TEXT [Commentary]

14. The resurrection of Jesus (16:1-8; cf. Matt 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18)

1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on Sunday morning,[*] just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.

5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,[*] who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.[*]

NOTES

16:1 purchased burial spices. This term for spices is used only in this scene in the NT (Luke 23:56; 24:1; John 19:40).

16:2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise. The unusual double reference to the time as very early in the morning at sunrise emphasizes that the women went as soon as they could, as night became morning.

16:3 Who will roll away the stone for us? The women were concerned about how they would get into the tomb. These stones were anywhere from five to six feet in diameter, so they weighed hundreds of pounds (Evans 2001:535). Such stones were set into a groove in front of the entrance, making their removal difficult.

16:5 saw a young man. In Judaism, angels were described as young men (2 Macc 3:26, 33; Josephus Antiquities 5.277; France 2002:679).

shocked. exethambēthēsan [TG1568, ZG1701]; cf. 14:33.

16:8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened. At this point we must address the fact that among the various manuscripts, five endings to Mark have been preserved: (1) The Gospel could end at 16:8, per the evidence of B 304 syrs copsa (one MS) arm geo (two MSS) Hesychius Eusebius and MSS according to Eusebius, Jerome, and Severus. (2) The NLT’s “shorter ending”, per the evidence of itk. (3) The NLT’s “longer ending” of 16:9-20, per the evidence of A C D 037 038 f13 33 Irenaeus, Augustine, and MSS according to Eusebius, Jerome, and Severus. (4) There is an alternate longer ending with an addition after 16:14 (“And they excused themselves, saying, ‘This age of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not allow the truth and power of God to prevail over the unclean things of the spirits. Therefore reveal your righteousness now’—thus they spoke to Christ. And Christ replied to them, ‘The term of years of Satan’s power has been fulfilled, but other terrible things draw near. And for those who have sinned I was handed over to death, that they may return to the truth and sin no more, that they may inherit the spiritual and imperishable glory of righteousness that is in heaven’”; see the NRSV mg and the NLT mg), per the evidence of W and MSS according to Jerome. (5) Including both the shorter ending and the traditional longer ending is also possible, per the evidence of L 044 083 099 274mg 579 syrh (mg) copsa (MSS) copbo (MSS).

The manuscript evidence suggests that 16:8 is the original ending of Mark (Lane 1974:591-592); the two earliest extant MSS ( and B) end there. Certain church fathers, such as Clement and Origen, did not know of the longer ending, while Eusebius, Jerome, and Severus noted its absence in most of the Gr. MSS they knew. It is also lacking in the Eusebian canons on the Gospels from the third century. This is important evidence for its non-originality, for if it existed there is no good explanation for their not using it (France 2002:685-687).

However, many find the ending at 16:8 so abrupt that they suggest that the original ending of Mark has been lost or that this ending was not Mark’s original intention (France 2002: 684; Evans 2001:539). Even if 16:8 did not originally conclude this Gospel, there still is no clear support for a longer ending other than these factors: (1) the stylistic oddity of gar [TG1063, ZG1142] (for) in the final phrase of the book, and (2) the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus in Matthew and Luke suggesting an appearance in the original Mark.

The history of the alternate endings of Mark is discussed in the commentary. The existence of several longer versions strongly suggests that they are later additions to the abrupt ending of 16:8. That the traditional longer version (16:9-20) contains a combination of the other Gospels’ endings also suggests its secondary character, as does its distinct vocabulary. There are numerous points of contact with the other Gospels—three with Luke, two with Matthew, two with John, and five with Acts. These are noted below (for further discussion on the endings to Mark, see Comfort 2007:[Matt 16:8]).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The women mentioned at the beginning of this chapter witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and/or burial (see Commentary on 15:40-47). The first thing they did after the Sabbath was purchase spices (arōmata [TG759, ZG808]) to anoint Jesus as a shield for the decaying body odor. Mark does not note that Joseph anointed Jesus with spices, so this is the only anointing mentioned in Mark. However, John says that Nicodemus brought spices and anointed Jesus’ body (John 19:39-40). The Synoptic Gospels note Joseph’s involvement in the burial, keeping the story simple. These women came to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning to anoint his body. This was their own way of honoring Jesus, so if they did see Joseph anointing Jesus (15:47), this did not preclude them from doing so as well.

On the way to the tomb, they wondered who would roll the stone away for them. When the women arrived, “they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside” (16:4). Their problem was solved. The very large stone was now off to the side so they could enter the tomb. When they passed through the entry tunnel and into the chamber, “they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side” (16:5). This person should probably be regarded as a heavenly figure, such as an angel (see note on 16:5; see also Matt 28:2-3; Mark 9:2-3; John 20:12; Acts 1:10; 10:30; Rev 6:11; 7:9, 13). He told them, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.” His revelatory message announced that the resurrection had taken place. The tomb was empty; Jesus’ body was no longer among the dead. This could be a scene of discipleship failure at one level, since the women, like their male compatriots, did not take Jesus’ resurrection announcements to heart. However, the remark does not really come across as a rebuke. It is more an encouragement to really believe the resurrection has taken place. So the failure is less explicitly presented than earlier in Mark. The ending, if Mark ends at 16:8, leaves the reader hanging. What will he or she do? The opportunity for faith exists—the reader must not be left paralyzed by fear, but take advantage of this opportunity.

The resurrection was a fundamental declaration of the early church (Acts 2:29; 1 Cor 15:3-8, 11). The women were the first to get the message of Jesus’ resurrection. Again, this detail would be odd if someone had fabricated Jesus’ resurrection, because in that culture it was the witness of men that mattered, not that of women. Hence, the historicity of the account is confirmed (see commentary on 15:40-47).

The angel told the women, “Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died” (16:7). The disciples were instructed to meet Jesus in Galilee, including Peter, who had been restored to the group after his denials. Jesus would do as he had predicted (14:27-28). This remark makes it clear that although Mark did not give details of Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection (according to the short ending of Mark; see note on 16:8), Jesus did appear to his disciples. Verse 7 also makes it clear that the story did not end with fear and silence. Jesus did appear to his disciples and someone had to have reported the empty tomb and the message to go to Galilee for that appearance.

If the book ends at 16:8, then the experience of the resurrection is portrayed as an initially overwhelming experience, inciting fear and initial silence in the women. I say “initial silence” because the disciples did get to Galilee and did see Jesus, as Matthew narrates (Matt 28:16-20; Cranfield 1959:469), indicating that the women did eventually speak. John 20:18 has Mary report Jesus’ appearance, but does so in a way that may suggest Mary hung around the tomb for a while, finding it hard to believe initially.

Why would Mark end his gospel this way—if, indeed, this is the end of the gospel? It would create an open ending that would allow readers to contemplate these unusual events and make a response of faith to God’s unexpected, unusual, and powerful work, a theme in Mark’s Gospel (4:41; 5:15, 33, 36; 6:50; 9:6, 32). The declaration of resurrection leaves no alternatives but to remain in fear or to believe. The tomb was empty and Jesus would appear to the disciples (16:5-7). It was time to respond.

The gospel ends with Jesus’ resurrection declared as an event to be believed, even though it was almost too much to believe. The women were not prepared to see an empty tomb. Everything about the scene caught them off guard and left them numb, but clearly, it took place. The Gospel’s record of the women’s experience shows that they eventually talked, for where else would the testimony have come from?