v1: When the Sabbath was over the woman would have prepared the spices to anoint Jesus' body; again they knew He was dead, and expected Him still to be dead. They would have prepared the spices on the Saturday evening, and brought them to the tomb on the Sunday morning.

Such an act was typical of devout Jewish women. "Mary" means bitterness (See Ruth 1.20-21); there was doubtless sorrow for a mother coming to the tomb of another son.

v2: The women arrived very early on the Sunday morning, but the sun had risen. There was sufficient light for them to return to the tomb where they had seen Jesus' body laid. The angel said of that tomb, "See the place where they laid Him."

v3: The women intended to enter the tomb, and they had witnessed the stone being rolled in front of the tomb (15.46).

v4: The stone had been rolled away, and this enabled them to see that Jesus' body was not there.

v5: They were alarmed, expecting to see Jesus' body. We can understand their mixed reactions in this situation, see v8.

v6: "Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified"; explicit identification; answering any human doubts.

"He is risen!"; statement of fact, securing the eternal destiny of millions.

Even in His death, Jesus was referred to as "He" or "Him" (15.46-47); this reflects the love of the women. This same Jesus as died was risen.

v7: There was a command to be obeyed, and the promised privilege to enjoy; "you will see Him."

Mark mentions four resurrection appearances, in v9, 12, 14, 19, and each is mentioned elsewhere. Again this is strong evidence for the truth of the events; "the thing is established by God" (see Gen 41.32); these events are confirmed and emphasised by being repeated.

v8: Trembling, bewildered, afraid; we can perhaps understand such emotions at the time. They had much to take in and understand.

v9-11: The appearance to Mary Magdalene, see John 20.14-18; He appeared first to her. She had a past, for Jesus had cast out seven demons, but her past was dealt with; now she had a future.

v11: Mary met with unbelief, also v13-14; the Lord knew that we would struggle with the wonderful truth of the resurrection, just as the first disciples did. But He will deal with us; He rebuked their unbelief; we must not persist in rejecting the clear truths of God. Their hardness of heart was a theme in the gospel; 4.40; 6.52; 8.17; and others were similarly hard-hearted, 3.5; 6.6.

v12-13: A reference to the appearance on the Emmaus Road, Luke 24.13-15.

v14: When Jesus appeared to the Eleven, He was firm with them, Luke 24.36-43; John 20.27. Mark deals quite briefly with the appearances of the risen Christ, but there is more than enough material here to provide convincing proof of the facts. Further, he speaks of the implications of the resurrection through the future spread of the gospel, accompanied by signs.

v15-16: The gospel was to be proclaimed; there was the message of the resurrection, and there was the promise of His presence; any who believed could be saved, and not condemned.

The gospel is the 'commodity of utter urgency and necessity.' The "good news" is the hope of the world, the guarantee of life in Jesus Christ. It is to be at the heart of the mission of the Church; hence the way Mark and the other gospel writers conclude their gospels.

v17-18: Signs to accompany those who believe, "in My Name", i.e; with Christ's authority and approval. The signs were; victory over demons, judgment on unbelievers (with tongues), distinction from the world and protection from harm, and authority to bring healing (and not just physical diseases); these things are not necessarily seen by all Christians in all ages, but these signs were certainly evident; v20, Heb 2.4.

William Burton (Pentecostal missionary to the Congo) testifies: ‘we have eaten palm nuts which it was thought a witchdoctor had deliberately poisoned, but with no ill effects. We are still in the same age, and on the same business as when Jesus sent out His disciples, so His promises and His commands are the same too.’ (Into Africa, chapter 7.)

These promises are not restricted to an ‘event’ or a location, or even to a particular person. God has given us a message to proclaim, and that is to be accompanied by signs and wonders.

v19: The fourth appearance, Luke 24.50-51; Acts 1.6-9.

v20: The disciples went out after Pentecost, proclaiming the word of God.