1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag’dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salo’me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; –– it was very large.
A Young Man
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
“He has Risen”
6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.
Commission
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”
Flight and Silence
8 And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.
EXPLANATION: Mark, chapter 16:1–8
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag’daleneand Mary the mother of James, and Salo’me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
“And when the sabbath was past.” — The Jewish day began at 6.00 p.m. and ended twenty–four hours later. The reference here is to the Sabbath evening after 6.00 p.m.
The Sabbath, or Saturday as it is called in our calendar, was sacred and over the centuries extra regulations were formulated to inform people what they were allowed or forbidden to do on that day. This is why the women could not go to the tomb on the Sabbath.
After 6.00 p.m. on Saturday evening the women bought the spices or aromatic oils needed for the anointing of the corpse. The purpose of this anointing was to offset the odours from the decomposing cadaver. The oils would be poured over the head of Jesus; he was to be anointed. After thirty–six hours minimum in the tomb, the women would have expected that decomposition would be well advanced in the heat of the season. Their devotion is a sign of their great love and care for Jesus.
When they would have purchased the spices was too close to darkness to go to the tomb, even though the moon was full that night, — at Easter the moon is always full as Easter is reckoned by the phase of the moon — so they had to wait until the Sunday morning.
“Mary Mag’dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salo’me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.” — Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ most devoted followers. She is mentioned here with Mary the mother of James and Salome. We have already seen Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses and Salome as witnesses of the crucifixion (Mk. 15: 40) and burial (Mk. 15: 47).
2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.
“And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.” — “Very early”, according to the experts, refers to a time about 3.00 to 4.00 a.m. in our reckoning (Mk. 1: 35). The meaning is that it was dark when they went to the tomb. When they reached the tomb “the sun had risen”. It was now light. They went looking for the tomb in the dark and found it in the light. This may very well be a play on darkness and light.
“The first day of the week” was what is called ‘Sunday’ in our calendar. This would have been the third day since the death. The expression “the third day” was a most common phrase in Mark’s Gospel.
3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” 4. And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; –– it was very large.
“And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; –– it was very large.” — Stones in front of tombs were generally circular and designed to roll into the front of the tomb. The design was such that it would take a few strong men to lift the stone from its position. It is surprising that the women did not bring some men with them to take away the stone. They had witnessed the burial.
In the Geek language the syntax of “the stone was rolled back” indicates that it was God who rolled back the stone.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
“And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.” — The “young man” was an angel as is indicated by “dressed in a white robe”, a frequent biblical way of describing a heavenly messenger or person who is “in glory” (Mk. 8: 38; II Mac 3: 26, 33; Tob: 5: 9; Ac. 1: 10; 10: 30; Rv. 6: 11; 7: 9, 13). Mark describes Christ’s clothing at the Transfiguration as being “dazzlingly white” (Mk. 9: 3).
“They were amazed” — The Greek word is very strong and implies fright and even dread. What frightened them was encountering an unexpected heavenly figure. They were expecting a corpse. They had not yet noticed that the body of Jesus was not in the tomb.
There is a style of writing in the Bible that repeats itself. Recall that when the Archangel Gabriel visited Mary at the Annunciation, she also was “greatly troubled” (Lk. 1: 29) at the visit from the Archangel and his greeting. And the Archangel assured her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.” (Lk. 1: 30). The “young man” in the tomb reassured the women in the following words.
6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen he is not here; see the place where they laid him.
“And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen he is not here; see the place where they laid him.” — The name of the crucified as written on the cross at Golgotha, “Jesus of Nazareth”, is identified as the Risen One. The crucified and dead body who was buried in the tomb is fully alive! No wonder they were amazed and even terrified, as the Greek word used here again implies.
“He has risen” does not have an explanation. The angel is stating a fact; he adds no arguments to ‘prove’ the resurrection nor does he clarify. To confirm his pronouncement he adds, “see the place where they laid him”. This means that the angel’s words are a revelation from God (the angel is the heavenly messenger as his name implies).
