The Resurrection
Throughout his Gospel Mark has been preparing his readers for Jesus’ triumphant victory over death, just as Jesus was preparing his disciples. But there is a sense in which no one could be prepared for the resurrection. Jesus’ rising from the dead is no mere awakening of a corpse (like that of Jairus’s daughter; 5:42). It is God’s decisive intervention in time and history by which human existence is radically and forever transformed. The resurrection is the final stage in the one paschal mystery, God’s mighty act of deliverance by which humanity is liberated from sin and restored to communion with him. The Gospel has only hinted (8:35; 12:26–27; 13:26–27) at what St. Paul develops in full: Jesus’ resurrection is the source and principle of our own future resurrection to eternal life. Mark’s account of the resurrection is remarkably brief. But through his narrative he invites his readers to step into the story and allow the Holy Spirit to bring about the unshakable conviction of faith in the risen Lord that has transformed his own life.
1When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. 2Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. 3They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. 5On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. 6He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. 7But go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.’ ” 8Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
OT: Job 19:25; Ps 16:10–11; 86:13; Hosea 6:2; Jon 2:7
NT: // Matt 28:1–8; Luke 24:1–10; John 20:1
Catechism: Christ’s resurrection and ours, 638–58, 992–1004; the first day of the week, 2174–77
Lectionary: Easter Sunday Vigil (Year B)
16:1–2 When Mark resumes his story, a full day has passed since the burial. He says nothing of Jesus or of the activities of the disciples during this time, leaving the mystery of Holy Saturday shrouded in silence. On Saturday evening, when the sabbath is over, the three women who had witnessed the death and burial are able to buy the spices or perfumed oils needed to anoint the body properly. Their devotion to Jesus moves them to perform one last act of kindness for him, heedless of any concerns about the onset of decomposition. The faithfulness of the women in associating with the crucified Jesus contrasts with the faithlessness of Peter and the Twelve (14:50, 66–72), who are conspicuous for their absence. At the earliest possible opportunity, at dawn on Sunday, the women come to the tomb. Mark’s mention that the sun had risen is the first hint that the darkness accompanying the death of Jesus (15:33)—the apparent triumph of evil—has been definitively overcome. Mark may be alluding to a prophecy at the very end of the Old Testament: “for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (Mal 3:20). It is the first day of the week, the day when God created light (Gen 1:3–5): the beginning of the new creation.
16:3 But the women are still thinking on an earthly plane. As far as they know, Jesus’ life and mission have come to a tragic end, and there is nothing left to do but show their respect for his remains. Jesus’ prophecy of his resurrection (8:31; 9:9, 31; 10:34) had completely eluded their grasp, just as it had for the male disciples. Their main preoccupation at the moment is a heavy stone. The women’s inability to roll back the stone is symbolic of the utter powerlessness of human resources against death, the most inescapable fact of human existence.
St. Peter Chrysologus writes, “Is it from the door of the sepulcher, or of your own hearts? From the tomb, or from your own eyes? You whose heart is shut, whose eyes are closed, are unable to discover the glory of the open grave. Pour then your oil, if you wish to see that glory, not on the body of the Lord, but on the eyes of your hearts. By the light of faith you will then see that which through the deficiency of faith now lies hidden in darkness.”[a]
16:4 But looking up (a biblical image for recognizing God’s action),[1] the women see that the seemingly impossible has already been done. The stone is rolled back. God has entered the story, and has opened the grave (see Ezek 37:12–13)!
16:5 Not yet enlightened, the women enter the tomb to find only a young man—clearly an angel[2]—clothed in a white robe. This recalls the “young man” who had fled naked from Jesus’ arrest (Mark 14:51–52), symbolizing the shame of the disciples who had abandoned Jesus in his hour of trial. The young man’s heavenly attire (see 9:3; Rev 6:11; 7:9) is a hint that God has intervened to reverse the disciples’ failure and restore their dignity (see on Mark 5:15).[3] At the sight of the angel the women are utterly amazed, filled with the wondrous awe that often accompanies biblical theophanies.
16:6–7 The angel reassures the women and gives the Easter proclamation that is at the heart of the Church’s preaching: Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified … has been raised. This message stresses the reality of Jesus’ passion: it is the same Jesus who truly suffered and died on the cross, who now is truly risen from the dead. He is not here: that is, he is not to be found in the tomb, the place of the dead. The passive verb “has been raised” means that it is God who raised him. Jesus’ agonized question on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” has received its answer. God has not forsaken his beloved Son but has vindicated him with a triumph far greater than any of his enemies could have imagined, an everlasting triumph over death itself. Jesus has not escaped death but destroyed it from within, “trampling on death by death.”[4] His prophecy has come true: he, the rejected stone, has become the cornerstone of a new and heavenly temple (12:10–11; 14:58; 15:29).
