Studying Mark's Gospel: The Son of Man Resurrected!

Lesson 22: The Son of Man Resurrected! (Mark 16)

 

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

 

The Son of Man is dead! Can you imagine what thoughts raced through the minds of the disciples as they regained enough courage to gather behind locked doors? Their hopes had been dashed. They seem to have forgotten the important words Jesus had spoken to them as they argued about which of them would be greatest in His kingdom, which they were sure He was going to usher in by force: “For He taught His disciples and said to them, ‘The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.’ But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him” (Mark 9:31-32, nkjv).  Him H

 

In Mark 15 we saw Jesus’ illegal trial under Pilate and briefly under Herod. After declaring Him innocent several times, Pilate crumbled under pressure and allowed Jesus to be scourged horribly then to be killed by crucifixion, a method of execution developed by the Persians but mastered by the Romans to be the most painful death penalty ever contrived.[i] Jesus was mocked by the religious leaders, the people, and the Romans, and He was led away to the Place of the Skull, Golgotha. There He not only faced physical pain, but for a full three hours bore the sin of the world, making atonement for us to the Father, taking our penalty upon Himself. On the cross Jesus made seven dramatic statements. The most important was, “It is finished!” It was paid in full, completed, and then He “breathed His last.” Or was it His last? We’ll read that more than just atonement was accomplished—we will see a glorious new beginning as we witness the Son of Man resurrected!

 

DAY ONE: A Problem Solved

 

Please carefully read Mark 16:1-4 and answer the following questions.

 

1.  As you remember from Lesson 21, three brave women (besides Mary the mother of Jesus) were at the cross until Jesus died and stayed with Him until He was buried. What did they do as soon as they could that Sunday morning (vv. 1, 2)?

 

2.  They no doubt bought spices as soon as the Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday, and made plans to anoint Jesus, not for embalming purposes, but to show loving devotion and counteract somewhat the decay setting in.[ii] What did they realize (Greek, kept asking each other[iii]) would be a real problem with this plan (v. 3)?

 

3.  This really was a problem. The tomb was sealed by a stone wheel, Hebrew golel, which rolled down an incline and fit into a groove, and it was rolled down the inclined groove by removing the wedge stone. Its weight would have been no doubt over a ton, and it would have been too heavy for many men to move.[iv] How did the women find that their problem had already been solved for them (v. 4)?

 

4.  Not only was the stone rolled back; in Greek Mark tells us that it was moved away from the entrance altogether; John’s Gospel uses another word meaning picked up and carried away! (John 20:1)[v] As a result, the tomb was left open for all to see that it was empty. How was the completeness of Jesus’ work of atonement prophesied and how was it evident to all because of the empty tomb (Psalms 16:10; Acts 2:29-36)?

 

Scripture Memory: This week we will be memorizing Mark 16:6. Review the passage several times throughout the day each day this week, and by the end of the week, you should have it memorized completely.

 

But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him” (Mark 16:6 nkjv).

 

DAY TWO: He is Risen!

 

Please carefully read Mark 16:5-8 and answer the following questions.

 

1.  What amazing sight awaited the women as they looked into the tomb (v. 5)?

 

2.  Although Mark doesn’t say so specifically, this young man was an angel according to the other Gospel accounts, actually one of two angels. What was the message that he had for them (vv. 6, 7)?

 

3.  What was their reaction to this amazing event and message (v. 8)?

 

4.  These women ran to deliver their message (Matthew 28:8), not just in fear keeping quiet as a quick reading of  v. 8 might seem to say; certainly they trembled and were amazed, literally, trembling and ecstasy, mixed emotions.[vi] The resurrection transformed these women, the disciples, and all of us who believe in Him!  What a special touch there was in the angel’s message: “Go, tell the disciples—and Peter.” Peter fell, was humbled and broken, yet the Lord wanted to restore him to usefulness for the kingdom, as He can for all who have failed. Read the following interesting passage, especially regarding the timing mentioned in it, and record God’s gracious method of and our responsibility in restoring a broken life (Hosea 6:1-3).

 

Scripture Memory: Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

 

But he said to them, “Do not be _________________________. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is ____________________! He is not here. See the place where they _________________ Him”  (Mark 16:6 nkjv).

 

DAY THREE: Doubting Disciples

 

Please carefully read Mark 16:9-13 and answer the following questions.