Note that the angel did not tell the women to see where Jesus had been laid until he told them that Jesus had risen. The point in this is that the angel does not point out the empty tomb and explain it by announcing the resurrection. There could be other reasons for the empty tomb: Jesus had not died; the body was stolen by thieves or the disciples; they had gone to the wrong tomb. No reason or argument is brought forward to explain the empty tomb. Nor is the empty tomb the reason for the resurrection. The angel declares, ‘Jesus is Risen!’ And then adds, casually as it were, ‘By the way, here is where he was laid after death’. The angel reveals the resurrection; he does not explain when or how it took place. The resurrection is the central proclamation.
There is no mention of or reference to the burial clothes or shroud.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”
“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.” — According to the culture of the time, this verse is out of the ordinary. Women were not recognised by society as witnesses yet here is the heavenly messenger telling these women to “go, tell”, be witnesses. Surely they felt that no one would believe them. Particularly as the message they had to deliver was unbelievable — a person had risen from the dead, a person they themselves witnessed dying! They actually went to anoint the corpse!
“Tell his disciples and Peter” — The Greek construction could be translated by the addition of the word “particularly” before “Peter”. This means that Peter was not mentioned here as if he might have felt he was not worthy to meet Jesus in Galilee and should not go but Peter is reassured that his triple denial is forgiven and he remains as the leader of the apostles.
“he is going before you to Galilee” — During his life Jesus always ‘went before’ his disciples and they followed. Now “the young man” is saying that they have to follow him to Galilee and be with him there. He did not specify which exact location Jesus could be found waiting. What they had to do was follow ‘the word’ he shared with them through his messenger, “the young man”. An example for all disciples.
“There you\\z shall see him as he told you.” — There in Galilee their faith will be kindled, they will “see him”. When Jesus revealed himself on the Mount of Transfiguration he instructed the three disciples “to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead.So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.” The disciples had been so wrapped up in their preconceived concepts of the nature of the Messiah, they could not understand many teachings that Jesus imparted. On the way from the mountain he told them that after the resurrection things would be different. And so they were. Their faith blossomed after the resurrection. Faith is based on the Resurrection.
They were to meet the Risen Jesus in Galilee. Jesus had found them in Galilee when he had called them. All but Judas were Galileans. Now he is saying that they must find him. They will begin again, purified with a resurrection faith. — Easter People! Alleluia People!
8And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.
“And they went out and fled from the tomb” — Mark had a plan and purpose in his Gospel. Part of that was to portray the apostles and disciples as lacking understanding and faith, of abandoning Jesus, of even betraying and denying him. But God would remain steadfast in his love for them. They might give up on him; he would never, no matter how they reacted to him, give up on them. Here we see the women, after years of loyal service and his company, even being with him on Calvary and at his burial, afraid to bear witness: “they went out and fled from the tomb”. Mark makes no excuse for them.
“Trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.” — These words indicate a very strong fear, a condition which is mentioned again in this same verse: “they were afraid”. The stress is on their fear.
We saw them shaking with fear when they met the heavenly messenger. No doubt they were further astounded when they heard his divine message and saw the empty tomb. Then they were chosen as the first to proclaim the resurrection. They were absolutely frightened. No wonder “they said nothing to any one”.
Mark stresses twice in this verse that the women were frightened. In fact he tells us that this was why they remained silent. Obviously they needed time to accept the fact of the resurrection. Only then would they have true faith. And this is Mark’s point — fear can keep disciples from witnessing to Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Son of God. However, like Mary the Mother of Jesus, let them listen to the word of God, treasure it, ponder on it and put it into practice. Then their faith will be strengthened and their hopes fulfilled.
Fundamentally this means that if we are to be people of faith we must depend on God and the means he has given to us. That is the only way to discipleship and salvation. If we depend on our own abilities we are depending on human nature. And that is very weak.
APPLICATION
There are two main points in this Gospel passage, Mark 16: 1-8. There is an intimate bond between the two with the second flowing from the first and depending upon it.
The first is the resurrection of Jesus which is the central mystery of our faith. Mark gives no description of it. He limits his account of it to writing about the women who went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. It is important to remember that women were not accepted as legal witnesses in the Holy Land and elsewhere at the time of Jesus. In Mark’s Gospel only women were witnesses of the resurrection. Their knowledge and the basis of their witnessing was what they were told by an angelic messenger They saw for themselves that the tomb in which he had been laid was empty. Legally these women were the most unsuited of witnesses.
