Mark — Chapter 16

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1 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.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 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.
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 that 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 shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 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.
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.
Abrahamic Catechism
Bible Study
Mark — Chapter 16
✦ Talmud

• The women coming to anoint the body on the first day of the week follow the Talmudic burial practices in Shabbat 23:5 and Semachot 1:1-2, where anointing and wrapping the dead are sacred obligations. The Talmud in Shabbat 151b teaches that honor for the dead (kevod ha-met) overrides certain Sabbath restrictions, and Berakhot 18a discusses the ongoing relationship between the living and the dead. The women's devotion reflects the Talmudic priority of chesed shel emet — true kindness shown to the dead who cannot repay.

• The young man in white garments at the tomb echoes the Talmudic descriptions of angelic appearances in Chagigah 14b and Megillah 15a, where angels appear in white and deliver divine messages. The Talmud in Berakhot 51a associates white garments with purity and the World to Come, and Shabbat 114a teaches that a scholar who has a stain on his garment deserves death because he brings Torah into disrepute. White-garmented figures signal heavenly authority.

• The command to "tell his disciples and Peter" singles out Peter, who had denied Jesus, paralleling the Talmudic principle that a baal teshuvah (penitent) requires special attention and encouragement. The Talmud in Berakhot 34b teaches that "in the place where penitents stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand." Yoma 86b discusses how God facilitates the return of the repentant. Peter's special mention embodies the Talmudic theology of return.

• The fear and silence of the women at the tomb — "they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid" — echoes the Talmudic response to encounters with the numinous: Chagigah 14b describes the four who entered Pardes (the mystical orchard), and only Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and departed in peace. The Talmud in Berakhot 33a teaches that awe (yirah) before God is the proper disposition, and Shabbat 31a says that the fear of heaven is the key that unlocks all other spiritual chambers.

• The longer ending of Mark (16:9-20), regardless of its textual history, describes signs that will accompany believers — casting out demons, speaking in tongues, handling serpents, healing the sick — which collectively match the Talmudic catalogue of signs accompanying the righteous. Shabbat 156b discusses immunity to serpent bites for the righteous, Berakhot 33a records a sage praying while a serpent coiled around his ankle without harm, and throughout the Talmud, miraculous healing accompanies great sanctity. The signs of the kingdom map onto the signs of rabbinic righteousness.