Mark 16:19-20 19Therefore then, the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20And those ones going out preached everywhere, while the Lord worked together and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
The longer ending of the Gospel of Mark ends with Jesus’ ascension and exaltation. Acts 1:9-11 gives further details of Jesus’ ascension. The same way he went away was the same way he would come again. Jesus sitting at the right hand of God’s throne in heaven is a fulfillment of Psalm 110:1. This psalm was significant for early Christians, as the frequent reference throughout the New Testament of Jesus’ exaltation to the right hand of God indicates (12:36; 14:62). The right hand of a throne was considered the highest place of honor. Jesus’ resurrection confirmed him to be the Son of God and announced his sovereignty over all creation.
The grammar of verse 20 is stilted but gives a summary of the mission and effectiveness of the disciples. The generic reference those clearly refers back to the eleven disciples and possibly others who had gathered together in Galilee. The participle going shows their obedience to Jesus’ command given in verse 15. The key verb preached was their mission to “all the world” everywhere. They had finally caught on to who Jesus was and what he wanted them to do. There is no reference in the ending of Mark about the coming of the Holy Spirit, but the last clause assumes that this happened. The verb worked together shows that the disciples did not do this on their own but had the presence of the Lord with them. Their preaching of the gospel was confirmed by signs. These last verses summarize the key themes of the book of Acts and how the disciples spread the gospel from Jerusalem all the way to the capital city of Rome. They performed miracles in Jesus’ name as they went out in obedience to Jesus’ command to go.
Although the longer ending of Mark was likely not part of the original, as indicated by the history of ancient manuscripts, it contains significant thoughts consistent with other parts of the New Testament. One of the big themes of Mark is the lack of understanding and faith by the twelve disciples Jesus designated as apostles who were supposed to “go out” into the world. It was a difficult journey to go from doubt, fear, and uncertainty to fearless faith and confidence. Many things changed them. One was being in Jesus’ presence for three years. They saw how he interacted with people and heard what the taught. They experienced his miraculous power. They had many struggles on this journey, such as during the last few days leading up to and following Jesus’ crucifixion. His resurrection confirmed the nascent faith and gave them the confidence to go out into the whole world with the gospel. Jesus did not leave them to do this mission alone but promised to be with them.
We follow the same path of struggle that the disciples had. We are attracted to Jesus. We like what we see, hear, and experience. But the call to be a disciple is costly because we have to trust him. We have to step out in faith and follow him to the cross. When temptation comes, we must imitate his reliance on the Father’s will. The mission is great, and the world is a big place. We do not walk this path alone, however. Jesus’ promise to the disciples long ago is still relevant and possible for us. We must “stay awake” (13:37) as we await his coming again.
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