Mark 16: Commentary

 

Mark 16

The last chapter in the book ends with hope and mission for believers.

 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James go to the tomb to put spices on Jesus’ body. They arrive and notice a man with a robe sitting there. “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” (6-7)

 Is the man in a white robe an angel send from heaven to deliver the good news? Probably. That’s hardly the most important part of the story though. Jesus is alive and well! He conquered the grave and took the sting of death away for all time. It’s impossible to overstate the significance of that day.

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene and when she told the others they didn’t believe. I don’t think I would either. They had just witnessed a gruesome spectacle when Jesus was beaten and hung on the cross. They probably didn’t want to think about it anymore. But they had seen signs and wonders all while following Him, why did they have such trouble believing? Most of us are this way. We always fall back to natural thinking (doubt) without faith.

We have an assignment called the Great Commission, Jesus gives believers a job to do. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (15) It’s the last instruction that Jesus gives us. He lets us know what’s really important and tells us what to expect. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they 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 recover.”(17-18)

There is so much in there to tackle I’m not sure where to start. First, this is a clear explanation of why the gifts of the Spirit are operational today and that tongues are a large part of it. Large parts of the Church don’t believe in it today. But I think that’s because it’s easier not to. Speaking in an unknown tongue is a little weird for sure, but it’s supported in scripture and expected of us. We miss out when we don’t take full advantage of the gifts God gives us.

Second, this is a list of miraculous signs that are to follow ‘those who believe”. We don’t see it much today, as a result we don’t believe it. The reverse is also true. When we see miracles and wonders frequently we don’t have as much trouble believing them. This is along the lines of what Bill Johnson (Bethel) meant when he talked about miracles creating a record. The record multiplies and reaches far and wide.

Somehow we’ve convinced ourselves that science and religion don’t mix and never should. But the model for the future will be rooted in miracles, not only healing but also in lives turned from darkness to light. The old order that rejects God is passing away and it’s time for true believers to stand up and move with God. We’ve been too careful and cautious with those outside the faith.

What started out as a good faith effort to bring in the lost, has softened the gospel into mushy life coaching. We’ve ground down the sharp edges to make the savior more appealing. But it won’t hold up in a world that’s overrun with evil. Christ’s love is deeper than we can imagine. What better way to show that than through His death. But the task is up to Christians now to finish what He started. What better way to show that than through His resurrection.

We’re going to see a return to an authentic and useful faith in the near future. The Great Commission represents the way forward to a church that’s finding its way back to the Jesus path.