Mark 16:15-20

Introduction

A Christ Focus

Today marks our fiftieth and final teaching in the book of Mark. In my opinion, it was the perfect book for our times. When we began our study in January of 2020, little did we know of the worldwide chaos that would be thrust upon us by a coronavirus.

Focusing on Jesus' life and teaching and mission, week after week, has helped the soul. When motorists keep their eyes on where they're going, they don't drive into ditches on either side of the road. Similarly, keeping our focus on Christ, his kingdom, and his mission keeps the Christian from ditches as well. And Mark's gospel has served as the perfect text to help us keep our eyes on Jesus.

When we were told to go home and shelter-in-place, Jesus told us about the fresh life of joy that comes to new wineskins ready to receive him (Mark 2:22).

When it became clear this was going to take longer than we thought, Jesus modeled a life of prayer as he went to the wilderness or the mountain to spend time with his Father, a get away from the chaos of the moment (Mark 1:35, 3:13).

When the tumult of our day crescendoed into pandemonium, Jesus calmed the storm on the waters of Galilee, showing us who he is by taking us through our storms (Mark 4:35-41).

When businesses were shuttered, and we struggled to provide for ourselves, Jesus fed the five and four thousand, showing us he will provide (Mark 6:30-44, 8:1-21).

When we were tempted to ignore the governing authorities, Jesus told us there are times we must give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar (Mark 12:17).

When marriages were stressed and pressured, Jesus took us back to the Garden of Eden to show us his original intention and design for marriage (Mark 10:1-12).

When society began to vocalize new ways to view humanity and new solutions to our problems, Jesus reminded us of the problem of the heart, a problem only his gospel can fix (Mark 7:1-23).

And when threats of war and division loomed over us, Jesus told us not to be alarmed, for the end is not yet (Mark 13:7).

This book has been perfect for us. I mean, even the very week we started meeting outside, at the beginning of last summer, spaced out in circles on the grass, we read this passage from when Jesus fed the five thousand: Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass (Mark 6:39). Just perfect.

The Disputed Text

Before we jump into our text for this final teaching in Mark, we have to address something we didn't take time for on Easter. In many of your Bibles, there is a notation suggesting that the final twelve verses of Mark 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 I am grateful for this notation here. It 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.

That said, this section is under dispute. The reason for this is that two of our oldest Greek copies of Mark do not contain this section, and neither 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, men 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) and Justin Martyr (AD 151) and Irenaeus (AD 180), among others, all quote from it. And, though two of our oldest and most reliable manuscripts do not contain it, the overwhelming majority of our ancient manuscripts include this passage.

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 the resurrection appearances of Christ. 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 have it, and it's hard for me to imagine Mark concluding his gospel with verse eight. And, above all this, is the evidence that God has well-preserved all his other books. I think he did the same with this one.

That said, one might worry there are major (or new) doctrines found in this section. But nothing in this section is new. No major doctrine stands on this passage alone. You can find most of what is recorded here in other passages of the New Testament. So I think we are on safe ground in studying this section of Scripture together.

But, be encouraged, 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. This 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

Now, 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.

Jesus' Mission

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.

They Went And Proclaimed

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 by the instigation of the Jewish religious authorities and the hand of the Roman Empire. It was as if, when Jew and Gentile 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

And this is what the gospel is -- good news. And this good news starts with the bad news of humanity's despair and 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, was buried, and rose for us and our sins 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 much preach today. We still have a world to go into and proclaim the glorious good news of Jesus. It is different than their world, a place that had never heard Jesus' name. Though many on our planet today don't know his name, many have some 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 and 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.

But 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 drive up to the job site late in a car plastered in Christian bumper stickers. Instead, we must be the best workers, the most ethical leaders, and the most principled 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.

And baptism is a major step in your walk with Jesus. He said those who believe and are baptized are saved, and real 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.

We have started holding water baptisms on the last Sunday of the month -- and so far, it is working well. Sometimes no one signs up, sometimes a handful of people. We live in a tough place. Droves of people aren't yet coming to Christ. 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, sign up and get baptized!

Jesus' Help

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.

Signs For The Apostles

Let's be honest. This passage is likely the reason many wonder if this should really be included in Mark's gospel. Many see things like demons and tongues and invincibly picking up snakes and drinking poison and run the other way.

