Mark 16:1-8 The Resurrection

5 min read

Text

Mark 16:1-8 - ESV

1 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.

Context

  • Jesus was just crucified and then buried by Joseph

Observations

  • Characters

    • Mary magdalene
    • Mary the mother of James
      • Isn’t this Jesus’ mother as well?
      • The audience of Mark knows who James is?
    • Salome
      • have we met Salome before?
      • Salome wasn’t mentioned in Matthew’s gospel
    • Mark 15:40, they’ve witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Now they’ve also witnessed Jesus’ resurrection
    • Mark 15:47, they also witnessed Jesus’ burial

  • spices to anoint Jesus

  • After Sabbath

    • 15:42 Jesus was buried the day before Sabbath
    • Now it is the day after the Sabbath
    • Raised on the third day
      1. Buried before Sabbath
      2. Sabbath
      3. Day after the Sabbath

  • When the sun had risen I wonder if the Greek had a pun like this too

  • vv. 3-4 the stone that was rolled away

    • In Matthew an earthquake rolled away the stone

  • vv. 5-6

    • an angel in the tomb

  • v. 6 Jesus had risen

  • v. 7

    • Peter was mentioned specifically because he denied Him previously
    • Jesus will be at Galilee
    • the women are now told to go and tell

  • v. 8

    • The women fled and were trebling
    • they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid
    • In Matthew’s gospel they 🔴departed with fear and great joy, and told the disciples

  • Through out Mark we noticed that Jesus has action a couple of individuals to not speak about Him after performing miracles that would change the individuals lives. They went and spoke about Christ anyway. Messiah Secret

    • But here in vv. 7-8, the women were commanded to go and tell other about what had happened at the empty tomb. Instead of telling, they were in fear and in silence.
    • Why did Mark laid it out like this?
      • Now that the truth about what the Messiah really is, is out. The suffering king. People are fearful to not speak about it?

Interpretations

  • Some has said that there is no resurrection- Jesus, who is an absolutely reliable character in Mark, predicted his resurrection in Mark 8:31; 9:9, 31; 10:32-34; 14:25

    • The angel, also announce that Jesus has risen from the dead (16:7)
    • Jesus earlier announced that the disciple would see him alive in Galilee (14:28), repeated by the angel in (16:7)

  • Joseph vs the Women

    • Joseph was bold
    • The women were fearful and panics

Questions

  • Why did the “women flee and said nothing to anyone” in Mark’s gospel? What was Mark’s focus?
    • Yes they were afraid, but in the other gospels we were told that they did manage to relay the message to the disciples
  • Have we met Salome before?
  • Is the young man, an angel?
    • Yes
  • Didn’t Mary Magdalene “anoint” Jesus already
    • Mark 14:8
  • Why is there no resurrection appearances narrated?
    • mark indented to end at 16:8
      • Mark is full of surprising and strange things (4:10–12; 6:5; 8:22–26; 11:12–14; 14:51–52)
      • The women experienced two things, the empty tomb and the announcement of the resurrection
        • How will they respond with fear or proclamation?
        • Mark’s original readers are in the same position. They are experiencing persecution and even the threat of death. They have heard the announcement of the resurrection. But how will they respond? With fear and silence? Or with faith and action, proclaiming the good news?
    • Mark’s original ending was lost
      • Lost ending have problem theologically and historically
        • Unlikely that the last page of the codex would be damaged before being copied
      • If Mark’s original ending have the resurrection appearance, would God allow it to be lost in history?
  • Why did Mark end off so abruptly?
  • Why is Peter explicitly included in v7?
    • Peter prior denied Jesus
    • If the call to spread the Gospel includes Peter, who denied Jesus. Then it has significance to all of us because we’re all sinners who had failed Christ in some way.
    • Just like how even though Jacob has been doing things wrong his whole life, God still extends his covenant with Abraham to Jacob.

Applications

  • The bible had a counter cultural view on women
  • Go and proclaim the Gospel of Christ
  • Jesus is reliable, he predicted His death and resurrection
  • Sign and Wonders does not produce faith. The women panicked, fled and did not say anything to anyone even after witnessing the resurrection
  • The resurrection as a whole is God’s work, the role of human is to be a witness
    • Even at the end human continually fails the divine will.
      • Sharing when Christ asks not to
      • Now not sharing when asked to share

Cross References

No data found.