Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Mark
Chapter 16: He Is Risen; Go Ye Into All the World
Mark 16 is the triumphant close of the Gospel: the empty tomb and the risen Lord. Very early on the first day of the week, women come to anoint the body and find the great stone rolled away and a messenger who declares the greatest news ever spoken: 'Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here.' The message carries a word of tender grace, 'tell his disciples and Peter,' naming the very one who denied Him. The risen Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and to others, rebuking the disciples' slowness to believe, and then commissions His church: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.' Confirmed by signs, the risen Lord 'was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God,' while His people 'preached every where, the Lord working with them.' The chapter proclaims the risen, ascended Christ and sends the church out with His gospel and His power.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Mark chapter 16, the final chapter. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus rises from the dead, appears to His own, sends His church into all the world, and ascends to God's right hand. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
He Is Risen
The stone is rolled away, and the tomb is empty; He is risen.
Tell His Disciples and Peter
The risen Lord names the very one who denied Him.
Go Ye Into All the World
The church is sent to preach the gospel to every creature.
The Right Hand of God
The risen Lord ascends, and works with His people by signs.
He Is Not Here (Mark 16:1-8)
The women who come to anoint a dead body find an empty tomb and the greatest news the world has ever heard.
Tell His Disciples and Peter
"And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 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. 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. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid."
Word Study
"he is risen," Greek egerthe (ἠγέρθη). The verb is passive in form, "he was raised," and points to a completed, accomplished event: God raised Jesus from the dead. The messenger's announcement is stark and glorious: "he is risen; he is not here." The women came seeking a body to anoint; they found an empty tomb and a living Lord. The resurrection is not a fable or a feeling but a fact of history, the Father's public "Amen" to the finished work of the cross, declaring that the ransom was paid in full and death is conquered.
Explanation
At sunrise the women come to anoint a body and find the stone rolled away and a young man in white declaring the impossible made fact: "He is risen; he is not here." They are pointed to the evidence -- "behold the place where they laid him" -- and sent to tell the disciples, "and Peter," a tender word of grace to the man who denied Him. Mark's stark ending leaves them trembling and amazed, for the resurrection is not a comfortable idea but an earthquake that undoes death itself. The tomb that held the Son of God could not keep Him; He goes before His failing disciples into Galilee to gather them again.
Gospel Focus
This is the hinge of history and the foundation of our faith. The women come "very early... at the rising of the sun," in grief, carrying spices to anoint a corpse, worried only about a practical problem: "Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? for it was very great." They came expecting death, and found that God had already solved the problem, "the stone was rolled away", and turned their grief to glory. In the tomb a messenger in "a long white garment" speaks the words that changed the world: "Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here." The crucified One is the risen One; death could not hold the Author of life. And notice the invitation: "behold the place where they laid him", the evidence is open; the grave is empty. But the tenderest word is what follows: "tell his disciples and Peter." Why single out Peter? Because Peter had denied his Lord with curses and wept bitterly, and now, first of all, the risen Saviour sends a personal word of grace to the one who failed Him most. He is not written off; he is named. This is the heart of the risen Christ toward every fallen disciple: He seeks the one who denied Him, and restores him. The resurrection is the proof that the cross worked, that sin is paid for, death is beaten, and Jesus is all He claimed to be. And it comes wrapped in mercy, sending its first word to a broken Peter. The women flee "amazed" and afraid, but the news could not be contained; the crucified Jesus of Nazareth is risen, and He calls His failing people by name. He is risen indeed.
He Upbraided Them with Their Unbelief (Mark 16:9-14)
The risen Jesus appears to His own, and finds them slow to believe the very news that is their hope.
Because They Believed Not
"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen."
Word Study
"upbraided," Greek oneidisen (ὠνείδισεν). The word means to reproach, to rebuke, to censure. The risen Jesus "upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart," a firm rebuke for their slowness to believe the reports of His resurrection. It is striking that even after all He had said, and after the eyewitness testimony of those who saw Him, the disciples "believed not." Their unbelief was not innocent doubt but a hardness that needed correcting. Yet notice: He rebukes them and still sends them. The Lord corrects our unbelief, but He does not cast off slow-hearted disciples; He restores them and commissions them.
Explanation
The risen Christ appears first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils -- grace choosing the once-bound woman as the first witness -- then to two on the road, and then to the eleven. The repeated note is the disciples' unbelief: they "believed not" Mary, "neither believed they" the two, and Jesus "upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart." The resurrection was not the fruit of gullible hope but broke through the resistance of men who would not believe until they saw. The witnesses of the empty tomb were the last to be convinced -- proof that they did not invent what finally conquered their doubt.
Gospel Focus
The risen Lord's first appearance is a wonder of grace: He "appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." The first witness of the resurrection was not a prominent leader but a woman once bound by seven demons, now delivered and devoted, showing how the risen Christ honors the lowly and the delivered. But the response of the disciples is a sobering thread through this section: told that Jesus was alive, "they believed not"; told again by the two who met Him on the road, "neither believed they them." These were His own chosen disciples, who had heard Him foretell His resurrection plainly, and still they would not believe the good news. So when Jesus appears to the eleven, He "upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart." This is honest and humbling. The resurrection was not the invention of gullible, wishful men eager to believe; it was forced upon reluctant, skeptical disciples who had to be rebuked into faith by the risen Christ Himself. Their very slowness to believe is a testimony to the truth of the resurrection: they did not expect it, did not want to be deceived, and believed only when they could no longer deny the living Lord before them. And there is grace in the rebuke. Jesus does not abandon these slow-hearted men; He corrects their unbelief and, in the very next breath, entrusts them with the greatest commission in history. He is patient with our doubts, but He will not leave us in them; He calls us to believe the report of His resurrection and to rest our whole hope on the living Christ. Do not be found among those who, having every reason to believe, still harden the heart; the Lord is risen, and He calls us to faith.
