Mark 16:15-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:1-18

Parallel passages: Matthew 28:1-15 ; Luke 24:1-49 ; John 20:1-23 .— An eventful day. I. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST . 1 . The morning of our Lord ' s resurrection. The first day of the week on which the events recorded in this section of the chapter took place was an eventful one. On the morning of that day we are placed side by side with some weeping women. They are Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome the wife of Zebedee. They had loved their Lord... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:15-16

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation ( πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει ) . He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. Here is a considerable interval of time, not noticed in any way by the evangelist. And he saith unto them ; not on the day of his resurrection. It would seem that this charge was delivered to them in Galilee, and that it is the same as that recorded in St. Matthew ( ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:15-18

The great commission. Whether these words were spoken at once upon one occasion, or whether they are the summing up of many words uttered by our Lord between his resurrection and ascension, one thing is clear—they are the unburdening of his great heart of what was the load chiefly pressing upon it. Why had he condescended to live upon earth, to fulfill a ministry of humiliation, to endure unequalled woes, to die a death of ignominy and of shame? Surely not that after his departure from... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:15-18

Final utterances. I. CHRISTIANITY IS A GOOD MESSAGE FOR ALL MANKIND . II. ALL WHO HAVE AFFIANCE IN CHRIST ARE MEN CONSECRATED AND SAVED . III. IF FAITH BE POSSESSED , ALL NECESSARY CONFIRMATIONS OF FAITH WILL BE GRANTED . IV. IN THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST , THE OUTWARD IS ONLY OF VALUE AS SIGNIFICANT OF THE INWARD AND SPIRITUAL .—J. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:17-18

And these signs shall follow them that believe . Such evidences were necessary in the first dawn of Christianity, to attract attention to the doctrine; but our Lord's words do not mean that they were to be in perpetuity, as a continually recurring evidence of the truth of Christianity. St. Gregory (on 1 Corinthians 14:22 ) says, "These signs were necessary in the beginning of Christianity. In order that faith might take root and increase, it must be nourished by miracle; for so even we,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:19

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto them, was received up into heaven . Here is another interval. The evangelist has gathered up some few of the most important words and sayings of Christ; and now he takes his reader to Bethany, the scene of our Lord's ascension. It has been well observed (see Bishop Wordsworth, in loc. ) that the fact of the Ascension is gradually revealed in the Gospels. St. Matthew does not mention it at all. St. Mark refers to it in this brief and very... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:19-20

Ascension. Christ ascended on high. How could it be otherwise? He came into this world in a manner and with accompaniments so remarkable, he lived in this world a life so singular and unique, that it was but appropriate that he should quit this world as none other has ever done. What is meant by his being "received up"—where "heaven" is,—this we do not know; our knowledge is limited, and our power of conceiving the eternity and infinity around us is feeble. One thing we do see, and that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:19-20

The gospel the Word of the ascended Lord. These words, at the end of Mark's account, give the great sequence of our Lord's manifestation. The Ascension was the divinely necessary result of the Resurrection; the gospel is the necessary fruit on the human side of the experience produced in the hearts of the disciples by his life and work. Such a series of events could not end in silence. As in life, so in death, resurrection, and exaltation, Jesus Christ "could not be hid." The preaching of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:19-20

The Ascension. And now after "he was manifested" many times, showing "himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days," and having taught to his disciples, in the new light of his resurrection, "the things concerning the kingdom of God," he—the Lord Jesus"—"was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God," "the heaven" receiving him "until the times of restoration of all things." Now the holy, earthly life of Jesus is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 16:19-20

The Ascension. I. THE ASCENT OF CHRIST FOLLOWS FROM HIS DESCENT . His glory was conditioned and prepared for by his self-humiliation for our sakes. II. HE IS NOW IN THE SEAT OF SPIRITUAL POWER AND GLORY . The right hand of God is a figure of omnipotence. This power is felt in and through all the thought and development of the world. III. THIS POWER IS FELT IN HUMAN WORKS OF LOVE . Good signs ever are following the course of... read more

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