1Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at sunrise. 3And they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away; for it was very large. 5And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were afraid. 6But he said to them, Do not be afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7But go, tell His disciples, and Peter, that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. 8So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were astonished. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 9Now when He arose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11And when they heard that He lives and was seen by her, they did not believe. 12After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13And they went and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. 14Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had been raised. 15And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He who believes and is immersed will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well. 19So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the signs following. Amen.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE WOMEN ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, THAT CHRIST IS RISEN--HIS APPEARANCES AFTER HIS RESURRECTION--HIS ASCENSION--TRIUMPHANT PROCLAMATION OF HIS GOSPEL. ( =
Mt 28:1-
Mt 28:10,
Mt 28:16-
Mt 28:20; Luke 24:1-51;
Jn 20:1-
Jn 20:2, John 20:11-29). (Mark 16:1-20)
when the sabbath was past--that is, at sunset of our Saturday.
Mary Magdalene--(See on
Lc 8:2).
Mary the mother of James--James the Less (see
Mc 15:40).
and Salome--the mother of Zebedee's sons (compare
Mc 15:40 with
Mt 27:56).
had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him--The word is simply "bought." But our translators are perhaps right in rendering it here "had bought," since it would appear, from
Lc 23:56, that they had purchased them immediately after the Crucifixion, on the Friday evening, during the short interval that remained to them before sunset, when the sabbath rest began; and that they had only deferred using them to anoint the body till the sabbath rest should be over. On this "anointing," see on
Jn 19:40.
2 very early in the morning--(See on
Mt 28:1).
the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun--not quite literally, but "at earliest dawn"; according to a way of speaking not uncommon, and occurring sometimes in the Old Testament. Thus our Lord rose on the third day; having lain in the grave part of Friday, the whole of Saturday, and part of the following First day.
3 they said among themselves--as they were approaching the sacred spot.
Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? . . . for it was very great--On reaching it they find their difficulty gone--the stone already rolled away by an unseen hand. And are there no others who, when advancing to duty in the face of appalling difficulties, find their stone also rolled away?
5 entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man--In
Mt 28:2 he is called "the angel of the Lord"; but here he is described as he appeared to the eye, in the bloom of a life that knows no decay. In Matthew he is represented as sitting on the stone outside the sepulchre; but since even there he says, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (
Mt 28:6), he seems, as ALFORD says, to have gone in with them from without; only awaiting their arrival to accompany them into the hallowed spot, and instruct them about it.
sitting on the right side--having respect to the position in which His Lord had lain there. This trait is peculiar to Mark; but compare
Lc 1:11.
clothed in a long white garment--On its length, see
Es 6:1; and on its whiteness, see on
Mt 28:3.
and they were affrighted.
6 he saith unto them, Be not affrighted--a stronger word than "Fear not" in Matthew (
Mt 28:5).
Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified!--"the Nazarene, the Crucified,"
he is risen; he is not here--(See on
Lc 24:5-
Lc 24:6).
behold the place where they laid him--(See on
Mt 28:6).
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter--This Second Gospel, being drawn up--as all the earliest tradition states--under the eye of Peter, or from materials chiefly furnished by him, there is something deeply affecting in the preservation of this little phrase by Mark alone.
that he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he said unto you--(See on
Mt 28:7).
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre: for they trembled and were amazed--"for tremor and amazement seized them."
neither said they anything to any man; for they were afraid--How intensely natural and simple is this!
Appearances of Jesus after His Resurrection (
Mc 16:9-
Mc 16:18).
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils--There is some difficulty here, and different ways of removing it have been adopted. She had gone with the other women to the sepulchre (
Mc 16:1), parting from them, perhaps, before their interview with the angel, and on finding Peter and John she had come with them back to the spot; and it was at this second visit, it would seem, that Jesus appeared to this Mary, as detailed in
Jn 20:11-
Jn 20:18. To a woman was this honor given to be the first that saw the risen Redeemer, and that woman was NOT his virgin-mother.
11 they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not--This, which is once and again repeated of them all, is most important in its bearing on their subsequent testimony to His resurrection at the risk of life itself.
12 After that he appeared in another form--(compare
Lc 24:16).
unto two of them as they walked, and went into the country--The reference here, of course, is to His manifestation to the two disciples going to Emmaus, so exquisitely told by the Third Evangelist (see on
Lc 24:13, &c.).
13 they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them, &c.
15 he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature--See on
Jn 20:19-
Jn 20:23 and
Lc 24:36-
Lc 24:49.
16 He that believeth and is baptized--Baptism is here put for the external signature of the inner faith of the heart, just as "confessing with the mouth" is in
Rm 10:10; and there also as here this outward manifestation, once mentioned as the proper fruit of faith, is not repeated in what follows (
Rm 10:11).
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned--These awful issues of the reception or rejection of the Gospel, though often recorded in other connections, are given in this connection only by Mark.
17 these signs shall follow them that believe . . . They shall take up serpents--These two verses also are peculiar to Mark.
The Ascension and Triumphant Proclamation of the Gospel Thereafter (
Mc 16:19-
Mc 16:20).
19 So then after the Lord--an epithet applied to Jesus by this Evangelist only in
Mc 16:19-
Mc 16:20, when He comes to His glorious Ascension and its subsequent fruits. It is most frequent in Luke.
had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven--See on
Lc 24:50-
Lc 24:51.
and sat on the right hand of God--This great truth is here only related as a fact in the Gospel history. In that exalted attitude He appeared to Stephen (
Act 7:55-
Act 7:56); and it is thereafter perpetually referred to as His proper condition in glory.
20 they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen--We have in this closing verse a most important link of connection with the Acts of the Apostles, where He who directed all the movements of the infant Church is perpetually styled "THE LORD"; thus illustrating His own promise for the rounding and building up of the Church, "LO, I AM WITH YOU alway!"
