Mark 16
MCGARMark 16:1-8
(Joseph’s Garden. Sunday, very early.) M 1-8; M 1-8; L 1-8, 12; J 1-10. [ .] [the Roman soldiers on guard] [The angel sat upon the stone that the Roman guards might make no attempt to reclose the tomb.] [739] [John mentions Mary Magdalene alone, though she came with the rest of the women. As she was the one who reported to John and Peter, he describes her actions, and makes no mention of the others.] [Though Mary came with the other women, she departed at once, while the others tarried, as the sequel shows. The narrative proceeds to tell what happened to the other women after Mary had departed.] [For the words referred to, see , . The angel continues his speech as follows] [Here is a double wonder, that men should put the Son of God in a grave, and that he should consent to be put there.] [740] [The women were told to hasten, for the disciples were not to endure their sorrow a moment longer than was needful. Peter was mentioned by name that he might know that he was not cast off for his denial. The Lord appeared to some chosen few in Judæa, but the large body of his disciples were to see him in Galilee; see , , and many other passages set forth the resurrection of our Lord; his own words, too, had plainly foretold it, yet among the disciples it was so much beyond all expectation that the prophecies had no meaning until made clear by the event itself. Yet these are the men whom the Jews accused of inventing the story of a resurrection!] [FFG 739-742]
Mark 16:9-11
(Jerusalem. Sunday morning.) M 9, 10; M 9-11; L 9-11; J 11-18. [The women, having received the message of the angels, and remembering that the message accorded with the words [742] of Jesus himself, made haste.] [Mark here agrees with John that Mary separated from the other women. As to Mary Magdalene, see ), lest the shock of his sudden appearance might be too much for her, as it was for even his male disciples [743] . Conversation with him assured her that he was not a disembodied spirit.] [Christ’s first question expressed kindly sympathy; the second suggested that he knew the cause of her grief, and might be able to help her find what she sought. Thus encouraged, Mary at once assumes that the gardener himself had removed the body, probably under instructions from Joseph, and hope lightens her heart. In her effort to remove the body, she doubtless counts upon the help of her fellow-disciples.] [Her eyes and ears were no longer held; she knew him. It was the same way he used to speak, the same name by which he used to call her.
The grave had glorified and exalted him, but had not changed his love.] [Seasons of greatest joy are marked by little speech. Jesus and Mary each expressed themselves in a single word.] [This passage is one of well-known difficulty, and Meyer or Ryle may be consulted by those wishing to see how various commentators have interpreted it.
We would explain it by the following paraphrase: “Do not lay hold on me and detain yourself and me; I have not yet ascended; this is no brief, passing vision; I am yet in the world, and will be for some time, and there will be other opportunities to see me; the duty of the moment is to go and tell my sorrowing disciples that I have risen, and shall ascend to my Father.” Jesus does not say “our Father.” Our relation to God is not the same as his. While, however, our Lord’s language recognizes the difference between his divine and our human relationship to the Father, his words are intended to [744] show us our exaltation. We have reason to believe that next to our Lord’s title as Son our title as sons of God by adoption is as high in honor as any in the universe.] [The poignancy of the disciples’ grief, even after the intervention of the Sabbath day, explains why the Lord and his angels were so eager to bring them word of the resurrection.] [It is likely that Mary brought the first word, for we shall see below that Luke places her first in the catalogue of witnesses. The narrative now turns back to take up the account of the other women.] [This was a customary salutation. But the old formula took on new significance, for it means “rejoice.”] [This delay, permitted to them, and denied to Mary, probably explains why she became the first messenger, though the other women were first to leave the tomb.] [The repetition may be due to the reticence of the women remarked by Mark in the last section by the key words “and they said nothing to any one.” The women may have been hesitating whether they should tell the disciples. Thus Jesus reiterates the instruction already given by the angel.
This is the first time the word “brethren” is applied by our Lord to his disciples.] [they] [Lamar well says that this very incredulity on the part of the apostles “enhances the value of their [745] testimony to of the resurrection. They were not expecting it; they were no visionary enthusiasts, prepared to welcome and credit any story that might be told them; nor would they be satisfied with any proof short of palpable and ocular demonstrations.”] [FFG 742-746]
Mark 16:12-13
(Sunday afternoon.) M 12, 13; L 13-35; I. C 5. [ another manner] [Several sites have been suggested, but the village of Emmaus has not yet been identified beyond dispute. Its location is probably marked by the ruins called el Kubeibeh, which lies northwest of Jerusalem] [el Kubeibeh is distant seven and thirteen-sixteenths of a mile, or sixty-two and one-half furlongs, from Jerusalem.] [Jesus himself designedly restrained their vision, that, unlike John , that might see the resurrection of Jesus in the Scriptures before they saw it in reality.] [Our Lord’s abrupt question brought them to a standstill. We may well imagine that they considered his interruption very unwelcome. But his kindly mien won their confidence and they tell him all.] [Of Cleopas nothing further is known. It has been suggested that the other disciple was Luke himself. [748] This is possible, for the other Evangelists mention themselves thus impersonally. The preface to Luke’s Gospel in no way forbids us to think that he had a personal knowledge of parts of Christ’s ministry.
