COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 179
Mark 16:13 “And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.”
Luke 24:33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in breaking of bread.” (Mark 16:13; Luke 24:33-35)
THE TWO ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS, #6
INTRODUCTION
It is still the first day of the week, now near the close of the day. As should be apparent, Jesus has been busy throughout the day, appearing to Mary, the women, and the two on the road to Emmaus. In every case, there was no casual discussion. He was the center of attention, and the point of whatever was said. Also, whenever He appeared, none of those who saw Him knew that He had risen from the dead, and all of them were in a state of sadness. Following the revelation of Jesus, the state of those to whom He made Himself known was instantly changed, and they were no longer under the grip of melancholy. Also, all of them reported the resurrected Christ to the other assembled disciples. In this, we have a foreshadowing of the changes that attend the life in Christ Jesus, and the reason for the them. Now that Jesus has been enthroned in glory, all that have come to know Him have been lifted from the pit of despair. The perception of Jesus has changed the entirety of their lives. The thought of a triumphant Savior brings joy, and faith and hope rise to flourish. The perspective of life itself is significantly altered, for no one can walk in the newness of life with a distorted view of the Christ. As our text will confirm, life in Christ is accompanied by a compelling desire to communicate to kindred spirits what has been realized. This is because God “sets the solitary in families” (Psa 68:6) – an environment in which spiritual life can be nourished and brought to maturity. This is in order that the redeemed may realize the joy of Divine employment, and become productive in the Kingdom of God. If rewards are to be dispensed upon the basis of one’s work (Rev 22:12), such employment is truly a blessing.
THE SAME HOUR, THEY RETURNED TO JERUSALEM
“ Luke 24:33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them.”
THE SAME HOUR. It is interesting to observe that these disciples had restrained Jesus from further travels during the close of the day: “for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent” (Luke 24:29). Yet now, there is no thought of the lateness of the hour being inconvenient for travel. The knowledge of the Lord has changed even their perspective of such things as the appropriate time to journey. Remember, we are speaking of a seven-mile walk. It is quite refreshing to consider the practicality of faith. While the unlearned labor to make the truth practical, faith effectively addresses that aspect of life. It seems that no one who is basking in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God has the slightest notion that there is anything impractical about being impelled by faith and the joy of the Lord.
THEY RETURNED TO JERUSALEM. It is quite common in our time for men to emphasize telling the world of our experience in Christ Jesus. It is certainly not that this is wrong, and God forbid that anyone should conclude that is the case. Here we are speaking of priorities, not of right and wrong. The first ones to hear of the blessings enjoyed will be those located in Jerusalem – the place where God had been pleased to place His name. This is the place where all of the events critical to the reclamation of humanity took place. It is where the two had been, and now it is where they will return.
There is a sense in which believers are like homing pigeons, who have an intuitive sense of where they should go. A “homing pigeon” has been trained to return home – no matter where it is released. It differs from the believer in the sense of being “trained,” but the results are the same. The believer has a kind of sixth sense that directs where he is to go. It is something that is resident in faith, which is obtained directly from God (2 Pet 1:1).
When men walk by this faith, they gravitate, so to speak, to Jerusalem. In our case, it is the “Jerusalem which is above,” which “is free,” and “is the mother of us all” (Gal 4:26). This is “the heavenly Jerusalem” to which we “are come” (Heb 12:22).
THEIR TRIP BACK. The trip back to Jerusalem was much different than the initial one from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Their spirits must have been much like that of Abraham and Isaac as they came down that mountain in Moriah where Abraham had been sent to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering to God (Gen 22:1-19).
THEY FOUND THE ELEVEN TOGETHER WITH OTHERS. Note that these enlightened ones did not go to Pilate, or Herod, or the chief priests. They did not report to the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, or lawyers. They did not run to the multitudes who consented to Christ’s death, reporting that He was alive and had appeared to them. It is true that such reports were, indeed, made later by key individuals. But these were not the first to hear of the risen Christ! Indeed, they had seen and heard Jesus, and had rejected Him. Jesus had left their house “desolate” because of this rejection (Matt 23:38). Now, the news will be brought to those who had a heart for Christ, yet were not aware of His present state. Those who had a genuine beginning will now experience further enlightenment.
This is an exceedingly rare perspective. The first order of business is for those who have a knowledge of Christ, but are deficient in their understanding, to be brought up to speed. Before any outreach endeavors are put into place, the disciples themselves must be brought into the light! This is the manner of the Kingdom, and is evident in our text.
These two found “the eleven” apostles – and they were not alone. There were other disciples who were “with them.” The exact number is not known, but it must have included “the women,” Mary Magdalene, Justus and Matthias (Acts 1:23), and perhaps even “the seventy” (Lk 10:17), as well as others. John refers to this occasion taking place on “the same day at evening, being the first day of the week,” adding that the door was shut “where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19).
