What is the meaning of Mark 16:20? And they went out • The obedience is immediate. After hearing the risen Lord’s command (Mark 16:15), the apostles physically leave the upper room and step into the streets. • This fulfills Jesus’ pattern of mission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). • Luke notes they returned to Jerusalem “with great joy” (Luke 24:52), showing that going out was not drudgery but delight. • Acts opens with the same theme: “You will be My witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Their movement is geographic and spiritual—outward and upward, never retreating. And preached everywhere • The gospel is proclaimed without borders—city squares (Acts 3:11-26), private homes (Acts 10:24-48), synagogues (Acts 13:14-44), marketplaces (Acts 17:17). • “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4), illustrating that persecution only multiplies proclamation. • Paul later testifies that the message “has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Colossians 1:23), underscoring the breadth of the early church’s reach. • The focus is verbal: they “preached,” not just modeled. Faith comes “by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). And the Lord worked through them • The risen Christ remains the true actor: “The Lord added to their number daily” (Acts 2:47). • Ministry is partnership—“We are God’s fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9)—but the power source is divine. • Jesus had promised, “Whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing, and he will do even greater works” (John 14:12). • In every missionary report, the credit returns to Him: “They reported all that God had done through them” (Acts 14:27). Confirming His word • God never leaves His message dangling; He authenticates it. “Our message and preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). • Hebrews echoes Mark: “God also testified to it by signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit” (Hebrews 2:4). • The confirmation is of “His word,” not the preachers’ charisma. Truth is underscored; personalities fade. By the signs that accompanied it • Signs are God-given pointers—miracles that direct attention to the gospel, never to mere spectacle. • Examples: – Healing the lame man at the temple gate (Acts 3:6-9). – Peter’s shadow bringing relief to the sick (Acts 5:12-15). – Paul’s handkerchiefs curing diseases (Acts 19:11-12). • Such works validate both messenger and message: “I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me … by the power of signs and wonders” (Romans 15:18-19). • The phrase “that accompanied” reminds us that signs follow proclamation; they are companions, not substitutes, for the spoken word. summary Mark 16:20 portrays the early church in motion—going, preaching, and watching the Lord actively endorse His gospel with unmistakable power. The verse assures believers today that faithful obedience to Christ’s commission is still met with His living presence and confirming work, making the proclamation of His word both authoritative and effective. |
    |