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(Parallels: Mat_28:9-20; Luk_24:36-49; Joh_20:19-21; Joh_20:25)
Mar_16:14. Afterward.—By ὕóôåñïí we are, certainly, not to understand, lastly; still it marks here the later, the personal revelations of Christ in the circle of the disciples, which succeeded His former isolated manifestations, and which established the fact of His resurrection. The confusions, which Meyer discovers in the account now following, rest upon critical prejudices, and upon the absence of details in the narrative of the Evangelist, which last characteristic also appears in the final chapter of Luke.—And upbraided them with their unbelief.—Upbraiding, the original form which Christ’s contest took with the weak faith, the doubting, and feeble yielding to the influences of the evil one. (See Leben Jesu, 2:1. p. 295.) And these are the causes of Christ’s last upbraiding among His disciples.—And hardness of heart.—Comp. Mar_8:17 seq.
Mar_16:15. And He said unto them.—Thus Mark, exactly as Luk_24:45, passes over to a general conclusion.—Preach the Gospel to every creature; ðÜóῃ ôῇ êôßóåé , the entire creation.—We find no reason to limit, with De Wette, this phrase to the conception, “all men” [“literally, all creatures, that is, all men, as also the Jews use áִּøְéåֹú :” Lightfoot, Wetstein]. Comp. Rom_8:21. Because the miraculous gifts of the Christians, here mentioned, point to a glorification of all nature through the Gospel. See Isaiah 9. Still less is the phrase to be restricted, with Lightfoot and others, to the heathen, who were contemptuously termed by the Rabbins äáøéúå ; for, as Meyer remarks, this would be in opposition to Mar_16:16; Mar_16:20.
Mar_16:16. He that believeth.—Expressed from the stand-point of Christ, as He who was one day to return in the capacity of the world’s Saviour and Judge, for the purpose of giving the due recompense. Baptism is not named along with faith as in itself an indispensable matter, but as the natural, certainly, also, necessary consequence of faith; because baptism indicates the entering of the believer into the communion of the believing Church. There is no occasion for the distinction made by Meyer between the newly converted and the children of Christians, because the antithesis runs, ὁ äὲἀðéóôÞóáò ; and it is not self-evident that baptism was not dispensed to such children. It is manifest that Jesus, according to Mark, has made the damnation depend upon a positive, personal disbelief, or rejection of the Gospel. But the Gospel is to be proclaimed to every creature, without exception. In this we have a connection opened between this passage, and the-passages 1Pe_3:19; 1Pe_4:6.
Mar_16:17. Signs.— Óçìåῖá is first brought forward the term indicating that miracles of all kinds should accompany them, should make their testimony trustworthy; but these signs Christ will specify.—That believe (that have believed).—That is, who have become believers, have adopted the faith. This promise holds good not merely of the Apostles and the Seventy (Kuinoel), but also of all Christians without exception. Meyer: “Finally, Jesus does not mean that each of these signs should manifest itself with each believer, but this miracle with one, that with another.” In entire Christendom, however, all of them; and, apart from their original, miraculous form, these signs were always to be more and more glorious and potent in their action, as the forces which are transforming the world.—Follow; ðáñáêïëïõèÞóåé .—Literally, to follow in company, to proceed along with. See the expression, Luk_1:3.—In My name.—The miraculous power by which they were to effect all the succeeding wonders. To the expulsion of demons corresponds speaking with new tongues, and to the taking up of serpents the drinking of anything deadly; and, finally, to the laying of hands upon the sick, their recovery. The first division indicates, negatively, the overthrow and expulsion of ethical evil (the casting out of devils); positively, the new form taken by the ethical world in the life of believers (speaking with new tongues). The second division indicates, negatively, the destruction of what is physically injurious, and its transformation into what is beneficial for the world (to take up serpents); positively, the overcoming of all that is physically injurious, through the strengthening of the life of Christians. The third division (laying hands upon the sick) indicates, negatively, the removal of all ethico-physical sufferings from others; positively (they shall recover), the return of the perfect, natural feeling of health to those who believe. These six members represent a proclamation, by means of facts, of that Gospel which is designed for every creature, or better, for the whole creation.