Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Mark Chapter 16

The Resurrection
1Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 2Very early on Sunday morning,a just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.
5When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,b who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
8The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.c
[Shorter Ending of Mark]
Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.
[Longer Ending of Mark]
9After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. 11But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
12Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. 13They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
14Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.d
15And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.e 18They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
19When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 20And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

2 comments:

  1. I enjoy reading this because Jesus didn't only die and that was the end. He rose from the dead to give us new live with him! I find it amazing how easy it is to not believe that God must have a better plan for us. SO many people go through life thinking that God does not care. The more I read His word the more in know this not to be true. God has done so much for us to draw us back to Him that he gave up his only son and let him die on the cross for our sins and be raised back to life so that we can have eternal life with God. Thank you Lord for all you have done.

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  2. That was great, then, and it's encouraging now. Some of us have experienced so much pain that it overwhelms the encouragement from the Bible. I trust God for the other side of eternity, but my experience (and looking at history) tells me that nothing this side of eternity, other than salvation, is safe from being ruined.

    And I don't know what to do with verses 17 and 18. Some Christians have made Christianity look foolish with their interpretations. Instead of speaking God's Word in their language to newly arrived refugees, or moving a rattler away from someone sleeping, it's "speaking in tongues" (which somehow all seem to copy each other), and snake-handling at church. And if you don't join in, you're told your faith and your walk with Jesus aren't good enough.

    I know Mark didn't mean to start that, but there it is, in pockets of believers around us. I don't know what to do, and it makes for difficult (but understandable and reasonable) questions from non-believers.

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Post what you have learned from these scriptures or any questions.