Mark 16:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

NIV: When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

NASB: And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

CSB: Yet, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.

NLT: But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

KJV: And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

NKJV: And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

This verse is not in the oldest, most reliable manuscripts of the New Testament and likely not original to Mark's Gospel. However, the statement is not contradictory to what we read elsewhere in the Bible.

For three years, Jesus has trained the disciples to spread the good news of His resurrection to the world. In the first few days, we see how difficult that task is. First, Mary Magdalene, who has traveled with the disciples and supported Jesus in His work (Luke 8:1–3), announces she has seen and talked to Jesus (John 20:18). Jesus had previously told the disciples He would die and be raised again (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). But when the disciples hear from Mary and the other women, "these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them" (Luke 24:11). Peter and John run to the tomb and verify that it is empty (Luke 24:12; John 20:3–10). They seem to begin to believe, yet still do not understand.

This night, two of Jesus' followers return and say they met Jesus on the road and ate with Him (Luke 24:13–35).

). Evidently Jesus had also appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34). As the two men finish their story, Jesus appears in the room, which they'd locked themselves into for fear of the Jews (John 20:19). The disciples think it is a spirit (Luke 24:36–37). Later, Thomas arrives and refuses to believe any of them (John 20:24–29). Jesus must return and show Thomas His hands and feet before Thomas will accept the truth. Throughout Jesus' ministry, He has had occasion to be frustrated with the disciples' lack of faith (Mark 4:35–41; 8:14–21). In other situations, like when He walked on water (Mark 6:45–52), He sees real fear and responds by showing them the truth.

The resurrection is the key component of the gospel. Without it, our "faith is futile" and "we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:17–19). Once we accept the resurrection, we can freely say, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). In order to do so, we must accept what God says to us through the Scriptures, and pray that our hearts will not be hardened (Mark 6:52) and the truth will not be hidden from us (Luke 18:34).

After the mandatory time of rest, several of Jesus' female followers approach His tomb intending to anoint the body. Their primary concern is who will open the tomb for them so they can honor Jesus' remains. They arrive to find the tomb open, empty, and watched over by angels. After hearing from these beings (Luke 24:4–7), the women leave in fear, speaking only to the disciples. This ends the original, God-inspired text of the Gospel of Mark. Verses 9–20 are mostly corroborated by other Scripture, but were not part of the initial writing.

Leading up to chapter 16, Jesus has been unfairly tried and executed by crucifixion. Starting in this passage, Jesus' women followers find an empty tomb, but don't know what it means. Jesus' work for our salvation is done, but explaining that to His disciples will take another forty days (Acts 1:3). And telling the world is a work that will continue until His return. The resurrection and events after are also covered in Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 20—21, and Acts 1:1–11. The most reliable copies of the Gospel of Mark leave the disciples where they have spent much of the story: confused and afraid. Jesus is risen, but they haven't yet accepted that. Everything after verse 9 is most likely a later scribal addition.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.