak up, or, like the women in that story, stay silent for fear of social consequences? How often has fear of awkwardness or retaliation kept you from sharing the Gospel? It's easy to give in to that fear, even with people we’ve known for years.

Some of the earliest manuscripts of Mark end with this passage. They do not include verses 9-20. The women were paralyzed by fear. Jesus had been resurrected, but because of their fear, no one knew. What an unsatisfying ending — just dropping off at the climax. 

What if narrative satisfaction was not the goal? What if the author of Mark intentionally left the story open-ended, letting readers put themselves in the shoes of these women. How would they respond to the fear in that situation?

It seems that the women in this passage forgot Jesus’ promises. He had told them multiple times that he would rise again, that he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. Yet when it happened, shock, grief, and fear paralyzed them. It caused them to forget His promises.

This happens often in our own lives. We forget God’s promises, focusing instead on the physical reality in front of us. We fear those who can destroy the body, instead of the one who can destroy the soul. Jesus promised that if we seek him first, everything we need will be provided. He promised that he would one day return to Earth. He promised that he is in control, and that nothing will happen outside of his will. The God of angel armies is always by our side. With that truth, what is there to fear?

When fear arises, there is no need to be dismayed. Every great Biblical hero faced fear. It's not the fear that matters, but how we respond to it. Do we forget God's promises and hide, or do we remember them and boldly face opposition? The latter is the path to living up to the standards set by the heroes of the faith. God's promises are true, and in that truth, we can choose to live in the freedom of His promises, not held captive by fear.