Finally! (Mark 16:9–20)

This study our consideration of the Gospel of Mark. Some may be thinking, “Finally!” After all, it has been two-and-half years. But the study has been an important one. It has confronted us with, and called us to, Jesus Christ the King. The question is, do you believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Son of God? Do you believe him to be the King? My desire is that finally you will believe and live like it (vv. 19–20).

In these closing verses, there are some themes that recapitulate not only the beginning of this Gospel, but also much other material we encountered along the way. The presence of unbelief is one such theme.

Time and again, we saw those closest to Jesus (his twelve disciples) failing to grasp his person and work and therefore his message. On several occasions, Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief. Their absence at the empty tomb testifies to their unbelief (v. 8). As we will see in the verses that follow, they were still slow to believe even after the testimony of the women.

Time and again, their hardness of heart and lack of spiritual perception stood out. Despite eyewitness testimony of the risen Lord, their unbelief persisted. Alan Cole comments, “Unbelief and hardness of heart had long been the besetting sins of the disciples (9:19), and nowhere were these more apparent than in this refusal to believe in the resurrection.”

But finally, as we will see, they would believe. Finally, they followed him as loyal subjects of the King. And as Donald English observes, “The prevalence of unbelief, and the contrasting blessings of believing, described again and again within this gospel, are here at the end. But not at the very end.” And because they believed, the world has never been the same.

Perhaps you are not a Christian. My prayer is that you will leave this study having become a believer in Jesus Christ. Perhaps, for a long time, you have not believed. Well, may this be the day in which you finally believe.

Fellow Christian, we too struggle at times with believing our Saviour. May the Holy Spirit build us up to believe afresh. And like these disciples, may we so believe that we too will turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6). May we believe and therefore obey our King, Jesus Christ.

Previously, we ended with v. 8. We ended with three gospel women responding in fear to the news that Jesus is risen. They weren’t sure what to make of this news. They were struggling to believe. From what we will study today, they finally believed, as demonstrated by their behaviour. The question is, should we accept the record of their belief, as recorded in vv. 9–20? Is v. 8 the finale, or is v. 20 where this book ends? Let me explain.

Where Does it End?

Some scholars are of the view that Mark intended his book to end with v. 8. It was to be an open-ended conclusion, leaving the audience, and readers, to decide how they would respond. I don’t accept that, for at least two important reasons.

One, that might be how a postmodern writer would conclude a literary work, but there is no historical evidence of ancient writers doing so.

Second, from the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, he has been working according to a plan and purpose. By recording the failures of the disciples to grasp the identity of Jesus, he has led us to the ultimate proof of his identity as revealed by how he died and rose from the dead (15:39; 16:1ff). It would be very odd for Mark to conclude a book, intended to encourage Roman Christians to be faithful amid difficulties, by leaving his original disciples in a state of confused, unbelieving, grievous paralysis. If this was the case, he must have forgotten his opening line: “The beginning of the [good news] of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The cynic might respond, “The ‘beginning’ of good news sure did not end with good news!”

No, Mark did not end his book with a word of fear, but with an encouragement to faith (vv. 15–20).

Incomplete?

There are some who agree that Mark’s Gospel did not end with v. 8, but their solution to the problem is itself problematical.

Some argue that Mark never intended to conclude the book at v. 8 but that something happened to him when he got to v. 8 so that he never finished it. I have read arguments that he died and left it incomplete. I think you will agree that is an argument impossible to prove.

Lost?

Still others argue that Mark’s original ending was lost. The major argument seems to be that it was accidentally torn off or was worn out by use and so later copyists perpetuated v. 8 as the abrupt, unfinished ending.

Some make the assertion that a later editor added either these twelve verses, or possibly another “shorter ending” (about three verses), to complete the story. Some argue that Mark himself added these verses later.

These are some of the arguments behind the notes in all modern translations of the New Testament, such as, “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.” To be clear, it should read, “Two of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.” In the world of textual criticism, they are weighty manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus). Nevertheless, it is two, not some or many.

I have read a whole lot concerning this matter. It is both interesting and exhausting. And I’m persuaded the longer ending is legitimate. After all, a very conservative estimate is that 93% of extant manuscripts contain this longer ending and it has been argued by many experts that 99% is a better estimate.

Since the late 1800s, it has been commonly assumed that vv. 9–20 are not part of Mark’s Gospel. I don’t wish to belabour the point but to point out that, as with the debate concerning the dating of the book of Revelation, what I have discovered is that everybody quotes the same critics and they regurgitate the same arguments leading to the “consensus” that these verses should not be in our Bible.

