In this final chapter of Mark we find Jesus lying in a tomb having been put to death by the religious Jews who hated Him. The Sabbath day had past and it had already been three days since Jesus’ death so “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him” (16:1). Anointing the body was a Jewish custom which helped cover the smell of the decaying body and also an expression of love for the deceased. “Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen” (16:2). On their journey to Jesus burial place, the women were discussing who would roll away the heavy stone which had been placed at the mouth of Jesus’ tomb (16:3). Upon arriving at the tomb, they saw that the stone had been rolled away and when they entered the tomb they discovered an angel sitting there (16:4-5). Calming their fears, the angel told them not to be afraid but to rejoice because Jesus had risen from the dead (16:6). The angel commanded the women to “go, tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you” (16:7). I find it very significant that the angel specifically mentions Peter to the women. Just a few days earlier Peter had confessed his undying love for Christ, but ended up denying Him three times. Peter was distraught over his denial of Jesus, but Jesus wanted Peter to know that He still loved him. I believe Jesus understands our weaknesses and forgives us when we fail Him.

Jesus’ resurrection was being noised across the region, but many were receiving the news with unbelief (16:9-13). At a later time Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples and gives them some instructions for their future ministry (16:14-18). Finally, Mark briefly records Jesus’ ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God (16:19). Following this encounter with the resurrected Christ, the disciples “went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs” (16:20).

As we have had the chance to journey through the gospel of Mark, may we be careful to follow the example of Jesus Christ. May we live lives of faith and conviction as a result of knowing more about our living God!

Dear God, help me to remember what You have taught me through reading the gospel of Mark.

Jesus was led off to be crucified, hung to die on a cross, between two thieves. Above His cross they placed a sign which read “THE KING OF THE JEWS” and those who passed by mocked Him saying, “save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” The religious people also talked amongst themselves saying, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe” (15:31-32). Mark writes that even the two thieves on either side of Jesus mocked Him (15:32b). Jesus suffered tremendous ridicule while He hung dying on the cross. At any time, God the Father could have decided to stop everything which was happening to His Son but because he loved mankind so much, he allowed His only Son to be killed so sinners could be freed.

At noon, darkness came over Palestine and at 3:00pm Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Luke writes that Jesus followed this cry with His last words, “into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Jesus takes His last breath and dies there on that cruel cross. He willingly laid down His life and shed His blood to become the perfect sacrifice for sin. Death was the only thing which could satisfy the wrath of God upon sin. Paul writes this in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us [mankind], that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” John MacArthur makes this observation about this verse, “As Christ was not a sinner, but was treated as if He were, so believers who have not yet been made righteous are treated as if they were righteous. He bore their sins so that they could bear His righteousness. God treated Him as if He committed believers’ sins, and treats believers as if they did only the righteous deeds of the sinless Son of God” (MacArthur Study Bible, p.1772).

At the time of Jesus’ death, the veil of the temple was miraculously torn from top to bottom (15:38) signifying that the way now into God’s presence was no longer through a priest, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. When the evening came Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus (15:42-44). When Pilate was certain that Jesus was dead, he released His body to Joseph and “he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb” (15:46). Jesus had been crucified and now buried. What was next?

Dear God, thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who willingly offered up His life for me on the cross.

The morning following Jesus being taken captive, Pilate (governor of Judea) questioned Him as a favor to the accusing council (15:1). Pilate inquired whether He was the King of the Jews to which Jesus responded “it is as you say” (15:2). “The chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, ‘Do you answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!’ But Jesus still answered nothing so that Pilate marveled” (15:3-5). Luke reveals that Pilate found no wrongdoing in Jesus, but ultimately gave into the pressure of the crowd (Luke 23:13-25). In a last effort, Pilate attempted to release Jesus on a customary act during the Passover. Luke writes, “Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested” (15:6). Thinking they would cry for the release of Jesus, Pilate set forth a murderer and thief named Barabbas against Jesus (15:7); however, the crowd cried louder to crucify the King of the Jews (15:8-14). Pilate gave in to the demands of the crowds, who had been incited by the chief priests (15:11), and freed Barabbas while sending Jesus to be crucified (15:15). In this scenario, it is amazing how a person of leadership can be be swayed by the opinion of the crowd. Even though Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against Him, he still could not resist the pressure of the mob which had gathered in Jerusalem. The soldiers led Jesus off to be crucified. Luke writes that they “clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head…then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him” (15:16-23). Why did Jesus endure all of this? He suffered punishment and eventually death for you and for me. His one mission was to die for the sins of mankind and offer forgiveness to all those who by faith accept His sacrifice. We should never forget the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us so that we could be free from sin and eternal destruction.

