What Old Testament prophecies connect to the resurrection in Mark 16:13? Setting the Scene in Mark 16:13 • After His resurrection, Jesus appears to two disciples walking in the country (cf. Luke 24:13-35). • They hurry back and tell the Eleven, but “they did not believe them either” (Mark 16:13). • The unbelief of the apostles contrasts sharply with the certainty God had already given through the prophets. Key Old Testament Prophecies Pointing to Resurrection • Psalm 16:10 — “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” – David speaks beyond himself; only the Messiah escapes corruption (cf. Acts 2:24-32). • Psalm 22:21-24 — “You have answered Me… I will declare Your name to My brothers.” – The Suffering Servant lives again to praise God among His people. • Isaiah 53:10-12 — “He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days… after He has poured out His life unto death.” – Death is not the Servant’s end; He sees the fruit of His work alive. • Isaiah 25:8 — “He will swallow up death forever.” – A direct promise of victory over death fulfilled in Christ’s empty tomb (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54). • Hosea 6:2 — “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.” – A corporate call to Israel that foreshadows Messiah’s third-day rising. • Jonah 1:17; 2:10 — Jonah’s three days in the fish become Jesus’ own “sign of Jonah” (cf. Matthew 12:40). • Psalm 118:22-24 — “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… This is the day the LORD has made.” – Resurrection morning is the climactic “day” the psalm celebrates. Why These Prophecies Matter in Mark 16:13 • The apostles’ hesitation shows how little even devoted followers grasped the prophetic roadmap. • Each Old Testament text above secures the historical fact Mark records: the tomb could not keep Jesus. • God’s pattern: prediction → fulfillment → eyewitness proclamation. The prophetic word anchors the disciples’ later preaching (Acts 3:15-18). • Our faith, unlike the initial unbelief in Mark 16:13, rests on both eyewitness testimony and centuries-old promises fulfilled to the letter. How the Prophecies Interlock 1. Suffering Psalms (22; 16; 118) give the Messiah’s voice—death, deliverance, public praise. 2. Servant Songs (Isaiah 52-53) unite atonement with extended life. 3. National Promises (Isaiah 25; Hosea 6) broaden the hope to all who trust Him. 4. Typology (Jonah) provides a vivid time-stamp: “three days.” Takeaway The empty tomb reported in Mark 16 and doubted in verse 13 was never a divine afterthought. It was meticulously scripted in the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, vindicating Jesus as the promised, risen Messiah. |
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