Have you ever heard about someone who died and came back to life? There are many stories today about people who supposedly died and went to heaven and then came back with a message. I am skeptical about these stories because people don’t die and come back to life. But still they claim that it happened. However, my skepticism vanishes when I read about such things in the Bible. The difference is the trustworthiness of the person telling the story.
For those of you who are used to the miracles in the Bible, is may be easier to accept what we are about to read today. God is able to do things that nobody else can. But for those who are unfamiliar with Bible miracles, there may be a bit of skepticism. In this chapter, Mark tells us what happened to Jesus after He was laid to rest in the tomb. He died but came back to life just as He had promised. That is amazing! Let’s see how Mark explains it.
- What does it say? (Mark 16:1-13)1
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they could anoint Jesus’ body. On the first day of the week when it was very early morning, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They talked among themselves wondering who would roll the stone away from the door of the tomb because it was very big. But when they looked up, it had already been rolled away. When they entered the tomb, they were alarmed to see a young man in a long, white robe sitting on the right side. He told them not to be alarmed. He knew they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth who had been crucified. He stated that Jesus had risen and was not there. He pointed to where they had laid His body. He then told them to go and tell Jesus’ disciples and Peter that He would be going to Galilee ahead of them. They would see Him there just as He had told them earlier. The ladies left quickly and fled from the tomb. They were trembling with amazement. They didn’t say anything to anyone because they were afraid.
When Jesus rose on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene. He had cast out seven demons from her. She went to those who had been with Him and told them as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that He was alive and that she had seen Him, they didn’t believe it. After that, He also appeared to two of them in another form as they walked in the country. They went to the others and told them, but they didn’t believe them either. - What does it mean?
As we read through Mark’s account of the resurrection, we should notice what he is doing. Mark is giving us the historical facts about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and also the response of the disciples to His resurrection. As we answer our question, let’s assume that Mark is stating the facts so that we also will believe.
Jesus died on the cross (Mark 16:1-3,6).
In the previous chapter, Mark gave details about Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, and death. He also told us about Joseph of Arimathea who buried Jesus’ body in a tomb hewn out of the rock. The tomb had been sealed by rolling a large stone against the entrance. If there were any questions in your mind about whether Jesus had died, Mark tells us again that Jesus had been crucified and buried (16:6). He was dead and everyone was aware of that. Those are the facts.
He also points out that three women visited the grave site to anoint his body with aromatic spices.2 “This indicates that they did not expect Jesus to rise from the dead.”3 Their names were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. We assume that these women were some of Jesus’ followers who had traveled to Jerusalem with Him. What were they thinking? To these women, there was no doubt in their minds that Jesus had died. His body would be in the tomb when they arrived. The only question they had was whether someone would be there to move the stone that was rolled in front of the entrance.
These details show us that Jesus did, in fact, die on the cross. He breathed His last on the cross, the centurion verified His death, Joseph handled His body and buried it, and the women watched Him being buried. Jesus died and was buried. It is a historical fact that Jesus died on the cross.
Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:4-8).
When the three ladies arrived at the tomb, they looked up and noticed that the large stone had been rolled away from the entrance. Why does it say that they looked up? One commentator thinks that “their eyes were … downcast and their thoughts absorbed in the subject of their conversation.”4 However, it may be that the tomb was in a raised location, so they had to look up to see it. Whatever the case may be, the stone had already been rolled away and this enabled them to have access to the tomb. But when they went inside, they were surprised to see a young man clothed in a long, white robe sitting on the right side of the tomb. As you can imagine, they were quite startled.
However, it wasn’t only his appearance that startled them. His message was something they never expected to hear. He told them that he knew why they were there. That must have surprised them. But he told them that they had come to see Jesus of Nazareth who had been crucified. He wasn’t there anymore because He had risen. He even pointed out where His body had been laid.
Who was this young man who spoke to the women in the tomb? Mark doesn’t tell us who he was. But another gospel states that he was an angel. Matthew says that it was an angel from heaven whose appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow (Matt. 28:2). This would explain why the women were so startled. But did you notice what he said. This angel told the women that Jesus was no longer dead. He was now alive.
The young man instructed the three ladies to talk to the disciples, including Peter. Why did he specifically mention Peter? “He was singled out not because of his preeminence among the disciples but because he was forgiven and still included in the Eleven despite his triple denial (cf. 14:66-72).”5 They were to tell the disciples that Jesus was traveling to Galilee ahead of them just as He had told them earlier. When did Jesus tell them this? You may recall that Jesus had told the disciples about His coming death and resurrection (Mark 8:31), but did He tell them He would meet them in Galilee? Yes, during the Passover meal, Jesus told them that He would go ahead of them to Galilee after He was raised (Mark 14:28). They should have known but they were too overwhelmed with His death to remember anything else.
