Mark 16:9-20
9 [[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. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
14 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. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 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.”
19 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. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
Reflection
Mark 16:9–20 is known as the “longer ending” of Mark. This section of the book is missing from many of the earliest Greek manuscripts, and probably was not a part of Mark’s original account. These verses contain reports of multiple appearances of Jesus after his resurrection. They also assign Christians the task of proclaiming the gospel to the world and speak about the topics of faith and miracles. Though these verses were probably added to Scripture early on, their underlying message fits with what we see elsewhere in the Bible: our God will enable the followers of Christ to fulfill his purposes in their lives.
Galatians 5:1-6
5: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Reflection
This is the first time in the letter that Paul directly deals with the issue of circumcision. His point is clear: if someone is required to perform one part of the law—in this case, circumcision—that person is obligated to perform all the works of the law (cf. James 2:10). Under that kind of agreement, we could never receive a favorable verdict in God’s courtroom (that is, we could never be “justified”; Gal. 5:4; see 3:10).
God cares deeply about our obedience, but contrary to the instruction of the false teachers, our obedient works will never earn his favor. The logic of the gospel is precisely the opposite. First, the gospel graciously offers us God’s favor apart from our performance. Second, the gospel calls us to simply receive God’s favor by faith alone. Third, only the faith that is trusting in God’s free grace generates the obedience that God desires. Grace creates faith, and faith produces obedience. Paul refers to this as “faith working through love” (5:6). We do not earn God’s favor by loving others. We love others because we believe that God has saved us by grace alone. This is the first mention of love in the letter, and it now becomes a major theme (vv. 13–14, 22; cf. Rom. 13:8–10).
Psalm 26:3
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.
Because of Christ’s grace, the Christian community should be marked by gracious love for others. Pray that God would help you do your part to promote his generous grace in your words and actions.