—Cast out devils.—Employed in the most extensive sense, and with the deepest meaning. Purification of the new, divine world from all evil spirits.—Speak with new tongues.—This statement is to be restricted neither to the form under which “the speaking with tongues” showed itself at Pentecost, nor to the more general form of the Corinthian gift of tongues, obtaining commonly among the new converts of the apostolic era (Act_10:46; Act_19:6). For the statement of Christ applies to Christians generally, and to all time. The germ of this promise, of speaking with new tongues, lies in the instructions to the Apostles, Mar_13:11; comp. Matthew 10. The new form which the spiritual world assumes, under the teaching of the Spirit, is here revealed by means of a symbolic expression; and we have an indication of the miraculous development of that world when the apostolic gift of tongues appeared. Meyer declares that there is a reference in this passage to the Apostles speaking with tongues under the influence of ecstasy (a state as entirely different from the Montanist conception, as the free, ethical inspiration is from pathological somnambulism); that tradition has explained this “speaking,” with reference to what occurred at Pentecost, as speaking in foreign tongues,—the fact being that Mark, influenced by traditions, conceived of the matter in a mythical way, and went far beyond Luke’s idea. But, holding such opinions, Meyer is on the high road to a mythological explanation of the passage, and only obscures a statement which is to be received as an exalted expression, symbolical in character, but in meaning most fully accordant with the Bible.
Mar_16:18. Take up serpents.—By áἴñåéí may be understood destroy, drive forth (Luther), or exterminate (Theophylact). This explanation would give a good sense, and might find support from some other passages of the Scriptures (Luk_10:19): nevertheless, to express such an idea, no such peculiar expression would have been selected; and moreover the conception we obtain thus is too trifling, for Hercules had already proved himself able to exterminate serpents. The word may, however, have another meaning: throw into the air (and so mediately destroy the reptiles), as Paul did with a serpent (Act_28:5). But to express this idea, the term before us is not sufficiently clear. Or it may signify, to draw forth by means of some potent conjuration; an idea that savors too much of heathenish magic arts. Or, finally, it may mean, to set up on a pole, as a token of victory. Commentators have hitherto passed over unnoticed this signification of áἴñåéí , to lift up, or elevate as a óçìåßïí or signal upon some pole or staff, and yet it is a force properly belonging to the verb; and it leads our thoughts back to the lifting up of the brazen serpent in the wilderness as a symbol of victory. The expression ἱóôÜíáé ἐðὶ óçìåßïí , Num_21:9, is of the same import as áἴñåéí , for which John employs (Mar_3:14) ὑøïῦí for a particular reason. The special reference of that brazen serpent was to Christ, who was elevated upon the cross in the character of a heretic and transgressor, rejected by the old world, and so formed a type of the arch-enemy, and yet was made by God Saviour of, and means of life to, all that looked up to Him. Still, the more general reference was this, that the deadly and horrible serpent was not only overcome, but that its image was made to be a standard of victory. And this is accordingly a type which has been fulfilled to the fullest extent in Christianity: serpents are not simply overcome, destroyed; they are lifted up on high as ensigns of victory, with healing efficacy. What was in itself injurious has been serviceable to the interests of God’s kingdom, as we find represented in the Gothic cathedrals. And this occurs not merely in a typical manner, but with actual serpents,—of course according to their symbolic signification. The fact that Christ only represented a serpent (that is, represented a deceiver and destroyer of the people dying on the cross, by whom the world was delivered from ruin), does not prevent our adopting the more general explanation, according to which actual serpents, the signs of death in the world, are changed into signs of life. Meyer, in his remarks on this passage, far surpasses De Wette, when the latter says, “If Mark had before his mind the serpent-charmers so common in the East (Mich. Mos. Recht, § 255), the account is apocryphal.” Meyer puts this view aside with the one hand, and with the other takes it back again, with many additions. This conversion of the symbolism of the Bible into obscure, mythical allusions is now altogether antiquated. [The simplest explanation is the most rational. The “taking up of serpents” is immediately connected with the “drinking of any deadly thing,” and denotes that their lives would be preserved by the miraculous power of God, whenever the exertion of such power was needed. The extension of the statement to believers generally, in every age of the church, is not warranted by anything in the text, and introduces confusion. This was a promise to the Apostles, and the apostolic age.