Mark 16:1-20

16:1-2 | Since Jesus was crucified on Friday, Sunday morning (the first day of the week) would be “the third day” in Jewish thinking because a portion of a day counted as a day. The women returned to the tomb soon after sunrise to hurriedly prepare Jesus’ body for the customary Jewish burial before the Sabbath.

16:3-4 | Some correctly point out that the large stone was rolled away to let witnesses in, not to let Jesus out. In His resurrected body, walls and stone presented no barrier to quick entrances and exits (Luke 24:31, 36).

16:5-7 | The young man is clearly an angel. He specifically mentions Peter, who had denied three times that he knew the lord.

16:8 | Although the angel instructed the women to broadcast the news of Jesus’ resurrection, fear and amazement kept them from telling anyone about it at first. Only after recovering from the shock of all these events did they openly spread the word (Matt. 28:8; Luke 24:9). It is interesting that Mark’s Gospel – a story of divine faithfulness and recurring human failure – ends on a note of failure. However, Christ’s resurrection tells people that their failures are not the last word.

16:9-20 | Some ancient manuscripts do not have the so-called “long ending” of Mark, indicating that it is not part of the original account. Most scholars believe this section was added later to conclude what otherwise seems like an abrupt ending to the Gospel. If these scholars are correct, the abrupt ending fits with Mark’s focus on Christ’s immediate ministry, ending concisely with Christ’s glorious resurrection.