Go Ye Into All the World (Mark 16:15-20)
The risen Lord sends His church to preach the gospel to every creature, then ascends to God's right hand and works with His people.
He Was Received Up Into Heaven
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."
Word Study
"preach," Greek kerusso (κηρύσσω). The word means to herald, to proclaim as a public crier announces the message of the king. The church's task is not to debate or entertain but to kerusso, to herald the gospel, "to every creature," in "all the world." The message is fixed and urgent: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." The herald does not invent the message; he proclaims the King's word. And the risen King Himself works with His heralds, "confirming the word with signs following," so that the preaching goes out in His power.
Explanation
The commission is worldwide and urgent: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Jesus binds together the response and its promise -- "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" -- joining faith and baptism as the shape of the new-covenant obedience the apostles will preach as repentance and baptism in Jesus' name (Acts 2:38). Signs follow, and then the Lord is "received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." But He is not absent: the disciples go forth and preach, "the Lord working with them" -- the risen, ascended Christ still present by His Spirit, confirming His word to the ends of the earth.
Gospel Focus
The Gospel that presented Jesus as the mighty Servant now sends His servants out. The risen Lord gives the Great Commission: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." The mission is universal, to all the world and every creature, and its heart is the gospel of the crucified and risen Christ. He states plainly the two destinies that hang on the response: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Faith is the great dividing line, the faith that receives the gospel; and that saving faith is joined to baptism, as the apostles taught and practiced, calling every believer to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). Note that the condemnation clause names only unbelief, "he that believeth not," for it is the refusal of Christ that damns; but the believer's obedient baptism is the appointed way of confessing and receiving the salvation Christ gives. The risen Lord also promises that His power will accompany the gospel: "these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues," and more. The book of Acts shows these very signs following the Apostolic church, devils cast out and believers speaking "with new tongues" as the Spirit was poured out. The signs are not the message but the confirmation of it, God bearing witness to the gospel and to the name of Jesus. Then comes the crown of the Gospel: "the Lord... was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." The crucified Servant is now the exalted Lord, enthroned at God's right hand, the place of highest authority. And He does not leave His church alone: "they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following." The ascended Christ works with His people still. This is the marching order and the confidence of the church until He comes: go, preach the gospel to every creature, call all to believe and be baptized, and know that the risen, ascended Lord goes with you, working with you, confirming His word. The Servant who gave His life a ransom is the reigning Lord who sends and empowers His own. Go, therefore, in His name.
Chapter 16 in Review
Mark 16 crowns the Gospel with the resurrection, the commission, and the ascension. The women find the stone rolled away and hear, "he is risen; he is not here," with the tender word, "tell his disciples and Peter." The risen Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and to others, and "upbraided" the disciples for their slowness to believe, showing that the resurrection was forced upon reluctant witnesses, not invented by eager ones. Then He commissions His church, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," promises signs to follow, and "was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God," while His people "preached every where, the Lord working with them."
For the Apostolic reader this final chapter gathers the whole Gospel into a burning point. The resurrection is the Father's public verdict that the cross succeeded, sin is paid for, death is conquered, and Jesus, "the Son of God" confessed at the cross, is now risen and enthroned. The risen Lord's grace to Peter shows His heart toward every fallen disciple, He seeks and restores. His rebuke of unbelief shows that faith in the risen Christ is not optional but commanded. And the Great Commission is the church's abiding task: to herald the gospel to all the world, calling every soul to believe and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, with the promise of the Spirit's power and confirming signs, as the book of Acts unfolds. The ascended Christ, seated "on the right hand of God," is the same mighty Servant who gave His life a ransom for many, now reigning and working with His people to the ends of the earth. He is risen; He is Lord of all; He goes with His church. Go, therefore, and preach the gospel to every creature, in the name of the risen and ascended Lord.
- "He is risen; he is not here": the resurrection is a real, historical event (16:6).
- The risen Lord names Peter, showing His grace toward the fallen (16:7).
- The resurrection was believed only reluctantly, a testimony to its truth (16:11-14).
- The church is sent to preach the gospel to every creature (16:15).
- "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"; faith and baptism, as the apostles practiced (16:16; Acts 2:38).
- The ascended Lord sits at God's right hand and works with His people (16:19-20).
Questions for Reflection
- Have you truly believed the report that Jesus is risen, and rested your hope on Him?
- Do you know the grace of the risen Christ who names and restores the fallen?
- Have you obeyed the gospel's call to believe and be baptized in the name of Jesus?
- Are you sharing in Christ's commission to preach the gospel to every creature?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The resurrection accounts: Matthew 28; Luke 24; John 20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. Apostolic baptism in the name of Jesus: Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5. Signs following, tongues, and the outpoured Spirit: Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6; Hebrews 2:3-4. The ascension and Christ at God's right hand: Acts 1:9-11; Psalm 110:1; Ephesians 1:20. (The KJV includes verses 9-20 as received in the church; some early manuscripts end at verse 8. The passage is held with the same reverence and its truth is confirmed throughout the New Testament.) If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The resurrection and the empty tomb: Mark 16:1-8; Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18.
- The risen Lord's appearances: Mark 16:9-14; Luke 24:13-43; John 20:11-29; 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.
- The Great Commission and the ascension: Mark 16:15-20; Matthew 28:16-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11; 2:38.