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The Gospels · New Testament

Mark 16

Mark 16: the empty sepulchre and the sending out

General context

When the sabbath is past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome buy sweet spices to anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they come to the sepulchre asking one another who will roll the stone away, and find it already rolled back, for it was very great. Inside they see a young man in a long white garment sitting on the right side and are frightened. He tells them not to be afraid, says they seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified, that he is risen and not there, and shows them the place where he was laid. They are to tell his disciples and Peter that he goes before them into Galilee, where they will see him as he said. They go out quickly and flee, trembling and amazed, and say nothing to anyone because they are afraid. The account then states that Jesus, risen early the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils; she tells those who mourned and wept, and they do not believe. He appears in another form to two of them walking into the country, and the rest do not believe them either. He appears to the eleven at meat and reproaches their unbelief and hardness of heart. He sends them into all the world to preach to every creature, speaks of believing and baptism, and names signs that will follow believers: casting out devils, new tongues, taking up serpents, drinking deadly things unharmed, and laying hands on the sick. He is received up into heaven and sits on the right hand of God, and they go out and preach everywhere with signs following.

Cited passages: Mark 16:1, Mark 16:2, Mark 16:3, Mark 16:4, Mark 16:5, Mark 16:6, Mark 16:7, Mark 16:8, Mark 16:9, Mark 16:10, Mark 16:11, Mark 16:12, Mark 16:13, Mark 16:14, Mark 16:15, Mark 16:16, Mark 16:17, Mark 16:18, Mark 16:19, Mark 16:20

Mark 16 (KJV)

1And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

3And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

4And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

5And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

6And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

7But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

8And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

9Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

10And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

12After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.

13And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

14Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The figure at the tomb is described only as a young man sitting on the right side in a long white garment; the printed text gives him no further title. The message singles Peter out by name alongside the disciples. The women's silence is reported together with its stated reason, that they were afraid. The detail that seven devils had been cast out of Mary Magdalene appears here and nowhere earlier in this book, which had named her among the women watching the crucifixion and the burial. Salome is named here as she was among the women looking on afar off. The printed text runs on through the twentieth verse with no note or remark attached to it, and its last two verses summarize the ascension and the preaching rather than narrating a scene.

Cited passages: Mark 16:1, Mark 16:5, Mark 16:7, Mark 16:8, Mark 16:9, Mark 16:19, Mark 16:20, Mark 15:40, Mark 15:47

Literary context

The chapter opens where the last one ended, with named women and a stone, and undoes the burial step by step: a stone was rolled to the door, now it is rolled away; spices are bought for a body that is not there. Fear works in reverse here. Earlier in the book people published what they were told to keep quiet; these women are given a message and say nothing to anyone. Disbelief is then reported three times in a row, of Mary Magdalene's report, of the two who walked into the country, and of the eleven at meat. The last verses shift from scene to summary, so the book closes not with an appearance but with preaching everywhere and signs following.

Cited passages: Mark 16:1, Mark 16:2, Mark 16:3, Mark 16:4, Mark 16:6, Mark 16:7, Mark 16:8, Mark 16:10, Mark 16:11, Mark 16:13, Mark 16:14, Mark 16:15, Mark 16:19, Mark 16:20, Mark 15:46, Mark 7:36, Mark 1:45

Key moments

  1. Who shall roll away the stone (Mark 16:3). On the way the women wonder who will move the stone for them.
  2. He is risen (Mark 16:6). The young man tells them Jesus of Nazareth is not there and shows them the place.
  3. Tell his disciples and Peter (Mark 16:7). The message names Peter and sends them ahead to Galilee.
  4. They said nothing (Mark 16:8). They flee trembling and tell no one, because they are afraid.
  5. Reports not believed (Mark 16:11). Those who had been with him do not believe that he is alive.
  6. Sent to every creature (Mark 16:15). He sends the eleven into all the world to preach the gospel.
  7. Preaching everywhere (Mark 16:20). After he is received up, they go out and preach with signs following.

For reflection

The women are told to carry a message and instead say nothing to anyone because they are afraid. Reading that beside the people earlier in Mark who spread news they were told to keep, what does the chapter set against fear?

People in this chapter

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