 

SIDELIGHT:The Ending of Mark’s Gospel

 

Opinions differ about whether vv. 9–20 is authentic, ranging from rejecting them altogether to accepting them as what Mark wrote or intended to. We won’t solve the issue here. The Gospel ends at v. 8 in the two earliest and generally regarded most reliable Greek manuscripts and one inferior manuscript; many manuscripts have been found since the King James Version was written in 1611 that don’t have the passage. Second, in the majority of extant Greek manuscripts, some early and some later versions, vv. 9–20 (the so-called long ending) which is printed in the niv and others, after a break, end with a note that implies the translators rejected their authenticity.  Some church writers in the Third to Fifth Centuries a.d. (Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Jerome) stated there was nothing beyond v. 8, but others in the Second to Fourth Centuries mention vv. 9–20 (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Papias, Hopplytus, Eusebias, Chrysotom, Augustine, and others)! So what is the answer? There are three options we have to choose from: (1) they are the authentic end of Mark’s Gospel and should be accepted; (2) the way that Mark ended v. 8 was either too shocking to leave that way to the early church or the rest of the ending was destroyed or lost, so someone later filled in the missing details, so it should be rejected; or (3) despite the ending, God chose to preserve this in the Scripture, it is important at least in comparison with the other Gospels. Nothing in it contradicts Scripture and most of the signs were duplicated in Acts, though there is no mention of anyone being poisoned and surviving other than Paul’s snake bite (Eusebias states John and Barnabas did). So we choose the third option, cautiously looking at what perhaps was meant to wrap up the Gospel.[vii]    

 

1. After her encounter with the risen Lord (see John 20:1-51) Mary Magdalene ran to the disciples with the good news.  What was the emotional state of these men, and what was their reaction to Mary’s witness (v. 9–11)?

 

2.  These disciples were distraught, mourning, weeping and carrying on, a description found only here in the Gospels.[viii] They must have thought Mary was delusional with grief herself and rejected her statements. What happened next (v. 12)? 

 

3.  As these two dejected men walked along the road to Emmaus, a stranger met them, and asked them why they were so sad. They began to relate the events of the past week, not realizing it was Jesus Himself! Read the story in Luke 24:13-32 and record your thoughts about their conversation together.

 

4.  When these men ran back to Jerusalem with this good news, how did the disciples respond this time (v. 13)?

Scripture Memory: Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

 

But he said to them, “Do not be _________________________. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was ______________________. He is ____________________! He is not here. See the _________________ where they _________________ Him”  (Mark 16:6 nkjv).

 

DAY FOUR:  Commissioned Disciples

 

Please carefully read Mark 16:14-16 and answer the following questions.

 

1.  Later that evening the eleven disciples sat together, eating and probably discussing what to do now. Who was the uninvited guest at their meal, and what did He say to these eleven doubters (v. 14)?

 

2.  Despite their doubts, Jesus still loved these men and wanted to restore them to their original calling. What was that (vv. 15, 16)?

3.  Other Gospels and the Book of Acts also record Christ’s commissioning of the disciples and the others present at His ascension. What are some things that they were called to do, just as believers are called in each subsequent generation (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8)?

 

Scripture Memory: Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

 

But he _________________ to them, “Do not be _________________________. You ___________________ Jesus of Nazareth, who was ______________________. He is ____________________! He is not ________________. See the _________________ where they _________________ Him”  (Mark 16:6 nkjv).

 

DAY FIVE: Serving the Risen Lord

 

Please carefully read Mark 16:17-20 and answer the following questions.

 

1.  What are some of the signs that Mark (or whoever wrote these verses) said would follow the disciples (vv. 17, 18)?

 

NOTE: As we said above, this passage is strange, but in most ways these things were duplicated in the Book of Acts. This was never meant to be a prescription for weird cultic rituals that some have undertaken of venomous snake handling and so on to demonstrate their faith... rather that is putting God to the test![ix]

 

2.  What happened after Jesus had finished His earthly ministry (v. 19)?  What re-direction did the early church need though even at that point (Acts 1:9-11)?

 

3.  How does v. 20 sum up the Gospel of Mark, or at least vv. 9–20?

 

Scripture Memory: Can you write out this week’s passage by memory here below? Give it a try, and keep reviewing the passage several times throughout the day.

 

Mark 16:6:

 

 

DAY SIX: Following Christ

 

1.  This has been an exciting series of studies in the Gospel of Mark! Jesus’ resurrection was the climax of the story which, in typical fashion, Mark wrapped up very quickly. Larry Hurtado well summarized the importance of the resurrection of Christ: “The resurrection of Jesus was the single most important event in the formation of faith in Jesus in the early church.”[x] It transformed the lives of all it touched, as it does down to this day. Homer Kent Jr. adds, “The Resurrection transformed the disciples from dejected, fearful, uncertain men to dedicated, courageous, and effective witnesses for their Lord.”[xi] That is one of the greatest proofs of Jesus’ resurrection. In that resurrection power they began changing their world. According to Willmington’s Book of Bible Lists, there were seventeen appearances of the risen Christ counting those to Paul and to John on Patmos.[xii] Yet He is appearing daily in the hearts of those who know, love and seek Him! Read the following passages about what the resurrection and ascension of Christ means for us, and record what it means to you in your life and situations today.

 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.... And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.  For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.  Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:3-28 njkv)

It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:24-25 NKJV)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (Romans 5:1-11 nkjv).

2.  In closing out this season’s studies, think back through the year and record the one thing that stood out to you the most, or ministered to you the most. Write it out here, and take time to share this in your group so each of you can be encouraged.

 

Scripture Memory:  Hopefully you now can write out this week’s passage completely by memory.  Do so now, and keep on reviewing it so you will be ready to share it with others in your group time.

 

Mark 16:6: