Mark 16:1-8. The Resurrection 1. _And when the sabbath was past_ Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night passed away, three days according to the Jewish reckoning (comp. (_a_) 1 Samuel 30:12-13; 2 Chronicles 10:5; 2 Chronicles 10:12; (_b_) Matthew 12:40; John 2:19; Matthew 27:63), and He, Who had... [ Continue Reading ]
_And very early in the morning_ while "_it was yet dark_" (John 20:1), before the dawn streaked the eastern sky on _the first day of the week_ the world's first Easter-Day, our _Lord's Day_(Revelation 1:10), _they came_ or rather, COME (observe again the graphic present of the Evangelist), DRAW NE... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they said among themselves_ Unaware of the deputation of the Jewish rulers, which had gone to Pilate, and secured the sealing of the Stone and the setting of the watch over the Tomb (Matthew 27:62-66), their only anxiety was, _Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?_... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when they looked_ But as they drew nearer amidst the glimmering light, the earth quaked beneath their feet (Matthew 28:2), and LOOKING UP they saw that all cause of anxiety was removed, for the stone was already rolled away. Observe the force of the expression "_when they looked_". It means whe... [ Continue Reading ]
_And entering into the sepulchre_ This emboldened them all to enter into the tomb, except Mary of Magdala, who, seeing in the rolling away of the stone the confirmation of her worst fears, fled away to the Apostles Peter and John; and there they saw _a young man_ or as some of them may have specifi... [ Continue Reading ]
_he is risen_ When exactly He had risen no man knoweth, for no man saw. But that it was true did not admit of doubt. When the Apostles Peter and John visited the tomb an hour or so afterwards (John 20:3-10), they went in undismayed, but it was empty. The Holy Body was gone! There were no traces of v... [ Continue Reading ]
_go your way_ Practical action must take the place of vague astonishment. There was a message to be borne. _and Peter_ No wonder it is in the Gospel of St Mark we find this wondrous touch. Who afterwards would have been so likely, as the Apostle himself, to treasure up this word, the pledge of poss... [ Continue Reading ]
_they went out quickly_ At present the holy women were over-whelmed with alarm at the sight they had witnessed and the words they had heard. _they trembled_ Literally, FOR TREMBLING AND AMAZEMENT POSSESSED THEM, or as Wyclif renders it, "forsoþe drede and quakynge hadde assaylid hem." The original... [ Continue Reading ]
The Appearance to Mary Magdalene 9. _Now when_ On this section from 9 20, see Introduction, pp. 15, 16. _he appeared first_ As yet, it will be observed, no human eye had seen the risen Conqueror of Death. The holy women had seen the stone rolled away, and the empty tomb, and had heard the words of... [ Continue Reading ]
_she went and told_ In the fulness of believing faith she hurried back to Jerusalem and recounted her tale of joy to the Eleven and the rest. _as they mourned and wept_ Desolate at the loss of their beloved Master, and unable to realize the wonderful accounts of His resurrection. "Weylinge and wepy... [ Continue Reading ]
_had been seen of her_ The original word here translated "had been seen" occurs nowhere else in St Mark except here in this section and in Mark 16:14. _believed not_ So incredible to them did the whole story appear.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Appearance to Two of them 12. _After that_ On the world's first Easter-Day the risen Saviour manifested Himself first to Mary Magdalene, then to the other ministering women. The Evangelist now proceeds to relate the appearance to the two disciples journeying towards Emmaus, which is more fully... [ Continue Reading ]
_they went and told it unto the residue_ No sooner did they recognise our Lord in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:35), and He had vanished out of their sight (Luke 24:31), than they returned in haste to Jerusalem, ascended to the Upper Room, found ten of the Apostles met together (Luke 24:33), an... [ Continue Reading ]
The Appearance to the Eleven 14. _Afterward_ That is on the evening of the day of the Resurrection, when the two disciples returning from Emmaus had recounted their tale of joy, and the others had told them of the appearance to St Peter. _as they sat at meat_ On this occasion, when they were terri... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he said unto them_ St John informs us that on this occasion the Risen Saviour breathed on the Apostles, and gave them a foretaste of the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, with power to remit sin and retain sin. St Mark tells us of very important words, which He went on to utter, anticipating the fina... [ Continue Reading ]
_He that believeth and is baptized_ Not faith only, but baptism also is required by the Lord. Compare the words of Philip the deacon to the Ethiopian eunuch, Acts 8:37. _he that believeth not_ He addeth not _and is baptized_here. This would have been superfluous. He who refuses to believe will refu... [ Continue Reading ]
_And these signs_ For this word applied to Miracles see note, ch. Mark 6:2. _shall follow_ Literally, shall PROCEED ALONG WITH. The same word in the original is used by St Luke, Luke 1:3, "It seemed good to me also, _having had perfect understanding_of all things" (literally, HAVING CAREFULLY FOLLO... [ Continue Reading ]
_they shall take up serpents_ And so we read of St Paul shaking off the viper at Malta (Acts 28:5). Comp. Luke 10:19. _and if they drink_ As is related of St John that he drank the cup of hemlock which was intended to cause his death, and suffered no harm from it, and of Barsabas surnamed Justus (E... [ Continue Reading ]
The Ascension 19. _So then after the Lord_ Some MSS. here insert the word Jesus. Combined with Lord, it would be a term of reverence. _spoken unto them_ This does not mean immediately after our Lord had uttered the last words, but after He had on different occasions during the "Great Forty Days" sp... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they_ i. e. the Apostles. _went forth_ Not immediately. They were commanded not to "depart from Jerusalem," but to "tarry" there until at Pentecost they should be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). But when the day of Pentecost had come, and the Comforter had been bestowed,... [ Continue Reading ]