Mark 16:1

The Sabbath ended with sundown Saturday evening. The women did not come to the tomb until Sunday morning (Mark 16:2, cf. Matthew 28:1). Why did Mark refer to the Sabbath at all? Probably he did so to clarify that Jesus had been in the tomb for some time.

The women Mark mentioned coming to the tomb were the same ones he said observed Jesus on the cross (Mark 15:40-41). Two of them had already visited Jesus’ tomb late Friday afternoon (Mark 15:47). However there were several other women who accompanied them now (cf. Luke 24:10).

They went to anoint Jesus’ corpse with spices. The Jews did not practice embalming. [Note: Hiebert, p. 408.] These women simply wanted to honor Jesus by making His corpse as pleasant smelling as possible. Perhaps Mary of Bethany’s example had encouraged them to make this sacrifice for Him (cf. Mark 14:3-9). Obviously they did not understand that Jesus would rise from the dead.

"In the final scenes, in Jerusalem, the little people [i.e., the minor characters in Mark’s story] exemplify especially the teaching about being ’servant of all.’ Earlier, Jesus served others. Now in his time of need others serve him: Simon the leper receives him in his house; a woman anoints him with ointment worth a worker’s annual salary; Simon Cyrenean takes up his cross; Joseph takes his body from the cross and buries him; and a group of women go to the tomb to anoint him after his death. These actions are acts of service done for Jesus by people who courageously sacrifice or risk something-money or arrest or reputation-to carry them out. . . .

"Thus, the little ones serve throughout as ’foils’ for the disciples. . . .

". . . the little people actually fulfill the functions expected of disciples. Because the disciples of John had buried John’s corpse, the reader expects the same of Jesus’ disciples. Instead, the little people do what might have been expected of the disciples . . ." [Note: Rhoads and Michie, pp. 132-33.]