Mark 16:1-20

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 16

The *angel’s message

Verses 1-8

When Joseph buried Jesus’ dead body, Joseph did not use *soil to cover the body. Instead, Joseph put it into a small room, which his workers had prepared. This room was a deep hole that the workers had cut into the rock. It was in a garden.

After Joseph had buried the dead body, he put a large stone in front of the hole. This stone covered the room so that people could not easily go into it.

At Friday’s sunset, Joseph had done his work to bury the dead body. There was more work that the women still wanted to do. But the *Jews do not work on Saturdays. So Joseph rolled the stone into its place. The work would have to continue on Sunday.

So the women returned very early on Sunday morning. They came to put seeds and oils on Jesus’ dead body. The *Jews did this for two reasons:

(1) They wanted to show love for the person who had died. So they chose seeds and oils that have a lovely smell.

(2) They believed that God will cause dead people to live again (Mark 12:24-27). Those seeds and oils are like the seeds and oils that people use to keep foods good. The *Jews wanted the dead body to be ready for the day when people will live again. They knew that their seeds and oils would not make a dead body ready to live again. But they still used the seeds and oils. And they remembered what God would do.

The women were trying to find someone who would roll the stone away. But they were very surprised when they reached the place. Pilate had sent soldiers there. But the soldiers had left. They had run away because they saw an *angel (Matthew 27:4). The women had not seen the *angel yet. But they saw that someone had already rolled the stone away.

So, the women went in. There, they found a young man. This young man was the *angel (Matthew 28:2-5). His clothes were bright white. They were like Jesus’ clothes on the mountain (Mark 9:3). The women were very afraid of the *angel.

The *angel told them a message from God. The dead body was not there, because Jesus was alive. The women should tell the *disciples. And they should tell Peter, too. Jesus was going to Galilee. They should meet him there.

Jesus had told them that this would happen (Mark 8:31; Mark 9:9; Mark 10:34). And he had told the *disciples that they should meet him in Galilee (Mark 14:28). But they did not believe then. And they still did not believe. An *angel had come from God to tell them this message. But the women did not go immediately to tell the message to the *disciples. Instead, the women tried to run away. They said nothing about this event. They were too afraid.

The end of Mark’s book

A note about Mark 16:9-20

Bible students do not think that Mark 16:8 is the end of Mark’s book. But the two best old copies of the book stop there. It is clear that the last page of the book became separate. And some people did not know what the end of the book should be.

Mark 16:9-20 may be Mark’s words. But today most Bible students think that someone else wrote it. But it may not matter who wrote it. That is because its report agrees with the reports of Matthew, Luke and John. And it agrees with the other parts of Mark’s book. All these books say that Jesus became alive again. They agree about the things that he told his *disciples. And they agree about the things that happened after that.

If Mark did not write Mark 16:9-20, he wrote something like it. He had already written that Jesus became alive again after his death (Mark 8:31; Mark 9:9; Mark 10:34 and Mark 14:28). Mark had written that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 1:1; Mark 8:29). And Mark had written that Jesus is the son of God (Mark 1:11; Mark 9:8). Also, Mark had written that the *disciples must tell God’s good news to people everywhere (Mark 4:22; Mark 10:29-30; Mark 13:10 and Mark 14:9). All these things are also in Mark 16:9-20.

Mark 16:9-20 includes another important idea that is also in Mark 16:1-8. Here is that idea. Even after Jesus was alive again, the *disciples still did not believe. The book repeats that idea often (Mark 16:8; Mark 16:11; Mark 16:13 and Mark 16:14). The writer clearly thought that this was a very important fact.

So the writer of Mark 16:9-20 did not only want to tell people that Jesus is alive. He also wanted them to know that they must believe God. And that is also something that Mark writes often (Mark 1:15; Mark 2:5; Mark 5:34; Mark 8:12; Mark 9:23-24 and Mark 11:23-24).

Mary from Magdala

Verses 9-11

Mary from Magdala had a special reason to love Jesus. Bad *spirits had ruled her life. But Jesus had caused the *spirits to leave her. And then she began to travel with Jesus and the *disciples. She had helped him in Galilee (Mark 15:40-41). And she came to Jerusalem.