Mark proclaims the resurrection very simply and very briefly: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified, He has risen. He is not here.”
The “young man” declared (i) You ladies are seeking a human person called Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee. (ii) He was crucified. (iii) He has risen. He is alive. (iv) He is not here.
That’s it! That is all that Mark says. He has no appearances of Jesus to other people (remember, the appearances that occur in Mk. 16: 9–20 were added in the second century). Mark, you would expect, would have given us some aspect of Jesus in glory. But no. Jesus was last seen at his burial.
Why? Obviously Mark wants the people to whom he was writing, and ourselves of course, to reflect on the real meaning of the resurrection, namely, the fact that Jesus after suffering and dying for us rose to life and is risen and alive to us and for us. This is the basis of faith. The people for whom he was writing were enduring persecution. Today the Christian Church is under attack in many countries. Jesus has been our model. He is present to us today. He fills us with hope for the future. We have nothing to worry about. Our faith in Jesus can sustain and save us.
The women were told to tell the disciples, especially their leader Peter, to go to Galilee where they would see Jesus. This would be the disciples’ second chance. They had already been called in Galilee about two to three years before this. Now they are being called a second time. Jesus is not seeking them to chastise and condemn them for their recent behaviour. He died to save them. Now he is showing forgiveness.
I sometimes wonder about Judas and why he did not go to Galilee. He was not excluded in the invitation to “the disciples and Peter”. We are not told if the women found him and he refused to go. But my speculation is that the women failed to find him. I have no doubt in my mind that if he had gone he would have been forgiven, lived a life of zeal to proclaim Jesus and die a martyr’s death. Such would have been the effect of Jesus’ love and compassion. How blessed we are to be called to resurrection faith!
Discipleship
Flowing from what Mark has taught about the resurrection, one of the major themes in Mark’s Gospel is discipleship. His portrayal of the apostles and disciples throughout his work is more than negative. He shows the disciples as not understanding much of what Jesus taught. Mark, indeed, describes Jesus as spending most of his instruction time with the disciples rather than with the crowds preaching. The disciples’ preconceived notions of what Jesus the Messiah would do were of a political nature. And they could not imagine him suffering, dying or being a failure. Their main interest was not really in Jesus but in themselves. They followed Jesus for what he would do for them. In his hour of need they could not pray with him or for him; they slept. At his arrest they fled. Peter lingered a little longer but then he disappeared after his triple denial of knowing Jesus.
Much of the passion and crucifixion scenes in Mark’s Gospel were about the infidelity and fear of the disciples. Other than John, he showed none of them near the cross. He does name three women disciples and adds that “there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem”. For him, they were not true disciples at Calvary. He describes them as witnessing the death of Jesus “from afar”.
Mark does not describe the resurrection of Jesus. He describes the effects of the resurrection on three women disciples. He shows no male disciple present at the resurrection. Three women, already mentioned as being present at the death and burial of Jesus, appear bringing spices to anoint the dead body. But they are portrayed as women without faith! They were present to anoint a corpse, not to welcome the risen Christ.
When the angel told them that Jesus had risen, that the tomb was empty and that they were to go and tell this to the disciples, they could not believe and fled in terror and remained silent.
In the Passion Narrative, Mark pictured the apostles and disciples as unfaithful because of their self–interest and lack of concern for Jesus. Their minds were clouded by ideas of political grandeur. They were not prepared to listen to Jesus when he instructed them about the real meaning of the Messiah. When there was danger for them, fear overcame them and they disappeared in flight.
Mark was writing for a Church that was being persecuted. Many had been brought before the Roman authorities, as Jesus had, and were sentenced to death, like Jesus. To be a Christian was to be targeted.
Mark showed the Church that the disciples, male and female, of Jesus’ time had been frightened into leaving Jesus. But they changed. And what changed them was faith in the Resurrection. That brought them back.
The problem is more than valid today. It is left to you the reader to treasure, ponder and pray over the role of your discipleship.
