Mark 16
January Memory Verse: Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Mark 8:34 (NIV)
Read: Mark 16
Thank you all so much for keeping up with us in Jumpstart! It’s also super encouraging to read your comments, so please post what sticks out to you from today’s reading.
It’s pretty impossible for us to put ourselves in the shoes of Jesus’ followers in the days following his crucifixion. We’ve heard the story too many times. However, when these ladies approached the open tomb, it’s no wonder the young man began by saying, “Do not be alarmed.” Jesus Christ died and rose again. This message swept the ancient world. It’s a truth that never gets old. It validates the sacrifice of Jesus—whose divinity made his payment for sin eternally significant, but whose humanity made it personally applicable for you and me. Jesus didn’t just die, he got back up.
Mark, the master storyteller, does a very clever thing with this passage. Again, every word is intentional. The idea I want to share is not original with me. I learned of this from Dr. Abraham Kuravilla, who is well worth your time to look up.
A few days ago, we read the odd little insert in Mark 14:51-52. During Jesus’ arrest a “Young man” dressed in a linen cloth was spotted by the guards. When the guards tried to seize him, he ran away. The guard grabbed at his linen covering, but it ripped off and the young man ran away naked. The word for “linen cloth” is only used twice in the book of Mark, which he often does to create a link between ideas.
Some people believe that the young man was Mark, himself, but remember that Mark purposefully shares this encounter. He is doing something with this story. The young man’s linen cloth was shed in shame during the abandonment of Jesus.
The next mention of “linen cloth” was when Jesus was wrapped up and laid in a tomb. The “linen cloth” symbolized Jesus taking this young man’s shame on himself and being buried with it.
But something amazing happens—in our passage, we see another unnamed young man. The word here for “young man” is, again, only used twice in the book of Mark. We saw the young man in the garden and now we have a young man sitting beside the empty tomb. The first was shamefully stripped of his linen cloth that Jesus took with him into the grave. But now the young man is covered in a white robe. Here again, there are only two places that Mark describes a “white robe.”
In Mark 9:3, Jesus stood in his full glory at the Transfiguration wearing, you guessed it, a “white robe.”
So, catch this. Even as Mark tells the story of the empty tomb, he describes its purpose. This is the gospel according to Mark—that Jesus took our shame to the grave, buried in it as if it was His own. He did this so that he could exchange our filthy rags to cover us with his own glory. Jesus willingly accepted the Cross, so that we might come into a relationship with God. Although we are the young man, laid bare before Him in our shame, he has clothed us in righteousness. When God looks at us, He sees the glorious robes of his only-begotten Son.
By: Tyler Short
Read: Mark 16
Thank you all so much for keeping up with us in Jumpstart! It’s also super encouraging to read your comments, so please post what sticks out to you from today’s reading.
It’s pretty impossible for us to put ourselves in the shoes of Jesus’ followers in the days following his crucifixion. We’ve heard the story too many times. However, when these ladies approached the open tomb, it’s no wonder the young man began by saying, “Do not be alarmed.” Jesus Christ died and rose again. This message swept the ancient world. It’s a truth that never gets old. It validates the sacrifice of Jesus—whose divinity made his payment for sin eternally significant, but whose humanity made it personally applicable for you and me. Jesus didn’t just die, he got back up.
Mark, the master storyteller, does a very clever thing with this passage. Again, every word is intentional. The idea I want to share is not original with me. I learned of this from Dr. Abraham Kuravilla, who is well worth your time to look up.
A few days ago, we read the odd little insert in Mark 14:51-52. During Jesus’ arrest a “Young man” dressed in a linen cloth was spotted by the guards. When the guards tried to seize him, he ran away. The guard grabbed at his linen covering, but it ripped off and the young man ran away naked. The word for “linen cloth” is only used twice in the book of Mark, which he often does to create a link between ideas.
Some people believe that the young man was Mark, himself, but remember that Mark purposefully shares this encounter. He is doing something with this story. The young man’s linen cloth was shed in shame during the abandonment of Jesus.
The next mention of “linen cloth” was when Jesus was wrapped up and laid in a tomb. The “linen cloth” symbolized Jesus taking this young man’s shame on himself and being buried with it.
But something amazing happens—in our passage, we see another unnamed young man. The word here for “young man” is, again, only used twice in the book of Mark. We saw the young man in the garden and now we have a young man sitting beside the empty tomb. The first was shamefully stripped of his linen cloth that Jesus took with him into the grave. But now the young man is covered in a white robe. Here again, there are only two places that Mark describes a “white robe.”
