MARK Chapter 16
Verses 1-8. See this passage explained on Matthew 28:1-8
Verse 1. Sweet spices. Aromatics. Substances used in embalming. The
idea of sweetness is not, however, implied in the original, Many of
the substances used for embalming were bitter; as, e.g., myrrh, and
none of them perhaps could properly be called sweet. The word
spices expresses all that there is in the original.
Anoint him. Embalm him. Or, apply these spices to his body to keep
it from putrefaction. This is proof that they did not suppose he would
rise again. And the fact that they did not expect he would rise gives
more strength to the evidence for his resurrection.
{u} "And when the" Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1
Verse 2. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 3. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 4. It was very great. These words belong to the third verse:
"Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? for,"
the evangelist adds, "it was very great."
Verse 5. Sitting on the right side. As they entered. The sepulchre
was large enough to admit persons to go into it; not unlike, in that
respect, our vaults.
Verse 6. No Barnes text on this verse.
{w} "he is risen" Psalms 71:20
Verse 7. And Peter. It is remarkable that Peter is singled out for
special notice. It was proof of the kindness and mercy of the Lord
Jesus. Peter, just before the death of Jesus, had denied him. He
had brought dishonour on his profession of attachment to him. He
had been brought to see the crime, and to weep bitterly. It would
have been right if the Lord Jesus had from that moment cast him
off, and noticed him no more. But he loved him still. Having
loved him once, he loved unto the end, John 13:1. As a proof
that he forgave him, and still loved him, he sent him this special
message---the assurance that though he had denied him, and had
done much to aggravate his sufferings, yet he had risen, and was
still his Lord and Redeemer. We are not to infer, because the angel
said, "Tell his disciples and Peter," that Peter was not still a
disciple. The meaning is, "Tell his disciples, and especially Peter:"
sending to him a particular message. Peter was still a disciple.
Before his fall, Jesus had prayed for him that his faith should not fail,
(Luke 22:32;) and as the prayer of Jesus was always heard,
John 11:42, so it follows that Peter still retained faith sufficient
to be a disciple though, like other disciples, he was suffered to fall
into sin.
Verse 8. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 9. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 10. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 11. Believed not. This is proof that they did not expect
his resurrection; proof that they were not easily deceived; and that
nothing but the clearest evidence could undeceive them.
Verse 12. He appeared in another form. In a form unlike his ordinary
appearance, so much so that they did not at first know him.
See Barnes "Luke 24:13" and Luke 24:14-31.
As they walked, and went into the country. To Emmaus, Luke 24:13.
{x} "two of them" Luke 24:13
Verse 13. The residue. The remainder. Those who remained at
Jerusalem.
Verse 14. See Barnes "Matthew 28:16" and Matthew 28:17-20.
As they sat at meat. The word meat here means food, or meals. As
they were reclining at their meals.
And upbraided them, etc. Rebuked them, or reproached them.
This was done because, after all the evidence they had had of his
resurrection, still they did not believe. This is a most important
circumstance in the history of our Lord's resurrection. Never were
men more difficult to be convinced of anything, than they were of
that fact. And this shows, conclusively, that they had not conspired
to impose on the world; that they had given up all for lost when he
died; that they did not expect his resurrection; and all this is the
strongest proof that he truly rose. They were not convinced, until it
was impossible for them longer to deny it. Had they expected it, they
would have caught easily at the slightest evidence, and even turned
every circumstance in favour of such an event. It may be added,
that it was impossible that eleven men of good natural understanding
should have been deceived in so plain a case. They had been with Jesus
three years; they perfectly knew his features, voice, manner. And it was
impossible that they should have been deceived by any one who might have
pretended to have been the Lord Jesus.
{y} "Afterward" Luke 24:36; 1 Corinthians 15:5
{1} "sat" or "together"
{z} "unbelief" Luke 24:25
Verse 15. Into all the world. To the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
This was contrary to the opinions of the Jews, that the Gentiles should
be admitted to the privileges of the Messiah's kingdom, or that the
partition wall between them should be broken down. See Acts 22:21,22.
It was long before the disciples could be trained to the belief that the
gospel was to be preached to all men; and it was only by special
revelation, even after this command, that Peter preached to the
Gentile centurion, Acts 10:1. Jesus has graciously ordered that the
preaching of the gospel shall be stopped by no barriers. Wherever there
is man, there it is to be proclaimed. To every sinner he offers life;
and all the world is included in the message of mercy, and every child
of Adam offered eternal salvation.