The women are told to confirm with their own eyes the reality of the empty tomb, the sign that Jesus’ body is no longer bound by death. In itself the empty tomb is not a proof of the resurrection (see Matt 28:11–15) but a sign received in faith, confirming the testimony to the resurrection (see Acts 13:30–35; Rom 10:9; 1 Pet 1:21). The women are then given a solemn commission. In Jewish law women were ineligible to serve as witnesses because they were considered untrustworthy.[5] Yet the faithful women are called to become the first witnesses of the resurrection, the apostles to the apostles. The summons to Galilee recalls Jesus’ promise that after he was raised he would go before the disciples to Galilee (Mark 14:28), the place where the gospel was first proclaimed and from which it would now go forth to the whole world. It is a reassurance that the disciples, and Peter in particular (see 14:30; Luke 22:31–33; John 21:15–17), have been forgiven for their failure and reinstated in their apostolic mission (see Mark 3:14–15). In Galilee the disciples themselves will see the risen Lord.
16:8 But the reaction of the women seems to thwart Jesus’ promise. Just as the disciples had earlier fled in fear from the cross (14:50), the women flee in fear from the empty tomb and Easter proclamation. That they are seized with trembling and bewilderment suggests not just fright but a holy awe at the overwhelming divine power manifested in the resurrection. It is the reaction displayed throughout the Gospel to the disclosure of Jesus’ divine dignity (4:41; 5:15, 33; 6:50; 9:6). Instead of carrying out the angel’s commission, the women said nothing to anyone. The irony of the messianic secret in Mark’s Gospel comes to a stunning reversal. Whereas Jesus had imposed silence on those he healed (1:44; 5:43; 8:26)—an injunction that was sometimes ignored (1:45; 7:36)—now it is time for the mystery to be fully made known, yet the response is silence.
The oldest and most reliable manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end here, and record no appearances of the risen Jesus. This fact has occasioned much consternation. How could the Gospel end in such a disappointing and inconclusive way? Was the last page lost from the original manuscript, or did Mark perhaps die before he was able to complete his work? But when read in the light of his overall narrative purpose, the ending is not so surprising; indeed, it is purposeful. Throughout his work Mark has portrayed misunderstanding, fear, failure, and flight on the part of Jesus’ chosen disciples. He has depicted the shortcomings of even the leader of the early Church, Peter, with relentless candor. He has brought his readers on a journey of discipleship as we too are confronted with Jesus’ startling words, astonishing claims, awesome deeds, and divine logic that overturns all human ways of thinking. Like the original disciples, we have had to come to grips with the mystery of God’s plan for a crucified Messiah. Now, with his last verse, Mark has finally brought his readers right into the center of the story. We too are now face to face with the announcement of Jesus’ victory over death—and how are we going to respond?
Mark writes knowing that his readers are well aware of how the story unfolds. Peter and the disciples did see the risen Lord, and their encounter with him becomes the bedrock of the apostolic proclamation of the gospel that resounded throughout the Roman Empire (see Acts 3:15; 1 Cor 15:3–8). The very existence of the early Christian community for whom the Gospel is written is testimony to the fulfillment of Jesus’ promises (Mark 14:28; 16:7). In Mark’s account they have been fulfilled not because the women succeeded in carrying out their commission, but by the power of God who is able to overcome every human failure. Mark has already shown that Jesus’ word is utterly reliable.[6] Now every reader is invited to accept in faith the testimony to his resurrection. The story is not concluded because it continues in the life of every disciple of Jesus for all time.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene (16:9–11)
9[When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. 11When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
NT: // Luke 24:9–11; John 20:11–17
Catechism: the resurrection appearances, 641–44
Verses 9–20, commonly called the Longer Ending, do not appear in the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel. Scholars are virtually unanimous in holding that these verses were not written by Mark but by a Christian of the late first or early second century who sought to fill out the abrupt ending of verse 8.[7] Yet the Church accepts this addendum as part of the †canon of inspired Scripture. The Holy Spirit’s gift of inspiration is not limited to the original writer, but encompasses each biblical book in its final edited form.
16:9–11 The author of the Longer Ending was apparently familiar with all four Gospels (or with the oral testimonies on which they were based), and compiled these verses from the resurrection accounts in Matthew, Luke, and John. Verses 9–11 are an abbreviated version of Jesus’ encounter with Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–17). Here, as in the other Gospels, it is clear that people do not simply “catch sight” of the risen Lord; rather, the Lord takes the initiative in appearing to whom he chooses. And significantly, the first person to whom he appears is a woman out of whom he had driven seven demons (Luke 8:2)—someone who by human standards might be considered the least reliable witness (like the healed demoniac of Mark 5:19–20). Mary goes to his companions with the news and finds them mourning and weeping, still limited to a this-worldly mindset in which the cross was the ultimate disaster. It does not yet enter their minds that God could have shattered the power of death itself. Predictably they fail to believe her testimony (see Luke 24:9–11).
Jesus Appears to Two Disciples (16:12–13)
12After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. 13They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either.
