Gospel of Mark/Chapter 16/Commentary

The Gospel of Mark Chapter 16 16:1 “And when the Sabbath was over”: Mark makes it clear that the Sabbath was over when these women started out on their journey to the tomb (16:1). In addition, dawn on Sunday morning is viewed as “very early on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2). John notes that it was still dark, that is, by the time the women arrived at the tomb the sun had risen (Mark 16:2). This may have been around 5-6 a.m. John states that the women had started out towards the tomb while it was still dark. According to Luke, the first day of the week was the third day since Jesus’ death and burial (Luke 24:21). Therefore, Jesus was raised early on the first day of the week before the women arrived at the tomb. In order to establish a modern day Sabbath observance the reader should be aware that some have tried to argue that Jesus was raised on the Sabbath. The Sabbath would be over around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday evening.

16:1 “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him”: These three women are also mentioned as being at the crucifixion (15:40), and two of them were present when Jesus was buried (15:47). Even though spices had been placed on the body when Jesus was buried, apparently because of the approaching Sabbath—the work had not been finished.

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16:2 “And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen”: The other writers given the same time (Luke 24:1; John 20:1).

16:3 “And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’”: As the women are on their way they are not expecting a resurrection, rather their minds are preoccupied with the idea of how they are going to get into the tomb. This statement also seems to infer that the women did not know that the tomb had been assigned a military guard. “Their concern with moving the stone was a real one because, no matter what kind of stone it was, it would have been difficult to move. A circular stone, though relatively easy to put in place since usually it was set in a sloped track, once established in place was very difficult to remove. It would either have to be rolled back up the incline or lifted out of the groove and then removed” (Gaebelein p.

787).

16:4 “And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large”: As the women are talking among themselves suddenly they look up and see the open tomb.

16:5 “And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed”: After they entered the tomb and found it empty they were still perplexed as to what all this meant. At this point (Luke 24:45) two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothes. Apparently these angels both sat and stood during the conversation. “They might have been both inside and outside at different moments; and they might have been seen both singly and together in the sudden and shifting apparition” (Johnson p. 478).

Observe that the women actually entered the tomb—so here is eyewitness evidence that the body of Jesus was not there. Others entered the tomb and inspected it as well (John 20:1ff), including the enemies of Jesus (Matthew 28:11ff).

16:6 “And he said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him”: The angel knew actually who they were seeking.

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“He is risen”—probably the most encouraging words for the human race every spoken. The angel then invited the women to observe the evidence.

16:7 “But go, tell His disciples and Peter”: Especially reassure Peter who had denied Him and repented. “He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you”: “This story is so well-founded that they themselves may join in telling it too. Now the Lord’s angel commissions woman to be the first to announce death’s defeat to man. Let no man or woman consider themselves too lowly to be a humble link in God’s chain to proclaim the gospel to others” (Fowler p. 911). Please note that these are not excitable women who are superstitious and willing to believe anything, rather they are trained disciples of the Lord who had already seen many miracles and supernatural displays of power.

Peter is probably singled out in the above verse because Peter had denied Jesus and desperately needed these words of encouragement. “Peter was mentioned by name that he might know that he was not cast off for his denial” (McGarvey p.

741).

This victory would be celebrated together with Jesus alive on earth in Galilee just as He had predicted (Matthew 26:32). Observe that everything Jesus predicted came to pass and Jesus expected His disciples to believe what He had taught.

Jesus may have chosen Galilee for various reasons: 1. It was home and away from the corruption in Jerusalem.

2. Jesus could meet and teach the disciples in Galilee with far more privacy than in Jerusalem.

3. The trip from Jerusalem of Galilee proves that these men did not see a vision and neither did they have a hallucination. ”If they shared the Jewish belief that the ghost of the departed hovered about the tomb for several days after death, in Galilee there would be no suspicion that the post-resurrection phenomena they observed were this sort of spectral apparition” (Eldership, Life, II, p. 631).

4. This location also enabled Jesus to control the choice of witnesses (Acts 10:40f).

5. “In Galilee they had tried their wings; in Galilee they received their new, permanent commission to world evangelism” (Fowler p. 914).