The fact is, until the middle to late 1800s, all English translations included the longer ending of Mark and did so without any question or footnote. None of the Puritans (including Matthew Henry) mention these verses as being in dispute. And though, of course, they did not have access to some of the manuscripts available to modern scholars, they did have access to the reservations of Origen and Jerome and others who supposedly questioned the authenticity of the longer ending. And yet these able scholars seemingly rejected such conclusions and accepted vv. 9–20 as part and parcel of Mark’s Gospel and therefore the word of God.

I want to add that I do not believe the dispute over these verses is a Satanic attack on the Bible. At least, this not in the case for many godly scholars. They are seeking to be faithful to God’s word and, as much as they do not want to take away from God’s word, neither do they want to be guilty of adding to it. I appreciate this concern and have battled myself with it. I began researching this matter long before I preparing this study.

In my research, I discovered that, in recent years, more and more scholarly voices are making the case—and I think persuasively—that these verses are authentic. Over the course of the past few months, I worked through a recent book by Richard Lunn that made a technical, textual, historical, grammatical, literary and theological case, which I found to be irrefutable for the retention of these verses. Though you may disagree, and many fine Christians do, nevertheless I will approach these verses as the inspired word of God.

Before moving on, you should know that there are many biblical scholars who believe that, while Mark did not write these words, the content of these verses is consistent with Scripture and, since there is an overlap with what we find in the other Gospels, these verses should remain in our Bibles and they should be taught. Grogan neatly summarizes my position, “In the absence of evidence unambiguously showing its authorship, however, our wisest approach is probably to view it as a genuine product of the apostolic or immediately post-apostolic ages, whether it is by Mark himself or not.”

So, whether or not you agree with my assertion that these words are the original ending of Mark, these words contain truth and are therefore profitable. So let’s get to the text. Though there may be doubts about the authorship of these verses, these words leave us with no doubt about how we should be responding to Jesus the King. May we finally believe and faithfully follow him.

Unbelieving Disciples

The account opens with still-unbelieving disciples:

Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

 

After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

 

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

(Mark 16:9–14)

As we saw previously, the Lord, through his angel (relayed by three women), had commanded the disciples to literally go back to the beginning: to Galilee. In the days following Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples were struggling to believe, both in Jerusalem, and later in Galilee—as they had from the beginning! Donald English points out that, in these closing verses, “the reference to ‘believing,’ or ‘not believing’ constantly recurs.” In this honest account, we are provided hope.

It is easy to be hard on these men and women, but we would be arrogant and even self-deceived to be so. After all, are they not very much like us? We too are guilty of the sin of unbelief. We struggle with believing our Master. We can identify with these disciples and can learn from their failure. There are three instances of unbelief.

Sorrowful Unbelief

In vv. 9–11, we read of sorrowful unbelief.

Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

(Mark 16:9–11)

Mary Magdalene was one of several women who were devoted followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus had delivered her from seven demons. Her life had been completely dominated by the devil until Jesus saved her. From that point, she faithfully followed him (Luke 8:1–3). To the end, and to the beginning of the end.

When she heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, she initially did not believe. Thankfully, she soon would. And then when she shared this good news with the disciples, they did not believe. And they did not believe “as they mourned and wept.”

John tells us that Jesus revealed himself to her near the tomb (20:11–18). It seems that she had returned to the tomb after having fled with the other Mary and Salome (v. 8). Having appeared to her, and having assured her that he was very much alive, he sent her to find a group of disciples. Perhaps others besides the Eleven were there. Whoever made up this group, they were too busy mourning the death of Jesus to grasp the good news that he was alive. It reminds me of the Jerusalem church after Peter was miraculously delivered from prison and certain death (Acts 12).

They “heard that he was alive and had been seen by her” yet “they would not believe it” (v. 11). We might call this sorrowful unbelief. Their grief blinded them to reality. This is often our disposition, is it not? We are so dominated by the heartache that we cannot make room for the supernatural—even when it has been promised.

Brother and sister, we need to remind ourselves of truth (Psalm 42). This is essential for overcoming sorrowful unbelief. Don’t be controlled by your emotions. Feelings come and feelings go but God’s word is unchanging.

But there is a second kind of unbelief: senseless unbelief.

Senseless Unbelief

Verses 12–13 draw our attention to senseless unbelief: “After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.”

