Mark Chapter Sixteen
The Resurrection
[Text parallels Matthew 28:1, 5-8, Luke 24:1-8 and John 20:1]
16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
Now that the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (same Mary identified as the mother of Joses in Mark 15:47), and Salome three women could now properly prepare Jesus’ body for burial per their Jewish customs (see John 19:39-40). Before wrapping the body they would first anoint (Greek ‘aleipsōsin’,[1] to cover with either oil or ointment, a word that is non-specific in its application. The usual word for an anointment for burial is, ‘myrizō’,[2] see Mark 14:8, while the Greek word ‘chriō’,[3] refers to a sacred or religious anointing, see Luke 4:18) and then wrap the body with a large quantity of spices.
16:2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 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. 7 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.” 8 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.
On the morning of the first day of the week (Sunday), Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried in. While en route they remembered that the tomb was sealed with a large stone and wondered who could roll the stone away for them. But as they arrived they saw that the tomb had already been opened. When they went inside they were startled to see a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side of the tomb (both Matthew and John identify him as an angel, see Matthew 28:2-7; John 20:12-13). The angel told them to not be alarmed, that Jesus had risen and to see where He was placed, but He was not there. The angel then instructed them to go tell the disciples and Peter that He will see them in Galilee, just as Jesus previously told them. The three women ran out of the tomb trembling and totally overwhelmed by the experience. Since they were frozen in fear they were unable to tell anyone about what they saw and heard.
The angel told the three women to tell Jesus’ disciples and Peter that He is going before them to Galilee. Many ask why Peter was singled out (only reported in Mark’s account). Some believe that since he was the unofficial leader of the inner-circle that he was specifically mentioned. Others believe that since Peter had recently denounced Jesus (see Mark 14:66-72) that he might think that he was no longer a disciple and that by calling him by name would demonstrate that Jesus had forgiven him and desires him to continue as a disciple.
The Warning
Most modern English Bibles have a ‘warning’ statement between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9 that warns the readers that verses 9-20 were potentially added later and may not be part of the original manuscript. For example, this is the statement found in the ESV: [SOME OF THE EARLIEST MANUSCRIPTS DO NOT INCLUDE 16:9–20.]
There has been significant research and analysis of these twelve verses that conclude the book of Mark. Most are convinced that the evidence is clear that they were not part of the original writing. See Appendix 5 for a detailed examination and explanation of that evidence written by Bruce Metzger (1914-2007) a world-renown Bible scholar and translator.
However, before ignoring this section, one needs to grapple with the question, could these twelve verses still be divinely inspired? Before answering we should investigate Ivan Panin's work on this subject. Earlier in Matthew chapter one, the concept of a heptadic structure was introduced.[4] Through mathematics, Ivan Panin demonstrated that the Bible employs too many ‘sevenfold’ occurrences to have been written by any man. Dr. Ivan Panin’s work titled, “The Last Twelve Verses of Mark Their Genuineness Established,” originally published in 1910, walks readers through a number of “word counting” exercises, probability analysis and a thorough mathematical examination of the text. Which summarizes that from a mathematic perspective that these verses were indeed divinely inspired. He concludes with this statement:
So that either Mark was the writer of both passages, or John, or there are after all two such unparalleled mathematical artists. But in the following writings it has been demonstrated in a hundred different ways that not a paragraph in every one of the six and sixty books of the Bible so far examined but is constructed on the same highly elaborate numeric design. So that there are thus some three and thirty mathematical miracles, limited, however, only to Bible writers. But in the same pages it is also amply shown that mere men could not thus write, that those numeric phenomena can be explained only as the work of One Master Designer.[5]
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
[Text parallels Matthew 27:15-26 and John 20:11-18]
16:9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday and first appeared to Mary Magdalene. The writer further identifies her as the one Jesus had cast seven demons out of her (see also Luke 8:2). Many point out that it would be odd to introduce Mary again as she is prominently mentioned above in verse one.
Mary went to tell “those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept,” is understood to be a reference to the disciples. But when they heard that Jesus was alive, they did not believe her.
Jesus Appears to Two Disciples
[Text parallels Luke 24:13-32]
16:12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
Jesus appeared to two of His disciples that were walking in the country. Luke records that these disciples were on their way to Emmaus, approximately seven miles from Jerusalem (see Luke 24:13-35). When they returned to the other disciples and proclaimed to them that Jesus was alive, they didn’t believe them.
The phrase, “appeared in another form,” has captured the imagination of many. Speculations range from a change of clothes to being non-human. While it is true that the two disciples did not recognize Him during their walk, there is no reason to speculate He was anything but what He was before, but with the possible exception that He transitioned from “humiliation to glorification.”[6]
The Great Commission
[Text parallels Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 24:36-53 and John 20:19-25]
16:14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Jesus appeared to the remaining disciples while they were reclining at a table. He rebuked them for their unbelief (doubting He would rise from the dead) and for their hardness of heart because they refused to believe those that had earlier seen Him. Using similar wording that is recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, He then gave the disciples instructions to go into the world and proclaim the gospel message to everyone. He further instructs them that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but for those who reject Jesus as their Savior, their unbelief will condemn them. As apostles[7] they launched the church, God’s chosen method to equip believers, so that every believer can then proclaim the gospel message too (see Ephesians 4:11-16).
16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
These verses are not only often debated, they are often misunderstood. These signs apply to Christians that are following His instructions given in verses 15 and 16. If the scenario requires demons to be cast out, they can cast them out; if they need to speak in a different language, they can; if they need to pick up a snake, they can without being harmed, if someone tries to poison them, the poison will not harm them; if someone is sick they can lay their hands on them and they will recover from their illness. These signs were never to be applied as some form of test to prove (or disprove) if they are truly a believer or try to demonstrate one’s faith, if done for those reasons, the results could be catastrophic.
16:19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
After assigning His disciples the job to be “apostles to the world,” He ascended into heaven where He sat down at the right hand of God the Father. The disciples went out and began to preach everywhere and the Lord worked through them confirming the gospel message with miraculous signs and wonders.
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[1] Strong’s Greek 218.
[2] Strong’s Greek 3462.
[3] Strong’s Greek 5548.
[4] See Considerations under Matthew 1:17 regarding the Bible's "Heptadic Structure."
[5] Panin, Ivan. The Last Twelve Verses of Mark - Their Genuineness Established . Read Books Ltd..
[6] Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., & Shedd, W. G. T. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Mark (p. 159). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[7] See commentary under Matthew 10:5-15.