Introductory remarks:
We have come to the last chapter of the Gospel of Mark. In the last chapter we left the women at the tomb where Joseph and Nicodemus laid the Lord's body. In chapter sixteen we will study the resurrection and ascension of the Lord. This chapter may be outlined as follows: The resurrection of Jesus vv. 1-8; the longer ending of Mark; Some of the better manuscripts eliminate verses 9-20. The Appearance to Mary Magdalene vv. 9-11; the appearance of Two Disciples vv. 12-13; the commissioning of the Disciples vv. 14-20.
The Resurrection of Jesus
(Matt. 28:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10)
Verse 1, "And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him."
LGT "And the Sabbath being past, Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James and Salome, bought aromatics, that having come they might anoint Him."
The Sabbath was past, the sun had set, and the women were able to purchase sweet spices to anoint the body of the Lord. After sunset there was a very vigorous marketing going on among the Jews, for they were unable to buy or sell on the Sabbath.
Matthew Henry wrote:
"Never was there a Sabbath since the Sabbath was first instituted as this was, which the first words of this chapter tell us was now past: during all this Sabbath our Lord Jesus lay in the grave. It was to Him a Sabbath of rest, but a silent Sabbath; it was to His disciples a melancholy [depressed] Sabbath, spent in tears and fears. Never were the Sabbath services in the temple such an abomination to God, though they had been often so, as they were now, when the chief priests, who presided in them, had their hands full of blood, the blood of Christ. Well, this Sabbath is over, and the first day of the week is the first day of a new world. We have here the affectionate visit which the good women that had attended Christ, now made it to His sepulcher - not a superstitious one, but a pious [dutiful] one. They set out from their lodgings very early in the morning at break of day, or sooner; but either they had a long walk, or they met with some hindrance, so that it was sun-rising by the time they got to the sepulcher. They had bought sweet spices too, and came not only to bedew the dead body with their tears (for nothing could more renew their grief than this), but to perfume it with their spices."
Verse 2, "And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun."
LGT "And very early on the first [day] of the week they come to the tomb, when the sun was risen."
"Probably they started while it was still dark and the sun was coming up when they arrived at the tomb. All three mention that it was on the first day of the week, our Sunday morning when the women arrive. The body of Jesus was buried late on Friday before the Sabbath (our Saturday), which began at sunset. This is made clear as a bell by Luke 23:54 and the Sabbath drew on. The women rested on the Sabbath (Luke 23:56). This visit of the women was in the early morning of our Sunday, the first day of the week. Some people are greatly disturbed over the fact that Jesus did not remain in the grave full seventy-two hours. But He repeatedly said that He would rise on the third day and that is precisely what happened. He was buried on Friday afternoon. He was risen on Sunday morning. If He had really remained in the tomb full three days and then had risen after that, it would have been on the fourth day, not on the third day. The occasional phrase after three days is merely a vernacular idiom [figure of speech] common in all languages and not meant to be exact and precise like on the third day. We can readily understand after three days in the sense of on the third day. It is impossible to understand on the third day to be on the fourth day" (Robertson).
Verse 3, "And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?"
LGT "And they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone for us out of the door of the tomb."
Mark is the only evangelist that records this conversation the women had with one another. These women obviously had no hope of the resurrection, for they raised this problem about the stone as they walked along on their way to the tomb.
Verse 4, "And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great."
LGT "And having looked up, they see that the stone has been rolled away: for it was very great."
Mark mentioning the size of the stone shows how the women were amazed when they looked up and saw that it was rolled away. Bruce mentions how the women were forlorn with their heads down as they trudged up the hill, and then, looking up they saw the stone rolled away.
Verse 5, "And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted."
LGT "And having entered into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed with a white robe, and they were greatly amazed."
Mark uses the verb amazed, which better describes the women's emotion; they were amazed rather than fright. There were two young men, and this is told us by comparing the other Gospels; they were angels, Luke says they were dazzling.
Verse 6, "And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him."
LGT "And he says to them, Do not be amazed: Ye seek Jesus the Nazarene, the One who has been crucified: He is risen, He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him."