Mary did not leave Jesus when he died (Mark 15:40). She was present in the garden when Joseph buried the dead body (Mark 15:47). She had returned there with the other women (Mark 16:1). They ran away. But she stayed in the garden (John 20:14-18). And there, she met Jesus. He was alive again. She went to tell the *disciples. But they did not believe.

Two *disciples meet Jesus

Verses 12-13

These two people were travelling away from Jerusalem. They met Jesus but they did not recognise him. They walked with him. And he explained the Bible to them. They did not know who he was until later (Luke 24:13-35). Then they returned to Jerusalem. And they told the *disciples that Jesus was alive.

But the *disciples were not yet ready to believe. They heard these reports. And they hear other people’s reports too. These things surprised them very much. They did not think that Jesus would become alive again. It was too difficult for them to believe that God would do this. But they should have believed. The Bible says that this would happen. Jesus had taught them that it would happen. And God sent both *angels and people to tell them that it had happened.

Jesus’ message to his *disciples

Verses 14-18

In the end, the *disciples would not believe until they saw Jesus. But God wants people to believe even before they see those things (Hebrews 11:1-2). People should believe because God has given a promise (Hebrews 11:11-16). And God does not disappoint. He does everything that he has promised.

So, it is wrong not to believe God (Mark 6:6; Mark 9:19). It is wrong to refuse a message that God has sent (Mark 6:11).

But God is kind. He often gives people several chances to believe him. And in the end, he helped the *disciples so that they could believe.

And when they believed, Jesus had a special message for them. He gave them authority to continue the work that he had begun.

Jesus spoke these things to the 11 *disciples. Judas was not there; he had killed himself (Matthew 27:5). But the other 11 *disciples were all present. And they would tell very many people about God’s good news.

The things that Jesus said were not only for the 11 *disciples. The *disciples began this work, but they did not finish it. Christians are still doing this work. And they will continue to do it until Jesus returns. They must tell God’s good news to people everywhere.

It is good news. God will save those people who believe him. But it is also important news. People must not refuse God’s message.

Christians are not alone when they speak God’s message. God’s *Holy Spirit is with them. Sometimes the *Holy Spirit will do powerful things to help them. And then other people will see that Christians really do have God’s authority.

So, Christians would cause bad *spirits to leave people. That happened in Acts 16:18. Christians would speak languages that they had not learned. That happened in Acts 2:4-12. God would make Christians safe, even from snakes and poisons. That happened in Acts 28:3-6. And when Christians prayed, God would make ill people well. That happened in Acts 3:1-10; Acts 5:15-16 and Acts 14:8-10.

These things have not all stopped. God still does powerful things when Christians pray. He still works with his people. He still gives them the things that they need to do his work.

But Christians must never try to use God’s authority for their own purposes. And a Christian must not do dangerous things because he wants God to save him. So, an ill Christian may pray that God will make him well. But that Christian should also ask the doctor for help.

God wants his people to be careful. And he wants them to use his authority properly.

Jesus returns to *heaven

Verses 19-20

After 40 days, Jesus left his *disciples (Acts 1:3). God took him to *heaven. There, Jesus again had the importance that he had in the beginning. Jesus is the son of God. Before the world began, he was there with God the Father (John 1:2). God caused Jesus to be so important again because Jesus worked as God’s servant (Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 10:45).

The *disciples believed that this fact was very important. They did not only teach that Jesus became alive after his death. They also taught that God gave Jesus the most important seat in *heaven. See Acts 2:33 and Acts 5:31.

And so the *disciples went to do God’s work. You can read about the many events that happened. See the Book of Acts.

The *disciples went to many countries. They told God’s message to many people. Some people believed; but other people were against them. They had many troubles, but God was with them. And God did not leave them. He did powerful things. And he helped people everywhere to believe.