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16:8 “And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid” They will tell the apostles, but they did not mention a word to anyone that they met on the way from the tomb to where the disciples were gathered. They were fearful of the heavenly messengers but overjoyed by the message, Jesus was risen! “Afraid to disobey the messenger of God, they paused to talk to no one until they could relay the good news to the disciples. With fear and great joy is the paradoxical but psychologically real mixture of emotions felt by people who hear something too good to be true. The women ran to bring His disciples word, their flying feet expressing their obedient love. Eagerly, they completed their responsibility, although their enthusiastic message was disbelieved (Mark 16:13; Luke 24:10)” (Fowler pp. 914-915).

16:9”Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week”: Mark has previously told us when the women arrived, he now tells us when Jesus had actually left the tomb—it was on the same Sunday.

16:9 “He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons”: The name Magdalene indicates that she came from Magdala, a city on the southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. She had been the earliest witness of the resurrected Christ (Mark 16:9), and had become separated from the other women for a while on this morning (John 20:1-18). In addition, she had financially supported Jesus and His disciples (Luke 8:2-3).

16:10 “She sent and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping”: Mary obeyed the command to tell the disciples and found them mourning and crying.

16:11 “And when they heard that He was alive, and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it”: Their reluctance demonstrates that they were not men who wanted to see Jesus so bad that they only imagined they had seen Him. In addition, it is clear that the disciples did not steal the body or simply pretend that Jesus had been raised. All the disciples were skeptical.

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16:12 “And after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking along on their to the country”: This is a shortened account of what Luke records in Luke 24:13-35.

16:13 “And they went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either”: All of this prepares us for 16:14 in which Jesus finally appears to the disciples.

16:14 “And afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table”: A fuller account of this verse is found in Luke 24:36-44.

“And He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart”: These are very strong words, they mean ‘without faith’ and ‘stubborn refusal to believe’, and Jesus only uses this language here towards His disciples. He is not impressed by their skepticism! “Because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen”: It is good to be careful, but it is stubborn unbelief when we reject the testimony of people who we know to be reliable.

The Great Commission

16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation’”: This agrees perfectly with Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:47 and Acts 1:8.

Paul notes that the early Christians took these verses very seriously (Colossians 1:6,23).

16:16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” Is Mark 16:8-20 Genuine?

The side references of many translations at Mark 16:8 will say, “Some of the oldest manuscripts do not contain verses 9-20”. The NIV reads, “The two most reliable early manuscripts do not have Mark 16:9-20”. The word “some” is somewhat misleading. Actually here, “some” means “two”. The truth on the matter is that the vast majority of Greek manuscripts do contain Mark 16:9-20, 5

although the Codex Sinaiticus (aleph) (c. 390 A.D.) and Codex Vaticanus (B) (c. 350 A.D.), omit these passages. Vaticanus leaves space for Mark 16:9-20, and this is not an accident, for spaces were never left in manuscripts. It is as if the scribe was trying to decide whether to write the passage or not. Bruce Metzger, in his Text of the New Testament, suggests, “Whether he was interrupted while writing and subsequently prevented (perhaps by death) from finishing his literary work, or whether the last leaf of his original copy was accidentally lost before other copies had been made, we do not know” (p. 228). Yet Metzger never argues that the text is not genuine. In addition, Vaticanus is not really a complete manuscript; the reminder of the book of Hebrews from 9:13 is missing, but then so are the entire books of 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Revelation, and yet no one questions the validity of these passages, even though they are not found in “one of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts”. In fact, a footnote could be placed at Hebrews 9:12 which reads, “one of the most reliable and ancient mss., does not contain Hebrews 9:13-Revelation 22:21. 2. Even though these two old manuscripts omit it, 1,400 manuscripts do contain the passage. Added to this, Mark 16:9-20 is older than these two manuscripts. The Peshito Syriac, a translation of the New Testament which is 200 years older than the Sinaiticus or Vaticanus, contains these verses. Early Christian writers, like Justin Martyr (c. 160 A.D.), and Irenaneus (c. 177 A.D.), quote from Mark 16:9-20. 3. It doesn’t make any sense for the gospel of Mark to end with the statement, “And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (16:8).