Luke provides detailed information concerning these disciples, encountered by Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:14ff). Having appeared to them in his veiled glory, they did not at first recognise him. But by his exposition of the word, their eyes were opened. Then they believed. But when they shared their experience, “the rest … did not believe them” (v. 13). They would only believe if they saw.

There is a sense in which we should not be surprised. After all, if we have been paying attention, Mark has prepared us for this unbelieving response. It is understandable though, as the next verse informs us, inexcusable.

We need to accept and embrace our calling: to live by faith and not by sight. The word of our King is to be believed regardless of circumstances.

Stubborn Unbelief

Verse 14 shows us a third manifestation of unbelief: stubborn unbelief. “Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.”

In this third post-resurrection scene, Jesus interrupted “the eleven” at supper. While they were “reclining at table,” probably bemoaning their situation with fear about the future, he appeared to them. If they wanted proof, there he was! And though he had big plans for them, a first step towards restoration was confrontation and rebuke.

The word translated “rebuked” is an extremely strong word. Unbelief is a serious sin. It must be confronted, repented of, and corrected. Don’t minimise the offensive sin of unbelief.

Jesus spoke to them about their “hardness of heart,” a phrase which connotes stubbornness, a wilful obtuseness. It is used of those who are destitute of spiritual perception. Mark uses the word to describe those who played fast and loose with the marriage covenant (10:5). In 6:52 and 8:17, Jesus rebuked the disciples for their “hardness of heart.” He used a different word, but it points to the same spiritual lack of perception. They were not paying attention and grasping what he had been teaching them. So here. He held them responsible. Jesus expected them to believe the witness of their fellow disciples. And not merely because they said so, but because he had said so (8:31; 9:31; 10:34; 14:28)!

Again, can you relate?

Yes, faith is the gift of God. Though we cannot believe apart from God’s sovereign grace, even the non-Christian is responsible to believe God. Their inability to believe is no excuse; rather, it highlights the sinfulness of the human heart.

Once God grants us faith, we are responsible to steward it and to steward it well. Peter tells us this in his second epistle:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 1:3–11)

At the risk of over-preaching this, we should note that their position of “reclining” indicates our easy acceptance of unbelief. We should be deeply uncomfortable until we take God at his word.

When our fellow Christians point us to the promise of God’s word, we need to take ourselves in hand and believe them. Beware the danger of requiring more for your faith than what God has already sufficiently supplied. Beware the “yes-but” attitude. Submit to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

Christian, fellow-church-member, be willing to lovingly confront and rebuke your fellow members who stubbornly refuse to believe and to obey what God has so clearly revealed. Confront and rebuke gossip, violation of covenants, substance abuse, disrespect of authorities, sexual sin, and refusing to gather with the community. Believe and obey, as the disciples finally did.

Believing Disciples

Verses 15–18 show us the disciples believing:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

(Mark 16:15–18)

Finally, they believed. And now they were to call others to believe. They were given a commission of universal significance. Everyone is to believe—and believing is of eternal consequence. This really is an extraordinary follow-on from what has preceded. Three instances of unbelief—despite eyewitness accounts from trustworthy sources—were followed by Jesus entrusting these “unbelievers” with the most important task in history: the Great Commission!

Matthew records a similar scene. Though “some doubted,” even in the presence of the risen Lord, Jesus seemingly ignored their unbelief and reminded them that he had all authority in heaven and on earth. With that conviction, they were to go and disciple all the peoples of the world (Matthew 28:16–20). So here.

This should greatly encourage us. Too often, we tend to view the early church as super-saints and ourselves as woefully weak. We do well to consider that we have much more in common with them than we often realise. Donald English writes, “Our first-century forebears in the faith were not naturally superior (or inferior) to us. Neither did faith and discipleship come any easier for them. Yet despite all, they went on believing and laid the foundation for us.” So can we. So should we.

Ultimately, of course, the success of the Great Commission does not depend on the disciples of Jesus but on the Jesus of the disciples. We are a means to the end, but he is the Master of the end.

Because Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for the many (10:45), he will redeem every one of that many. He will reconcile them. He will justify them. He will sanctify them. And he will ensure that each of them will be glorified. This text is one evidence of that. After all, those who had faltered were being regathered and restored (see v. 7; 14:28).