Cleopas marveled that there could be a single man in Jerusalem who had not heard concerning the crucifixion, etc.] [To Cleopas, redeeming Israel meant freeing the nation from the Roman yoke.] [Rationalists might see their own reflection in these two disciples, who suppressed the statement of the women that they had seen the Lord as too idle to be repeated, and told the least marvelous part of their story–that about the angels–as too visionary to be credited. Thus the renowned Renan held that the resurrection was a story or fabrication which grew out of the hallucination of Mary Magdalene.
But these two men on the way to Emmaus had less use for feminine hallucinations than even M. Renan. But in the end they believed in the resurrection because they themselves had substantial evidence of it.] [Peter and John] [The last clause unconsciously suggests the omitted fact that the women had professed to see Christ.] [749] [The counsel of the Father revealed in the Scriptures shows that Jesus should enter into his glory through suffering. The books of Moses foretell Christ largely in types, such, as the passover, the rock in the wilderness, Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, the day of atonement, etc., but the prophets show him forth in clear-cut predictions and descriptions. Jesus evidently applied both these divisions of Scripture to himself, making it plain to these two who were both thoughtless in mind and slow in heart. Those lacking in a knowledge of the Christology of the Old Testament are slow to believe in it.
Those who know that Christology, and yet doubt the Old Testament, do so because they lack faith in the Christ therein portrayed.] [They were loth to part with this delightful stranger who by his wonderful use of the Scriptures revived their failing faith and hope in Jesus.] [While he was breaking the bread to supply their bodies he opened their eyes and revealed to them that it was he also who had just been feeding their hungry hearts with the truth and consolation of the divine word.] [Thus they admit to each other that the joy of beholding the risen Lord was but the consummation of a joy already begun through a right understanding of the truth contained in Scripture. The sight of the Lord was sweeter because it was preceded by faith that he ought [750] thus to rise.] [their news was too precious to keep.
They could not sit still till the disciples in Jerusalem knew it] [the women and some of the one hundred and twenty– ] [his resurrection is not an hallucination of the women] [Paul and Luke both mention this appearance, but we have none of the details of it.] [This does not mean that they knew Jesus because of any peculiar way in which he broke the bread; it means that he was revealed at the time when he broke it.] [They now believed that Jesus had risen, but they did not believe that these two had walked and talked with him without recognizing him. ]
[FFG 748-751]
Mark 16:14
(Jerusalem. Sunday evening) M 14; L 36-43; J 19-25. [while the two from Emmaus were telling their story] [751] [His entrance through a bolted door lent weight to their idea that he had no corporeal body. They knew nothing of the possibilities of a resurrected body.] [here, as in the previous section, Jesus shows that the heart has much to do with the belief] [They had had the testimony of three men and perhaps a half dozen women; they had not lacked evidence.] [These members not only showed that he was not a disembodied spirit, but they served to identify his body with that which they had seen crucified, and hence the person who now spoke was the Jesus whom they had known and lost.] [Thus at last satisfying them that he was not a ghost.] [Now that the apostles [752] knew their Master, he repeats his blessing, and as the New Testament is now sealed in his blood according to the commission under which he came, he, in turn, commissions the twelve to go forth and proclaim its provisions. Symbolic of the baptism which they were to receive at Pentecost, he breathes upon them, and, having thus symbolically qualified them, he commissions them to forgive or retain sin, for this was the subject-matter of the New Testament.] [see ] [The apostles had undoubtedly seen and talked with someone, but the question was, Who? They said that it was Jesus, and Thomas, holding this to be impossible, thought that it must have been someone else whom they mistook for Jesus. But would not be deceived; he would thoroughly examine the wounds, for these would identify Jesus beyond all doubt–if it were Jesus.] [FFG 751-753]
Mark 16:15-18
(Time and place same as last section.) M 18-20; M 15-18; L 46, 47. [The verses from Luke are taken from a later conversation, which will be handled in our , , , magnifies instead of detracting from their wonderful import, for he deems its necessary to state that the Father himself is not subject to the Son. Surely in connection with this marvelous celestial power, his dominion over out tiny earth would not need to be mentioned if it were not that we, its inhabitants, are very limited in our conception of things, and require exceedingly plain statements. The command calls for the Christianizing of all nations. If we realized better that authority with which Christ prefaces his commission, the conquest of the nations in his name would seem to us a small matter indeed, and we should set about it expecting to witness its speedy accomplishment. The structure of the sentence in the original Greek shows that it is the disciples and not the nations who are to be baptized; according to the commission, therefore, one must be made a disciple before he can be baptized. Baptism brings us into divine relation to God.
Being a part of the process of adoption, it is called a birth . The baptized Christian bears the name into which he is baptized . Luke sums up the whole commission by recording the words of Christ, wherein he states that he suffered that it might be preached to all nations that if men would repent, God could now forgive . From Luke’s record we also learn that the preaching of these glad tidings was to begin at Jerusalem.] [The Book of Acts gives examples of each one of these except the fourth, and though we have no record of a disciple escaping the effects of drinking poison, [763] there is little doubt that in the many persecutions such cases did occur.] [This is a promise not of bare companionship, but of full sympathy and support . The duration of this promise shows that it is intended for all disciples.] [FFG 762-764]
Mark 16:19-20
(Olivet, between Jerusalem and Bethany.) M 19, 20; L 50-53; A 9-12. [it is significant that our Lord’s gesture, when last seen of men, was one of blessing] [he] [angels in human form] [Thus the angels add their testimony to the sureness of our Lord’s promise that he will return.] [FFG 766]