These three accounts stress the importance of disciples believing what Jesus had taught, specifically that He would rise from the dead, with increasing urgency.
16:9 The NIV has supplied "Jesus."The Greek text says, "Now after He had risen."The antecedent of "He"is obviously Jesus, but the lack of this antecedent in the immediately preceding context seems to some interpreters to indicate a major break between verses 8 and 9. Perhaps Mark did not feel he needed to name Jesus since He is the obvious antecedent.418
Mark may have described Mary Magdalene as he did here to explain why she was at the tomb. Jesus' had done a great thing for her, and her love for Him was consequently very great. Perhaps Mark did so to identify her more precisely since she becomes an important figure here for the first time in Mark's Gospel. Mary had returned to the tomb after she had left it (vv. 1-8). Evidently people could not naturally perceive Jesus for who He was unless Jesus revealed Himself to them (cf. Luke 24:16, 31).419
16:10-11 Mary reported to the disciples that she had seen the risen Christ (cf. v. 7). While the rest of the Jews rejoiced, celebrating the Passover season, Jesus' disciples mourned His death. They would not believe Mary's eyewitness testimony. This should encourage other disciples who find that unbelievers will not believe their witness to the resurrection of Jesus.
This is a condensed version of Jesus' appearance on the Emmaus road. The different (immortal) form in which Jesus appeared accounted in part for the failure of these men to recognize Him. Mark's point seems to be the unbelief of the disciples again. Neither the report of an eyewitness nor a personal appearance opened these men's eyes. God had to do that supernaturally, and He still does.
Mark said that Jesus appeared to the Eleven on this occasion. However, John qualified that statement by explaining that Thomas was absent (John 20:24). Mark was speaking of the Eleven as a group.
16:14 This event evidently happened on Easter Sunday evening. This is the most severe rebuke that Jesus ever gave His disciples that the Gospels record. They had not only disbelieved the reports of His resurrection, but they had also hardened their hearts against the possibility of His resurrection. The disciples' own unbelief would help them understand and appreciate the unbelief of many with whom they would share the gospel as eyewitnesses.
"The Apostles may have been allowed to hear of the Resurrection before seeing the risen Christ in order that they might know from personal experience what it was to have to depend upon the testimony of others, as would be the case with their converts."420
16:15 The giving of the Great Commission on this occasion seems to have preceded the giving of it that Matthew recorded (Matt. 28:9-10). Mark's account stresses the universal scope of the disciples' responsibility (cf. 14:9). "All"in "all the world"is a specially strong form of the Greek word for "all,"namely hapanta. Every part of the world needs the gospel.
16:16 This is a verse that some people believe teaches the necessity of water baptism for salvation. However baptism elsewhere in the New Testament is always an outward confession of belief in Jesus Christ. This verse also regards baptism as such. The second part of the verse clearly teaches that unbelief results in condemnation (cf. 9:43-48), not unbelief and failure to undergo baptism. In the first part of the verse one article governs both participles: has believed and has been baptized (NASB) or believes and is baptized (NIV). This indicates the close relationship between believing and being baptized. However they are not inseparable (cf. Rom. 3:21-28; Eph. 2:8-9). Baptism is not a condition for salvation, but it is an important step of obedience for a believing disciple.
16:17-18 These verses also support the primary importance of believing. Those who believe, not just the Eleven, would continue to perform supernatural acts. Throughout Scripture such "signs"always signified that something of supernatural origin was happening, and they authenticated the message that the witness bore (cf. v. 20).
"The signs authenticated the faith the early believers proclaimed, not the personal faith that any one of them exercised."421
The Twelve had already cast out demons and healed people in Jesus' name (6:7, 12-13). They would continue to have these abilities (cf. Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:18; 19:12; 28:8). This is the only reference to the disciples speaking in tongues (i.e., languages) in the Gospels (cf. Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6; 1 Cor. 12:10, 28, 30; 13:1; 14:2, 18-19).422Immunity from the bite of poisonous snakes was another privilege the disciples would enjoy (cf. Acts 28:3-6). There are no examples of disciples drinking something deadly and surviving in the Book of Acts.
Jesus did not say how long the disciples would be able to do these things. Previous periods of miracle-working had all been short (cf. Exod. 7-14; -
God still sometimes convinces people of the truth of the gospel or confirms the truth of His Word to people with supernatural experiences. Nevertheless these are not the same experiences as what Jesus promised here. Some of the early Christians could perform miracles whenever they wanted to do so in God's will (e.g., Acts 3:6; 16:18). That is not the case today.