Internal Evidence The information starting in verse 9 is supported by other passages: A. The appearance to Mary Magdalene (16:9), which is supported by John 20:11-18., and her reporting the news to the disciples, and their refusal to believe her, compare with Luke 24:9-11. B. Jesus appeared in a different form to two of the disciples (16:12), this is detailed in Luke 24:13-33. C. Jesus’ appearance to the eleven and His words of rebuke directed at their unbelief, compare with Luke 24:38, 25-26; John 20:27-29. D. The Great Commission (16:15), compare with Luke 24:46-47; 6

Matthew 28:19-20. E. That faith is an essential aspect of salvation (John 20:3031). F. That baptism is an essential aspect of being saved (Matthew 29:19). G. The promise of miraculous powers to the apostles (16:17-20), compare with Luke 24:49, and especially Hebrews 2:4 “God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will”.

Some have attacked Mark 16:9-20 based on the vocabulary and style of the passages. Alford, it is claimed, found 17 words in verses 9-20 which are not used anywhere else in the gospel of Mark. This finding is supposed to prove that Mark did not write it, but John A. Broadus, found 17 words not used anywhere else by Mark in the 12 preceding verses (Mark 15:44-16:8). J.W. McGarvey found 9 words in the last twelve verses of Luke that Luke used nowhere else. In writing First and Second Timothy and Titus, Paul used 175 words that are not found in any of his other writings. People forget that Mark, like Paul, simply wrote the words revealed to him by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-13), and that the Spirit selected such words, new or otherwise. When scholars start arguing that a certain writer could not have written a certain book or section of Scripture, because the vocabulary is a bit different, they have forgotten the very first principle of Bible study, the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), words come from His unlimited vocabulary (2 Peter 1:20-21).

A Sober Reminder By relegating Mark 16:9-20 to footnote status, one is removing from the Scriptures 163 Greek words. Do we need to read again passages like Revelation 22:18-19 “and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book”? Or, Jeremiah 26:2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, ….all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word!”

Consistency 7

Although Vaticanus includes it, Sinaiticus omits the last verse in John 21:25. And yet no one claims that John 21:25 isn’t genuine. In fact, I don’t have a footnote on John 21:25. Yet to be consistent, if we are going to footnote Mark 16:9-20, then we need to footnote John 21:25. For John 21:25 only has one more manuscript in its defense than does the passages in Mark. The opposite is also true. Vaticanus lacks Luke 22:43-44, which is the only passage in the New Testament that mentions great drops of sweat like as blood falling from Jesus in Gethsemane. It also lacks Luke 23:34, in which Jesus says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Yet Sinaiticus contains both passages. The NIV questions these verses in footnotes, but for the sake of consistency they should have said something like, “The most reliable early manuscripts disagree with each other on these verses”.

“Most Reliable” This is somewhat of a misleading statement, as if to say all the other mss., are less than reliable. The truth of the matter is that the Mark 16:9-20 is not only found in 1400 manuscripts, but is found in those viewed as the most important manuscripts of the New Testament, including the Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, (c.

345 A.D.), and the Codex Bezae (c. 450 or 550 A.D.). Let us also remember that all the ancient versions of the New Testament contain 16:9-20, among them the Syriac, Old Italic, Sahidic and Coptic, all of which were in existence earlier than the two manuscripts that omit it. The forty-seven translators of the KJV, thought that these passages were genuine. The one hundred and one translators of the American Standard Version thought the same thing. In fact, Dr. Philip Schaff, present of the American Revision Committee, in this book, Companion to the Greek New Testament, under Mark 16:9-20, wrote, “The section is found in most of the uncials and in all the cursive manuscripts, in most of the ancient versions, in all the existing Greek and lectionaries as far as examined; and Irenaeus, who is a much older witness than any of our existing manuscripts, quotes verse 19 as a part of the gospel of Mark” (p. 190).

