Mark 16
The Women Visit the Tomb (Mark 16:1-8)
The time skips to the day after the Sabbath. It is clearly stated to be the dawn of the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and Salome went to the tomb to finish the burial preparations, which had been hurried because of the approaching Sabbath. They were concerned about being able to enter the tomb, fearing that the stone would be too heavy for all of them to roll aside.
As the women reached the tomb, they found it open. Looking inside, they noticed an apparently young man in the tomb on the right-hand side dressed in a white robe. The women were amazed. The angel, for such he was, addressed the women. Though they sought Jesus, he was no longer in the tomb. He had risen from the dead, just as Jesus had stated in Galilee would happen (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; 9:31; Luke 9:22). The angel invited the women to take note of the empty tomb.
They were then told to tell the disciples that he had risen, and that they would see him in Galilee as he told them before his death (Matthew 26:32). With great fear and joy, they quickly left to tell the disciples. But they told no one about what they saw until they found the disciples. It is possible that they dallied for a while, perhaps thinking that no one would believe them. It is important that no one else knew because that eliminates the possibility that they “overlooked” the body and that it was removed while they were gone. No one else knew the grave was open.
Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11)
Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdelene. The details are not recorded for us here but can be found in John 20:1-18. Mary told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, but they refused to believe her. This is another important point. The disciples were in grief over the death of their Lord and refused to believe a report that he was seen alive. This would eliminate the claim that the disciples planned to make Jesus appear to have risen from the grave.
A Sunday Afternoon Walk (Mark 16:12-13)
Sometime later that day, two disciples were walking in the country. Again, details are not recorded in Mark but can be found in Luke 24:13-35. Again, the disciples are told that the Lord was seen, but again, the disciples refuse to believe the witnesses.
Jesus Appears to Eleven Apostles (Mark 16:14)
A third account is mentioned of when all eleven of the apostles saw Jesus for themselves. The details are not given here but can be found in John 20:24-29. Jesus rebukes disciples for not accepting the evidence brought to them by witnesses.
Jesus' Commission (Mark 16:15-18)
Mark jumps ahead to the time when Jesus commissions the disciples to do the tasks he had been preparing them to accomplish. They were to go into all the world and preach the gospel. A person who believes and is baptized – two equal conditions to be met – would be saved, but a failure in just one, such as a lack of belief, would result in condemnation.
Signs would be given to these disciples so those hearing them would see evidence that their teaching was from God. With Jesus’ authority, they would be able to cast out demons (Acts 16:16-18), speak in new languages (Acts 2:4), survive handling serpents (Acts 28:3-6), won’t be poisoned, and heal those who are sick (Acts 5:15-16).
The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20)
Again, Mark skips ahead to the time of Jesus' ascension. After having given his instructions, Jesus ascended into heaven. He went to sit at the right hand of God to rule the world (Psalms 110:1; Ephesians 1:20-22; I Corinthians 15:23-28). Christ’s reign is not some future event but one taking place currently.
The disciples left and began preaching the gospel message to all the world as the Lord had commanded them. Signs accompanied them through the help of the Lord to confirm the words they were teaching (I Corinthians 2:4-5; Hebrews 2:4). Miracles in the Bible were not done for the sake of the signs themself. Miracles served a purpose: to confirm that those speaking for God had God’s blessings.
The Genuineness of Mark 16:9-20
The last verses from Mark’s gospel (Mark 16:9-20) have been called “The Longer Ending of Mark.” The first time I came across this criticism was in response to quoting verses 15 and 16. Mark 16:16 affirms, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be condemned.” The statement is so plain the only way to avoid its force is to discredit it. Nothing is more clearly taught in the New Testament than the absolute necessity of a believer being baptized to be saved.
In addition to the criticism that seeks to avoid the strength of verse 16 regarding the necessity of baptism, other critics have offered their reasons for rejecting the “Longer Ending.” Eusebius and Jerome are probably the two most important persons who rejected it.
Eusebius was one of the greatest minds of his day. He participated in the famous Council of Nicea (325 AD) and attempted to shelter a man named Arius from severe persecution. Arius agitated the question of the deity of Jesus for years. He did not believe Jesus was God manifest in a fleshly body. In his rejection of the final verses of Mark 16, he also rejected Mark’s account of the ascension. Both of these prominent figures of the past successfully established what history has called “The Arian Heresy.”
There are things one ought to consider before discarding the debated passage.
- No known or reputable scholar has disputed the accuracy of what Mark 16:9-20 teaches. Many do not believe it, but that is interpretation, not valid textual criticism.
- The same group does not dispute that Mark’s gospel does not end at verse 8 of the chapter.
- All understand quite well that all the substantive facts in the passage are in harmony with other passages about which there is no question.
Ancient Manuscripts
Among the major manuscripts from which the New Testament is translated, two major ones do not include Mark 16:9-20. English translations based on such manuscripts either put a space after verse 8 or a footnote stating that some of the oldest manuscripts do not contain the verses. Two of the oldest manuscripts are Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. Both of these appear to be fourth-century manuscripts of the New Testament. Codex Regius, an eighth-century manuscript, also omits the last verses of Mark’s gospel. Out of all the great manuscripts, only Sinaiticus and Vaticanus omit verses 9-20 altogether.
Even though the Vaticanus omits the verses, it leaves space at the end of Mark’s gospel for an ending. The great German scholar Lobegott Frederick Constantine Tischendorf held that both ancient manuscripts were from the same pen. Other accepted manuscripts, such as the Codex Alexandrinus of the fifth century, include the disputed passage. The fact that the older manuscripts leave space for an ending to the Gospel indicates the scribes knew it was incomplete. Other manuscripts contain the ending, which makes the Gospel whole and complete.
Through the centuries the New Testament has been translated over and again into many dialects and languages. We have a great abundance of translations or versions of the Bible. It is a fact that nearly every version into which the New Testament has been translated contains the ending of Mark 16:9-20.
Earliest Christian Writers
Many men who lived during the lifetime of those guided directly by the Holy Spirit to compose and record the New Testament are witnesses to the genuineness of Mark 16:9-20. They were students who followed the apostles from place to place, listening to them as they revealed God’s will. Many of them took copious notes, quoted the words they heard, and wrote commentaries and dissertations on what they heard. We call these men the “Church Fathers.”
The passage under consideration was quoted or alluded to without question among the earliest writers. Some of their writings date back to as early as 70 AD. Some are The Epistle of Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, and the Shepherd of Hermes. Justin Martyr made no less than four direct references to the passage.
Between 150 and 200 AD, Irenaeus and Tatian used the passage as a genuine part of divine revelation. One named Dionysius of Alexandria, Egypt, and a companion, Hippolytus, mention the passage as if it were authentic. Only Jerome, who put the Latin Vulgate together, considered it not genuine. Jerome was obviously unsure about it because he included it in the Vulgate.
Conclusion
Some critics reject the section because of a perceived difference in style in the close of Mark 16 and previous words. Henry Alford, a brilliant commentator, rejected it because he claimed there were twenty-one words and expressions not found anywhere else in the Gospel of Mark. In response to that claim, others have shown clearly the fallacy of that idea. J.A. Broadus showed that in the twelve verses before the disputed passage there are seventeen words never used before by Mark.
Brother J.W. McGarvey showed the same regarding the conclusion of Luke’s Gospel. He found nine words the writer had never used before, four of which were not found anywhere in the New Testament. If one rejects the disputed passage based on style, why not reject the last section of Luke?
No one needs to doubt the authenticity and genuineness of the passage in Mark. They are just as much a part of divine revelation as all the previous verses in the Gospel record.