—Ed.]—And if they drink any deadly thing.—This expresses symbolically the restoration of life to such a degree as to be actually inviolable. De Wette thinks that the apocryphal story of John having, without injury, drunk a poisoned cup, and the similar story regarding Barnabas, related by Eusebius, Hist. 3:39, gave origin to this passage. Meyer has good reasons for opposing this view; but he is somewhat inconsistent, since he considers this section to be an apocryphal addition. The remark has more force, that the custom of condemning a criminal to drink a cup of poison suggested the idea. And why should this custom not have occurred to Christ? yea, why may He not have thought of the condemnation of Socrates, and then have declared, “The poisoned cup shall not harm My people;” primarily, of course, in a symbolic sense (just as the cup of hemlock hurt not the soul of Socrates)? But also in a typical sense the life of believers should grow more and more able to overcome all injurious influences, and often literally to overcome these influences in a miraculous manner. The passage Mat_20:23 is the most general, the passage Mat_26:39 the most special, Christological conception of the similar thought in a symbolic form.—Sick.—Miraculous cures. Also a symbolical expression of the removal of sickness.—They shall recover.—Guided by the two preceding parallels, we consider this last sentence to refer to believers themselves. They are, on their side, to enjoy perfect well-being.
2. By the first appearance of Jesus in the full assembly of the disciples, on the first evening after the resurrection, the certainty of His having risen is decided for the Church, and so mediately for the world. This first revelation of the risen Christ stands opposed to the last rising of the unbelief of the disciples. They have sinned, in respect to His resurrection, through unbelief; and hence His appearing is accompanied with an upbraiding of their want of faith, which wakens shame in them. The last remnant of unbelief is now actually driven forth by rebukes with this departing unbelief, the hard-heartedness disappears, the spiritual life of the disciples becomes free and active; they can now yield themselves up to the perfect revelation of His glory, and all succeeding revelations of that glory, with full confidence, and with an ever-growing soul-life. This upbraiding of the unbelief, which passes over into a blessing, marks the perfected triumph of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and so gives the concluding thought of Mark, through whose entire Gospel the contest of Christ against the unbelief and hardness of heart of His disciples is found running as the fundamental thought. Least of all could the Gospel by Mark conclude, as a Gospel of fear, with the little faith of the disciples. In the belief, however, of Christ’s absolute glory through His victory, the spiritual glory of the Church is also declared. According to the Gospel of Peter, the Church of Christ must go on from one degree of faith to another, till it attains unto perfection. It cannot, like the Romish phantom of Peter, remain amazed for ever upon the first step of faith; it must advance with the almighty administration of Christ, must grow and work in the fulness of spiritual life, till the Gospel be preached to every creature.
3. The Gospel to every creature.—Out of the demon-polluted, the enslaved, the fear-ruled world, shall arise an evangelized, freed, glorified world of faith, of peace, of life. The glorification of the world through the Gospel is an idea and a promise which runs through the whole of Holy Writ (Deuteronomy 28; Song of Sol.; Isaiah 11; Isa_65:17; Romans 8; Rev_2:1): and Christ here makes this promise to take the form of an institution. What His resurrection is in fact,—a proclamation of the Gospel to every creature: this the apostolic preaching is to make known to the world, to bring about, and to seal by the sacraments. And every true, living, earnest preaching of the word is consequently a proclamation of that Gospel, the aim of which is to free all creatures from their subjection to vanity, a power conducing to that regeneration which the great palingenesis is to bring about, and which shall appear along with the world’s end. This thought of the great regeneration of the world rests altogether upon views peculiar to Peter: Act_2:20; Act_3:20-21; 2Pe_1:4; Mar_3:13.