In Mark 9:3, Jesus stood in his full glory at the Transfiguration wearing, you guessed it, a “white robe.”
So, catch this. Even as Mark tells the story of the empty tomb, he describes its purpose. This is the gospel according to Mark—that Jesus took our shame to the grave, buried in it as if it was His own. He did this so that he could exchange our filthy rags to cover us with his own glory. Jesus willingly accepted the Cross, so that we might come into a relationship with God. Although we are the young man, laid bare before Him in our shame, he has clothed us in righteousness. When God looks at us, He sees the glorious robes of his only-begotten Son.
By: Tyler Short
21 Comments
What a cool lesson today Tyler. I can’t tell you how many times until going through jumpstart that I glossed over mark 14:50-52. I appreciate you bringing it full circle. I am interested to know if you by chance read this why my Bible says (some of the earliest mss conclude with 16:8)? The eyewitness reports are so very important in the story of his resurrection, any reason the early manuscripts left that out of Mark?
Joey, thanks for the encouragement.
The study notes to the NET bible help explain your question (netbible.org). Basically, some very early and very good manuscripts had the shorter ending although the longer ending appears very early as well. Once it appeared, copiers were loathed to remove it...just like every modern translation. All translations include it, but it’s most likely not original... that doesn’t mean the events aren’t accurate or that the Holy Spirit can’t use it, mark just didn’t include it.
This discipline is called textual criticism—that compares the variations in manuscripts and seeks to determine which is the authentic reading. Check out this video fr a bit more. It’s well worth your time... https://youtu.be/HkUaKarjMjo
Such morsel of truth is amazing and fills the heart with joy. Thank you for it.
John Owen said "The more I see of the glory of Christ — the more the painted beauties of this world wither in my eyes!" Have a great day, my Jumpstart friends!
So good. Thanks Korbet.
Excellent commentary Tyler. I appreciate your insight and explanation of the symbolism of the white robe. Love Jumpstart!
I know right. Thanks brother.
Wow, all of these small connections are such hidden gems I would have probably never picked up on. Thanks for sharing! I was so confused on the seemingly random naked man running away two days ago. Thankful for Jesus and what the resurrection did for us today!
Yeah, the first time I heard Dr. Kuravilla share this my head exploded.
Thanks so much for sharing those. I’ve never heard that before and it helps tie everything together:)
I’m amazed at how often the gospel accounts pair “just as he said” and “they didn’t believe”. Praying today that God would help my own unbelief and that I’d see the things he said and believe them more and more.
Yeah, Mark is a beast. There are several of these nuggets I’ve seen in mark, but this is by far the coolest.
Very cool insight with the young man and linen cloth. Like others have said, I have definitely glossed over that detail, or just read it and thought it was an odd detail. Really neat to see the connection and to be reminded of the gospel through even the smallest details of this story.
So true. Thanks Shelbie.
Thankful for this passage today! It is the bedrock on which our faith is founded. Without the resurrection, we have nothing. With the miracle of the resurrection though, we have eternal life!
Preach!
Wow, very cool, Tyler. I have to chew on that one for a bit!!!
I highly recommend Dr. Kuravilla’s commentary on Mark. It’s a really great read. A lot of unique insights.
Tyler, this is my favorite commentary you have given yet. I find it interesting- and I have never noticed this before- (in my NIV), the ladies walking to the tomb were discussing WHO they thought would have rolled the stone away. If that were me, I think me and my girlfriends would have been asking each other, so do we think the stone will REALLY be rolled away??? The faith of those ladies sit out to me today for the first time. They loved Jesus so much that they really truly believed it would happen! Great job Tyler. Thank you for this post.
Thanks Holly! Great thought. That’s encouraging.
I have enjoyed studying the book of Mark! Many new insights I have picked up in this book, such as the man in the linen cloth and the fig tree mentioned in Mark 11. Great blog!
This was a great insight to how the gospel is presented. My heart is broken for those I love that don’t know the gospel. I pray their eyes would be opened to it like mine was to this insight.
Amen, what a great lesson. Praise the Lord Jesus rose again. Sometimes when sharing the gospel, it’s easy to miss this point. But it’s important because it shows his power and complete fulfillment of scriptures