But what about the three women? The empty tomb, the appearance of the young man, and his announcement were more than they could handle. They fled from the tomb and didn’t immediately talk to anyone because they were so afraid. You can imagine how they felt. This was completely unexpected. But the fact still remains that Jesus was not in the tomb and the young man had said that He was alive. As we will see later in the chapter, this truth was witnessed by several other people. It is a historical fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus appeared to several people (Mark 16:9-13).
Mark tells us that Jesus appeared alive to at least three people after His death and resurrection. The first was Mary Magdalene. This Mary is mentioned 13 times in the New Testament. She is known as someone who had been possessed by seven demons until Jesus cast them out. After this, she and several other women helped care for his needs (see Luke 8:1-3).
At some point after her visit to the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene was visited by Jesus. Mark doesn’t give many details but states that Jesus appeared first to her. You can read about this meeting in John 20:11-18. Mark also mentions that the disciples didn’t believe that He was alive. According to Hiebert, “they regarded it as the unreliable claim of an overwrought woman who was the victim of some hallucination or optical illusion.”6 You can understand their skepticism… except for the fact that Jesus had told them this would happen.
After this first visit, Jesus also appeared to two of the disciples but in another form. What was this other form? It seems that Jesus did not want to be recognized immediately by these two disciples. He wanted them to consider what He was saying before they recognized Him. Luke gives a more complete explanation of what happened in Luke 24:13-35. However, Mark doesn’t give any details. He only states the facts. After this visit, the two disciples went back and told the others, but they were met with the same disbelief.
According to Mark, it is a historical fact that Jesus was seen alive after His death. And it is also a historical fact that some didn’t believe that He was alive. It seems strange that the disciples—those who were closest to Jesus—did not believe that He had risen. But we can understand that the events of the previous chapter had a negative impact on their thinking. Jesus was dead and their hopes and dreams were dead as well. There was no possible way that Jesus could be alive… at least that’s what they thought. - How does it apply?
Do you believe that Jesus died and rose again?
Mark tells us what happened. He makes it clear that Jesus actually died, was buried, rose from the dead, and was seen by several people. The people mentioned by Mark saw the empty tomb and several actually saw Jesus alive. The eyewitnesses shared their stories and yet not all believed them.
What about you? As we come to the close of Mark’s book about Jesus, you have to come to your own conclusion. We have seen that Jesus knew that He would die on the cross and rise again. He told the disciples that. He died on the cross to pay for our sins and God accepted His death as the payment for our sins. That’s why the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. But now Mark has told us that it happened. Jesus came back to life. Do you believe this?
Do you understand that some will not believe?
The women were commissioned to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead. Later, Mary Magdalene and the two who were walking in the country also spoke to the disciples. But the disciples did not believe them. They thought they were delusional. But I want you to notice something. These eyewitnesses did what they were told to do. They told what had happened and left the disciples to respond to their words.
While the disciples later did believe, this is a good time to learn a lesson. When you are telling others about Jesus, they may not believe. We have been given the responsibility of speaking the good news to people, not necessarily to convince them. When you speak the gospel to someone, you are doing what God intended. And as the truth is presented, God’s Holy Spirit will work in that person’s heart. To some, your words will be offensive. To others, your words will provide what they have been needing to hear. Just remember that you are the messenger and leave the response to God.
Conclusion
As we get closer to the end of Mark’s gospel, it is interesting to see how different people responded to the news of Jesus’ resurrection. In the next part of the chapter, we will see how the disciples themselves responded to Jesus when He appeared to them. My hope is that you have responded appropriately to what Mark has told us. Jesus died for our sins but didn’t stay dead. And those who believe in Him will be saved from God’s future judgment and will be raised to eternal life. This is the hope that God has given us because Jesus died and rose again.
Bibliography
Alexander, Joseph, The Gospel According to Mark, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980, orig. 1858.
Grassmick, John D., “Mark” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1983.
Hiebert, D. Edmond, The Gospel of Mark, Greenville: Bob Jones University Press, 1994, orig. 1979.
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 4, Matthew through Romans, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983.
Footnotes
- We are faced with a difficult conversation when it comes to verses 9-20. While many manuscripts include verses 9-20 and a number of second century Christians refer to and quote from them, there are some major manuscripts that leave out those verses. For a good synopsis of the arguments on both sides, see Hiebert pp. 477-480. ↩︎
- “Spices is a comprehensive term for sweet-smelling substances, here ‘aromatic oils.'” Hiebert 472. ↩︎
- Grassmick 192. ↩︎
- Alexander 435. ↩︎
- Grassmick 193. ↩︎
- Hiebert 482. ↩︎