The Revelation of the Resurrection

December 31st, 2023 was the first time we opened this book together to start this preaching series. 16 Chapters, 75 sermons, nearly 2 wonderful years together in this book. Today is a little bittersweet that we are going to end our time together in the book of Mark. A lot has happened in the last 2 years. Many changes in the world around us, many changes in our personal lives. But one thing that has been constant is the preaching of God’s work through the telling of the gospel of Mark.

There have been sermons on text in this book that has made me uncomfortable. Some of which that, if I were a topical preacher, I would never even think about preaching. This is why we believe in systematic, expositional preaching through books of the bible. This is how we preach the whole counsel of God and not just cherry pick the things that we are comfortable talking about.

Half of my time here as pastor has been in this book. And I am looking forward to many more years together as we continue to work our way through scripture. If you are curious, the plan (unless the Holy Spirit directs me differently) is to start in the book of Malachi in January and then Ephesians after that. Be in prayer for these books for next year.

But today, we are wrapping up the book of Mark. It is my desire to rightly preach the text we are specifically looking at today, while at the same time looking at the entire account of Mark and putting this all together.

Mark 16:9–20 ESV

9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

Prayer

How are we, individually and together, living out the the commands of Jesus?

That question is vague, but we will narrow it down. Throughout the book of Mark, we have followed the ministry of Jesus. Within that ministry, we have seen him heal, do miracles, even bring people back to life. But, what has stood the test of time was his teaching. So much that even the world recognizes it as beneficial. That doesn’t mean that they recognize him as lord though.

As believers, we believe that the most important thing for anyone is salvation. Being brought from spiritual death to life in Jesus Christ. And the only way for someone to receive this is through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus which is revealed to us in scripture.

I want to take a couple of minutes and talk about what the gospel is. (born into sin because of Adam and Eve, separation from fellowship with God, only way to be made right is through belief in Jesus). If you have never responded to this call on your heart, God is calling you to respond today. We respond through faith in Jesus by turning from our sinful nature and turning to Jesus. If you have never done this, today is the day to do this.

Jesus has revealed himself to us through his word. In our text today, we are going to see what happens when Jesus reveals himself to his disciples.

The Revelation of the Resurrection causes Radical Reconciliation

Many of you probably have a bible translation that has brackets before verse 9 where it says that the remaining verses are not found in the earliest manuscripts. Let’s quickly tackle that. What it is referring to are 2 manuscripts of Mark (the full book), that are from the 4th century. These are the oldest full Greek manuscripts that we have. Now, just because they are not found in these does not mean that they should not be in there. In fact, 99% of the manuscripts out there have this longer ending in Mark. There are a couple who have an alternate ending as well. But going back to the early church, the fathers of the church such as Irenaeus in the year A.D. 180 actually quote from this long ending. So because the early church and history seem to think it is supposed to be there, that is why it is still in there.

I do believe that this was added to the book as an epilogue by someone other than Mark. The language being different and little details such as explaining once again who Mary Magdalene is, would suggest that. And when we get to verses 17-18, we are going to talk about how these are actually events that are chronicled in the book of Acts. But, I firmly believe that this is the word of God that is given to us and we trust it.

What I am going to do is go through out text and at the end, I am going to give us 4 things to take home from this text.

Mark 16:9 ESV

9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

We pick up from the sudden ending in verse 8 where we are told again what had happened at the tomb. Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday. Saturday was the Sabbath. And it is now Sunday, the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene was at the tomb. She is a lady that Jesus had encountered during his ministry and casted out demons from. After this, she follows him. She witnesses the crucifixion, the burial, and now is at the empty tomb. Why is the tomb empty? It is because Jesus, through the power of God, has risen.

This one verse is the telling of what happens in John chapter 20, verses 11-18. What Johns account tells us is that she was outside of the tomb and she was mourning and weeping because of the death of Jesus. She goes into the tomb and sees 2 angels in there. They have a little exchange about the body of Jesus being gone. She turns around and looks behind her, and there stands Jesus. She doesn’t recognize him at first. But then he calls her name and she then knows that this is Jesus. He tells her to go to the disciples and tell them.

