Mark 16:9 - Meaning and Application

We have here a very brief account of two of Christ’s appearances, and of how little credit the disciples gave to the report of them.

First, he appeared to Mary Magdalene, and she saw him first in the garden, as described more fully in John 20:14. She was the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. She had received much forgiveness, much help, and much grace, and so she loved much. Christ gave her this honor, that she was the first to see him after his resurrection. The closer we hold to Christ, the sooner we may expect to see him, and the more we will see of him.

She then brought word of what she had seen to the disciples, not only to the eleven apostles, but also to the rest who followed him, while they were mourning and weeping (Mark 16:10). This was the time Jesus had told them about, when they would grieve and lament (John 16:20). Their sorrow showed their deep love for Christ and how much they felt his loss. But after they had wept for a night or two, comfort returned, just as Christ had promised, “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice.” There is no better news for disciples who are crying than to hear that Christ is risen. We should also try to comfort grieving believers by sharing with them what we have experienced and what we have seen of Christ.

Yet they could not believe the report Mary brought. They heard that he was alive and that she had seen him. The story was believable enough, and still they did not accept it. They did not accuse her of making it up or trying to deceive them. Rather, they thought she had been mistaken, and that what she saw was only a fancy or an illusion. If they had trusted the many times Jesus had predicted this in his own words, they would not have been so doubtful of the report.

Second, he appeared to two of the disciples as they went into the country (Mark 16:12). This surely refers to the account in Luke 24:13 and following, of what happened between Christ and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Here it says he appeared to them in another form, meaning in different clothing than he usually wore, in the form of a traveler. In the garden, Mary Magdalene had also taken him for the gardener. But that he truly had his own face and body is clear from the fact that their eyes were held back so they would not know him, and when that restraint was removed, they immediately recognized him (Luke 24:16-31).

These two witnesses then gave their testimony about Christ’s resurrection. They went and told the rest (Mark 16:13). Being satisfied themselves, they wanted their brothers to have the same comfort they had. But not everyone believed them. Some still doubted. They thought their eyes, too, must have tricked them.

There was wise purpose in this. The evidence for Christ’s resurrection was given little by little, and accepted with care, so that later the apostles’ bold preaching of this truth would carry even more weight. They staked everything on this message, and that makes their witness more convincing. We have even more reason to trust men who themselves believed slowly. If they had accepted it too quickly, people might have thought them gullible, and their testimony would have seemed less reliable. But their early unbelief shows that when they later believed, it was after full and solid proof.