COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 172
Mark 16:5 “And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: He is risen; He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. 7But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you. 8And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.”
(Mark 16:5-8; Matt 28:5-10; Luke 24:3-8; John 20:3-10)
THE WOMEN ENTER THE SEPULCHER
INTRODUCTION
Reading the four Gospels concerning the post-resurrection activities of these women, some confusion has been generated by the commentators. Some feel that two different groups of women are being described – the group depicted by Luke being different than the one portrayed by Matthew and Mark. I am proceeding in the persuasion that there is one group of women, with Mary Magdalene first arriving, and reporting the empty tomb to Peter, afterward receiving a more extensive word from Jesus. The harmony in the reports is seen in the various circumstances that are accented by the writers. Special mention is made of the experiences of Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John. In all of this, some general sequence is provided. However, there are some matters in which the sequence is not the primary thing to be seen, but the event itself. If, therefore, the sequence appears difficult to establish, we should not be troubled, but rather focus on what is actually being reported. It must be remembered that the Holy Spirit has no trouble stating the precise sequence of a matter when that is the critical matter. I do will my best to establish what I perceive to be the order of events, confessing that there are some difficulties in this approach. However, those difficulties do not justify being contentious about them. In the Gospels, the Holy Spirit is conveying to us the impact of the empty tomb upon the people who saw it without knowing what had actually happened. They were incapable of making any association between the stark reality of that empty tomb and the clear words that Jesus had spoken prior to His death concerning His resurrection. This confirms that the human intellect is not capable of assembling facts and drawing proper conclusions independently of heavenly intervention. The necessity for revealed explanations is clearly established as well as the requirement to believe them.
PETER AND JOHN RUN TO THE TOMB
“ John 20:3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.”
Although all of this activity appears to have taken place within a relatively short period of time, here is what I understand to be the sequence of events. All of the women start for the tomb early in the morning, while it was yet dark (John 20:1). Understanding that they probably did not all start from the same place, Mary Magdalene, possibly with some other women, arrives first at the tomb. Seeing that the tomb is empty, she runs and tells Peter, who was no doubt with the other disciples (John 20:1-2). Now, John provides the account of what took place before the other women arrive and enter the tomb. His report is significant because it will confirm how much evidence and testimony the disciples had received prior to Christ’s appearance to them.
PETER AND THE OTHER DISCIPLE. Luke reports only that Peter arose and ran to the sepulcher, not mentioning the “other disciple” (Lk 24:12). Later that day, Luke reports Jesus’ appearance to the two on the road to Emmaus. In that report Cleopas said, “And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher, and found it even so as the women had said: but Him they saw not” (Luke 24:24). This substantiates that the eleven were not by themselves when they received the report. The “other disciple” is John, who is narrating the record. Like Luke in his writings, John never refers to himself by name. However, in his Gospel, he makes clear that he is the witness of whom he speaks: “And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe” (John 19:35). “This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24).
JOHN STOOPED DOWN AND LOOKED IN. John arrived first at the tomb, outrunning Peter. However, giving due respect to Peter, upon whom more honor had been bestowed (Matt 16:19), John waits until He arrives. Still, he stoops down and peers into the tomb, beholding the “linen clothes lying.” The “linen clothes” were no doubt those with which Joseph and Nicodemus had wrapped the body of Jesus: “Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes” (John 19:40). The word “lying” suggests the clothes were not scattered about in a disorderly manner. The word “lying” carries the meaning of something being “set in place” in a deliberate manner. THAYER Without unduly pressing the matter, this confirms the orderly and precise nature of the Lord of glory. He did not throw off the linen clothes in which He was bound, but took them off and laid them down in an tidy manner – one that would bear witness to the truth of His resurrection, when He took His life up again.
PETER WENT IN AND SAW THE EVIDENCE. Having received the report that the body had been “taken away” (John 20:2), Peter immediately enters the tomb. He does not see a place in disarray, like one that had been plundered by thieves. John says he saw the clothes “lie,” or “lying there.” NKJV Quickly scanning the interior of the tomb, Peter also sees “the napkin that was about” Jesus’ head. This was similar to the one that was over the face of Lazarus when he came out of his tomb (John 11:44). This separate piece of material was neatly placed separate from the other clothes – “wrapped together in a place by itself.” The words “wrapped together” come from a single word that means “to roll up.” THAYER Other versions read “folded up,” NKJV and “rolled up,” NASB It was the “Commander” who rose from the dead!
