#1348 Mark 16 Vacancy

 

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

[Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.]

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

9 [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

The Great Commission

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]] Mark 16 ESV

Mark 16 

So that they might go and anoint Him - These faithful women probably didn't realize that Simon and Nicodemus had already prepared His body in haste because of the Sabbath. This is a sign of true devotion, the cost of the spices, used not to embalm but to cover up the stench. To enter a tomb would be very unpleasant, but this is an act of love, love always produces action at the cost of the giver. The women, because of the Sabbath had been unable to come prior to this, and it is still at great peril because you identify yourself with an Enemy of the state. 

…23O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.… 2 Samuel 24: 23-25

Who will roll away the stone for us - The women knew where He had been buried, but they were also aware of the stone, but possibly yet unaware of the guards. 

Dressed in a white robe - Here we find a spiritual being, a messenger of the Lord, an angel dressed in white, and appearing as a man. Matthew goes deeper into His appearance, so other worldly that it caused the guards to be comatose. We learn from Luke and John of another angelic being, but Mark mentions only the one who spoke on their behalf. 

…2Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.… Matthew 28: 2-4

…2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.… Luke 24: 2-4

Do not be alarmed - Angels seem to have to say this a lot. 

You seek Jesus of Nazareth Who was crucified - The women are rewarded with being the first to know about the resurrection. Isaiah describes God as "his beloved", and these women truly love the Lord Jesus. 

He is risen, He is not here - Mary Magdalene was in such shock she didn't really grasp the moment as we learn in John's gospel. When she finds the disciples she tells them that Jesus has been moved and we don't know where they laid Him. 

Evidence for the resurrection begins with the simple yet conclusive fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty. The Roman soldiers knew it was empty (Matt. 28:11), as did the Jewish religious leaders (v. 13), the women (Luke 24:3; John 20:2), Peter and John (John 20:6–7), and others like Joseph of Arimathea. Significantly, Jesus’ enemies never disputed the empty tomb. Instead, they tried to explain it away by bribing the soldiers to lie and say His disciples had stolen the body (Matt. 28:12–15). In reality, the tomb being empty had nothing to do with the disorganized and cowardly disciples (cf. Mark 14:50; John 20:19), and everything to do with Jesus rising triumphantly from the dead, just as He promised He would do (cf. Matt. 12:40; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34; Luke 13:32; 18:33; John 2:19). - J Mac Precpt Austin 

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene - I think she was the most faithful follower, and it is a strange choice for the era, but compelling in retrospect, for a woman's testimony was not considered much back then.

I personally agree completely with Dr John MacArthur's critique - (See his sermon on this subject below) The result in Mark 16:9–20 is a concise patchwork drawn from various New Testament texts (especially from the other gospels and Acts). As demonstrated above, the content of the longer ending generally reflects biblical truths, with the notable exceptions of snake handling and drinking poison (v. 18), which have no scriptural precedent. It should also be noted that verse 16 does not teach the necessity of baptism for salvation, since the second half of the verse clarifies that condemnation is for unbelief, not a lack of being baptized. Beyond those points of clarification, an exposition of these verses is not warranted, since they are not original to Mark’s inspired account. Though they reflect traditions from early church history, they are not part of the inerrant and authoritative Word of God. - Precept Austin

Pick up serpents with their hands, speak in new tongues - These do follow in Luke's account of the early church pillars, which is written in his book Acts. Even if this section of Mark is not found in the earliest manuscripts one can see where it is drawn from. In Acts 2 we have the account of tongues, which gift Paul has to correct the early church about in 1 Corinthians. Oddly, many of my charismatic acquaintances use this very passage to condone their babbling, which is not the gift of tongues, but they run when I offer them a venomous snake to prove their point. Their are some very strange cult forms of Christianity that site this passage for their practice of handling venomous creatures. It is supposed to show their faith, but they don't understand that either, and some of their members have died from snake bites. Paul actually fulfills this when he is bitten by a venomous snake on the island of  Malta.

…4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language.… Acts 2: 4-6

Clearly not babbling because each heard them in his own language. It wasn't baby talk; it was understood. 

…2The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand. 4When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”… Acts 28: 2-4