Dear God, thank You for being willing to go all the way to the cross for me.

As Jesus was speaking to Peter, James, and John in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas appears with “a great multitude with swords and clubs…from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders” (14:43). Judas proceeded to kiss Jesus singling Him out as the one and they immediately took Him captive (14:44-48). It was at this time that Mark also records that all of Jesus’ disciples abandoned Him as He had said in 14:27. The mob leads Jesus away to the home of the high priest and Peter follows at a distance (14:53-54). The council begins to question Jesus looking for some reason to put Him to death, but they found none (14:55-60). The high priest finally asked Jesus directly, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus responded by saying, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (14:61-62). The high priest became upset and accused Jesus of blasphemy because He claimed to be the promised Messiah. All those who were listening agreed that He should be put to death and they began spitting on Him and beating Him (14:64-65). Mark switches back to Peter, who is watching all this take place from afar, where people begin to question his association with Jesus. Three times someone accused him of being one of Jesus’ followers, but each time he denied it more vehemently (14:66-71). On his third denial, the rooster crowed and Peter remembered Jesus words to Him in Mark 14:30. When Peter thought about this, the Bible says that he wept (14:72). I know all those who follow Christ can identify with Peter in this circumstance. I truly believed Peter loved Jesus with all his heart, but overestimated how far he would go for the sake of Christ. Many of us feel committed to do the work of God in our daily lives, but when serving Him results in persecution there is some hesitation on our part. We should be honest with ourselves and guard against overconfidence in our own spiritual strength. Jesus told His disciples that the key to spiritual strength was through prayer and I believe we must throw our dependence on God each day by confessing our need for Him.

Dear God, I need Your strength today as trials and persecutions may come my way. Help me to withstand each with Your power and that my confidence would be in You, not myself.

Jesus had just revealed that one of His disciples would betray Him (Mark 14:17-21) and now things turn more sorrowful as Jesus also prophesies that all of His disciples will abandon Him (14:27). Peter is quick to speak up and declares, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be” (14:29). I believe Peter really thought he could withstand any opposition, but Jesus knew otherwise and Jesus said to Peter, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times” (14:30). Becoming more adamant about his loyalty to Jesus, Peter declared “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” All of the disciples agreed with Peter and confessed their wholehearted commitment to Christ (14:31). Little did they know that in just a few shorts hours, Jesus words would become true.

The disciples and Jesus arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus enters in to pray. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with Him inside the garden where “He began to be troubled and deeply distressed” (14:33). Jesus walks a little further into the garden, falls down, and “prayed that if were possible, the hour might pass from Him.” Jesus goes on to pray, “Abba [means daddy], Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will” (14:36). Jesus knew that His death was required to satisfy the wrath of God upon sin. But, He also felt the tremendous weight of all of man’s sin upon Himself and was asking God if there was any other way to forgive sin. Although this mission was a heavy one to bear, Jesus prayed that God’s will would be accomplished even if that meant He had to die.

After feeling this burden, Jesus finds Peter, James, and John sleeping so He calls out and warns them to stay alert (14:37). The disciples did not understand what was about to happen and were not aware of the spiritual attack which was getting ready to take place. Instead of sleeping, they should have been praying for strength. Jesus goes away again to pray but when He returns the disciples are asleep (14:39-40). A third time Jesus goes to pray and returns to find them asleep (14:41). This time Jesus says, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand” (14:41-42). This event should be a warning to every believer who feels strong enough to withstand the spiritual battles which take place around us each day. Like the disciples, we feel as if we would do anything for the sake of Christ; however, most of us are too weak without even knowing it. We need God’s power upon our lives in order to stand up against the forces of evil and prayer is the weapon which provides the strength to endure these times of temptation and trial. May God help all of us to seek His strength through prayer so we can accomplish His will for daily life.

Dear God, give me Your strength today. I cannot do life without You.

