His Story Continues (…and it includes you!) - Mark 16:8-20

His Story Continues (…and it includes you!)

Mark 16:8-20

Introduction: Whatever else I say today I want to encourage your confidence in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. The God who is has spoken. He has revealed himself in His Word. As surely as Moses went up the mountain and received the Ten Commandments from God, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable…” (2 Tim 3:16). Or as Peter said, “Holy men of God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit…” (2 Pet 1:21). So, God inspired the biblical writers to put down in writing the exact words He intended, He also supernaturally guided His people to recognize and preserve them as Scripture. It is through God’s Word that we know Him, and we learn what He expects of us (read Psalm 119!). We are going to take another look at what I believe is the original ending of Mark, 16:8, and also the “appendix” that has been preserved in verses 9-20.  The fact of the Resurrection, and the implications of it, are the foundation and the fuel of our faith. It is the foundation because everything else is built on it, it is the fuel because it energizes us to be faithful. Think about what the resurrection means! In the words of one theologian…

“The present age is Eastertime. It began with the resurrection of the Redeemer, and it will end with the resurrection of the redeemed. Between lies the spiritual resurrection of those called into new life through faith in Christ. And so, we live between two Easters, and in the power of the first Easter, we go to meet the last Easter…” (Eric Sauer, Triumph of the Crucified).

       In the light of the Resurrection we’ll look at an intentionally abrupt ending, what it might mean, how it should impact us, then we touch on three more “A’s”: 1) The Appearances of the risen Lord; 2) The Assignment that is our mission in the light of the Resurrection; and 3) The Ascension of the Lord, and the implications of it as we carry out that mission. This will all point us to…

The Maine* Idea: We are called to believe God, taking Him at His Word, trusting in His presence and protection, as we bear witness to His grace. First…

The Context: Mark 16:8 and the ending of the Gospel… Mark abruptly ends the story, calling us to action: How will they hear lest someone tell them?

⁸ And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

       It is after this verse that the ESV says, “SOME OF THE EARLIEST MANUSCRIPTS DO NOT INCLUDE 16:9-20.” Other translations may have an asterisk or a footnote indicating the level of confidence they have in what’s become known as the “long ending” of Mark. Because virtually every edition of the English Bible will make some reference to this, let me briefly explain what is going on.  You all know that the Bible was written over a long period of time, roughly 1500 years or so. It is actually, in a certain sense, not one book, but a whole library of 66 books, written by different writers at different times to different audiences. At the same time the Bible itself teaches that all Scripture is inspired by God… and so, He is the Author of the whole Bible. I don’t think anyone will be surprised when I say that we don’t have the original of any of the biblical documents. We have copies of copies. And because these documents were copied by hand, there are occasional, usually very small, variations… a word spelled differently, a word substituted for a similar word, sometimes the difference is just a letter or even a stroke, a part of a letter. Only in two cases is there a substantial paragraph that is in question: the story of the adulterous woman in John 8, and the so-called “long ending” of Mark. [We looked at John 8 a few years back, and my argument there was that that seemed to be an historical event from the life of Jesus, but not an original part of the Gospel. It illustrates beautifully the biblical doctrines of grace and forgiveness. So we can read it, appreciating it as a powerful illustration, but our doctrine is only supported by it, not derived from it.] Today we’re dealing with the ending of Mark.

       The manuscript evidence is strongly in support of the position that v.8 was the original ending of this Gospel. The oldest manuscripts don’t have it. Verses 9-15 were probably an appendix, added by someone with knowledge of the other gospels, intending to summarize what happened next. In subsequent copies, that appendix was merged by someone into the text. I think we can read it, comparing it with other Scriptures, and still be edified by the doctrines we see here.

      If I am right about this, why would Mark end his gospel so abruptly, at verse 8? Remember Mark wanted His readers to know the answer to who Jesus is. Mission accomplished! He is the Son of God, the God-Man. He was also showing us why He came, why it was necessary for Him to suffer. He endured wrath so that humans, by grace through faith, could be reconciled to God. So, Christ died and rose again, finishing the work He came to do, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. And in ending with the word of the angel and fear of the women, Mark is encouraging His readers to take up their cross and follow Jesus, to be willing to risk speaking the truth with boldness. What if the women had remained silent? What if you remain silent? How will they hear? That brings us to…

The Maine* Idea: We are called to believe God, taking Him at His Word, trusting in His presence and protection, as we bear witness to His grace.

I. Appearances of the Risen Lord (9-14; cf. Lk 8:1-3; Jn 20:18; I Cor 15:6-8).  

⁹ [Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.  ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.  ¹¹ But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.  ¹² After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.  ¹³ And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.  ¹⁴ Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 

      I see at least two important themes in these verses. First, notice the specific reference to Mary Magdalene, one of the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to Judea. Here, Mark specifically mentions a detail that he had not brought up before, which is recorded for us in the Gospel of Luke. This woman, now a follower of Jesus, had formerly been demon-possessed! Luke 8:1-3 reports,

“…Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,  ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,  ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

So, this Mary, along with other women, had been set free from demons, and had clearly believed in Jesus. They followed Him, and they also provided for Him and for the disciples!  John also reports that Mary was among the first to see the resurrected Christ, and that she brought word to the disciples…

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"- and that he had said these things to her… (Jn 20:18).