Preach. Proclaim: make known: offer. To do this to every
creature, is to offer pardon and eternal life to him on the terms of
the plan of mercy--through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.
The Gospel. The good news. The tidings of salvation. The
assurance that the Messiah is come, and that sin may be forgiven,
and the soul saved.
To every creature. To the whole creation. That is, to every human
being. Man has no right to limit this offer to any class of men. God
commands his servants to offer the salvation to all men. If they
reject it, it is at their peril. God is not to blame if they do not
choose to be saved. His mercy is manifest; his grace is boundless in
offering life to a creature so guilty as man.
{b} "creature" Romans 10:18; Colossians 1:23
Verse 16. He that believeth. That is, believeth the gospel.
Credits it to be true, and acts as if it were true. This is the
whole of faith. Man is a sinner, he should act on the belief of this
truth, and repent. There is a God. Man should believe it, and fear and
love him, and seek his favour. The Lord Jesus died to save him. To have
faith in him, is to believe that this is true, and to act accordingly;
i.e., to trust him, to rely on him, to love him, to feel that we have no
merit, and to cast our all upon him. There is a heaven and a hell. To
believe this, is to credit the account, and act as if it were true; to
seek the one, and avoid the other. We are to die. To believe this,
is to act as if this were so; to be in readiness for it, and to expect it
daily and hourly. In one word, faith is feeling and acting as if there
were a God, a Saviour, a heaven, a hell; as ff we were sinners, and
must die; as if we deserved eternal death, and were in danger of it;
and, in view of all, casting our eternal interests on the mercy of God
in Christ Jesus. To do this, is to be a Christian; not to do it, is to
be an infidel.
Is baptized. Is initiated into the church by the application of
water, as significant that he is a sinner, and needs the purifying
influences of the Holy Ghost. It is worthy of remark, that Jesus has
made baptism of so much importance, he did not say, indeed, that a man
could not be saved without baptism, but he has strongly implied that
where this is neglected, knowing it to be a command of the Saviour, it
endangers the salvation of the soul. Faith and baptism are the
beginnings of a Christian life: the one the beginning of piety in the
soul, the other of its manifestation before men, or of a profession of
religion. And every man endangers his eternal interest by being ashamed
of Christ before men. See Mark 8:38.
Shall be saved. Saved from sin, (Matthew 1:21,) and from
eternal death, (John 5:24;; 3:36,) and raised to eternal life in
heaven, John 5:28,29;; 17:2,24.
Shall be damned. That is, condemned by God, and cast off from his
presence, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9. It implies that they will be adjudged to be
guilty by God in the day of judgment, Romans 2:12,16; Matthew 25:41; that
they will deserve to die for ever, (Romans 2:6,8) and that they will
be cast out into a place of woe to all eternity, Matthew 25:46. It may
be asked how it can be just in God to condemn men for ever for not
believing the gospel. I answer:
(1.) God has a right to appoint his own terms of mercy.
(2.) Man has no claim on him for heaven
(3.) The sinner rejects the terms of salvation knowingly, deliberately,
and perseveringly.
(4.) He has a special disregard and contempt for the gospel.
(5.) His unbelief is produced by the love of sin.
(6.) He shows by this that he has no love for God, and his law,
and for eternity.
(7.) He slights the objects dearest to God, and most like him; and,
(8.) he must be miserable. A creature who has no confidence in God,
who does not believe that he is true or worthy of his regard, and who
never seeks his favour, must be wretched. He rejects God, and he must go
into eternity without a Father and without a God. And he has no source
of comfort in himself, and must die for ever. There is no being in
eternity but God that can make man happy; and without his favour the
sinner must be wretched.
{c} "he that believeth" John 3:18,36; Acts 16:31-33; Romans 10:9; 1 Peter 3:21
{d} "but he" John 12:48; 2 Thessalonians 2:12
Verse 17. And these signs. These miracles. These evidences that
they are sent from God.
Them that believe. The apostles and those in the primitive age who
were endowed with like power. The promise is fulfilled if it can be
shown that these signs followed in the case of any who believed, and
it is not necessary to suppose that they would follow in the case of all.