The first thing the angel does is quite the women's nerves by assuring them that He had risen just as He said He would; see the empty space where He lay. Without going deep into the doctrine of the resurrection, I simply note, without it we are all lost. Those were very magnificent words from the angel, He is not here, He is risen.
Verse 7, "But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he said unto you."
LGT "But go, say to His disciples and to Peter that He goes before you unto Galilee: there ye shall see Him just as He said to you."
Jesus had promised Peter personally that He would see Him again after His crucifixion, probably because of what Peter had gone through in denying Christ; He assured Peter as a way of consolation. The angel instructs the women to go tell the disciples that Christ would meet them in Galilee.
Verse 8, "And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid."
LGT "And having gone out, they fled from the tomb, for trembling and amazement possessed them: and they spoke anything [lit. nothing] to no one: for they were afraid."
The women rushed out to tell the disciples as they were commanded, and they stopped to talk with no one, but hurried on their mission.
The Appearance to Mary Magdalene
(Matt. 28:9-10; Luke 20:11-18)
[This is where the longer ending begins; the best manuscripts end with verse eight. It is believed that verses 9-20 were added by the Presbyter Aristion in A.D. 968 taken from the other Gospel accounts in order that Mark would not end so abruptly; the school is still out concerning it as the work of Mark]
Verse 9, "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils."
LGT "Now having arisen early [the] first [day] of the week, Mary the Magdalene, from whom He cast out seven demons."
Jesus' name is not mentioned in the original, however it is clearly inferred. Mark makes it very definite that it is Mary Magdalene that Christ first appeared.
Verse 10, "And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept."
LGT "She, having gone, announced to the ones who had been with Him, [who were] grieving and weeping."
The disciples were mourning and weeping at the loss of the Savior; they had little faith; I don't believe it was till after Pentecost that they really began to have strength, because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 11, "And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not."
LGT "And they, having heard that He is alive and has been seen by her, disbelieved [it]."
The disciples had a lot of concern about Jesus' resurrection; and probably the one uncommon thing to them would have been that Christ revealed Himself to the women before themselves.
The Appearance to Two Disciples
(Luke 24:13-35)
Verse 12, "After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country."
LGT "And after these things, to two of them, as they walked, He was manifested in another form, going into [the] country."
"Mark makes it very clear to us that he hadn't been following a chronological order in his gospel. But now he says that this is the order. He is being chronological. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. The disciples didn't believe Mary Magdalene at all. After that He appeared to two others, walking in the country. Luke gives us the account of that walk on the road to Emmaus" (McGee).
These two were not of the eleven; they were friends of Jesus, and as Luke describes it, they believed in Him, even though they did not recognize Him; this verse says that He was manifested in another form, and that would be because these had not seen Him since He was disfigured on the cross. Christ suffered as no other man, and after this, even His disciples did not recognize him.
Verse 13, "And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them."
LGT "And they, having gone, told [it] to the rest: neither did they believe them."
Luke reports that they received a welcome in Jerusalem; Mark however, deals with those that doubted.
The Commissioning of the Disciples
(Matt. 28:16-20; Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:6-8)
Verse 14, "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen."
LGT "[And] afterwards, as they reclined [at table], He was manifested to the eleven and rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because those who had seen Him arisen, they believed not."
We see here that Christ rebukes them for deliberate unbelief. "Doubt is not necessarily a mark of intellectual superiority. One must steer between credulity [gullibility] and doubt. That problem is a vital one today in all educated circles. Some of the highest men of science today are devout believers in the Risen Christ. Luke explains how the disciples were upset by the sudden appearance of Christ and were unable to believe the evidence of their own senses (24:38-43)" (Robertson).
Verse 15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
LGT "And He said to them, having gone into all the world, proclaim the glad tidings to all creation."
