Lesson 12: Resurrection (Mark 16.1-20)

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1.1). Mark’s gospel began with the declaration that Jesus is the Son of God and as we noted in our last lesson, the Roman Centurion made the same declaration at the cross (Mark 15.39). But how can we know that these declarations are true? Because Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power… by His resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1.4). Mark 16 is an essential chapter for evangelism for it not only offers proof that Jesus is the Christ, but shows us how we should submit to God’s Son.

Notes from the text:

• 16.1: the same women who were present at the crucifixion (see Mark 15.40).
• 16.3: “Of the sealing of the tomb or the posting of the Roman guard, they knew nothing (cf. Matt 27:62–66). Their concern with moving the stone was a real one because, no matter what kind of stone it was, it would have been difficult to move. A circular stone, though relatively easy to put in place since usually it was set in a sloped track, once established in place was very difficult to remove. It would either have to be rolled back up the incline or lifted out of the groove and then removed. Any other kind of stone placed in front of the tomb’s entrance would be as difficult or even more difficult to remove.” (Expositors Bible Commentary)
• 16.5-6: skeptics have offered different explanations for the empty tomb, but none of them hold up to close examination. The best explanation is what the angel declared: “He has risen; He is not here.”
  • Disciples could not have stolen the body with the Roman guard (see Matthew 27.62-66). Furthermore, they would not have since they had lost faith at His arrest (Mark 14.50).
  • The women did not go to the wrong tomb, they saw where Joseph laid the body (Mark 15.47).
  • Jesus did not simply faint on the cross, and then escape from the tomb. First, the Romans made sure that He was dead (John 19.31-34). Second, even if Jesus had succeeded in fooling the Roman soldiers, He would have been so weak that He could not have removed the stone either (cf. Mark 16.3).
  • Finally, the Jewish leaders would not have removed the body. If they had, they would have produced the body as soon as the apostles began declaring that Jesus rose from the dead.
• 16.7: Peter may be singled out because of his denial of Jesus (Mark 14.66-72). Jesus had earlier declared that He would go before them to Galilee (Mark 14.28).
• 16.8: it is important to establish that none of Jesus’ disciples comprehended the resurrection at first. Jesus had predicted His resurrection on at least three occasions (Mark 8.31; 9.31-32; 10.33-34), but His disciples would not believe until presented with definitive proof. Note that the women would go and tell what they saw (Matthew 28.8; Luke 24.9).
• 16.9: see John 20.11-18.
• 16.10-11: note how the apostles were mourning and weeping. It was the third day, but they did not expect for Jesus to rise; they were without faith and hope.
• 16.12: see Luke 24.13-35.
• 16.13: the testimony of a single woman might not have carried any weight with the disciples, but the collaborative testimony of two men should have been sufficient proof (cf. Deuteronomy 19.15). The apostles remained steadfast in their unbelief.
• 16.14: John 20.19 adds the detail that the apostles were in a locked room because they feared the Jews. Every detail further demonstrates the complete lack of faith of the apostles. We have noted their lack of faith before (see Mark 8.17-21; 9.19; etc.) and now we see that their unbelief persisted… until they saw Jesus resurrected! (See John 20.19ff).
• 16.15: The resurrection is the only explanation for how a group of men went from weeping and in fear, disbelieving the resurrection accounts, to going out and telling the world of Jesus’ resurrection. These apostles had refused to believe the testimonies of others, but now they must give testimony so that others could believe (see John 20.30-31)!
• 16.16: while on earth, Jesus proclaimed that people should “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1.15). Now, He tells His disciples that people must believe and be baptized in order to be saved. Both repentance and baptism are tied with faith because only when one believes that Jesus is in fact God’s Son will they submit to His requirements. Thus, those do “not believe will be condemned.” Scripture never treats Jesus’ commands for repentance and baptism as optional, but as the true fulfillment of faith in Him. To refuse them is to manifest unbelief.
• 16.17: faith is always based on evidence. The apostles believed because they saw the irrefutable evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. Others would believe because of the power given to the apostles. Note Acts 5.16; 8.7; 2.4 to see how Jesus’ promise was fulfilled.
• 16.18: we don’t read of the apostles going out of their way to pick up snakes (it wasn’t a test of faith). However, we do see how Paul was bitten by a viper and no harm came to him (Acts 28.3-5).
• 16.19: the final picture of Jesus is not of His crucifixion or even His resurrection. It’s of His exaltation and His installment as King (see Psalm 110.1; Daniel 7.13-14; Matthew 28.18). He is not only our Savior who loves us, but our King whom we are to obey.
• 16.20: miracles were not simply for show, but to confirm that the message of the apostles was in fact from God. Thus, their words, and not the words of men, must be the basis of our faith and practice.

Using the text in evangelism:

The gospel message asks us to put our faith in Jesus (Mark 1.15; 16.16; John 3.16; Ephesians 2.8-9). But what is meant by faith? Is it simply believing something to be true, or is it more? Mark’s gospel helps us to see what is involved in saving faith.

1. Faith is convinced that Jesus is God’s Son. The proposition that Jesus is the Son of God was made in Mark 1.1. Jesus’ teaching and works should have provided sufficient proof (Mark 8.29), but His arrest and crucifixion were too much for even Jesus’ closest followers. The resurrection is the greatest proof that Jesus is God’s Son (Romans 1.4) because that is the ONLY explanation for how the unbelieving disciples (Mark 16.14) would go on to proclaim the gospel to all creation (Mark 16.15). The resurrection had proven to them that Jesus is the Son of God, and it continues to offer compelling proof today.
2. Faith trusts that Jesus will do what He promised. Faith is to be placed in the Son of God (John 3.16), meaning we must trust in Him for our salvation. His works proved that He was both willing (Mark 1.40-41) and able (Mark 2.10-11) to save. His willingness to endure crucifixion for us (Mark 10.45) shows that He is worthy of our trust. If He has promised salvation, we can be assured that He will keep His word!
3. Faith compels obedience. This is the crucial point. Almost all would agree that faith is believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that we must trust in Him for our salvation. However, many would claim that obedience to His commands is somehow not faith. Yet Jesus tied faith to obedience! He rebuked His disciple for failing to cast out a demon by saying they lacked faith (Mark 9.14-19) and promised that if they believed they would accomplish great things (Mark 11.22-23). And Jesus tied faith to obedience in His commission to the apostles (Mark 16.16). Baptism is tied to salvation not because the work merits it, but because it is done in faith (being immersed in water will forgive my sins???). We can’t say we trust in Jesus for our salvation and then say that baptism is unnecessary because He’s the one who said if we are baptized we will be saved. Rejecting baptism, or of any command of Jesus, is to demonstrate unbelief… which will be condemned (Mark 16.16).