MARK 15:42-47, JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA

The tomb

"placed it in a tomb cut out of rock." Mk 15:46

"placed it in his own tomb" Mt 27:60

"At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid." John 19:41

"He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death." Is 53:9.

If no one had not come forward, Jesus' body would have been placed in a common grave provided for criminals or left to rot on the ground where animals would have devoured it.

Joseph of Arimathea

"Who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God" v.43

"a good and upright man" Luke 23:50

"We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people." Ac 10:22

"He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." Ac 10:2

"He (Peter) will bring you (Cornelius) a message through which you and all your household will be saved." Ac 11:14

MARK 16:1-8, HE HAS RISEN

"had been rolled away" v.4: "an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it." Mt 28:2

"as they entered the tomb" v.5: The tomb was very large, consisting of at least one entry room with several separate chambers for bodies.

"a young man dressed in white" v.5: "clothes that gleamed like lightning."

Luke 24:4

"He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." v.6

John describes the condition of the empty tomb: "the strips of linen (were) lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen." Jn 20:6-7.

The resurrected Savior's body had passed through the grave clothes, leaving them in the same state in which they had been wrapped around his body.

The great proof of Christianity, "For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." Ac 17:31

"but go and tell his disciples and Peter" v.7: Speaks to the grace and loving-kindness of Jesus.

"Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. . . they were afraid." Mk 16:8:

"So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy." Mt 28:8

MARK 16:9-11, SLOW TO BELEIVE

"They did not believe it" v.11

v.13 "They did not believe them either"

v.14 "lack of faith" and "refusal to believe"

Their slowness to believe is of great value to us today.

They were not naive and gullibly, tending to believe in anything presented to them. Yet in the end they all believed, believed with a world-conquering faith.

Nothing else could have changed these sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and bold courage.

MARK 16:12-13, ROAD TO EMMAUS

The two on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24)

"They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”" Lk 24:32

"Jesus appeared in a different form" v.12

"As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him." Lk 24:15-16. "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him." Lk 24:31

MARK 16:15-18, GREAT COMISSION AND IT'S SIGNS

Mark's form of the great commission v.15

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Mt 28:19-20

The church has a preaching task. The duty of every Christian is to tell the story of the good news of Jesus to those who have never heard it.

The promise and the warning v.16

Saved. . . condemned.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." Jn 3:16-18

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," Ro 8:1

Christianity is the one religion which does not demand that the sinner save himself but that he permit the Son of God to save him and keep him safe.

"Believes and is baptized"

Belief in Jesus Christ should immediately be followed by baptism. This showed a combination of an inward transformation in an outward public expression of faith.

"Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Ac 2:38

But that baptism is not a requirement for salvation is evidenced by the fact that the second half of the verse declares that it is only the one who disbelieves who is condemn.

The Baptist churches

Everyone believes you should be baptized.

People differ on the mod of baptism; emersion versus sprinkling.

The "Baptist" issue in not emersion but timing

The signs accompanying believers v.17

"In my name they will drive out demons"

"they will speak in new tongues"

The ability to speak in a language not previously learned. Acts 2 shows this clearly.

"they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all"

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." Lk 10:19

"Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. . . Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects." Ac 28:3-5

Tradition reports that the apostle John drank poison without harm.

"they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

MARK 16:19-20, ASSENDED LORD WORKS

The place of privilege, an authority. v.19

"Confirmed his word by signs" v.20

These signs were very important in establishing the credibility and authenticity of the early messengers.

"So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders." Ac 14:3

"This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." Heb 2:3-4

These signs were very prevalent in the early days of the Church, but as time moved on they increasingly diminished.

To call for an endless line of signs declares only that the original signs were not enough.

This is not to say whether any of these things are possible today, just that their original use of attesting to the word has ceased.

"The Lord worked with them" v.20

"The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." Ac 11:21

Conclusion:

So Mark's gospel ends by emphasizing the life-giving message of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a result, the resurrected "lord was able to work with them" empowering the message and converting people from their sinful lives to salvation.

Jesus is not someone who we discuss, he is someone whom we meet. The Christian life is not the life of the man who knows about Jesus, but if a man who knows Jesus.

And so the Gospel finishes with the message that the Christian life is the life lived in the presence and in the power of him who was crucified and rose again.