Jesus’ Parting Words to the Disciples and Us (Mark 16:15-20)

Before we jump into our final text of Mark, we have to address the notation in many of our Bibles suggesting that the final twelve verses might not be in the original text. Notations like this cause a bit of alarm at first -- Hey, don't be messing with my Bible! -- but this gives us another chance to celebrate the reliability of the Scriptures. What we hold in our hands is what was written; this is highlighted by the fact that notations like this one are rare. They are rare because most of the New Testament is, without a doubt, what was originally recorded. This section is under dispute because two of our oldest Greek copies of Mark do not contain this section, nor do about a hundred others in various languages. Additionally, about one-third of the vocabulary in this section is new to Mark. And some ancient authors, like Eusebius and Jerome, who died in the fourth and fifth centuries, did not have Mark 16:9-20 in their Bibles. But many still believe it belongs in our New Testament. Many early Christian writers refer to this passage in their writings. Papias (AD 100), Justin Martyr (AD 151), and Irenaeus (AD 180), among others, quote from it. And, though two of our oldest and most reliable manuscripts do not contain it, the overwhelming majority of our ancient manuscripts do. At the very least, this is an add-on that circulated amongst the early church. If that is the case, it is an addendum to the awkward end of Mark, which abruptly stops after the women meet the angel at the tomb (Mark 16:8). Perhaps Mark intended a mic-drop conclusion to his book, forcing his readers to imagine Christ's resurrection appearances. Perhaps Mark died a martyr's death as he concluded his book. Perhaps his original ending was damaged on the papyrus on which he wrote. Or perhaps -- as I suspect -- the ending we have is the one Mark wrote. I'm not a scholar, but even though the earliest manuscripts don't have it, the earliest Christians did, and it's hard for me to imagine Mark concluding his gospel with verse eight. And, above all, is the evidence that God has well-preserved all his other books. I think he did the same with this one. The New Testament writings circulated very early on in the church's life. This is evident from the fact that many early Christians quoted from this section. By the first decades of the second century, this section was widely known and received as a foundation for preaching, mission, and teaching. It had gotten to them at an early date, which is impressive because some suggest Christianity didn't spread or was unknown until many centuries after Christ. Clearly, passages like this show us that's not the case. Galilee Meetings As for the passage, the backdrop is Galilee. Jesus told his disciples to meet him there after he rose, and now, after presenting himself alive to them for forty days, it is time for him to depart to the Father. Before he left, he gave them directions.

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. Mark 16:15-16

This is often called the great commission. Jesus sent his disciples into the world to preach the gospel. He invited them into his mission. This mission was not the natural disposition of the original disciples. They had grown up thinking the Messiah-Christ was a national hero, a deliverer for Israel -- exclusively Israel. The nations, the whole creation, was a frightful collection of the condemned (15). The prophet Jonah didn't want to preach to the nations, and many ancient Israelites followed his pattern. But here comes Jesus, telling his disciples to go into all the world to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Everyone must hear. Jesus died as the King of the Jews at the instigation of the Jewish religious authorities and the hand of the Roman Empire. It was as if, when Jews and Gentiles alike agreed to his crucifixion, the message was clear. I am dying for everyone's sins. The Jews might have said, His blood be on us and our children, but his blood was shed for all of us. All of our sins put him on the cross. And now he tells his men to go into the whole world preaching his good news.

The Gospel

This is what the gospel is -- good news. And this good news starts with the bad news of humanity's despair, brokenness, and deadness because of sin. But Jesus took the punishment that should have been ours to give us the life that belongs to him. The good news that Jesus came, lived, died for our sins, was buried, and rose for us must be broadcast. And those early disciples most certainly proclaimed Jesus and his gospel. Some historians think roughly half of Jerusalem's 200K citizens received Jesus by AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. And they went far beyond Jerusalem with the glorious hope of Christ. They went into territories given over to paganism and upside-down moral systems. They went into city-states steeped in Greek philosophy, civilizations like ours that deny the obvious nature of the Creator and creation, and preached Jesus. And the gospel is still the message Christians must preach today. We still have a world to go into and proclaim the glorious good news of Jesus. It is different from their world, a place that had never heard Jesus' name. Though many today don't know his name, many have preconceived notions or ideas about Jesus Christ. So our duty as believers is to faithfully represent and report the true Jesus and his gospel to our world.

How to Go

Much of our modern proclamation happens in person and from pulpits through the everyday flow of life. We are in contact with friends, family, and coworkers nearly every day of our lives. We must stay fresh and ready to proclaim the gospel when the opportunity arises. We must give a reason for the hope within us. But there also must be times of conscious effort to evangelize. Some have a gift for this, for others, it is a discipline, and for some, it's both. But Christian lives should be filled with things like mission trips, invitations to gospel preaching events and churches, and the direct sharing of our faith. They should also be filled with efforts to love our neighbor, which will inevitably lead to opportunities to share Jesus. The mission to share the gospel with all of creation also occurs in the context of our workplaces. We should not be those who often arrive at the job site late in a car plastered with Christian bumper stickers. Instead, we must be the best workers, the most ethical leaders, and the most conscientious staff members. Our organizations must be better because of our presence. This brand of work leads to opportunities to share what Jesus has done for us. And this mission to share the gospel requires our finances. We must financially invest in the kingdom of God because the Bible says laborers for the gospel are worthy of their wages. I can think of no better investment than the kingdom of God. When everything else melts and fades away, the kingdom of Christ will endure.

Baptism

Before moving on in our passage, I should also talk about the importance of baptism. Jesus said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved," (16). This does not mean that those who aren't baptized are not saved. Jesus corrected that thought by continuing, "...but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (16). It's a lack of belief that condemns. It's belief that leads to salvation. And saved people should get baptized. The idea of salvation by baptism is anathema to Scripture. If baptism was required for salvation, then we are justified by works instead of the work of Christ. If baptism was required for salvation, then every single mention of saving faith should include a command to be baptized. But that's not how the Bible is written. Only a few passages could give that idea, and they are corrected by all the others that mention saving faith without baptism in sight. That said, baptism is important. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose to new life. And when you are water baptized as a believer in Jesus, you are picturing how what happened to him has now happened to you. That your old nature died and was buried with Jesus is pictured when you plunge into the water. And that you have new life in Jesus is pictured when you emerge from the water. You are no longer dry but wet, just as you are no longer dead in sins but alive in Christ. Baptism is a significant step in your walk with Jesus. He said those who believe and are baptized are saved, and genuine belief will lead you to be baptized. Belief -- saving faith -- is not only intellectual belief but emotional and volitional. This means you will believe the facts of the gospel but also desire Jesus and become willing to abandon your old life to follow him. But what does it say if the first thing he asks someone to do they won't do? Things aren't off to a good start. So getting baptized is step one in the Christian life. It's a way to blast out the news that Jesus died for you. It's a way to testify to his work in your life. It's a way to tell the church you are in. It's a way to out yourself as a Jesus person. When our church holds water baptisms, sometimes no one signs up, and sometimes a handful of people do. But if even one person needs to be baptized, the angels of heaven rejoice over that new life. So, if you are a believer and have yet to broadcast what he's done for you through water baptism, get baptized!