Thus, the two returned to “their own,” as Peter and John would do later when they were threatened by the Jewish authorities (Acts 4:23). When Paul was en route to Rome, and the boat had landed in Sidon, he was given leave to “go unto his friends to refresh himself” (Acts 27:3). For that matter, following His resurrection, when Jesus appeared, it was only to His own disciples – and even then, it was only to those who had been “chosen before of God” (Acts 10:41).
The point to be seen here is the priority of those who have been identified with Christ. They are to be the first to know of fresh and new insights. They are like laborers in the vineyard of the Lord, who are to be the first to partake of the fruit (2 Tim 2:6). When Paul revealed the insights he had received concerning “the mystery” of redemption and of God and Christ, he shared it first with the body of Christ. Even when the Gospel was preached, it was “to the Jew first,” who had some working knowledge of God (Rom 1:16). Personal testimonies of insight will have greater power when they are properly reported at the first.
THEY REPORTED WHAT HAD BEEN DONE
“ Luke 24:34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.”
How will these disciples report to the others? What will they accent? Will their own experience be the primary thing? How will they refer to Jesus? We will see in this report the manner in which the truth affects those who believe it.
THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED. Other versions read, “is really risen,” NASB “It is true! The Lord has risen.” NIV and “has truly come back to life.” BBE There was nothing ambiguous about the report. They did not say this was their perception, but that this is what really had taken place. In the days that follow, similar statements will be made concerning the risen Christ. “God hath raised Him up” (Acts 2:24; 3:15). “This Jesus hath God raised up” (2:32). “God, having raised up His Son” (3:26). “God raised from the dead” (4:10; 13:30; 17:31). “Him God raised up the third day” (10:40). “He hath raised up Jesus again” (13:33,37). These are all affirmations. An affirmation is a positive assertion and solemn declaration. It is not the announcement of possibilities or probabilities. It is not stating the ideal, or setting a goal before the people. What is affirmed already exists, and in this case, cannot be altered.
Concerning the Person and accomplishments of Christ, there is a certain power in affirmation that is scarcely realized in our time. This is the kind of word faith requires, for faith is the “substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). When men major on human experience, which is the religious fad of our time, affirmation is, at the best, very weak. This is because man-centered statements tend to be largely theoretical, and deal with the abstract. Those who speak of such things are prone to major on goals, ideals, and disciplined procedures. That is because they really have little or nothing to say.
HATH APPEARED TO SIMON. The first report of the “two” had nothing to do with them directly. Rather, it had to do with Christ’s appearance to someone else. In this we see how they had, in a manner of speaking, consented to the agenda of Jesus. Also, here is a bit of new knowledge – something that must have been revealed to them by Jesus, or on the way back Jerusalem. Paul alludes to this appearance in First Corinthians. “And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve” (1 Cor 15:5). We do not know when this appearance took place. We do know that the angel told the women to “tell His disciples and Peter” to meet Jesus in Galilee (Mk 16:7). Things that we do know include the following: 1) The appearance took place on the same day Jesus rose from the dead. 2) It was after Mary and the women had seen Jesus. 3) It was after Peter and John had been at the sepulcher. 4) It was before the return of the two from Emmaus to Jerusalem.
The fact that we know very little about this special appearance confirms that it was of a more private and personal nature. It may very well have been because of the sorrow that accompanied Peter’s denial of Jesus during the night of His betrayal. Also, because Peter was the lead apostle may have required this initial appearance.
THEY TOLD WHAT THINGS WERE DONE IN THE WAY. Concerning their own experience, they first declared “their experience on the road.” NASB This was when it is said of Jesus, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself,” or “went on explaining and interpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself” AMPLIFIED (Luke 24:27). Later, after their eyes had been opened and they recognized Jesus, they said of that time: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” NIV (Luke 24:32). There is a common experience for those who are walking in newness of life: the spiritual exhilaration of perceiving Jesus in the Scriptures. It is unfortunate that this appears to be an exceedingly rare experience in our time. People with some inclination to Jesus are being served up a message that revolves around them, their problems, and their potential. It all appears to have a good sound to it, emitting the idea that this is evidence of a genuine concern for the people. However, such mental edifices are like houses made of cards when compared with the words of the One who has a real interest in the people. No person will promote burning hearts by a man-centered and experience-driven message.
