Mark 16
CHAPTER 16
The resurrection
And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun was risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were talking among themselves: Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled aside. 5 And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them: Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here! See the place where they laid him! 7 Go tell his disciples, and Peter, that he goes ahead of you into Galilee. There shall you see him, just as he told you. 8 And they went out and ran from the tomb. Trembling and astonishment had come upon them, and they said nothing to anyone. For they were afraid.
9 Now when he had risen from the dead 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 them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, disbelieved.
12 And after these things he was manifested in another guise to two of them as they walked on their way into the countryside. 13 And they went away, and told it to the rest, who did not believe them either.
14 And later he was manifested to the eleven themselves as they were eating; and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those that had seen him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them: You are to go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that disbelieves shall be condemned. 17 And these signs shall accompany them that believe- in my name shall they cast out demons, they shall speak with new tongues, 18 they shall pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no way hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.
Commentary
16:3 The women who came to the tomb weren't looking for the risen Lord; they came to anoint the body. But their love of the Lord was counted to them as seeking Him (Mt. 28:5). The Bible is full of how God counts people as righteous although they are not. This is what love is, in some ways. As God counts us as righteous, so we should recognize that our weak brethren are counted righteous by Him.
16:7 Jesus was so concerned for the spiritual welfare of Peter, the one who had denied Him. The risen Lord especially wanted the women to tell Peter that He was ‘going before him’ to Galilee (Mk. 16:7)- with the implication that even in his weakness and dejection, He wanted Peter to still try to follow Him and re-live the cross in his life. We who also deny Jesus can take comfort from this loving concern He has even for us. And we can learn to treat others who fail likewise.
16:16 Baptism is therefore very important if we wish to be saved.
16:17 The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were given in the first century, but they were later withdrawn (1 Cor. 13:8).