Jesus, having promised Peter—the disciple who fell furthest—that he would be restored (Luke 22:31–32), Jesus restored him in Galilee. He, along with his brothers who had also failed in a crisis of faith, were now believing disciples by the grace of Christ. Finally they believed, and they were to call others to believe. As were these Roman Christians. As are you and me.

Let’s look at this under two headings.

The Mandate

Verse 15 highlights the mandate: “And he said to them,  ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’”

The word translated “proclaim” is used several times in Mark and it is the classic word in the New Testament associated with heralding the gospel. It is found six times in the opening chapter (1:4, 7, 14, 38, 39, 45) and several times after. Most notably, perhaps, is 14:9 where Jesus said of the devoted woman, “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” In other words, Jesus was once again predicting he would rise from the dead and this good news would then be “heralded” by these stumbling disciples!

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus told his disciples that “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (13:10). What was mentioned then is mandated now. Shadow had turned to substance. Anticipation was now actualisation. It is to be actualised in our day as well.

We who believe are given the wonderful, though at times difficult, assignment of heralding the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, we too are to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God (1:14–15). We are to proclaim that God became King in the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ. We are to proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ rules and the good news that we can be redemptively ruled by him. We are to proclaim the good news that God saves rebels and transfers them from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son (Colossians 1:13).

It’s interesting that, though the new covenant church had its major inauguration in Jerusalem (Acts 2), its initial beginning was in Galilee, as Matthew tells us, on a mountain (Matthew 28:16). Mountains in Scripture point to kingdoms. The mountain of Christ-rejecting Zion was going to be cast into the sea in response to the prayers of God’s persecuted saints (see 11:22–23 with Revelation 6). The “launching” of the kingdom of Christ seems to have been Galilee, a multi-ethnic region. Hence, this good news was to be proclaimed to the whole creation.

This was a huge assignment. Again, consider to whom it was given. Mark has painted a very realistic picture of the disciples, including their struggle with believing and understanding. But because Jesus is King, he knows they would be successful for, you see, he would be successful.

This should encourage us that ours is to obey; his is to succeed. We are responsible to proclaim, while Jesus Christ the King is responsible for the results. Don’t confuse the means with the end. Brothers, sisters, believe the gospel and then herald it like you believe it. And believe Jesus for the results.

The Message

Verse 16 shows the message: “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

The message was the gospel of the kingdom of God. The message is the good news that God became King. The message is that he did so by God the Son becoming a human being, living a perfect life, and dying in the place of rebel sinners. He really died and was therefore buried and then rose from the dead to receive his kingdom. The good news is that all his subjects for whom he died will be brought into this kingdom. The good news is salvation from sin, self, and Satan.

Those who reject this good news will experience condemnation. That is not a part of the good news; it is, however, the consequence of those who will not receive it. It is the consequence for those who will not believe the good news.

Jesus seemingly includes baptism in this message of the good news. The reason is not that baptism saves, but rather that those who are truly saved by embracing the good news of the King will show evidence of submission to this King by doing what he commands. And he commands baptism (Matthew 28:18–20; see Acts 2:37–41).

Baptism does not save (the dying thief whom Jesus saved is evidence of this). Further, in this verse nothing is said about those not being baptised being condemned. Instead, it is those who do “not believe” who “will be condemned.” Yet because belief and obedience are inseparable, those who reject baptism indicate they have not yet come to saving realisation that Jesus Christ is King. It was wonderful to know that Jesus is Prophet and Priest, but if you do not have evidence that you know him as King, you are yet in your sins. Repent and bow the knee to King Jesus!

Those who had struggled to believe are now calling others to believe! Edwards writes, “The disciples, whose later proclamations of the gospel were met with disbelief, cannot have forgotten their own disbelief of the same message from Mary, and hopefully were more understanding and effective heralds because of it.”

In the book of Acts there is example after example of the disciples, particularly Peter, boldly proclaiming this good news as well as boldly proclaiming God’s judgement on those who reject King Jesus. Finally, they got it. And they wanted others to get it as well.

We must do the same. And in a day where pluralism is king, courage arising from firm belief is required to proclaim that there is only one King. Come to think of it, our day is no different than Jesus’ day, or the days of the early church. There really is nothing new under the sun. Let’s stay faithful to the Son.

The Marks

Verses 17–18 highlight certain marks of the faith: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

I’ll come back to this again but let me mention that these marks were “signs,” not to create belief but rather as consequences of belief. Throughout Mark, Jesus has rebuked those who demanded signs. He has not changed. But he does graciously confirm his word to those who believe. He enables his believing people to be believable.