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Faith “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35); “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God…But the word of the Lord abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23-25). In commenting upon the Old Testament, Jesus said, For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18). In 1500 plus years of translation, not an extra letter was added or removed from the text of the Old Testament, but in less than 300 years over 150 extra words were added to the end of one book of the New Testament? Is that what happened? God didn’t allow the history of Israel to be corrupted, but the life story of His own Son was corrupted? God didn’t allow laws concerning sacrifices, clean and unclean foods, the tabernacle, etc…to be corrupted, but God allowed a text dealing with, “What must I do to be saved”, to be corrupted? If baptism isn’t necessary for salvation, then why did God allow a text to enter that says that it is?

Mark 16:17-18 Some try to undermine the credibility of Mark 16:16 by arguing, “If you insist that we must practice verse 16, do you practice verses 17-18?” But such an argument overlooks a couple of vital and basic points: 1. Did early Christians do such things? Yes! These signs did accompany the conversions in the First Century. The apostles and those they laid their hands upon, did cast out demons (Acts 16:18), they did speak in tongues (Acts 2:1ff; 10:46; 19:6); they were protected from the effects of deadly poison (Acts 28:3-6); and they did heal people (Acts 3:1ff). In fact, this is what the Hebrew writer said had already happened through the hands of the eyewitnesses, that is, the apostles, “it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit..” (Hebrews 2:3-4). I really don’t understand the motive of those who ridicule verses 17-18, when we have a verse 9

in the New Testament that says that all of this had already happened even before the First Century had come to a close. 2. The second point that people over look is the fact that the miraculous gifts would end. This is clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. When God gave the complete or perfect knowledge/revelation, that is, when the New Testament was completed, all the spiritual gifts, like prophecy, tongues, and miraculous knowledge (divine inspiration) would cease. Yet the same isn’t true of the necessity to hear the gospel, believe it, or be baptized (Ephesians 4:4). It is interesting that people try to argue that while Jews needed to be baptized, Gentiles didn’t, or the apostles understanding of the gospel became clearer as the years went by and they finally understood that baptism wasn’t essential to salvation, an interesting theory, if you don’t believe in inspiration. At the beginning of the gospel, Peter preached baptism as necessary for salvation (Acts 2:38),and was still hammering home the same truth at the end of his life (1 Peter 3:21 “baptism now saves you”).

16:16 “He who has believed”: The same person being baptized must be the same person who believes, for one cannot believe for another and neither can one be baptized for another. What must be believed is the gospel message (16:15). “Has been baptized shall be saved”: Baptism is clearly placed prior to salvation. “But he who has disbelieved shall be condemned”: Man has a choice, one can either accept or reject the gospel. Unbelief stops a person dead in their tracks, one cannot progress towards salvation if one remains an unbeliever. Baptism is useless if a person does not first believe, and faith is useless unless it moves a person to confess Christ (John 12:42-43), repent, and be baptized (Acts 2:38).

Notice how rejection of the gospel means condemnation. There is no salvation apart from obedience to Jesus Christ.

16:17 “These signs will accompany those who have believed”: Note, in this verse the word “believed” naturally includes baptism (16:16), obviously these are not believers who have rejected baptism. In the context, “those who have believed” would be the apostles and early Christians who were given the power to work miracles (Acts 2:43; 8:16ff; 1 Corinthians 12-14). With the completed revelation, 10

these miraculous signs would cease (1 Corinthians 13:8ff), but the need for faith and baptism would never cease (Acts 2:38). “In My Name they will cast out demons”: (Acts 19:15). “They will speak in new tongues”: (Acts 2:4ff; 10:46; 19:1ff). “They will pick up serpents”: (Acts 28:1-6). “And if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover”: Notice the term “will”. There would be no failures, this was true miraculous power (Acts 3:1ff; 9:36-43).

16:19 “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” The same truths are found in Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:11 and 2:29-31. Luke will note that some 40 days transpire between Mark 16:14 and 16:29 (Acts 1:3).

“Sat down at the right hand of God”: This is the fulfillment of Psalm 110. Here Jesus exercises “all authority” that He claimed in Matthew 28:18.

16:20 “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed” This truth is also mentioned in Hebrews 2:3-4. God, for the most part worked the miracles through the apostles, and the miracles confirmed that the message they preached was from God and not of human origin. As God had confirmed the teaching of Jesus (Acts 2:22), God also confirmed the teaching of the apostles.

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