Mark 16:10–11 ESV

10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

They would not believe it. Mary is a witness to the resurrected Jesus and they do not believe her. Because Jesus is God, I feel sure this does not take him by surprise. These are the men who deserted him in his last moments.

I read this and I think to our sinful, human nature. What would I do in this situation? I spend 3 years with these men. I tell them on several different occasions that I am going to go to the cross, die, and then rise again. I then see Mary, tell her to go and tell the guys. She does this and they still don’t believe me.

Now, if this were me, I would probably just move on. Go and find some other people and have them go and do what I tell them. But Jesus doesn’t do that. Even in our disobedience and even when we run, he still pursues us. And he does the same for the disciples. He goes to them himself.

Mark 16:12–13 ESV

12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

This right here is another condensed version of an encounter with Jesus. If you go to Luke 24 in verses 13-31, you have this account of Jesus encountering Cleopas and another disciple who isn’t name on the road to Emmaus. If you know the story, this is when Jesus comes up to these 2 as they are walking. He hears them talking and ask them what is going on. They say, “oh you don’t know?” Then they go and tell Jesus about Jesus. It turns in the conversation in verse 21.

Luke 24:21 ESV

21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

They tell him that there were some women who even came and told them that the tomb was empty and angels told them that Jesus was alive. Yet, they did not believe. They had Jesus standing in front of them and they didn’t even realize that this is the risen messiah.

Luke 24:25–27 ESV

25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

So we have these 2 appearances. 1 to Mary Magdalene and now one to a couple of the disciples. But he wouldn’t stop there. There is this atmosphere around them of unbelief.

Mark 16:14 ESV

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

He rebukes them. Even though they have pledged themselves to him, heard his teaching, said that they would not abandon him, they are seeing him after his resurrection yet unbelief is still in their midst.

What Jesus is doing here is establishing the authority of the apostolic witness. Those who are witnesses of the resurrected Jesus are the ones who should be believed. Jesus is telling them this. But it isn’t just about hearing and believing. If the Christian life stopped at us hearing and believing, then the gospel would never spread. This brings us back to the idea of living out and following the commands of Jesus. Jesus gives them a command, a directive, to take this message of the gospel and the resurrection and GO!

Mark 16:15 ESV

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Go and proclaim. Proclaim what? The gospel. What is the gospel? Let me give you a quick reminder of the gospel.(presentation)

Now, he doesn’t just tell them what to take, but where to take it. He tells them to go into all the world. You may think this is vague, but this is very specific. It is hard to make this a vague statement. If I tell my daughter to clean her whole bedroom, does that mean to just make her bed or to just pick up her clothes. No? Jesus is specific that the gospel message is meant to be taken into the whole world. This is what we call the great commission. This is not just a directive to just the disciples, but for us as well. So the question we should ask ourselves is how are we doing?

This is something that we will be exploring together as a church in the near future.

Jesus explains the implications of this great commission.

Mark 16:16 ESV

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Oh wow. Jesus is being harsh. This isn’t the Jesus that our world today wants us to believe in. How can such a loving God condemn someone just because they don’t believe in him? The book of John tells us that you are already condemned if you don’t believe. Belief is the key. So what should we believe? Believe that Jesus truly was who he said he was which is God made man. Believe that he went to the cross and died for your sins. Believe that he rose from the grave 3 days later. But what about having to change? Change is not required for salvation. Change will happen because of salvation.

And that is what baptism is about. Baptism is a declaration that you are a new person. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are changed. And Jesus has given us the command that you believe and then you are baptized. Is baptism a requirement for salvation? No. The perfect example is the criminal on the cross when he believes and Jesus tells them that “today you will be with me in paradise”. He was not baptized but was promised a place in heaven.

