Mark 16:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]

NIV: Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

NASB: And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.]] [[ And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. ]]

CSB: And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the accompanying signs.]

NLT: And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

KJV: And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

NKJV: And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

This verse, although not found in the earliest manuscripts, summarizes the book of Acts. Peter preached in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14–41) and Caesarea (Acts 10). Paul and Barnabas preached all over modern-day Turkey, Greece, Italy, and possibly beyond. Church tradition records that the other disciples spread the gospel from India to Spain.

As the disciples preached, the Holy Spirit allowed them to perform miraculous signs, most often healing, casting out demons, and speaking in the language of their audience. This was necessary because the entire gospel was being transmitted through the words of men, often men the listeners hadn't met before. The miracles validated the disciples as chosen by God. This let the listeners know that their message was sent by God.

There is a great deal of debate as to whether Christ-followers can still perform these miracles. Speaking in another language has been twisted into "speaking in tongues," which people purport to mean speaking in a language only God knows. The act of expelling demons has become terribly abused; some church leaders teach that everything from ill health to unemployment is caused by demons that need to be exorcised. Undoubtedly God still heals today. But He usually works either within the context of medical treatment or directly, without a human messenger. There are more charlatans in the world than healers empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The message, however, is the same. Jesus is God and the Son of God. He came to earth as a baby through a virgin birth. He lived a sinless life. He was crucified and died on the cross. He was buried for three days and rose again in a physical, glorified body. His death was the sacrifice that paid for our sins because there is nothing we can do to earn forgiveness from God. His resurrection is the sign that God accepted His sacrifice and is willing to forgive us. If we accept Jesus as our Savior and accept His sacrifice for payment of our sins, we will be saved. The Holy Spirit will live inside of us. After we die, we will also receive new, glorified bodies. And we will live in paradise with Him forever.

Mark 16:14–20 is not part of the oldest, most trusted manuscripts of the Bible. Most of what this passage contains is covered in Matthew 28:16–20, Luke 24:36–43, and John 20:19–29. However, there are points on which these verses are unsubstantiated. The disciples finally realize Jesus will not overthrow the Romans, and they will not rule from twelve thrones, at least not yet (Matthew 19:28). First, they have work: spreading the message that Jesus has died for the sins of the world and is risen. In this mission, they will be able to perform miracles and endure dangers that would normally kill them.

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.