Bible Commentaries

Mark 16:1-2. And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in. the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.

Their love made them prompt. Their affection was about to attempt a needless, and, indeed, impossible thing; yet I do not doubt that it was acceptable before God. Oh, that we had such hove that even the dead body of the Christ should be so dear to us that we should be ready at great expense to anoint it! I fear that, nowadays, even his living Word is not valued as it should be. How few, therefore, should we be likely to find who would have cared for his dead body! These holy women had had cause enough to love their Lord, and they showed that their hearts were full of affection for him even after he had been taken from them.

Mark 16:3. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

A question that has puzzled many other people concerning many other things perplexed these holy women, yet there was no reason for the question to be raised at all. Peradventure, some of you are at this time distressed when there is no cause for distress, and in fear where no fear is. It was so with these women, who said, one to another, “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?”

Mark 16:4. And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

And, therefore, hard to roll away; and, therefore, the more easily seen when it was rolled away; and, therefore, the greater cause for joy that it was rolled away. In the greatness of our troubles there may often be space for the greater display of the goodness of God; a great trial may be nothing more than the prelude of a great joy. Do not dread the foaming billows, for they may wash you ashore; it is the worst that they can do, and it is the best also. The stone at the door of the sepulcher was very great, but it was rolled away, so that it mattered not to the women how great it was.

Mark 16:5. And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

An angel had been allowed to assume the appearance of a man; that usually seems to be the way in which angels appear to men. I suppose there is, after all, a great kinship between angels and men; otherwise, angelic beings would not so constantly assume that form when they appear to men. At the sight of the young man clothed in a long white garment, these good women were affrighted.

Mark 16:6-7. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye such Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

Make sure, beloved, that you know the truth for yourselves, and then hasten to tell it to others. I pray you, run not without knowing what your errand is to be; but I also pray you, when you have an errand for the Lord, do not tarry, but, “Go your way, tell his disciples.” It was very thoughtful of this angel to say “and Peter,” thus linking with the disciples the name of him who had most glaringly transgressed, and denied his Master,

Mark 16:8. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they anything to any man; for they were afraid.

But, after this, they summoned up courage, and did tell the story of their Lord’s resurrection.

Mark 16:9-13. 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. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

Unbelief is very hard to kill, even in hearts that are right with God; so we need not wonder that divine grace is required to expel unbelief from the hearts of the unregenerate.

Mark 16:14. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

The story of our Lord’s appearance to the disciples is more fully told by Luke in the twenty-fourth chapter of his Gospel, to which let us turn.

This exposition consisted of readings from Mark 16:1-14; Luke 24:32-44.

Mark 16:1. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

True love had made a mistake; but it was true love for all that, and the Lord accepted it, although he had no need of the sweet spices that the women brought.

Mark 16:2. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.

There had already been another rising of the sun that morning, for the Sun of righteousness had risen; and, with his rising, our hopes had risen, and eternal life had come to light. These holy women proved their affection to their Lord by being there so early. Love will not wait; it delights to render its service as speedily as ever it can: “They came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.”

Mark 16:3-4. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

Take comfort from this verse, you who are seeking to serve your Lord. There will be sure to be stones in your way, and some of them may be very great ones; but they will be rolled away in the Lord’s good time, and in the rolling away often you will have all the greater joy. If the effort shall need the strength of an angel, then an angel will be sent from heaven for the purpose. There might have been no angel if there had been no stone; and you might have no revelation of the power of heaven to help you if you had not first had a revelation of your own weakness and inability to roll away the stone.

Mark 16:5. And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man silting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

An angel had assumed the appearance of a young man sitting inside the sepulcher.

Mark 16:6. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted:

Why should they be affrighted? They had come to serve their Lord, and so had the angel, so there was no cause for fear. Those who love Jesus need never be afraid of angels; nor, for the matter of that, of devils either; for the Lord, whom they serve, will take care of them.

Mark 16:6. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified:

This was the first gospel sermon preached after the resurrection, so note particularly how the angel describes Christ. He calls him by his lowly name, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and does not speak of him as the risen or reigning Christ, but as “Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified.” The angels are evidently not ashamed of the cross of Christ, they do not attempt to hide the shame of it; for this one speaks of “Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified.”

Mark 16:6. He is risen; he is not here:

That is the epitaph inscribed on Christ’s tomb: “He is not here.” On other people’s graves it is written, “Here lies so-and-so;” but on Christ’s sepulcher it is recorded, “He is not here.” He is everywhere else, but “he is not here.” He is with us in our solitude, he is with us in our public assemblies; but there is one place where he is not; and that is, in the empty tomb. Thank God that he is not there; we do not worship a dead man lying in the grave. He, on whom we rely, has risen from the dead, and gone up into the glory, where he ever liveth to carry out the great design of salvation. “He is not here.”

Mark 16:6-8. Behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

There was a mixture of joy with their fear, and of fear with their joy, and that tended to keep them silent for a while. Some people tell all they know, even when it would be wiser not to speak; but these godly women waited till they reached those to whom they were bidden to speak. They said nothing to anybody by the way, but hurried on to find the disciples, that they might give them the blessed tidings of their Lord’s resurrection.

Mark 16:9. 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.

Where grace had wrought its greatest wonders, there Christ paid his first visit: “He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”

Mark 16:10-11. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

I can imagine that scone,-the weeping and mourning disciples, and this eager woman telling out her story, and telling it with evident truthfulness and deep pathos, but they believed her not. Do you expect to be believed whenever you tell the story of your Lord’s resurrection, or any other part of the gospel message? You have to tell it, not to Christ’s disciples, but to those who are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel; and, probably, you do not tell it as well as Mary Magdalene did. Marvel not, therefore, if many a time those who hear your message believe it not. Mind that you believe it yourself, and keep on telling it whether others believe it or not, and God will bless it to some of them by-and-by

Mark 16:12-13. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

Unbelief is not easily driven out of even true disciples; but let none of us ever harbor it in our hearts. As we see how unbelieving these disciples were, and know how wrong their unbelief was, let us not be like them.

Mark 16:14-20. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.

A-men God bless to us the reading of his holy Word! Amen,