4. He that believeth.—With the Gospel, accordingly, begins the great crisis, the separation, which comes to view at the end of the world. See Joh_3:19; Joh_3:36. Belief and unbelief form the grand distinction in the new history of the world; and they are operating to bring to its completion the separation of the eternal, divine world from the territory of death and of the devils’ torment; and they will continue to act thus until judgment begins. That the believer, as such, is at once baptized, that is, enters under the sacramental seal of his faith into the communion of the believing Church, is a self-evident presupposition; therefore, whoso believeth and is baptized. The promise of salvation, of deliverance, is not annexed to baptism in itself, but to the faith which receives its completion in baptism. Hence, on the other hand, want of baptism is not followed by damnation, but the want of faith, which may undoubtedly evidence itself, even though baptism be lacking.
5. Upon the doctrine of baptism, consult the dogmatic systems.
6. The accompanying miracles.—The new birth of creation is completed in three stages: 1. The personal stage, preaching the Gospel: 2. the social stage, the sacrament; 3. the cosmical stage, the cures, as they enter into the natural life, arid lead it on to its transformation, by working on the one hand to purify, on the other to liberate. Compare the preceding observations on the single miracles. Heubner: “Promise of miraculous powers. How far does it extend? Many commentators maintain that it extends to all time, and in a very wide sense; e. g., Grotius. He says, we are to blame that the ÷áñßóìáôá have ceased (so also Lavater, Hess). But have, then, the later Christians,—e. g., from the third century down, the most spiritual of the Christian Fathers, the Reformers,—had no faith, because they wrought no miracles? Augustine says: The miraculous gifts continued so long as they were needed, until firm ground was laid for the Church to rest upon; they could be dispensed with, when the Church became firmly established (comp. De Civ. Dei. x. 7).” According to Mark, however, this promise is given in as universal a form as the sending of the Gospel into all lands, for all times. The elder theology was wanting in the defined conception of the Church as an organic whole; otherwise, it would have seen that the miraculous signs continue, though the forms are not the same,—least of all, do the forms at the beginning correspond with those to obtain at the last end.
7. The festival of the Ascension.—It was from the first, undoubtedly, celebrated within the great Quinquagesima period, between Easter and Pentecost. After the fourth century, it assumed the form of a special festival, and was celebrated when the fifty days began to end.
Starke:—Bibl. Wirt.:—We must willingly and pleasantly receive even the denunciatory statements of God’s word. They proceed from the purest love, to effect our salvation.—Luther:—The words of Christ are words of majesty; for that may well be termed majesty, by virtue of which these poor beggars are commanded to go forth and preach this new truth, not in one city or country, but in all the world, in every principality and kingdom, and to open their mouths freely and confidently before all creatures, so that all the human race may hear this preaching. This was most assuredly stretching the arm far out, grasping on all sides, and lading itself with a great burden. This is a command so strong and powerful, that no injunction of earth has surpassed it.—Those alone can preach repentance who have repented, and are truly humble.—Nova Bibl. Tub.:—Lo, Jesus has instituted the ministerial office for the benefit of all the world. The portals of grace stand open to all: oh! let us enter, and not delay!—Osiander:—God will exclude no one from eternal blessedness, who does not exclude himself through unbelief.—Faith is enjoined upon all, but given only to those who do not obstinately oppose themselves.—Nova Bibl. Tub.:—Mark well, my soul, how blessed thou mayest be, and escape damnation! One way alone leads to heaven, faith; one way alone to hell, unbelief.—Unbelief is the sole ground of damnation.
Gerlach:—Although no man can be saved except through Christ, nevertheless Christ declares him alone damned who has refused the salvation offered to him.—All miracles which accompany the proclamation of the divine word are signs: they point to that internal wonder of salvation and the new birth which the word effects, and only in so far have they value.—Lisco:—He who is ashamed of such a confession of Christ [baptism] should think of Mat_10:32-33.—In the name of Jesus, in faith upon Him, empowered by His might, for the furtherance of His ends, were these signs to be wrought.