Behaving Disciples

Consider the behaviour of the disciples in vv. 19–20: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”

Finally, a wonderful ending! English notes, “The ascension completes the story, and the disciples do now believe, do go out to preach, and do receive the confirmation they had been promised.”

The disciples, having come to believe the good news that the King is alive, having seen the King ascend to take his seat of authority at the right hand of the Father (14:62), “went out and preached everywhere.”

These closing verses record what would be the fulfilment of Mark 13:10 as well as foreshadowing the eventual fulfilment of Jesus’ prediction of 13:26–27: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”

Once the King sat down, it was time for the disciples to rise up. And they did rise. We should remember that the King is still seated and so we should still be rising up. The gospel still needs to be “preached everywhere.” If we believe, we will show it in behaving the command of our ascend and reigning and ruling and redeeming King.

The Essential Ascension

I recently had discussions with someone about the importance of the ascension. They asked if this was a part of the gospel message. That is a good question. My answer is that it is inseparable from the resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead, as he told Mary Magdalene, to ascend to the Father (John 20:7–18). King Jesus is reigning at the right hand of the Father and is also interceding for his subjects. His position at the right hand of the Father is the reason, the motivation, and the assurance for our preaching everywhere.

Verse 20 tells us that, as the disciples “went out and preached everywhere … the Lord worked with them.” How could he be in heaven and on earth at the same time?

Of course, Jesus is God and so has the attribute of omnipresence. But I think there is something else here. John records Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples that, when he ascended, he and the Father would send the Holy Spirit to them. He would dwell with and in them, and through his ministry they would do greater works than he did (John 14:12). That is, while Jesus’ ministry was localised for three years, yet by the Holy Spirit working in and through the church, the kingdom would become global.

Here is the point: King Jesus does not send his subjects to do a supernatural work in their own strength. Rather, he works with us, by his Spirit, and, by his Spirit, he confirms the truth of our message. By the exercise of his authority, he stamps our witness with authenticity. This provides the encouragement we need for the task of the great and global commission.

Signs of the Times

The passage, and the book, ends with the statement that the Lord “confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” The word translated “confirmed” means “to establish,” “to make firm,” or “to make sure.” In other words, as the disciples went forth in obedience, King Jesus partnered with them, just as he said he would (vv. 17–18).

The book of Acts provides examples of all but one of these “signs,” namely the drinking of poison (see Acts 2:1–15; 10:44–48; 19:1–7, 11ff; 28:1–5, vv. 7–8). A disciple of John told of a Christian who had been poisoned, yet no harm came to him. There is nothing fanciful about these promises. However, some have suggested that the serpent was metaphorical of Jesus crushing Satan’s head. Perhaps.

It has also been suggested that there is much evidence of potions used in ancient religions and perhaps this suggests Jesus promise to exercise his power in overcoming false religion. Regardless, it is indisputable that “signs and wonders” occurred in the early church as a means to the confirmation of the gospel of Christ (Acts 2:19, 43; 4:16, 30; 5:12; 6:8; etc.).

There are many reasons for us to accept that these miraculous confirmations have now ceased. Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus continues to work with his church confirming his gospel. He does so most notably and most irrefutably by the changed lives of those whom he saves. In fact, I would argue that the profound change of the disciples themselves is the greatest proof of the resurrection.

As we have seen, they went from unbelieving disciples to believing and behaving disciples, all because they were with the risen King. The same will be true for you and me.

As we grow in the realisation that our King is risen, that he is ruling and reigning, and as God graciously reveals to us that his kingdom has come and is expanding, we too will live courageously and counterculturally because supernaturally.

Perhaps you have lost that realisation. If so, let me exhort you to go back to the beginning. Preach the gospel to yourself, listen to others as they preach the gospel to you, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe and then behave like you believe that King Jesus is risen. Believe and behave like you believe the good news that Jesus is King. As Witherington writes,

The great message in this Gospel is that God in Christ is not finished with us yet, and that God’s yes, in the end, is much louder than our no. His grace is greater and overcomes the scope of our sin. And thus we must not be too hard on Jesus’ fallible followers as they are presented in this Gospel, not only because we are like them, but even more so because Mark is right. True discipleship is only possible after Easter when the full significance of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus can be known. We have even less excuse than those first followers if we do not take up our crosses and follow Jesus down the via crucis.

Finally, we have reached the end. Do you believe? Will you believe King Jesus?

AMEN