The disciples and Jesus were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was an eight day event. In preparation for the Passover, Jesus commanded two of the disciples to go and prepare the place where they would celebrate the Passover (14:12-15). The two disciples found the place which was located in the upper room of a guest house and later in the evening Jesus and the rest of the disciples joined them (14:16-17). As they were eating, Jesus said “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me” (14:18). All the disciples became “sorrowful” and began to inquire who this person would be (14:19). Jesus answers, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish” (14:20). Judas was probably sitting close to Jesus dipping his bread in the same dish. Jesus goes on to warn this person who would soon betray Him, “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born” (14:21). Following this stern warning, Jesus takes the bread, blesses and breaks it saying, “Take, eat; this is my body” (14:22). Then Jesus takes the cup, gives it to them, and they each drink from it (14:23). Jesus proclaims, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many” (14:24). In this moment, Jesus transformed the meaning of the Passover Feast. In the time of Moses and the Israelites, the innocent lamb was slain in each home so that the firstborn would be saved from death. Jesus was now claiming that He was the innocent lamb of God which would be slain for mankind’s deliverance from sin. His death would bring us life. In this moment, Jesus was declaring this the final Passover meal and that He would not drink with them again until the beginning of the millennial kingdom. Until this time, they were now to celebrate the Lord’s Supper (or Communion) as a remembrance of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross which brought all those who would believe forgiveness of sin and eternal life (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Today take some time to thank God for providing His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Deliverer from our sin.

Dear God, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to offer forgiveness to all those who will believe in Him. Remind me often of His sacrifice.

In the final three chapters of Mark he documents Jesus’ final days on earth before He was crucified on the cross. Mark 14 begins by bringing the readers to the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Passover celebrated Israel’s deliverance from the death of the firstborn when they were under Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12-13). Following this plague God had sent upon the Egyptians, the Israelites were released by Pharaoh and every generation of Israel celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a remembrance of their escape. Both of these feasts were recognized every year thereafter and people would return to Jerusalem to be a part of reflecting on God’s goodness to the nation of Israel. Jesus and many of His followers had returned to Jerusalem to commemorate these feasts, but Mark says that the chief priests and scribes were still plotting how they could kill Jesus (14:1). They decided to wait until after the feast to pursue Jesus because there were large crowds gathered in Jerusalem and the religious leaders feared a riot (14:2).

In Mark 14:3-9 he reflects back to an incident which took place the previous Saturday. He writes that Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper (14:3). As He is sitting at a table a woman named Mary (John 12:3), who is the sister of Martha and Lazarus, breaks a flask of expensive oil pouring out its contents onto the head of Jesus. This action was a sign of her love and commitment to the Lord. Some of the disciples (John reveals Judas as the culprit) became angry that she had wasted this costly oil on Jesus because it could have been sold and the money given to the poor (14:4-5). But Jesus speaks up and says, “Let her alone…She has done a good work for me…She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial (14:6-8). Although Mary probably was not aware of the symbolism her anointing carried, her act of worship came to represent the soon death and burial of Jesus Christ.

Following on an act of worship, Mark records an act of deceit. “Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him” (14:10-11). In essence, Judas was looking for a time when Jesus was away from the crowds so he could betray Him into the hands of the so-called religious people of Jesus’ day.

There is a very identifiable contrast between Mary and Judas. One loved Jesus with all her heart, but the other was only close with Him for what he could gain…in this case, money. Judas claimed to be a follower, but his actions demonstrated something different. How about you? Are your actions worship or betrayal?

Dear God, help me to be like Mary who loved You with all her heart and demonstrated it through her actions. Guard me from being like Judas who walked with You, but really did not know You.

