Reflections on Mark 16

Mark 16 (Contemporary English Version)


1. After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James bought some spices to put on Jesus' body.
   
2. She left and told his friends, who were crying and mourning.
   
3. Even though they heard that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him, they would not believe it.
   
4. Later, Jesus appeared in another form to two disciples, as they were on their way out of the city.
   
5. But when these disciples told what had happened, the others would not believe.
   
6. Afterwards, Jesus appeared to his eleven disciples as they were eating. He scolded them because they were too stubborn to believe the ones who had seen him after he had been raised to life.
   
7. Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world.
   
8. Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned.
   
9. Everyone who believes me will be able to do wonderful things. By using my name they will force out demons, and they will speak new languages.
   
10. They will handle snakes and will drink poison and not be hurt. They will also heal sick people by placing their hands on them.
    
11. After the Lord Jesus had said these things to the disciples, he was taken back up to heaven where he sat down at the right side of God.
    
12. Very early on Sunday morning, just as the sun was coming up, they went to the tomb.
    
13. Then the disciples left and preached everywhere. The Lord was with them, and the miracles they worked proved that their message was true.
    
14. On their way, they were asking one another, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance for us?"
    
15. But when they looked, they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. And it was a huge stone!
    
16. The women went into the tomb, and on the right side they saw a young man in a white robe sitting there. They were alarmed.
    
17. The man said, "Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was nailed to a cross. God has raised him to life, and he isn't here. You can see the place where they put his body.
    
18. Now go and tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that he will go ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you."
    
19. When the women ran from the tomb, they were confused and shaking all over. They were too afraid to tell anyone what had happened.
    
20. Very early on the first day of the week, after Jesus had risen to life, he appeared to Mary Magdalene. Earlier he had forced seven demons out of her.

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A pattern of unbelief concerning Jesus' resurrection is seen in this last chapter of Mark. Each instance in which an eyewitness told of Jesus' resurrection, the testimony was not believed. Prior to the eyewitness accounts, though, the three women bought spices with which to prepare the body. They did so without any expectation of His resurrection. They fully expected His body to decay, thus the need for the spices. As for the eyewitness accounts, the first recorded in this chapter was that of Mary Magdalene who saw Jesus in His resurrected form early on Sunday. She reported this to the other disciples, but they did not believe it. Two others, who were walking into the country (presumably on the road to Emmaus), saw Jesus, but when they told the rest, they were not believed. Finally, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief. It was not as if He had not told them of His resurrection before His death, for He had on several occasions. But inspite of His telling them, they not only failed to anticipate His resurrection, they failed to believe the eyewitnesses who told them of it.

This problem of unbelief concerning the resurrection, even by Jesus' closest followers, was a problem to be overcome, though not a problem that caught the Lord by surprise. In verses 15 & 16 Jesus commissioned His disciples, both then and now, to preach the gospel throughout the world. What credibility could they possibly have had trying to preach a message that included Jesus' resurrection when they themselves found it so hard to believe? This problem was addressed in the verses following the commission. As the disciples went about preaching, their preaching would be accompanied with signs. That is, they would be given power for such things as driving out demons, speaking in new languages, picking up snakes, drinking poisonous liquids, and healing the sick. Not only would these powers be given the disciples who heard Jesus' commission, they would also be given those who believed their message and also preached it.

Some mistakenly attempt to make these powers normative for all Christ-followers in all periods of history. By all indications, these signs did not accompany preaching of the Good News beyond the Apostalic age. However, there remain isolated groups who practice such things as handling snakes and drinking poison. By doing so, they overlook the purpose for these signs, that purpose being two-fold: To validate the preaching of the disciples, and to protect them from persecutors who would try to kill them with poisonous snakes and forced drinking of poison.