Mark 16:9-20

Mark 16:9-20

[9] Now  when Jesus was risen  early  the first  day of the week,  he appeared  first  to Mary  Magdalene,  whom  he had cast  seven  devils.  [10] And she  went  and told  them that had been  with  him,  as they mourned  and  wept.  [11] And they,  when they had heard  that  he was alive,  and  had been seen  of  her,  believed not.  [12] After  he appeared  in  another  form  unto two  of  them,  as they walked,  and went  into  the country.  [13] And they  went  and told  it unto the residue:  neither  believed they  them.  [14] 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.  [15] And  he said  unto them,  Go ye  into  all  the world,  and preach  the gospel  to every  creature.  [16] He that believeth  and  is baptized  shall be saved;  but  he that believeth not  shall be damned.  [17] And  these  signs  them that believe;  In  name  shall they cast out  devils;  they shall speak  with new  tongues;  [18] They shall take up  serpents;  and if  they drink  deadly  thing,  hurt  them;  they shall lay  hands  on  the sick,  and  they shall  recover.  [19] So  then  after  the Lord  had spoken  unto them,  he was received up  into  heaven,  and  sat  on  the right hand  of God.  [20] And  they  went forth,  and preached  every where,  the Lord  working with  them, and  confirming  the word  with  signs  following.  Amen. 

What does Mark 16:9-20 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Many modern interpreters believe Mark ended his Gospel with Mark 16:8. [1] This seems unlikely to some others since if he did he ended it with an example of disciples too fearful and amazed to bear witness to the resurrected Jesus. Throughout this Gospel we have noted many unique features that appeal to disciples to serve God by bearing bold witness to Jesus, even in spite of persecution and suffering. They believe the women"s example would hardly be a good example for Mark to close his Gospel with.
The ending of Mark"s Gospel is one of the major textual problems in the New Testament. The main reason some interpreters regard Mark 16:9-20 as spurious is this. The two oldest Greek uncial manuscripts of the New Testament (fourth century), Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) and Codex Vaticanus (B), plus many other old manuscripts, do not contain them. Moreover the writings of some church fathers reflect no knowledge of these verses. On the other hand, Mark 16:9-20 do appear in the majority of the old manuscripts, and other church fathers do refer to them. [2] Some interpreters believe the vocabulary, style, and content of these verses argue against Mark"s authorship of them. [3] This has led many modern scholars to conclude that Mark 16:9-20 were not part of Mark"s original Gospel. [4]
If they were not part of Mark"s original Gospel, where did they come from, and are they part of the inspired Word of God or not inspired?
It may be that Mark 16:9-20 were part of Mark"s original Gospel and, for reasons unknown to us today, they were not included in some ancient copies of it. Thus these verses are as fully authoritative as the rest of the Gospel. [5]
Another view is that someone added Mark 16:9-20 to give this Gospel a more positive ending. He could have done so without divine inspiration, in which case these verses lack the divine authority that marks the rest of Scripture.
Alternatively someone could have added Mark 16:9-20 under the superintending influence of the Holy Spirit, in which case these verses have equal authority with the rest of the Gospel. [4]2 There are other passages of Scripture that seem to have been written somewhat later than the body of the book in which they appear but which the Jews and later the Christians regarded as inspired. For example, the record of Moses" death appears at the end of Deuteronomy , which most conservatives believe Moses wrote (cf. Deuteronomy 34:5-12). Another example is the references to the town of Dan in the Book of Genesis , which town did not go by that name until after Moses" time. Evidently someone after Moses" day updated the name of that town. Several other examples of this nature could be cited.
The view of many evangelicals, including myself, is that even though we may not be able to prove that Mark 16:9-20 were originally part of Mark"s Gospel, though they could have been, they appear to have been regarded as inspired and therefore authoritative early in the history of the church.
There are two other short endings to Mark"s Gospel that follow Mark 16:8 in some ancient copies, but almost all textual scholars reject these as being spurious.