JOHN SAW THE EVIDENCE AND BELIEVED. After Peter went into the tomb, John also entered, “saw, and believed.” Peter left “wondering in himself” (Lk 24:12), and John “believed.” Both responses indicate that they saw something more was involved than the body of Jesus merely being moved. The believing of John was faith in its infancy, and not in its fulness. It was believing in the beginning stage, as the next verse suggests.
THEY DID NOT KNOW THE SCRIPTURE. At this point, neither Peter nor John were able to associate what they saw with the Scriptures. The Scriptures included David’s prophecy concerning Christ’s soul not being left in Hades, nor His body seeing corruption (Psa 16:10). Christ’s own words are also included (Matt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; Mk 9:31; 10:34). By not knowing them, the text means they did not think or reason with them in mind.
THEY WENT AGAIN TO THEIR OWN HOME. They returned, and did not linger. Other versions read “homes.” NKJV Remember, Mary was staying with John at the time.
THE WOMEN SEE A YOUNG MAN
“ Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And He saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: He is risen; He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. 7 But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you.”
Mark now takes up the dialog following the departure of Peter and John. John tells us that Mary Magdalene was there with Peter and John, remaining after they left (John 20:11). Either the women were also there, or had now arrived. At any rate, probably emboldened by seeing or hearing of Peter and John entering the tomb, they also enter.
THEY ENTERED IN. Mark reports that the women entered “into the sepulcher.” Matthew omits any reference to them entering. Luke says, they “entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:3). He adds that they were “much perplexed,” or “wondering” NIV (Lk 24:4a). The word “perplexed” means “thoroughly nonplused,” THAYER or bewildered, confused, and dumbfounded. They were incapable of processing what they saw. They could not associate the sight with the prophets or any word that Jesus had spoken. However, heaven will come to their aid, for they are in the right place at the right time. They lingered, while Peter and John did not, and therefore, these women will be given more.
THEY SAW A YOUNG MAN. Nearly every English version reads “young man.” The only two exceptions I can find are the James Murdock Translation (1852) – “a youth,” and the International English Version – “as angel.” In Matthew’s account of this occasion, he states this was, in fact, an “angel,” and suggests by the placement of the text that it was the angel who had rolled away the stone and sat on it (Matt 28:4-5). Mark says this angel was sitting “on the right side,” apparently still seated upon the stone. Matthew also says that he invited the women into the tomb saying, “Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matt 28:6). Like all heavenly personages, the angel was modestly “clothed in a long white garment.” The words “young man” are translated from a single Greek word that means “youth,” or “lad,” THAYER or “a young man beyond puberty but before marriage.” LOUW-NIDA The idea seems to be that the least among the heavenly host are more aware of reality than the most mature among men.
Luke reports that there were “two men,” or angels, and they “stood by them in shining garments” (Lk 24:4). This took place when they were in the interior of the tomb. Either the angel on the stone entered with the women and another angel joined him, or the two angels were in the tomb, and the inviting angel remained outside.
HE IS RISEN AS HE SAID. The angel told the woman not to be afraid, saying “Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified.” Matthew reports the angel saying, “I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified” (Matt 28:5). He added, “He is not here, He is risen.” Matthew adds, “He is risen as He said” (Matt 28:6). That saying is recorded in Mark 8:31 and 9:31.
Luke provides further details: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Lk 24:5-6). To holy angels, it is wholly unreasonable to seek for the living among the dead, or the dying. Yet, men still insist on doing this, seeking for insight within a dying creation, or within the reasoning processes of those who are dominated by death.
Notice the knowledge possessed by these holy angels. They know that Jesus was crucified – “Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified.” They also know why the women have come to the tomb – “I know that ye seek Jesus.” They are also aware that Jesus has risen from the dead – “He is risen.” Additionally, they are very conscious of what Jesus has said – “He is risen as He said.” Luke is even more precise: “remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:6-7). In this whole incident, the only people who are uninformed are those who are upon the earth. All of this accents the suppressive impact that sin has upon the human intellect. Even the pointed and clear words of the Lord Jesus can be forgotten, only days after they were spoken. Oh, the assistance that we mortals need to even recall the words of the Lord, to say nothing of embracing them and acting upon them! Those who insist on overstating the capacity of the natural mind, or the human ability to reason must reassess their views.
REMEMBER WHAT JESUS SAID. The angel then tells the women to “tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you.” Matthew adds, “behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you” (Matt 28:7). Both Mark and Matthew report this word of Jesus, spoken to the disciples on the night of His betrayal: “But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee” (Mk 14:28; Matt 26:32).
Once again, behold how aware the angelic hosts are of the words of the Lord Jesus – even though those words were not spoken to them! See, they are not encumbered with the flesh, or hindered by vision, faulty views, and the infirmity of ignorance.