Commentary on Easter Vigil (B) 4th April 2015
TEXT: Mark 16:1–8
The Women Go to the Tomb
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag’dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salo’me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; –– it was very large.
A Young Man
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
“He has Risen”
6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.
Commission
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”
Flight and Silence
8 And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.
EXPLANATION: Mark, chapter 16:1–8
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag’dalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salo’me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
“And when the sabbath was past.” — The Jewish day began at 6.00 p.m. and ended twenty–four hours later. The reference here is to the Sabbath evening after 6.00 p.m.
The Sabbath, or Saturday as it is called in our calendar, was sacred and over the centuries extra regulations were formulated to inform people what they were allowed or forbidden to do on that day. This is why the women could not go to the tomb on the Sabbath.
After 6.00 p.m. on Saturday evening the women bought the spices or aromatic oils needed for the anointing of the corpse. The purpose of this anointing was to offset the odours from the decomposing cadaver. The oils would be poured over the head of Jesus; he was to be anointed. After thirty–six hours minimum in the tomb, the women would have expected that decomposition would be well advanced in the heat of the season. Their devotion is a sign of their great love and care for Jesus.
When they would have purchased the spices was too close to darkness to go to the tomb, even though the moon was full that night, — at Easter the moon is always full as Easter is reckoned by the phase of the moon — so they had to wait until the Sunday morning.
“Mary Mag’dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salo’me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.” — Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ most devoted followers. She is mentioned here with Mary the mother of James and Salome. We have already seen Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses and Salome as witnesses of the crucifixion (Mk. 15: 40) and burial (Mk. 15: 47).
2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.
“And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.” — “Very early”, according to the experts, refers to a time about 3.00 to 4.00 a.m. in our reckoning (Mk. 1: 35). The meaning is that it was dark when they went to the tomb. When they reached the tomb “the sun had risen”. It was now light. They went looking for the tomb in the dark and found it in the light. This may very well be a play on darkness and light.
“The first day of the week” was what is called ‘Sunday’ in our calendar. This would have been the third day since the death. The expression “the third day” was a most common phrase in Mark’s Gospel.
3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” 4. And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; –– it was very large.
“And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; –– it was very large.” — Stones in front of tombs were generally circular and designed to roll into the front of the tomb. The design was such that it would take a few strong men to lift the stone from its position. It is surprising that the women did not bring some men with them to take away the stone. They had witnessed the burial.
In the Geek language the syntax of “the stone was rolled back” indicates that it was God who rolled back the stone.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
“And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.” — The “young man” was an angel as is indicated by “dressed in a white robe”, a frequent biblical way of describing a heavenly messenger or person who is “in glory” (Mk. 8: 38; II Mac 3: 26, 33; Tob: 5: 9; Ac. 1: 10; 10: 30; Rv. 6: 11; 7: 9, 13). Mark describes Christ’s clothing at the Transfiguration as being “dazzlingly white” (Mk. 9: 3).
“They were amazed” — The Greek word is very strong and implies fright and even dread. What frightened them was encountering an unexpected heavenly figure. They were expecting a corpse. They had not yet noticed that the body of Jesus was not in the tomb.
There is a style of writing in the Bible that repeats itself. Recall that when the Archangel Gabriel visited Mary at the Annunciation, she also was “greatly troubled” (Lk. 1: 29) at the visit from the Archangel and his greeting. And the Archangel assured her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.” (Lk. 1: 30). The “young man” in the tomb reassured the women in the following words.
6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen he is not here; see the place where they laid him.
“And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen he is not here; see the place where they laid him.” — The name of the crucified as written on the cross at Golgotha, “Jesus of Nazareth”, is identified as the Risen One. The crucified and dead body who was buried in the tomb is fully alive! No wonder they were amazed and even terrified, as the Greek word used here again implies.
“He has risen” does not have an explanation. The angel is stating a fact; he adds no arguments to ‘prove’ the resurrection nor does he clarify. To confirm his pronouncement he adds, “see the place where they laid him”. This means that the angel’s words are a revelation from God (the angel is the heavenly messenger as his name implies).