Braune:—From Rieger: “Wonder not, although in thine own case faith is a constant overcoming of unbelief.”—Brieger:—The command of Christ [“Go ye,” etc.] given to the Church, which came into prominence at Pentecost.—The Gospel is for all.—The state of a Church may be seen in what it does for missions.—After the signs which accompanied belief have ceased, the ascension of the Son of God can be evidenced only in that which manifests itself as the life of faith [and this is the sign of the regeneration of the world; a sign, no doubt, manifesting itself ever under new forms, while the divine power remains ever the same].
The Lesson. Heubner (compare, in addition, Luther’s explanation, Works ix. 2546–2747):—Unbelief is blameworthy, is dependent upon the heart, upon being willing or not willing. Were it otherwise, Christ could not rebuke.—The world is the theatre for the display of the Gospel.—Christianity is a matter for humanity.—It is a duty continually to spread the Gospel.—We must profess the faith we have in our hearts (baptism).—Faith is necessary for all without exception, would they be saved. To disbelieve is very different from not knowing the Gospel (unbelief and ignorance are two essentially distinct ideas): unbelief is rejecting an offered, an understood Gospel, which has to some degree influenced one. Unbelief is chargeable, when it is a positive, determined rejection. The heathen cannot be charged with (deliberate) unbelief.—The revelation of the glory of Jesus in the moment of His parting from His disciples.—The departure of Jesus from the earth: 1. The description itself; 2. how edifying for us.—The power of faith in the heavenly majesty of Jesus.
Schleiermacher (Predigten, Bd. ii. 1834, p. 204): The close of our Lord’s appearance upon earth compared with its beginning.—Gruneisen (Pred. 1842, p. 280):—Upon the blessing of the exalted Redeemer.—Heidenreich:—The ascension of the Lord, contemplated from the stand-point of faith.—Illgen:—How heaven appears to us in the light of Christ’s ascension: 1. As our eternal fatherland; 2. as the land of our spiritual perfection; 3. as the place of our highest blessedness.—Von Kalm:—Let the entrance of Jesus into glory strengthen us during the period of probation; let it strengthen, 1. Our faith in heaven; 2. our longing for heaven; 3. our striving to attain heaven.—Uhle:—What Christ in His exaltation is to men upon the earth.—Rambach:—If we look into the hearts of the disciples of Jesus, upon His exaltation to heaven, we see the deepest reverence for His divine majesty, living faith in His promises, heart-longings after the better world, joyous zeal to fulfil His commission, courage undaunted by consequences.—Reinhard:—The connection between true Christians and the Church above.—Rambach:—Seek the things above.—The ascension of Jesus in its power to elevate the heart.—Reinhard:—Our unbroken communion with the perfected of our race.—Kummich:—Our Lord’s ascension shows us the way to heaven.—Hossbuch:—Our Lord’s ascension is the real completion of His work on earth.—Herberger:—The ascension, the last miracle; with it the Lord closed His visible sojourn on earth: a blessed termination of Christ’s entire journey, as St. Bernard says.—Kapff:—The ascension of Jesus shows us heaven now standing open.—Dietz:—The ascension of Jesus contemplated as His entrance upon government as the King of God’s earthly kingdom.—Harless:—The Gospel being preached to every creature is the best testimony of Christ being raised to the right hand of God.—Bengel:—With the ascension, the kingdom begins to extend on all sides.—Genzen:—The Lord ever continues to bless His Church.—Ahlfeld:—The last expression of the will of our Lord Jesus Christ.—Kem:—Not till His ascension did He become properly our Saviour [i.e., the most remote distance becomes the most immediate contiguity].—Florey:—The disciples’ pain and consolation in the departure of the Lord.—Burk:—Consider how Jesus, by His ascension, has opened all that formerly was closed: 1. The human heart to faith; 2. the whole earth to the Gospel; 3. heaven for all to enter who believe on Him.