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
angel ~ one of God’s special servants in heaven. Angels bring messages from God.
heaven ~ God’s home.
soil ~ the top part of the ground. Plants grow in it.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
disciple ~ a student of a great teacher. Usually, the disciple travelled with his teacher and he worked for his teacher.
spirit ~ the part of a person that is alive, but which we cannot see. There are also bad spirits and good spirits. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit.
holy ~ special for God.
holy ~ special for God.
heaven ~ God’s home.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 16

The *resurrection 16:1-8

v1 When the *Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary, the mother of James, went out. And they bought spices (substances that have a beautiful smell). They wanted to put them on Jesus’ body. v2 Very soon after dawn on Sunday morning, the first day of the week, they went to the grave. v3 They were discussing who would roll the stone from the entrance. v4 But they looked up. And they saw that someone had already rolled back the very large stone. v5 So they went into the rock grave. There was a young man, who was sitting on the right side. He was wearing a long white coat. They were astonished. v6 He said, ‘Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, whom they killed on a *cross. He is not here. He has risen. Look at the place where they laid his body. v7 Now go. And tell his *disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, as he told you.’ v8 The women ran away from the grave. They were trembling and astonished. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.

Verse 1 The women went out to buy special substances as soon as the *Sabbath ended at sunset on Saturday.

Verse 2 The first opportunity to see what they were doing was at dawn on Sunday morning.

Verses 3-4 They remembered that there was a heavy stone at the entrance to the rock grave. It would be too heavy for them to push back. But they arrived at the grave. Then, they discovered that there was no problem. Someone had already rolled the stone aside.

Verses 5-6 They were astonished to find a young man in white clothes who was sitting on the right side of the cave. He was an *angel. He told them that they were looking in the wrong place for Jesus. He had risen. They could see for themselves the empty place where his body had been.

Verse 7 They must tell his *disciples ‘and Peter’ that they would see him in Galilee. The special message for Peter was to show that Jesus still included him in his love. Peter had said that he did not know Jesus. ‘And Peter’ would have given him the first sign of hope after he had said that. Jesus had said that he would go to Galilee (14:28).

Verse 8 This verse is a rather sudden end to Mark’s *Gospel. Mark might have written about how Jesus *kept his promise to meet his *disciples in Galilee. So later writers added other ends for the book. There is a short one, and a longer one. Mark may not have had time to complete his *Gospel. Perhaps he became ill. Perhaps he died, or the *Romans killed him. If he had finished it, perhaps the end of the *scroll wore out. Then perhaps it tore off. Or, perhaps his book had the same shape as a modern book, and the last page became separated. (The first Christians were among the first people to use such books.)

It is possible, however, that Mark intended to end at verse 8. All through his *Gospel, he had described how Jesus astonished people by his words and actions. Jesus’ *disciples, too, had a feeling of fear. And they greatly respected Jesus for his power (4:41). The *resurrection was the most astonishing event of all. Mark perhaps thought that it was not important to write about Jesus’ appearances to his *disciples. He had given the most important fact, ‘He has risen.’ The fear of the women was a suitable reaction to such an astonishing act of God. The reaction of all Christians should be similar. Verse 8 therefore can be a suitable end to Mark’s *Gospel.

The short end

This was an effort by a writer to make Mark’s *Gospel complete.

‘The women went to Peter and those who were with him. They gave them a brief account of all that the *angel had told them. Afterwards Jesus himself sent them out from east to west. He sent them with the holy and always living message about how God will *save people. *Amen.’

‘From east to west’ means that the *disciples had a message for the whole world. Their message was that belief in Jesus would give people *eternal life. This message would never change.

The long end 16:9-20

This was an account that was not in the early copies of Mark’s book. It is a list of Jesus’ *resurrection appearances that Luke and Matthew record. The writer also refers to details from Matthew’s *Gospel and from Acts. The author may have written it early in the second century *AD.

However, it is possible that Mark himself actually wrote these words at the end of his book. In those days, people had to copy books by hand. So, people would copy the complete book until the loss of its last page. Then people would have to copy the book without its last page.