Note that the angel did not tell the women to see where Jesus had been laid until he told them that Jesus had risen. The point in this is that the angel does not point out the empty tomb and explain it by announcing the resurrection. There could be other reasons for the empty tomb: Jesus had not died; the body was stolen by thieves or the disciples; they had gone to the wrong tomb. No reason or argument is brought forward to explain the empty tomb. Nor is the empty tomb the reason for the resurrection. The angel declares, ‘Jesus is Risen!’ And then adds, casually as it were, ‘By the way, here is where he was laid after death’. The angel reveals the resurrection; he does not explain when or how it took place. The resurrection is the central proclamation.
There is no mention of or reference to the burial clothes or shroud.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”
“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.” — According to the culture of the time, this verse is out of the ordinary. Women were not recognised by society as witnesses yet here is the heavenly messenger telling these women to “go, tell”, be witnesses. Surely they felt that no one would believe them. Particularly as the message they had to deliver was unbelievable — a person had risen from the dead, a person they themselves witnessed dying! They actually went to anoint the corpse!
“Tell his disciples and Peter” — The Greek construction could be translated by the addition of the word “particularly” before “Peter”. This means that Peter was not mentioned here as if he might have felt he was not worthy to meet Jesus in Galilee and should not go but Peter is reassured that his triple denial is forgiven and he remains as the leader of the apostles.
“he is going before you to Galilee” — During his life Jesus always ‘went before’ his disciples and they followed. Now “the young man” is saying that they have to follow him to Galilee and be with him there. He did not specify which exact location Jesus could be found waiting. What they had to do was follow ‘the word’ he shared with them through his messenger, “the young man”. An example for all disciples.
“There you\\z shall see him as he told you.” — There in Galilee their faith will be kindled, they will “see him”. When Jesus revealed himself on the Mount of Transfiguration he instructed the three disciples “to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.” The disciples had been so wrapped up in their preconceived concepts of the nature of the Messiah, they could not understand many teachings that Jesus imparted. On the way from the mountain he told them that after the resurrection things would be different. And so they were. Their faith blossomed after the resurrection. Faith is based on the Resurrection.
They were to meet the Risen Jesus in Galilee. Jesus had found them in Galilee when he had called them. All but Judas were Galileans. Now he is saying that they must find him. They will begin again, purified with a resurrection faith. — Easter People! Alleluia People!
8 And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.
“And they went out and fled from the tomb” — Mark had a plan and purpose in his Gospel. Part of that was to portray the apostles and disciples as lacking understanding and faith, of abandoning Jesus, of even betraying and denying him. But God would remain steadfast in his love for them. They might give up on him; he would never, no matter how they reacted to him, give up on them. Here we see the women, after years of loyal service and his company, even being with him on Calvary and at his burial, afraid to bear witness: “they went out and fled from the tomb”. Mark makes no excuse for them.
“Trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.” — These words indicate a very strong fear, a condition which is mentioned again in this same verse: “they were afraid”. The stress is on their fear.
We saw them shaking with fear when they met the heavenly messenger. No doubt they were further astounded when they heard his divine message and saw the empty tomb. Then they were chosen as the first to proclaim the resurrection. They were absolutely frightened. No wonder “they said nothing to any one”.
Mark stresses twice in this verse that the women were frightened. In fact he tells us that this was why they remained silent. Obviously they needed time to accept the fact of the resurrection. Only then would they have true faith. And this is Mark’s point — fear can keep disciples from witnessing to Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Son of God. However, like Mary the Mother of Jesus, let them listen to the word of God, treasure it, ponder on it and put it into practice. Then their faith will be strengthened and their hopes fulfilled.
Fundamentally this means that if we are to be people of faith we must depend on God and the means he has given to us. That is the only way to discipleship and salvation. If we depend on our own abilities we are depending on human nature. And that is very weak.
APPLICATION
There are two main points in this Gospel passage, Mark 16: 1-8. There is an intimate bond between the two with the second flowing from the first and depending upon it.
The first is the resurrection of Jesus which is the central mystery of our faith. Mark gives no description of it. He limits his account of it to writing about the women who went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. It is important to remember that women were not accepted as legal witnesses in the Holy Land and elsewhere at the time of Jesus. In Mark’s Gospel only women were witnesses of the resurrection. Their knowledge and the basis of their witnessing was what they were told by an angelic messenger They saw for themselves that the tomb in which he had been laid was empty. Legally these women were the most unsuited of witnesses.