But these disciples became apostles and did have power over the demonic realm. They were given the ability to pray to God in previously unknown languages. They were protected from things like poisonous snakes while they traveled for the gospel. And they were often used as instruments of God's miraculous healing as they went about the world telling people about Christ.

And, as much as I do believe all the gifts of the Spirit, even the super-supernatural ones, can happen today, I do confess the apostles and their generation watched many of these things occur at a high rate. Hebrews 2 tell us the gospel spread when God:

Hebrews 2:4 (ESV) — 4 ...bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

And Paul told us:

2 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV) — 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.

These men were miraculously helped, and those miracles helped them launch the gospel into the world. I'm not saying they worked miracles every five minutes -- we sometimes forget the book of Acts, the book that records the early spread of Christianity, is a history of thirty years. Monumental events were recorded, and many of those included a supernatural element. So we likely should not conclude everyday Christian life was a continuous stream of miracles, but that God bore witness at key times and places by breaking in with the supernatural.

Signs For Us?

The Age Of The Spirit

That said, I don't believe there's any good reason to think the miraculous stopped with that first church. This is debated in the church. Obviously, the fact there's a debate must mean the miraculous doesn't happen all that often, or else we would all be convinced. But I believe the gifts of the Spirit -- all of them -- are available today. They are best used as a way to spread the gospel of Christ, not as the focus or platform for a ministry. But they are helpful -- and needed -- for the work of the church.

I say needed because we are up against it. Many are bound in thoughts, beliefs, and practices that completely disable them from considering Christ. And it's not like it used to be. In our nation's recent history, there have even been people who went to church just because it gave them standing in their community but who didn't believe in Jesus. Many adopted Christian morals and practices without saving faith in Jesus. They were still lost but didn't vehemently vocalize their rejection of Jesus.

But we are now in an age where the rejection of Jesus is more overt. People are just as lost today as they were in the 1950's, but now the rejection of Christianity is more vocal.

So for someone to come to Christ, it takes a lot. Ingredients like desperation due to trauma or failure in life, disillusionment over the philosophies of our age, or depression due to the God-shaped hole in the human heart are all helpful in drawing someone to Jesus. But, even then, it's a big deal for someone to turn around and submit to him. It almost feels like it would take a miracle. Like the supernatural must flex into our natural world to get the job done.

But that's precisely what our passage tells us. Jesus spoke. Jesus ascended. Jesus sat down at the right hand of God (19). Then they went out and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs (20).

They went. And Jesus went with them. This is how it works. As Paul said:

Philippians 2:12–13 (ESV) — 12 ...Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

I think Luke said it well. After writing of Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, he wrote a second book about the church's early days. He started that book this way:

Acts 1:1 (ESV) — 1 In the first book...I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach...

In Luke's mind, Jesus' earthly life was only the beginning of what Jesus did and taught. He still did things and taught things all through the book of Acts. I believe he still does and teaches today. He joins his people as they launch out in faith with him.

That early church was one of power. I believe the same power is available today for those who pray, those who are holy, those who walk in faith. I hope to be one of those people.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, Jesus came. To him, our world was further gone than any of the people he raised back to life in the gospels. We are not newly dead, like the twelve-year-old girl in Mark 5. We are not a day dead, like the young man in Luke 7. Nor are we three days dead, like Lazarus in John 11. We were dead-dead, and Jesus came to our lifeless corpse and spoke words of life.

Only he could speak them because he had risen after death. Resurrection power was and is his. He consumed all that killed us, dying for our sins. And now he speaks to this dead world, telling it to rise back to life through his glorious gospel. And he uses his church to preach that resurrection power, the glorious good news that humankind mustn't be stuck forever in death. We can live, if we turn and trust Christ.

I told you at the beginning of our study in Mark that our theme would be "Follow The Servant-Savior." That's how Mark has presented Jesus -- as the servant who saves. He said:

Mark 10:45 (ESV) — 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

But, though the book paints Jesus as the servant who saves, it also presents him asking his people to do the same. We cannot, of course, die for anyone's sins. But now we are equipped with the gospel, so we must get outside ourselves, lay down our lives, and devote time and energy and resources to the spread of the knowledge of Christ.

We prayed, at the beginning of this study, for God to open our eyes so we could discover Jesus afresh. I believe he has answered this prayer. I know Christ has shaken me to the core over this past year. And now, I am ready to launch out further into the expansion of a gospel-centered and gospel-preaching community of faith. Let's do this. Let's follow the Servant-Savior.