Mark 6:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

NIV: On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

NASB: When his disciples heard about this, they came and carried away his body, and laid it in a tomb.

CSB: When John's disciples heard about it, they came and removed his corpse and placed it in a tomb.

NLT: When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb.

KJV: And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

NKJV: When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

The populist rebellion Antipas had feared never arrives. John has already transferred his disciples' loyalty to Jesus (Matthew 11:2–6). His message will spread to Ephesus and beyond (Acts 19:1–7). He has completed the work God sent him to do (Mark 1:2–4). His death is the end of the Old Testament-era prophets.

Like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38–42), John's disciples take away their master's body and bury it respectfully. In Israel and all the Near East, proper burial is very important. "May you be unburied" is a curse and one of the punishments the Israelites would have to face if they broke the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 28:26). The first property the Israelites owned in the Promised Land is a burial cave purchased by Abraham (Genesis 23). In 2 Samuel 21:1–14, David avenges the Gibeonites by allowing them to execute the sons of Saul and leave their bodies unburied. After this, the mother of two of the sons stays with the corpses, protecting them from scavenger birds, until David retrieves them and gives them a proper burial. God takes vengeance on Jezebel for mistreating His prophets. In between the time of her death and her intended burial, dogs take all of her except her skull, feet, and the palms of her hands (2 Kings 9:30–37).

We also wish to be honored at death. We hope that we have made a positive impact on the world, enough that our loss is mourned and our life is celebrated. Even more honoring is to hear God say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23). John, who persevered to the end (Matthew 24:45–46), spreading God's words even in prison, surely hears God say this as his disciples mourn over his body.

Mark 6:14–29 follows the disciples' success in continuing John the Baptist's work with a flashback of John's execution. John was Jesus' cousin (Luke 1:36) and the herald of Jesus' ministry (John 1:19–28). He preached repentance to many, including Andrew and Peter (John 1:35–42). He also baptized Jesus (Mark 1:9–11). Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee, where Jesus was from, and Perea, near where John preached. Antipas was fascinated by John, but his wife felt threatened by John's condemnation of their incestuous marriage. This story is also found in Matthew 14:1–12, Luke 3:19–20, and Luke 9:7–9.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

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.