The meaning is, that they should be the result of faith, or of the
belief of the gospel. It is true that they were. They were shown in the
case of the apostles and early Christians. The infidel cannot say that
the promise has not been fulfilled, unless he can show that it never
occurred; the Christian should be satisfied that the promise was
fulfilled if these miracles were ever actually wrought, though they do
not occur now; and the believer now should not expect a miracle in his
case. Miracles were necessary for the establishment of religion in the
world; they are not necessary now.
In my name. By my authority, and using the power that would in such
cases, if bodily present. This was done: and in this they differed
essentially from the manner in which Jesus himself wrought miracles,
He did it in his own name. He did it as possessing original,
underived authority. See the account of his stilling the sea,
(Matthew 8:26, etc.) of his healing the sick, Matthew 9:5,6; of his
raising Lazarus, John 11:1. The prophets spoke
in the name of the Lord. The apostles did likewise, Acts 3:6,
etc. There was, therefore, an important difference between Jesus and all
the other messengers that God has sent into the world, He acted in his
own name; they in the name of another, he wielded his own power;
they were the instruments by which God put forth the omnipotence of his
arm to save. He was, therefore, God; they were men of like passions
as other men, Acts 14:15.
Shall they cast out devils. See Barnes "Matthew 4:24". Comp.
Acts 16:16-18.
Shall speak with new tongues. Shall speak other languages than their
native language. This was remarkably fulfilled on the day of Pentecost,
Acts 2:4-11. It existed also in other places. See 1 Corinthians 12:10,18.
{e} "in my name" Luke 10:17; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:; 18; 19:12
{f} "speak with new" Acts 2:4; 10:46; 1 Corinthians 12:10,28
Verse 18. They shall take up serpents. When it is necessary for the
sake of establishing religion, they shall handle poisonous reptiles
without injury: thus showing that God was with him, to keep them
from harm. This was literally fulfilled when Paul shook the viper from
his hand. See Acts 28:5,6.
Any deadly thing. Any poison usually causing death.
Shall not hurt them. There is a similar promise in Isaiah 43:2.
They shall lay hands on the sick, etc. See instances of this in the
Acts of the Apostles, Acts 3:6,7; 5:15, etc.
{g} "serpents" Luke 10:19; Acts 28:5
{h} "they shall lay" Acts 5:15,16; 28:8; James 5:14,15
Verse 19. He was received up into heaven. In a cloud from the Mount
of Olives. See Acts 1:9.
The right hand of God. We are not to suppose that God has hands, or
that Jesus sits in any particular direction from God. This phrase is
taken from the manner of speaking among men, and means that he was
exalted to honour and power in the heavens. It was esteemed the place
of the highest honour to be seated at the right hand of a prince. So,
to be seated at the right hand of God, means only that Jesus is exalted
to the highest honor of the universe. Compare Ephesians 1:20-22.
{i} "so then" Acts 1:2,3; Luke 24:51
{k} "on the right hand" Psalms 110:1; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 3:21
Verse 20. They went forth. The apostles.
Every where. In all parts of the world. See the account in the Acts
and the Epistles.
The Lord working with them. By miracles; by removing obstacles; by
supporting them, and by giving the gospel success, and making it
effectual to saving men.
Confirming the word. Showing it to be the word of God, or a
revelation from heaven.
With signs following. By attending miracles. By raising the dead,
healing the sick, etc., as signs that God was with them, and had sent
them forth to preach.
Amen. Truly, verily. So be it. This word here is of no authority.
There is no reason to think that it was added by Mark.
Mark is more concise than any other of the evangelists. In most
instances he coincides with Matthew, though he has added some
circumstances which Matthew had omitted. There is no evidence, however,
that he copied from Matthew. The last chapter in Mark contains some
things omitted in Matthew, and some things of fearful import. We learn
from it that the gospel is to be preached to all mankind. Every man is
to be offered eternal life; and he rejects it at his peril. The
condition of the man who will not believe is fearfully awful. The Son
of God has solemnly declared that he shall be damned. He will judge
the world; and there is none that can deliver out of his hand. No excuse
will be allowed for not believing. Unless a man has faith, he
must be lost for ever. This is the solemn assurance of the whole
Bible, and in view of this awful declaration of the merciful
Redeemer, how sad is the condition of him who has no confidence in Jesus,
and who has never looked to him for eternal life! And how important that
without delay he should make his peace with God, and possess that faith
which is connected with eternal life!
{l} "the Lord" Acts 5:12; 14:3; Hebrews 2:4
Printer friendly version
HOME
TOP