NT: // Luke 24:13–32
Catechism: the doubting disciples, 643–44
16:12–13 Verses 12–13 seem to be drawn from Luke’s account of the disciples who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–32). That the risen Lord appeared in another form suggests a mysterious ability to transform his bodily appearance. His risen body is such that he is not recognized until he makes himself known (see John 20:14; 21:4). In Luke’s account the disciples do not recognize Jesus until he breaks bread with them at table, an allusion to the Eucharist. Once again an eyewitness report of the resurrection meets with only skepticism in the demoralized disciples.
The Apostles’ Commission (16:14–18)
14[But] later, as the eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. 15He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. 18They will pick up serpents [with their hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
OT: Isa 40:9; 52:7; 66:19; Nah 2:1
NT: // Matt 28:16–20; Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–23
Catechism: the apostles’ commission, 2, 642; the Church’s mission, 767, 849–56; miracles and tongues, 2003
Lectionary: 16:15–20: Ascension of the Lord (Year B); Feast of St. Mark; Common of Pastors; Anointing of the Sick; Mass for Ministers of the Church; For the Evangelization of Peoples; Christian Initiation Apart from the Easter Vigil; 16:15–18: Conversion of St. Paul
16:14 Finally Jesus appears to the eleven remaining disciples as they are gathered together (see Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–23) and reprimands them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, familiar themes in the Gospel of Mark (6:52; 8:17, 33). With this reproach the author highlights for all his readers the crucial importance of believing the testimony to the resurrection. Indeed, the distinguishing mark of a Christian is accepting the apostolic testimony: he is alive, and we have seen him (see Acts 2:32).
16:15–16 Jesus’ reproach does not invalidate the apostles’ commission but rather prepares for it. Chastened by the recognition of their own slowness to believe, now they are commissioned to proclaim the gospel to every creature. It is the same charge given at the end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:18–20; see also Luke 24:47) and anticipated in the eschatological discourse (Mark 13:10). The good news is no longer limited to God’s chosen people, as it had been during Jesus’ earthly life (7:27; see Matt 10:6). It is destined for all the world, Jews and Gentiles alike. The stakes are high: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned (see John 3:18). Belief alone is not enough; it must be expressed and ratified with baptism, an action of God by which a believer is united with Jesus in his death and resurrection (see Rom 6:1–6) and incorporated into the Church. Whoever does not believe—that is, whoever hears the gospel and refuses to accept it—forfeits God’s gift of salvation (see Mark 8:35–36).
16:17–18 Jesus promises supernatural signs and wonders that will accompany not only the apostles but ordinary Christians (see John 14:12–14). Jesus had earlier given his apostles authority to drive out demons (Mark 3:14); now this power is extended to the faithful in general (see Acts 8:5–7; 16:18). They will speak new languages, a reference to the gift of tongues given at Pentecost (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6) and experienced in the early Church’s worship (1 Cor 12:10; 14:1–28). They will be protected from deadly perils like venomous serpents (see Acts 28:3–6) or poisoned drinks. Finally, as the Twelve had done earlier (Mark 6:13), the believers will lay hands on the sick for healing. Just as Jesus always accompanied his preaching of the gospel with works of healing and deliverance (1:34; 3:10), so is the Church called to do. The preaching of the gospel is not merely a verbal activity but a demonstration of God’s power.[8] For the early Church, healings were a major part of the credentials of the gospel.[9]
Reflection and Application (16:14–18)
In recent years, following the call of Pope John Paul II, there has been a worldwide effort to mobilize the Church for a new evangelization, bringing the gospel anew not only to mission lands but to the secularized post-Christian cultures of the West. The pope called Christians to rekindle the fervor of the beginnings and “allow ourselves to be filled with the ardor of the apostolic preaching which followed Pentecost.”[10] Part of this impetus must include a renewed understanding of the role of healings and miracles in the work of evangelization. The testimony of Mark’s Gospel underlines the importance of proclaiming the good news to unbelievers with expectant faith, asking the Lord to accompany the preaching of the word with signs and wonders that confirm its truth and demonstrate its power.
19So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. 20But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.]
OT: Ps 110:1
NT: Acts 2:33–36; Eph 4:8–10; Heb 1:3; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22. // Luke 24:50–51; Acts 1:9–11
Catechism: Christ’s ascension, 659–67; accompanying signs, 156, 434
16:19 The Longer Ending concludes with an account of Jesus’ ascension, probably influenced by Luke 24:50–51 and Acts 1:9–11. Jesus is now explicitly called the Lord (as he was obliquely in Mark 1:3; 5:19; 13:35), the Old Testament title for God himself. His resurrection has fully revealed his divine sovereignty. That Jesus is taken up into heaven and seated at God’s right hand is the fulfillment of his prophecy before the Sanhedrin (14:62). The seat of highest honor, assigned to the king in Ps 110, belongs to Jesus who is now enthroned as King over all.
16:20 Jesus’ enthronement in heaven does not at all entail his absence from earth, but rather speaks of a new presence. As the disciples fulfill his mandate to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth (see Acts 1:8) the Lord works with them and confirms their word through the signs mentioned above (16:17–18; see Acts 2:43; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3). He remains present and powerfully at work in the Church until the end of the age (see Matt 28:20).