The Gospel of Mark
Chapter 16: The Resurrection and Ascension
And the sabbath being [now] past, Mary of Magdala, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, bought aromatic spices that they might come and embalm him. And very early on the first [day] of the week they come to the sepulchre, the sun having risen. And they said to one another, Who shall roll us away the stone out of the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they see that the stone has been rolled [away], for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed in a white robe, and they were amazed and alarmed;
but he says to them, Be not alarmed. Ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, the crucified one. He is risen, he is not here; behold the place where they had put him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, he goes before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he said to you. And they went out, and fled from the sepulchre. And trembling and excessive amazement possessed them, and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid. Now when he had risen very early, the first [day] of the week, he appeared first to Mary of Magdala, out of whom he had cast seven demons. *She* went and brought word to those that had been with him, [who were] grieving and weeping. And when these heard that he was alive and had been seen of her, they disbelieved [it]. And after these things he was manifested in another form to two of them as they walked, going into the country; and *they* went and brought word to the rest; neither did they believe them. Afterwards as they lay at table he was manifested to the eleven, and reproached [them with] their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen him risen. And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all the creation. He that believes and is baptised shall be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned. And these signs shall follow those that have believed: in my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they should drink any deadly thing it shall not injure them; they shall lay hands upon the infirm, and they shall be well. The Lord therefore, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God. And they, going forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word by the signs following upon [it].
(Vv. 1-3) For the third time, we encounter these devoted women—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. They had apparently purchased sweet spices to anoint the Lord's body after the SabbathThe last day of the week that God had set aside as a day of rest in the OT because He rested from His work after the 6-day work of... More. While unbelief might expect to find the Lord's body in the grave, the Spirit of God delights in showcasing their devoted love that motivates them to bring the spices and visit the grave at dawn.
As they made their way to the grave, they wondered aloud, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?" To the natural mind of the natural man, Christ's grave presents a significant barrier. Fallen humanity struggles with the truth of resurrection. Although GreekUnlike Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews; Acts 6:1; 9:29), Greeks, in the narrow sense of the word, come from Greece and have at least one Greek parent (Acts 16:3 in connection with... More philosophers, like many today, may accept the idea of the soul's immortality, they typically reject the concept of bodily resurrection. It is easier for people to believe that their souls persist after death than to acknowledge that God's power is necessary for raising the body. Dismissing God makes resurrection impossible; however, when we include God and His power, all obstacles disappear—the stone is rolled away.
(Vv. 4-7) When the devoted women arrive at the grave, they discover that God has gone before them—the stone has been rolled away. This was not done so that the body of the Lord could exit the grave, but rather so that the disciples might enter and see that the tomb was empty. No stone, however great, could keep the body of the Lord in the grave.
Upon entering the grave, the women are immediately confronted with a heavenly messenger who reassures their hearts and calms their fears. The messenger tells them, "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; He is not here; behold the place where they laid Him." They were genuinely seeking Jesus, and despite their ignorance and unbelief, all would ultimately be well. This raises a crucial question for us: What are we seeking? Is Jesus the primary focus of our hearts? As J.N.D. once said, "It is the consecration of the heart to the Lord that brings light and intelligence to the soul." Our blindness to truth and our inability to distinguish between right and wrong often stem from a lack of focus on ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More as our One Object.
Frequently, we pursue our own desires and ambitions instead of seeking Jesus and His glory. The extent to which we "seek Jesus" directly correlates with the light we receive. We may seek many good things, such as saving souls, serving others, or promoting the welfare of the saints. Still, if we focus on "seeking Jesus," everything else will fall into place, illuminating our path. As these women sought Jesus, they received light from heaven and were commissioned to serve the Lord.
