Mark
Chapter 16
Overview
Mark’s final chapter begins after the Sabbath, the Jewish weekly day of rest. Women go to Jesus’ tomb carrying burial spices and worrying about the heavy stone. Instead, they find the tomb open and hear that Jesus has risen. Fear and disbelief give way slowly as Jesus appears to his followers, sends them to announce the good news, and is taken into heaven. The chapter ends with his followers spreading the message everywhere while signs confirm it.
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought fragrant spices to apply to Jesus’ body.
2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb.
3They asked one another, “Who will roll the stone away from the tomb’s entrance for us?”
4When they looked up, they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. It was extremely large.
5They entered the tomb and saw a young man sitting on the right, dressed in a white robe. They were alarmed.
6He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was executed on a cross. He has been raised to life. He is not here. Look—this is where they laid him.
7The young man continued, “Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, ‘Jesus is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.’”
8The women went out and fled from the tomb, trembling and overwhelmed with amazement. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. But they soon reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. Afterward, Jesus himself sent out through his followers, from east to west, the sacred and indestructible message of rescue that lasts forever. So be it.
9After Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.
10She went and told those who had been with Jesus. They were mourning and crying.
11But when they heard that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him, they did not believe her.
12After this, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking into the countryside.
13They went back and told the others, but the others did not believe them either.
14Later, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples while they were reclining at a meal. He reprimanded them for their refusal to believe and for their hard hearts, because they had not believed those who had seen him after he was raised.
15Jesus said to them, “Go into the whole world and announce the good news to all creation.
16Jesus continued, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever refuses to believe will be condemned.
17Jesus continued, “These signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons by my authority, and they will speak in new languages.
18Jesus continued, “They will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them. They will place their hands on sick people, and those people will recover.”
19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
20The disciples went out and announced the message everywhere. The Lord worked with them and confirmed the message through the signs that accompanied it.