Chapter sixteen of the Gospel of Mark covers three matters: the resurrection of the Slave-Savior (vv. 1-18), the ascension of the Slave-Savior for His exaltation (v. 19), and the Slave-Savior’s universal spreading of the gospel through His disciples (v. 20).
In 16:1-8 the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was discovered by three women—Mary the Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome (v. 1). In verse 6 an angel said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He was raised! He is not here! Behold, the place where they laid Him.” The Slave-Savior’s resurrection is proof that God is satisfied with what He accomplished through His death. It is also a confirmation of the effectiveness of His redeeming and life-imparting death (Acts 2:24; 3:15).
According to verse 7, the angel said to the women, “But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, even as He told you.” In the angel’s message to the three women who discovered the resurrection of the Slave-Savior, the phrase “and Peter” is inserted only in Mark’s record. This is probably due to Peter’s influence on the contents of this Gospel. In any case, this phrase indicates that Peter’s intimate relationship with the Slave-Savior was particular, so that it was emphasized even by the angel.
In verse 7 the angel said that the Lord Jesus was going before the disciples into Galilee. Just as the Slave-Savior began His ministry from Galilee of the Gentiles (Matt. 4:12-17), not from Jerusalem, the holy city of the Jewish religion, so also after His resurrection He would still go to Galilee, not to Jerusalem. This strongly indicates that the resurrected Slave-Savior abandoned Judaism and was initiating a new era for God’s economy of the New Testament.
In 16:9-11 the Lord Jesus appeared to Mary the Magdalene; in verses 12 and 13, to two of His disciples; and in verses 14 through 18, to the eleven disciples. In verse 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all the creation.” This reveals that the redemption of God accomplished by the Slave-Savior through His death and resurrection is not only for man, the leading one in God’s creation, but for all the creation. Hence, all things, whether on earth or in the heavens, were reconciled to God, and the gospel should be proclaimed to all creation under heaven (Col. 1:20, 23). Based upon this, all the creation expects to be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:19-22).