This is the second commission given to the disciples; the first was given in John 20:21-23 where Christ breathed into them the Holy Spirit, and sent them to the lost sheep of Israel; here in this passage Christ is commissioning the twelve to go into all the world, and offer the Good News to every creature, that is, all men; the third commission is in Acts 1:3-8 where He fills the Apostles with the Holy Spirit and sends them unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Today in this Age of Grace we are also filled with the Holy Spirit the moment we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are to be witnesses to every creature of Christ's undying love; however, as we have taught before, the proclamation of the Good News of salvation is not a corporate responsibility of the Church (that is, every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ), but is the individual privilege of each and every believer to be ready always to give an answer to everyone who may ask the reason of the hope that is in us. All the Lord asks of His children today is that they are ready (by studying Bible Doctrine), and willing to give an answer to everyman who may ask. It is not the responsibility of any Christian to witness, but the privilege. The Holy Spirit does all the work, we are simply vessels in His hands; we are to be ready and willing to be used and He will use us. It is not for us to keep track of the souls we win, we are simply to be willing to be used of Him, and He will do all the computing.
Verse 16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
LGT "The one who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but the one who disbelieves shall be condemned."
This is one of the most abused portions of Scripture by those who want to include baptism as a necessary part of salvation. In the first place baptism is not included in the second part of the verse which states that a person who disbelieves will be condemned; in the second place, this is a disputed portion of Scripture; in the third place, being baptized as a part of salvation does not fit the doctrine of free grace salvation, that is, faith alone in Christ alone; in the fourth and final place, baptism was phased out when our Scriptures were completed, for there was no longer any reason of any type or symbol. It is alright if you disagree with me, but as McGee says, "If you want to be right you will go along with me." A Good old Southern Baptist preacher and Greek scholar, A. T. Robertson wrote: "The omission of baptized with disbelieveth would seem to show that Jesus does not make baptism essential to salvation. Condemnation rests on disbelief, not on baptism. So salvation rests on belief. Baptism is merely the picture of the new life not the means of securing it. So serious a sacramental doctrine would need stronger support anyhow than this disputed portion of Mark." There is fairly good substantial proof that this portion of Scripture is not part of the text; enough proof that no doctrine should be framed by it, especially if some other portion of Scripture does not substantiate it.
Verses 17, 18, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
LGT "And those that believe, these signs shall follow; in My name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; [and in their hand] they shall take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, in no way shall it injure them; they shall lay hands on [the] infirm, and they shall be well."
Now this should prove my exegesis; if we were to apply these verses to today, we should be able to do all these miraculous things the Apostles did. Only the credulous or the liars will lay claim to these works; I want some Pentecostal to drink poison in front of me, without tricks, and not keel over, I would still not believe that these verses were intended for our Church. These signs were given before the entire Scripture to prove God sent them; today we have the Word of God to stand upon as our proof; this is enough for me.
Verse 19, "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."
LGT "Indeed, the Lord Jesus therefore, after speaking to them, was taken up into heaven and sat at [the] right hand of God."
Mark has a very brief account of Christ ascension. "The right hand of God; we are not to suppose that God has hands, or that Jesus sits in any particular direction from God. This phrase is taken from the manner of speaking among men, and means that He was exalted to honor and power in the heavens. It was esteemed the place of the highest honor to be seated at the right hand of a prince. So, to be seated at the right hand of God, means that Jesus is exalted to the highest honor of the universe" (Barnes).
Verse 20, "And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."
LGT "And having gone forth, they preached everywhere, the Lord working with [them], and the Word confirming [it] by the following upon signs."
There are those today who try to tell us that there are people who have never heard the Gospel. The only men today that are without Christ have never accepted the Gospel; the fact of hearing is no longer the issue; the Word of God went out in this miraculous way in the first century; the Word of God is still going out, but not the same way; individual one on one contact is still getting the Word out. Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost; He has not limited Himself within the Church; on the contrary, He has multiplied Himself within the Church. Christ is still saving the lost, but He is doing it without our help; he uses us, but He is still the One saving the lost, by the power of His Holy Spirit. We could never care more for the lost souls of this world than Christ, Who went to Calvary for the entire world; we can only get a glimpse of what this world means to Christ in His Word, by letting His mind be in us.
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