Mark 16:1. And 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.
We know that «him» whose name is not given here. There is scarcely need to mention that it was Jesus whom the women came to anoint. Oh, how gladly would we also anoint «him» whose name is The Anointed One! But not as a dead Christ, for «He is risen.» Our sweet spices must henceforth be for that living One whom we anoint with our living joy and consecration; or, rather, we must receive our anointing from him, for he is the Christ, and we the Christians who get our very name and life from him. As he was supposed to be dead, and still lying in the tomb, these holy women came to anoint him,
Mark 16:2. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.
We often lose a great blessing by not rising early for devotion. While yet the flowers are wet with dew, it were well if our souls had the dew of heaven resting upon them.
Mark 16:3-4. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Which was, I suppose, the reason for their thinking about the stone but still, I cannot help reading it as a reason why it was rolled away. At all events, this was the argument that David used when he prayed, «For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great;» as if the greatness of the sin had in it some reason for pardon. So the greatness of the care may be some reason why we might expect a great God to come to our relief. It was a very great stone, therefore God, who knew that poor feeble women could not move it, himself had it rolled away.
Mark 16:5-6. And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted:
They were afraid of an angel. «Conscience doth make cowards of us all,» and even good men and good women are apt to be afraid of anything celestial and bright. The angel said to the women, «Be not affrighted:»
Mark 16:8 ; Mark 16:7. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But 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.
Does not that lent clause drop out very sweetly? Yet there is somewhat of a rebuke in it: «as he said unto you.» «Did he not tell you that he would rise from the dead? Did he not say that he would meet you in Galilee?» And the day shall come, beloved, when you also shall rejoice in your Deliverer and your deliverance, and you shall not wonder so much then as you do now, for you shall see that the deliverance was what you ought to have expected: «as he said unto you.» Poor seeking sinner, if you have found the Saviour, you are full of wonder; but the day will come when you will see it in another light, you will be equally grateful, but you will say «I ought to have had faith to expect this, as he said to me.» It will always be so. Just as God says, so it is, in creation, in providence, in grace; and as he has said to you, so shall it be in your spiritual experience.
Mark 16:8. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
There was no reason in Christ's resurrection for anything but delight, yet these dear women were overwhelmed, silenced, struck dumb, by that which made the angels sing.
Mark 16:9. Now 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.
It has been a general tradition in the Church of Christ that Mary Magdalene was a great sinner; I do not feel sure that she was, but still, she is the type of a great sinner. The seven devils that were within her do not represent actual guilt on her part, but they depict or symbolize the subjection of her nature to the power of Satan. It is very beautiful to notice that those people for whom Christ does most he seems to love best; yet this is also according to human nature, for if there be a child in the family that the mother loves most, it is the one that was the hardest to bring up, and who has cost her most of care and most of labour. The casting out of seven devils endears the Magdalene to Christ, and first of all he appears to her. Besides, she loved much, doubtless, and she was quick of sight, so she saw him first. O my soul, if thou hast been a great sinner, do not take any place but that of first in love and first in fellowship with Christ! Be thou content to be nothing, but be thou anxious to make him thy all in all.
Mark 16:10. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
It is a curious «interior» that Mark here sketches, or rather stipples, with just a few touches. There are most of Christ's disciples, who had been with him, sitting mourning and weeping over his death, and in comes Mary, and says that she has seen him alive.
Mark 16:11. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
This was both cruel to the Magdalene and forgetful of their Master's word, but unbelief is a very cruel thing. It is not only grievous to ourselves, but it acts in a shameful manner to Christian brethren and sisters, and worst of all is its treatment of our Divine Master himself. It says that he is dead, when truly he is alive. Unbelief has no good in it; it is altogether evil, only evil, and that continually. The Lord deliver us from it!
Mark 16:12-13. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
It is very hard to kill unbelief, it has more lives than a cat is supposed to possess. There is no end to it, and if men sit down and indulge in it, and look upon it as an infirmity, or as a painful trial, instead of regarding it as an abominable sin against the Lord, they are likely to sink deeper and deeper into this horrible mire.
Mark 16:14. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart,
Christ is full of love to them, yet he must upbraid them, he loves them, but he loves not their unbelief; nay, he is more vexed with unbelief in them than in other people.
Mark 16:14-15. Because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
That commission of our Lord makes me smile, for it seems such a curious cure for unbelief, yet I have proved the usefulness of it many a time. There have I been sitting down, fretting and worrying, and my Master, instead of giving me some gracious promise, that I might sit there by myself, and enjoy its sweetness, has said, «Up with you; go into the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.» Those who preach most, if they preach with all their hearts, will believe most, and they will grow strong enough to tread their doubts beneath their feet. So ought it to be. In the lives of those who have brought many to Christ, I do not, as a rule, read long Chapter s about their doubts and fears. No, but God encourages them by the signs and seals which he gives them; they see his hand with them, they mark how the Lord works with them and by them, and they forget their unbelief. Does not this passage seem to run so? «He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.»
Mark 16:16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
This is a weighty message for us to carry, and we have need to carry it with due solemnity, with our hearts on fire with love.
Mark 16:17-18. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they 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.
The apostles and the early Christians had these miraculous signs, there was no need that they should be given over again. The seal was set upon the gospel at the first. A man buys a house, and on the first day when he takes possession, he gets the signature of the seller, and the legal seal upon the conveyance. That matter is done; if he ever doubts his right to the property, he can always look back to that seal. He does not want a fresh lot of sealing wax every five minutes; neither do we need continual miracles. The Church of Christ at first was like a ship going to sea, the tug takes her out of the harbour, but when she is fairly out at sea, she does not need the tug any longer, she is dependent then upon the wind from heaven and so she speeds on her way. Or, the Church is like a young tree newly planted in the orchard; it has a stake stuck in the ground by the side of it, to which it is tied; but when it grows into a strong tree, where is the stake? The tree does not require it, for it stands fast by other means; it is just so with us and the miracles which were needed at the first.
Mark 16:19. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
The disciples were not at once received up into heaven, though they might have been if God had so willed it, there was work for them to do here below, so Christ alone «was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God;» and as for his followers,
Mark 16:20. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
These last verses of Mark's Gospel have, as some of you know, been questioned as to their inspiration and authenticity, but they are so like Mark that you cannot read them without feeling that they are part and parcel of what the Evangelist wrote. Set any critic you please to work; and if he knows the idiom and style of Mark's writing, he will be bound to say that this is part of the Gospel according to Mark; and God the Holy Spirit, blessing these words to our hearts, as I trust he will, will set his seal to what we believe and know to be his inspired Word.