Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

Introduction

Final section in Mark's Gospel

BUT - most suggest not written by Mark.

Reasons why...

1) Sudden ending in Verse 8, and ends grammatically strangely!

2) Various different endings - suggests later addition / various additions.

3) Mary Magdalene - why suddenly "from whom 7 demons..."

4) Writing style is not Markan

5) Words used not Markan

Having said that, there is nothing particularly difficult in these verses that would present a problem in Scripture as a whole.

There is no new doctrine or teaching, nothing that cannot be sustained by other Scripture.

Way that we will approach this...

1) Will look at each section

2) Show Scriptural support from other Scripture references

3) Encourage us to respond appropriately to God's truth in our own lives.

1.

The Appearances of Christ (vv.9-14)

At least 3 different appearances are recorded here.

1) To Mary Magdalene (vv.9-11)

Mark 16:9 (NIV84) — 9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

This is the first appearance of Jesus since his resurrection.

Recall from Luke 8:2, and confirmed in this verse, that this is a lady that had been under severe attack from demons, and had been delivered by Jesus

It's THIS woman to whom Jesus first shows himself.

In the preceding account, an angel had appeared to the group of women that had come to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus.

They had run away fearful.

It then seems that Mary Magdalene then ran to Peter and John, and announced to them that Jesus' body had been taken!

Grave robbers!

Those two disciples then run to them tomb, with Mary following behind them...

They get inside, see that Jesus is gone... and they believed that Jesus' body had been taken!

John 20:9 (NIV84) — 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

John 20:11–19 (NIV84) — 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.

As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying?

Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”

(which means Teacher).

It's at this point that we see she goes to the other disciples in order to tell them all that she had seen... (verse 10...)

Mark 16:10 (NIV84) — 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.

But while she is the privileged one to get a first glimpse of the risen Saviour, none of these others believe her story.

Mark 16:11 (NIV84) — 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

It seems like there was scarcely a person who was ready to receive the truth of the resurrection of Jesus!

2) To the Emmaus Disciples (vv.12-13)

Then our attention gets turned to some other disciples that Jesus appears to.

Mark 16:12 (NIV84) — 12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.

This record in these verses corresponds with the account of the two disciples that were on the road to Emmaus, as recorded in Luke 24.

One of the questions that arises here is: "What is meant by different form"

Well clearly, he appeared to them in a manner in which He was not recognisable to them.

Luke 24:16 (NIV84) — 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

Clearly Christ had in mind that before He would actually make Himself known entirely, He would hide His identity in some form (we don't know how) but would then use this as an opportunity to show these two disciples how all of the Scriptures pointed to Him.

Luke 24:27 - "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."

We then read further down in verse 30-32

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.

31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

32 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?”

It is then, following this long encounter that these two disciples have with Jesus, that Mark 16:13 fits in...

Mark 16:13 (NIV84) — 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

Luke's account actually confirms that these two disciples returned at once to Jerusalem, and found the other 11 disciples, and reported to them what they had seen...

3) To the Eleven Disciples (v.14)

The final appearance recorded in this section is now to the eleven.

On both previous occasions, when those who had seen Jesus reported to the 11, they had not believed them.

They didn't believe Mary Magdalene.

They didn't believe the two who were on the road to Emmaus.

Mark 16:14 (NIV84) — 14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

The appearance that Jesus makes to them is "while they were eating!"

Both Luke and John record this appearance of Jesus to His disciples...

Luke 24:36–43 (NIV84) — 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.

38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?

39 Look at my hands and my feet.

It is I myself!

Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.

John 20:19–20 (NIV84) — 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.

The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

So these are the three appearances that are recorded in this passage in Mark’s Gospel, and as we’ve seen, they correlate well with the other Gospels in terms of Christ’s appearances.

Some important points to note.

The record here in Mark's Gospel is consistent with other accounts.

Jesus certainly did appear to the various disciples.

1 Corinthians 15:5–8 (NIV84) — 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.

6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

This should be of encouragement to us.

We should certainly view these accounts as being true - even the way they are recorded for us in the Scriptures, emphasises the truthfulness.

It doesn't say that the disciples saw and were rejoicing at first sight....

Instead, it took some convincing... none of them really believed that Jesus would rise again... and it took special opening of their eyes, and persuading them, to bring them to a place of trust in the resurrected Christ.

Let us be encouraged that Jesus didn't leave us without eye-witness testimony.

2. The Instructions of Christ (vv.15-18)

We must now turn our attention to the instructions that Christ gave to His disciples.

Remember, Christ's ministry and time in the world has come to an end, and He is now leaving His disciples with these last words of instruction...

Christ's goal is that His kingdom be established in the hearts and lives of people in the world.

2.1 The Message they should preach (v.15)

Mark 16:15 (NIV84) — 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Obviously this ties in with the very well-known Great Commission text in Matthew 28, particularly v.19 - "...Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..."

Christ does not leave His disciples without instructions as to what they are to do.

The most basic thing that they are to do is "preach"....

Disciples of Jesus are commissioned to preach the Good News.