The RESURRECTION Of DELIVERANCE-III—
—Mark 16:9-10a(:1-20)
Need:
?From What do you need to be delivered?
People struggle to answer that question. And depending upon the individual, they may see themselves as needing ‘deliverance’ from a huge variety of things.
We desperately want to be freed from any problems or difficulty in our lives.
HOWEVER, we would all be much BETTER served, if we would only see our personal & societal ‘problems’, thru God’s eyes! God has equipped all of us with an ability to live above & beyond the scope of what ‘problems’ bring into our lives. Thru God’s leading, each one of His people(Christians) is empowered to approach any trouble, any problem, any difficulty, any trial, with confidence! And along with the confidence that God’s people have thru Christ Jesus, we also see the world very differently than do those without Jesus.
People without the resurrected Jesus, are left to make sense of the obvious ‘incompleteness’ of everything around them.
Their attempts to ‘make sense of’ the damage caused by a sin-sick world, are limited to what is created. And so, they live limited & limiting lives. They are willfully unaware of the fullness of life, by & in which they are surrounded & immersed!
Those without Jesus, may they elevate their work to the point of making work their ‘god.’ They convince themselves that the ‘work’ they’ve chosen is of vital importance, even though they chose it themselves, without any direction from God. People do that, in order to avoid any personal responsibility for helping to sustain the world’s sin-sickness. Their being busy offers only a ‘temporary’ postponement from reality, & only ‘seemingly delivers’ them from wrestling with the fact of eternal death. They construct & live for & by ‘shadows’, rather than for & by the real substance of ‘life.’
True deliverance, comes thru the actuality of & the tangible substance of ‘eternal life’, that has been attained for each of us by the resurrected & living Lord Jesus!
Mark records some of the historical events that surround the actual resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And that is because:
True ‘Deliverance’ is found only in the resurrected Jesus of historical reality....He IS our Deliverance!
But:
?How” or “Why? is true deliverance found in Jesus’ resurrection?
So far, we have found that:
The Resurrection of Deliverance informs your...
1. ANTICIPATION(:1-4)—What you expect.
2. COMPREHENSION(:5-6)—What you perceive.
3. RESPONSE(:7-8)—How you respond to what you expect & perceive.
Today, before we continue with our study, a ‘caution’ is in order about these last verses of the Gospel According To Mark....
**Cautions regarding Mark 16:9-20**
The following background cautions are gleaned & adapted from 3 authors: James A. Brooks in NAC(1991); & Walter W. Wessel in EBC(1984); & Ralph P. Martin in ‘New Testament Foundations: A Guide For Christian Students--Vol. 1--The 4 Gospels’(1975)
*Adapted from: James A. Brooks in NAC(1991):
"With verse :8 “thus ends the gospel according to Mark. At least it does in the two earliest & generally regarded most reliable Greek manuscripts, in one inferior Greek manuscript, in most Greek lectionaries(apparently because the lectionaries reflect older texts), in one Syriac manuscript, in one Coptic manuscript, in some Armenian manuscripts, in the two oldest Georgian manuscripts, & in several Christian writers, including Clement of Alexandria(d. cir. AD 215) & Origen(d. AD 254).”[& so Wessel]. Especially important is the testimony of both Eusebius(d. AD 339) & Jerome(d. AD 420), who stated that most of the Greek manuscripts they knew(but have not survived) had nothing after v. 8.”[& so Wessel]
“...A fair case can be made for the long ending(vv. :9-20) because of its widespread attestation.”
“It is virtually certain that Mark wrote nothing after v. 8, i.e., he did not write the long ending(vv. :9-20) or the short ending.”
An “accidental loss” of what follows verse :8, is “improbable.” And likewise, ‘deliberate suppression’ of what follows verse :8, would be “improbable.
It may seem “inappropriate to end a Gospel—an account of the good news—on a note of fear & without any resurrection appearances.”.....However, such a consideration is not decisive.”
The abrupt ending of v. :8, leaving the women terrified, bewildered, & fearful, should not be unexpected or suspect.
Fear, trembling, astonishment, & amazement are continually noted in & among those who encountered Jesus’ teaching, healing, driving out demons, walking on the water, His transfiguration, etc..
“The abrupt ending is quite in harmony with the abrupt beginning of the Gospel. Just as Mark recorded very little that preceded the ministry of Jesus, so he recorded very little that followed it.”
“Mark has a definite purpose in his ending. He apparently wanted an open ending to indicate that the story was not completed but was continuing beyond the time he wrote.”
“The prevailing view in contemporary scholarship is that Mark intended to end his Gospel with v. 8.”
Adapted from: Walter W. Wessel in EBC(1984)....
“The Gospel of Mark has four different endings in the MS tradition.”
“Verse :9’s break in continuity of the narrative seems to indicate that vv. :9-20 were not originally a part of Mark’s Gospel but rather a summary of post-resurrection appearances of Jesus composed independently.”—That is, the verses after :8 were not composed by the Holy Spirit thru Mark, but were added later.
There is a so-called ‘Shorter Ending’ to the Gospel of Mark, however “Both the external & internal evidence are clearly against the authenticity of this ending.”....
•The ‘Shorter Ending’ states,—“But they reported briefly to Peter & those with him all that they had been told. And after this Jesus Himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred & imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.”
In Chapter 16 following verse :8, “only two endings have any significant claim to authenticity: FIRSTLY)The ending that concludes the gospel with v. :8, &, SECONDLY)The so-called Longer Ending(vv. :9-20), as in your Bibles.