I want to challenge you that we see this order here. Believe and be baptized. If you have not done this, I want to call you to be obedient with this. If you believe and you have not been baptized as a believer, then it is time to follow through with this.

So, we have dealt with all of the standard stuff we have here in this text. Now we get to what we all want to talk about. Let’s talk about the snakes and tongues and poison. All of these things are what probably makes some people avoid these verses. They seem out of place and out of the ordinary of what this gospel account has presented us. So let’s tackle it.

Mark 16:17–18 ESV

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

All of these things are a sort of overview of things that we see the apostles do in the book of Acts. The Apostles casted out many demons all throughout the book of Acts. The speaking in new tongues would have referred to what happens at the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The laying on of hands and healing happened many times throughout the book of Acts. The stuff with serpents and poison would happen with Paul in Acts 28 when Paul is bitten and doesn’t die.

So what does all of this stuff mean? Does this mean that we should be handling snakes here at church to prove we are real Christians? Does this mean that we should be speaking in tongues? Should we have the power to heal people just by touching them? I believe these are all valid questions and these are things that you may see pop up in different churches here and wonder why or why not.

I believe that Jesus gives us the reason why these things happen and how we should view them in the next verses.

Mark 16:19–20 ESV

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

So Jesus ascends into heaven and the apostles went out and did what he commanded. They were obedient. And we can read the book of Acts and see all of the places that they took the gospel too. But these very last words in verse 20 give us an explanation of these signs in the verses before. It says that the Lord confirmed the message by the accompanying signs.

Today, we have God’s word in our hands. The canon of scripture is closed. It is final. We have God’s message in our hands. When the Apostles were taking the gospel and preaching everywhere, they did not have the New Testament. So, to prove the legitimacy of the message, God gave them signs.

We have what is called the Apostolic Age. This was a particular time in history when God was establishing the church through the apostles and he was establishing the writing of the New Testament through the Holy Spirit inspiring men to write what we have today. This Apostolic age ended when the final writing was done.

We no longer look to signs as a means to prove the message because we have scripture. What still is in place today though is Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. And because he is still sitting there, the mission is still in place. We are to take the gospel and preach to all people, everywhere.

I want to give us 4 things to take home with us out of this passage.

Jesus has Revealed Himself to Us.

He has done this through, first of all his word. We have the word of God that we grasp to as believers. We believe that this book is without error, we believe that it will not fail us, and we believe that it is given to us for all of our spiritual needs. If there is something that you are going through today and you are not sure how this will turn out and you are looking for hope, we find hope in the word of God.

But he has also revealed himself to us through his witness. And who are his witnesses? We are. We are walking, talking billboards for the power of the gospel. We are to live out this great commission and take it to all people, which includes those closest to us. So we are his witnesses and he uses us to reveal himself to others.

Jesus offers Salvation Rather than Condemnation

This is the point of the gospel(remind). John 3:16–18 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Jesus is Still Working and Waiting

As he is sitting at the right hand of God, he is not sleeping. He is still working. He is working in us and through us both individually and corporately as a church.

Jesus’ Revelation MUST Cause Action

There is no such thing as passive Christianity. If you have responded in faith and repentance to the gospel, then you have been called to action. This happens through the call in verse 15. Mark 16:15 “15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” This isn’t just for preachers, it is not just for the deacons or teachers in a church. This is a mandate for everyone. Go into all the world, this isn’t just hopping on a plane to another country to go on a mission trip. This is right here around us.

If you are complacent, stop that. Let the spirit of God renew a passion in you for the spread of the gospel both right here and to the uttermost parts of the world. We want to see all people in all places be reconciled back to God.

This entire books was the story of God sending Jesus to live a perfect life that we should have lived, die a death that we deserve because of our sin, be buried and rise again on the 3rd day, reveal himself to his disciples and then they go and take it to everyone that they can. Today, we are still in the business of seeing people be reconciled to God.

The Revelation of the Resurrection causes Radical Reconciliation

This is the book of Mark