Following His confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees, Matthew gives a comprehensive teaching to His followers about the hypocritical character of the Pharisees (Matthew 23). At the conclusion of this teaching Jesus mourns over Israel’s rejection of Him as the Messiah and their refusal to repent of sin. His words recorded here mark the end of His public teaching. As He is departing from the temple Jesus declares that “your house if left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:38). With these words Jesus was declaring that His presence was being removed from the temple. Upon exiting His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and buildings are here!” They were simply recognizing the beauty of the temple and other buildings in Jerusalem, but Jesus quickly revealed that “not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (13:2). He was referring to the soon destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans which would occur in 70AD. This event would occur some 40 years later leaving over a million Jews dead and their temple destroyed. Thinking that this event would usher in the kingdom of God on earth, the disciples began to question Jesus as to the timing of this occurrence as well as the signs leading up to it (13:3-4). Answering their questions in reverse order, Jesus first describes the signs leading up to the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth (Mark 13:5-23). Without going into extreme detail, Jesus would soon die on the cross, resurrect from the dead, and ascend into heaven. Following His ascension (Acts 1) there would be the age of the church will last for an undisclosed amount of time. Whenever God decides that the church age should end, He will take all believers out of the earth into heaven (known as the rapture). A seven year tribulation period will then happen on earth where God will pour out His wrath upon all those who have rejected His Son, Jesus Christ. Immediately following the seven year tribulation period, Jesus will return to earth with all believers and at that time He will set up His kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6). So, the signs which Jesus details in Mark 13:5-23 take place at the conclusion of the seven year tribulation period. Then in Mark 13:24-27 he records the timing of the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth and warns the generation living during that time to be watchful (13:28-37). Jesus’ words here should remind us of His promised return, but also should serve as a warning to all those who reject Jesus as Savior.

Dear God, thank You for the reminder that one day You will return to set up Your earthly kingdom for 1,000 years. Until that time help me to be faithful and point others to the truth about Jesus Christ.

The scribes and Pharisees had fired a number of questions at Jesus, but now Jesus decided to pose a question to them. He asked, “How is it that scribes say that the Christ [Messiah] is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD [God's covenant name, Yahweh] said to my Lord [title for God and here refers to the Messiah], sit at my right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ Therefore David calls him Lord; how is He then his Son?” Jesus was revealing that the promised Messiah was not only man, but also God…and Jesus Christ was that Messiah.

Offering further condemnation to the religious leaders, Jesus exposes them because they “desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers” (12:40). Everything the scribes and Pharisees did was for recognition. Their hearts were far from Him. We must be careful that our motivation for doing religious acts is not to attract attention to ourselves or for selfish gain. Our service to God must flow from a life which has humbled itself before Him and is motivated by a genuine love for God.

As a timely illustration, Jesus was sitting near the treasury at the temple where people gave money (12:41). Those who were rich put in much, but a poor widow gave two mites which was equivalent to a penny in our day. Looking for an opportunity to teach His disciples, Jesus called them to Himself and said, “this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood” (12:44). Her motivation was purely out of love for God and His work while the religious rich just wanted to be recognized so that others thought they were spiritual. It was not the amount of money given which mattered, but the motivation behind the gift.

Dear God, help me to always do Your work out of humble heart. Forgive me for the times I have done things simply for notoriety.

After the Pharisees had asked Jesus a question about loyalty to God and loyalty to government, the Sadducees come along attempting to catch Jesus saying something out of place. The Sadducees were Jews who only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament as important. One of the things which defined their belief system was that they did not believe in any type of resurrection. In a direct attempt to try to trip Jesus up on His words, they posed a question to Him regarding levirate marriage which Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. This practice said that the brother of a man who died without a child could marry the widow. Doing this would ensure an heir and that the family name would continue. Obviously this was forbidden if the brother was already married. So presenting this scenario to Jesus, the Sadducees asked Jesus that if there was truly a resurrection, who would this woman be married to in eternity. Jesus answers, “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (12:25). Relationships will change in heaven and believers will exist in a completely new environment. Jesus then exposes their false view of the resurrection by taking them back to the first five books of the Old Testament and pointing to God’s conversation with Moses at the burning bush (12:26). He said, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob.” All three of these men were dead at the time of God speaking with Moses, but His very words implied His everlasting fellowship with them in heaven (12:27).

Following a little discussion on Jesus’ answer, a scribe steps forward and asks Jesus, “which is the first commandment of all?” Again, the intention was to get Jesus to say something contrary to their belief system. Since the religious leaders had decided that there were more than 600 commandments in the Old Testament law, this question seemed impossible for Jesus to answer. However, Jesus stated that the entire law was based on one great commandment – love for God (12:29-30). Love for God would lead to obedience. Taking it one step further Jesus revealed that the second great commandment was to love others; in other words, love for God results in love for others (12:31). The scribe was impressed with Jesus’ answer and verbalizes his belief in what He has said (12:32-33). Jesus says to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (12:34). His expression of belief with his mouth should have lead him to belief in his heart as well as obedience to God’s laws. May we all see beyond the commandments in order to see that obedience to God is the evidence of our love for Him.

Dear God, teach me to love You first.