“The Longer Ending is contained in the great majority of manuscripts.”
Neither Clement of Alexandria nor Origen show any knowledge of the existence of vv. :9-20.[& so Brooks] Almost all the Greek copies of Mark known to Eusebius & Jerome did not contain these verses.”[& so Brooks]
“Although there are staunch supporters of the view that Mark’s intention to end his Gospel with 16:8, this view does not adequately explain (1) Why the early church felt so strongly its lack of completion, witnessed by the insertion of both Shorter & Longer endings; (2)Why a book that purports the ‘good news about Jesus Christ[:1:] should end with the women being afraid...”; & (3)Why there is no recorded fulfillment of Jesus post-ressurrection appearance in Galilee to Peter & the other disciples(cf.-16:7).”
“Thus the best solution seems to be that Mark did write an ending to his Gospel but that it was lost in the early transmissions of the text.”
Adapted from: Ralph P. Martin in ‘New Testament Foundations: A Guide For Christian Students--Vol. 1--The 4 Gospels’(1975)....
*“With the women’s reaction of startled amazement to this news, the Gospel suddenly breaks off. This abrupt ending may be explained either as accidental(perhaps the last section was lost or destroyed) or by design(perhaps the writer was caught in a pogrom[persecution] & hurriedly concluded his work or intended in any case to end his Gospel at that exact point). No one knows. But whether by mishap or interruption or deliberate intention, the evangelist expects his readers to be able to complete the story for themselves.”
*Now that you know a little something about what Bible scholars, pastors, preachers, & teachers, wrestle with, Let’s continue our study of verses :9-20!
*The Resurrection of Deliverance not only informs your...
1. ANTICIPATION(:1-4)
2. COMPREHENSION(:5-6)
3. RESPONSE(:7-8)
4—The Resurrection of Deliverance ALSO informs your...
BOLDNESS(:9-10a)
Explanation:(:9-10a)
:9—“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.”
Jesus, having “risen” from the dead, “early on the first” “of the week”(a Sunday), He “appeared first to” one of the women who had gone to anoint His body in the tomb(:1). The woman whom Jesus “appeared first to” was “Mary of Magdala.”(Magdala was a town located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee)
•Jn. 20:1, 11-18—“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, & saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”.....“But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, & as she wept she stooped down & looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head & the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, & I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around & saw Jesus standing there, & did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, & I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned & said to Him, “Rabboni!”(which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren & say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father & your Father, & to My God & your God.’” Mary Magdalene came & told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, & that He had spoken these things to her.””
*This particular “Mary”, “Mary Magdalene”, is one from whom Jesus, at some point in His ministry, had “cast out” “seven demons”(also Lk. 8:1-3).
•Lk. 8:1-3—“Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city & village, preaching & bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, & certain women who had been healed of evil spirits & infirmities--Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, & Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, & Susanna, & many others who provided for Him from their substance.”
“Mary Magdalene” had without doubt been life-changingly appreciative of what Jesus had done for her. Thus she was completely dedicated to Jesus, even when she MAY NOT have understood the ultimate ramifications of His ministry & how it related to her personally & to the world.
?What does “Mary Magdalene’s” appreciation for Jesus, say about YOUR ‘dedication’ to Jesus?
:10a—“She went & told those who had been with Him,.....”
Mary Magdalene(:9) did as the angel had told her, & relayed pertinent information to “those who had been with” Jesus. She relayed the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.
And along with THAT good news, Mary also relayed the reminder, to “those who had been with” Jesus, that they were to meet the risen Jesus in Galilee(:7).
•Actually, Matthew’s Gospel tells us that ‘the two Marys’ encountered the resurrected Jesus(Mat. 28:9-10). Both of them were told to “go & tell”(Mat. 28:10)!
Mat. 28:9-10—“And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came & held Him by the feet & worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go & tell My brethren to go to Galilee, & there they will see Me.””
Argumentation:
Jn. 8:31-32—“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, & the truth shall make you free.””
•Americans talk a lot about ‘freedom’ don’t we! But the reality is, that most Americans don’t know the half of what ‘freedom’ really is!
Acts 4:29-31—a multitude in Jerusalem, who had believed, prayed,—“Now, Lord, look on their threats, & grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, “by stretching out Your hand to heal, & that signs & wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; & they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, & they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Eph. 3:8-12—To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him.”
Application:
?Does True Deliverance thru the resurrected & living Lord Jesus, inform YOUR BOLDNESS in daily living?
?Is YOUR Deliverance secure in Christ Jesus?
?Are YOU BOLD enough to share ‘the Good News’(the Gospel) with others?....
....And IF NOT, then WHY NOT?
•?Is it because you are personally UNSURE(a cursory relationship) that Jesus is indeed resurrected from the dead & lives today?
--OR--
•?Do you NOT share because you feel inadequate to share such knowledge?....That you’ll be asked a ‘difficult’ question that you might not be able to answer?
?Are YOU BOLD to ‘do’ & ‘live’ as God desires for you to?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
People struggle with various means of so-called ‘deliverance.’
YET true Deliverance is readily available, in Jesus alone!
Action:
The Resurrection of Deliverance informs your...
4. BOLDNESS(:9-10a)
1. ANTICIPATION(:1-4)
2. COMPREHENSION(:5-6)
3. RESPONSE(:7-8)
Pnt# 5 only! presented 05/18/2025am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