The copies that have the long end are later copies than those without it. And the copies without the long end are good copies. But Mark wrote the original book over 200 years before the earliest copies that still exist. So, perhaps the people who wrote the copies with the long end had accurate copies of the end section.

v9 Jesus rose from death early on the first day of the week. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven evil *spirits. v10 She went. And she told those who had been with him. They were very sad and they were weeping. v11 They heard that Jesus was alive. And that she had seen him. But they did not believe it. v12 After that, Jesus appeared in a different way to two of them. They were walking into the country. v13 They went back and they told the other *disciples. But they did not even believe them. v14 Afterwards, Jesus appeared to the 11 *disciples themselves as they were eating. Jesus blamed them for their lack of *faith. They had refused to believe those who had seen him after his *resurrection. v15 Jesus said to them, ‘Go into the entire world. *Preach the good news to everyone. v16 I will *save anyone who believes and receives *baptism. God will punish anyone who does not believe. v17 These are the *miracles that believers will do. They will force out evil *spirits in my name. They will speak in new languages. v18 They will pick up snakes. If they drink anything poisonous, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on those who are ill. And the people will be well again.’ v19 When the *Lord Jesus had finished talking to them, he went up into heaven. He sat down at the right hand side of God. v20 Then the *disciples went out and they *preached everywhere. The *Lord worked with them. He showed that the message was true. He showed it by the *miracles that happened with it. *Amen.

The writer refers to three appearances of Jesus. In each one, he emphasises the *disciples’ lack of *faith to believe that he was alive.

Verses 9-11 Luke mentions that Jesus had made Mary Magdalene free from ‘seven evil *spirits’ (Luke 8:2). John describes how Jesus appeared to her in the garden (John 20:11-18).

Verses 12-13 The two people on the road to Emmaus did not recognise Jesus at first. They only realised who he was at supper. This was when he blessed and broke the bread. They returned to Jerusalem at once in order to tell the other *disciples (Luke 24:13-34).

Verse 14 The third appearance may have been when Thomas was among the 11 *disciples. It was Thomas especially whom Jesus encouraged to have more *faith (John 20:26-29).

Verse 15 Matthew records Jesus’ command to *preach the *gospel everywhere. They should *baptise people as a sign of their *faith.

Verses 17-18 The new powers that the *disciples will have include the power to send evil *spirits out of people. They also include the power to cure sick people. They had already been able to do this (Mark 6:13). Acts 2:4 describes how they spoke in other people’s languages on the day of *Pentecost. Paul escaped without injury when he picked up a snake (Acts 28:5). The reference to snakes and poison means that God will protect his *disciples. He will protect them in dangerous situations that they cannot avoid.

Verse 19 Mark had not used the title ‘the *Lord Jesus’ in his *Gospel. But Jesus had now gone back to heaven to the place of honour with God. So *Lord is a suitable title to describe Jesus. Jesus had referred to Psalms 110:1, while he was teaching in the *Temple (Mark 12:36). It describes the great honour that God would give to the *Messiah. Luke describes how Jesus went back to heaven in Acts 1:11.

Verse 20 The author of verses 9-20 ends with an account of how the *disciples obeyed Jesus’ command. The Acts of the *Apostles describes how they *preached the *gospel. It records how the *Lord worked *miracles by them. He was with them wherever they went.

resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
Sabbath ~ seventh day of the week, a day of rest for Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together in the shape of a cross. People put Jesus on a cross in order to kill him.
disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
scroll ~ a long piece of paper or animal’s skin; people fixed it round two pieces of wood; it usually had writing on it.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
Amen ~ we agree.
eternal ~ with no beginning or end.
AD ~ AD 50 means the year that was 50 years after Jesus came, and so on.
spirit ~ the part of a person who is alive that we cannot see. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
faith ~ belief in someone or something, or things that Christians believe about Jesus.
preach ~ to tell and explain the good news about Jesus to someone or to a group of people.'baptise/baptism ~ to put a person in water, or to put water on a person. It is to show that they want to follow Christ.
miracle ~ a wonderful work that someone does by God’s power.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
preach ~ to tell and explain the good news about Jesus to someone or to a group of people.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.

'baptise/baptism ~ to put a person in water, or to put water on a person. It is to show that they want to follow Christ.
Pentecost ~ the time each year when Jews thank God for their food; also the time when God gave the Holy Spirit to the church.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.

Holy Spirit ~ God’s Spirit. We cannot see him but he is there.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
apostle ~ one of the 12 special men that Jesus sent out.