Mark proclaims the resurrection very simply and very briefly: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified, He has risen. He is not here.”
The “young man” declared (i) You ladies are seeking a human person called Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee. (ii) He was crucified. (iii) He has risen. He is alive. (iv) He is not here.
That’s it! That is all that Mark says. He has no appearances of Jesus to other people (remember, the appearances that occur in Mk. 16: 9–20 were added in the second century). Mark, you would expect, would have given us some aspect of Jesus in glory. But no. Jesus was last seen at his burial.
Why? Obviously Mark wants the people to whom he was writing, and ourselves of course, to reflect on the real meaning of the resurrection, namely, the fact that Jesus after suffering and dying for us rose to life and is risen and alive to us and for us. This is the basis of faith. The people for whom he was writing were enduring persecution. Today the Christian Church is under attack in many countries. Jesus has been our model. He is present to us today. He fills us with hope for the future. We have nothing to worry about. Our faith in Jesus can sustain and save us.
The women were told to tell the disciples, especially their leader Peter, to go to Galilee where they would see Jesus. This would be the disciples’ second chance. They had already been called in Galilee about two to three years before this. Now they are being called a second time. Jesus is not seeking them to chastise and condemn them for their recent behaviour. He died to save them. Now he is showing forgiveness.
I sometimes wonder about Judas and why he did not go to Galilee. He was not excluded in the invitation to “the disciples and Peter”. We are not told if the women found him and he refused to go. But my speculation is that the women failed to find him. I have no doubt in my mind that if he had gone he would have been forgiven, lived a life of zeal to proclaim Jesus and die a martyr’s death. Such would have been the effect of Jesus’ love and compassion. How blessed we are to be called to resurrection faith!
Discipleship
Flowing from what Mark has taught about the resurrection, one of the major themes in Mark’s Gospel is discipleship. His portrayal of the apostles and disciples throughout his work is more than negative. He shows the disciples as not understanding much of what Jesus taught. Mark, indeed, describes Jesus as spending most of his instruction time with the disciples rather than with the crowds preaching. The disciples’ preconceived notions of what Jesus the Messiah would do were of a political nature. And they could not imagine him suffering, dying or being a failure. Their main interest was not really in Jesus but in themselves. They followed Jesus for what he would do for them. In his hour of need they could not pray with him or for him; they slept. At his arrest they fled. Peter lingered a little longer but then he disappeared after his triple denial of knowing Jesus.
Much of the passion and crucifixion scenes in Mark’s Gospel were about the infidelity and fear of the disciples. Other than John, he showed none of them near the cross. He does name three women disciples and adds that “there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem”. For him, they were not true disciples at Calvary. He describes them as witnessing the death of Jesus “from afar”.
Mark does not describe the resurrection of Jesus. He describes the effects of the resurrection on three women disciples. He shows no male disciple present at the resurrection. Three women, already mentioned as being present at the death and burial of Jesus, appear bringing spices to anoint the dead body. But they are portrayed as women without faith! They were present to anoint a corpse, not to welcome the risen Christ.
When the angel told them that Jesus had risen, that the tomb was empty and that they were to go and tell this to the disciples, they could not believe and fled in terror and remained silent.
In the Passion Narrative, Mark pictured the apostles and disciples as unfaithful because of their self–interest and lack of concern for Jesus. Their minds were clouded by ideas of political grandeur. They were not prepared to listen to Jesus when he instructed them about the real meaning of the Messiah. When there was danger for them, fear overcame them and they disappeared in flight.
Mark was writing for a Church that was being persecuted. Many had been brought before the Roman authorities, as Jesus had, and were sentenced to death, like Jesus. To be a Christian was to be targeted.
Mark showed the Church that the disciples, male and female, of Jesus’ time had been frightened into leaving Jesus. But they changed. And what changed them was faith in the Resurrection. That brought them back.
The problem is more than valid today. It is left to you the reader to treasure, ponder and pray over the role of your discipleship.