Day 44 – Monday, March 3, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Mark 16

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

The Resurrection of Jesus

Matt. 28:1–8; Luke 24:1–9

1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. ² Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³ And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. ⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”⁸ So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 16:1–8.

Points to Ponder:

• This passage parallels Matthew 28’s resurrection story. Matthew does not include the purpose of the women’s visit (to prepare His body), but does include the earthquake and the guards falling down in terror at the appearance of the angel.
• Sunday morning, the first day of the week, the three ladies came to the tomb to anoint Jesus at sunrise. They wondered how they could remove the stone from the door of the tomb, but to their surprise it was already rolled away.
• When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man in white sitting on the right side. Mark does not identify him as an angel, but the other gospels do.
• He told them to be calm, Jesus was not longer there, for He had risen. What glorious news!! They did not know what to do, but certainly they were elated that the Savior was risen.
• The angel told them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee (a reminder), and that they would see Him there.
• The women ran, trembling and amazed. They told no one but the disciples.

The Appearances of Jesus

Luke 24:13–48; John 20:1–10

⁹ Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. ¹¹ And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.¹² After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. ¹³ And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.¹⁴ Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 16:9–18.

Points to Ponder:

• This passage has do direct parallel in Matthew, but does in Luke and John.
• The appearances of Jesus were in this order: Mary Magdalene in the garden, the two disciples walking on the road the Emmaus, the eleven in the upper room, where He rebuked the disciples for not believing.
• Other gospels speak of Peter and John running to the tomb, but they did not see Him, for He was not there.
• At His appearance in the upper room, Jesus gave them the Great Commission: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature….”
• He told them of the signs that would follow them: power to cast out demons, to speak in new tongues, to take up serpents and not be harmed, to drink poison and not be harmed, to heal the sick. Some of these would be used proactively (demons, healing, tongues) and others in response to crisis or attack (serpents, poison).
• Jesus left them a great task and gave them great power. He does the same for us today. Let us allow the power to flow, let us preach to all creatures, let us call down heaven to earth, and take men and women to heaven one day with us.

The Ascension of Jesus

Luke 24:49–53; Acts 1:9

¹⁹ So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰ And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mk 16:19–20.

Points to Ponder:

• This passage is not found in Matthew either, but is in Luke and Acts.
• This describes the ascension of Jesus back to heaven.
• After entering heaven, He sat at the right hand of God.
• This disciples went out and preached everywhere, just as Jesus had commanded them. Signs followed them and the Lord used them. Amen.
• Amen literally means, “So be it.” Let us say, “So be it today!” Let’s follow the command/commission of Christ and preach the gospel today. For His glory. For the good of the world.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.