AND HOW HE WAS KNOWN OF THEM. In referring to when Jesus was “made known to them,” NKJV they actually were recalling a brief moment of time. As soon as they “knew Him,” “He vanished out of their sight” (Lk 24:31). However, the impact of that insight filled their hearts with light and joy. That is because their faith had been restored, and their hope refueled. It is well to remember that a moment of spiritual insight will compensate for three days of weeping, lamenting, and hopelessness. If ever the people can see Jesus as He really is, they will experience a rejuvenation that cannot be enjoyed any other way. That kind of insight remains with the individual. It is enhanced and strengthened through the ministry of “the Spirit of truth,” who causes the words of Jesus to come alive and be understood.
THE RESIDUE DID NOT BELIEVE
“ Mark 16:13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.”
THEY WENT AND TOLD IT. Mark does not provide the details of Jesus with the two on the road, or His presence with them in their house. He only says that Jesus “appeared in another form” to them “as they walked, and went into the country.” He then records what they did after Jesus had disappeared from their vision: “They went and told it.” Other versions say they “reported it,” NIV “told,” NRSV “gave news of it,” BBE “brought word,”DARBY and “told this.” IE That is, they reported the things relating to Jesus – what He had done, and what He had said. Their report was a Christ-centered account, not an experience-centered one. Their purpose was not to compare what had happened to them with what had not happened to the others. Rather, it was to confirm that Jesus was risen from the dead, just as He said, and that this had been confirmed to them through His exposition of the Scriptures concerning Himself.
I am painfully aware that this may appear overly simplistic. However, it is essential that the people of God learn to speak out of the reservoir of their faith instead of the cistern of human experience. When men and their experience becomes the center of attention, Jesus us seen primarily as man’s Helper, and not as the Savior. He is perceived as addressing the self-perceived needs of men, rather than fulfilling the will of God the Father. When our interests focus on men instead of upon Christ Jesus, however noble it may appear, it tends to blur our vision, promote incorrect priorities, and actually place Christ into the background.
THE RESIDUE. Other versions read, “the rest,” NKJV “the others,” NASB “the remnant,” GENEVA and “the other followers.” IE Here we have a most intriguing distinction. When the women told the things they had experienced at the tomb, they reported it to “the eleven, and to all the rest” (Lk 24:9). When Luke reported the response of the Jews to the peaching of Peter, he referred to “Peter and to the rest of the apostles” (Acts 2:37). After Ananias and Sapphira had died, it is written that all, who believed were “with one accord,” while “of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them” (Acts 5:13). When Paul accounted for the election obtaining the promise of God, he added, “and the rest were blinded” (Rom 11:7). When Jesus upbraided some within the church in Thyatira, He also gave a promise to “the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan” (Rev 2:24).
Now, it is apparent in all of these cases that “the rest” are being compared with those who had obtained greater advantage. Apart from the circumstances being reported by Cleopas and His partner, they themselves would have been identified among “the rest,” having, in some way, been inferior to the apostles. However, in this circumstance, and because of the time Jesus had spent with them, they were in the superior position. They had seen more and heard more than “the residue,” who had not seen and heard what had been made known to them.
Without spending an inordinate amount of time on this matter, within the body of Christ, those who have perceived the most default to the highest order. They are the ones to whom we told to be subject, who have “spoken” to us “the word of God” (Heb 13:7). So far as we know, there is no known limit concerning who can be in this category – unless it be the position into which God has placed them in the body (1 Cor 12:18). Even then, for those who believe, there are no fences around Jesus.
In view of this situation, it is incumbent upon every believer to submit their minds and hearts to truth and fresh insights, regardless of the one who makes them known. There is a view of church and teaching that does not allow for this kind of submission. Such a view would forbid the testimony of Mary, the women, and the two from Emmaus. However, in the light of our text, such souls, at the best, are classified as “the rest,” or “the residue.”
NEITHER BELIEVED THEY THEM. Modern versions omit the word “neither,” even though it is a proper translation of the Greek word used here. The word is one denoting continuing negation – that is, there was some unbelief that preceded that which is mentioned in this verse. Mark specifies it in verse eleven, recalling the testimony of Mary. Verse thirteen is a continuation of that thought: “And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not” [Mary] . . . “neither believed they them” [the two].
At this point “the rest” had the testimony of Mary, the empty tomb, and the woman. Now, they also have the attesting testimony of the two from Emmaus. Yet, unbelief has such a grip upon “the residue” that they reject this third confirmation – to say nothing of Christ’s pre-death prophesies of His resurrection, saying He would rise again on “the third day” (Matt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; Mk 8:31; 9:31; 10:34; Lk 9:22; 13:32; 18:33).
Well ought we to give the more earnest heed to the warning of the Spirit: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Heb 3:12). Unbelief is totally unreasonable, rejecting the most powerful testimonies, forgetting the words of Jesus, and stubbornly clinging to delusion.