        Slowness to believe, based on the testimony of others, is a theme that shows up in various NT contexts. Perhaps the best-known example is that of “doubting Thomas,” in John 20. He was absent when Jesus first appeared to the other disciples. He said the unless he could see the nail prints in His hands, he would not believe! Jesus appeared again, this time with Thomas present, and the rest is history. The famous point that Jesus made is the lesson here: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe!” Missouri is called the “show me” state, the disciples were seemingly “show me” followers of Jesus at this point. Mark wants us to receive the Word for what it is, the Word of God, and He wants us to take God at His word. That is faith. That is the Maine Idea I want to emphasize today… We are called to believe God, taking Him at His Word, trusting in His presence and protection, as we bear witness to His grace. So we see the Appearances of the Lord, and secondly, in light of the resurrection, the…

II. Assignment: He IS Risen! Go and Tell! (15-18; cf. Mt 28:18-20).

¹⁵ And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." 

      This passage, for the most part, reflects on the Great Commission that appears at the end of Matthew, and in different form in Acts 1:8. In Matthew we read,

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20).  

There is no doubt that Jesus repeated this idea in different ways over the 40 days that He appeared to the disciples between the resurrection and the ascension. In Acts 1:8 He said,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

These passages are complementary, not contradictory.  In Acts Jesus emphasized the importance of being a Spirit empowered witness. In Matthew He emphasized disciple-making in the light of His authority and presence, while in Mark He is teaching that the apostolic proclamation would be accompanied by attesting miracles, and that is exactly what we see in the book of Acts. That idea is stated clearly in Acts 14:3 with respect to the ministry of Paul: “…speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” We see that in the ministry of the apostles, starting with Pentecost.

       We see speaking in tongues three times in Acts, and many miracles of healing, but what about handling snakes and drinking poison (18)?  We don’t see these referred to anywhere else as signs accompanying the preaching of the Gospel. We do have one scene, reported in Acts 28:3-6, when Paul was ship wrecked on his way to Rome…

³ When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.  ⁴ When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."  ⁵ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.  ⁶ They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

In the context of Acts there is no indication that this is something to be purposefully imitated. Paul did not seek out a viper to handle! The point in Acts is that God miraculously delivered Paul, because Paul was to be His witness in Rome. There are a few snake handling churches still today in the US, but it is literally, a dying religion (!), and it is based on a misreading of Scripture. I’ve read testimonies, particularly of believers in third world mission fields, who were given poison, and it pleased God to protect them from any harm. That is not promised! Nothing is too difficult for God, when it is His will to intervene in history He still does miracles. But it is the preaching of the Gospel, the Word of God written, and proclaimed, that evokes faith in those who believe.

       Put all this back into the context of Mark 16:8. The women were terrified, and said nothing at first. We know that changed quickly, that very morning. This scene made me think of God’s question to Isaiah: “Who shall I send, and who will go for us?” That is Mark’s question to his readers, and God’s question to us. Will we reply with Isaiah, “Here I am, send me!” In the light of the resurrection, we are called to believe God, taking Him at His Word, trusting in His presence and protection, as we bear witness to His grace.

III. Ascension: He is at the Father’s right hand, even as He builds His church (19-20; cf. Acts 1:9-11; 7:56; 14:3).

¹⁹ So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.  ²⁰ And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

       As does Luke at the end of His Gospel and again at the beginning of Acts, so the writer of Mark’s long ending affirms the ascension of Christ. Luke tells us,

⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.  ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.  ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,  ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God… (Lk 24:50-53).

Then again we read in Acts 1:9-11,   

⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,  ¹¹ and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Later in Acts, as Stephen is being stoned, just before his death he says, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). So, the ascension encourages suffering believers to persevere, knowing that our High Priest and Advocate is at the Father’s right hand (cf. Ps 2, Ps 110:1-2). Jesus is the victorious, living, and returning Lord! Until that Day we are His ambassadors, declaring the Gospel to the world!

What is God saying to me in this passage? That is the Maine* Idea: We are called to believe God, taking Him at His Word, the testimony to His resurrection gives us a basis for our faith. So, we believe Him, the Son of God, trusting in His presence and protection, and we obey Him as we bear witness to His grace.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? I hope this study of the Gospel of Mark has led you deeper in your faith, and stronger in your understanding of our great salvation. Are you hungry for more? Do you long to go deeper? Let’s close with a prayer from the apostle Paul, Ephesians 1:16-23,   

¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,  ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,  ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might  ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,  ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  ²² And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,  ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.   That is who you are in Christ, that is what you have in Him!    Amen.