They were tasked with delivering the message to "His disciples and Peter." It is particularly touching that, in the gospel detailing Peter's significant failure, his name is specifically mentioned. Had the message been directed simply to the disciples, Peter might have thought, "It cannot include me; I am no longer a disciple." However, the special mention of Peter's name dispels any doubt. The disciples were to understand that, despite all having forsaken the Lord and fled—Peter having denied Him—the Lord's loving heart toward them remained unchanged. Just as He did during His earthly ministry, He would "go before" His disciples to lead the way, assuring them they would "see Him," and that everything would unfold "as He said."
In a broader sense, despite the church's current state of responsibility and the scattering and failures of God's people, we can look forward to the time when He will gather all His sheep around Himself—our risen, glorious Lord—and we will see Him face to face, with every word He has spoken fulfilled.
Although they had seen the empty tomb and listened to the angel, they had not yet seen Jesus. As noted in the Gospel of Luke, "Him they saw not." Without ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More Himself, the great stone rolled away, an empty sepulcher, and the vision of angels can only leave us trembling and amazed.
In verses 9-11, we learn that the Lord had already appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. The one who witnessed the Lord's power over demons now becomes a witness to His power over death, carrying the joyful news of His resurrection to the grieving disciples. Unfortunately, although they heard the message, they did not believe it.
Verses 12-13 briefly refer to the Lord's appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, highlighting that their witness, too, went unrecognized.
In verses 14-18, we find a record of the Lord's appearance to the eleven disciples as they were eating. He rebukes them for their unbelief, which is attributed to the hardness of their hearts. We must ask ourselves: Could much of our own unbelief be traced back to the hardness of our hearts, which are often unresponsive to His love and unimpressed by His words?
In spite of the exposure of their hearts, the Lord immediately sends them forth to preach to others. It may seem that their unbelief and hardness of heart would disqualify them from preaching, yet this very exposure in His presence prepared them for service. It is when we begin to understand the nature of our hearts and recognize our own nothingness that God can use us to bless others.
They were commissioned to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." It is essential to note that this passage does not imply that baptism has any saving power in the eyes of God. The essential truth is belief in the gospel. The verse does not say, "He who does not believe and is not baptized will be condemned." As one has pointed out, "Unbelief is the greatest evil to be feared. Whether a person is baptized or not, if they do not believe, they will be condemned."
BaptismRefers to the immersion of a person (in a body of water) and has a symbolic meaning: someone who is baptized acknowledges that they deserve to die. By being baptized,... More serves as an outward signThe Gospel of John tells us about eight signs that the Lord Jesus performed. These signs, which are also miracles, point to something special. They aim to help us grow... More of one's faith before others. A person who professes to believe yet refuses to be baptized is essentially attempting to hide their faith to maintain worldly relationships. We may question the authenticity of such a person's faith. A true believer will openly confess their faith by separating from the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More. BaptismRefers to the immersion of a person (in a body of water) and has a symbolic meaning: someone who is baptized acknowledges that they deserve to die. By being baptized,... More symbolizes death, marking the believer's transition from the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More to the Christian community among God's people.
The Lord tells His disciples that signs will follow those who believe in Him. In Christ's name, they would cast out demons, speak in tongues, and heal the sick. It is essential to note that the Lord does not state that these signs will follow every believer or that they will persist indefinitely. We should distinguish between the sign-gifts mentioned by the ApostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More in 1 Corinthians 12:29-30 and the nourishment gifts described in Ephesians 4:11. The sign-gifts in Corinthians were given to the early church as a man's testimony to attract the attention of an unbelieving worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More. The nourishment gifts, however, come from the ascended Head of the church.
Since the church has failed in its responsibilities, the Lord no longer calls attention to a broken church through outward, miraculous signs. However, even though the church is shorn of her outward ornaments, the Lord continues to love and nourish His body. Thus, the gifts described in Ephesians persist until the end.
In verses 19-20, after giving His commission to His disciples, the Lord was taken up into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. His work on earth as the perfect servant is complete. Nonetheless, He continues to work alongside His disciples, confirming the message they preach with accompanying signs.
