Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 6:29
And when his disciples heard [of it,] they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
29. laid it in a tomb ] and then “ went and told Jesus ” (Mat 14:12) of the death of His great Forerunner, over whom He had pronounced so remarkable a eulogy (Luk 7:27-28).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
29. And when his disciples heard ofitthat is, the Baptist’s own disciples.
they came and took up hiscorpse, and laid it in a tomb“and went and told Jesus”(Mt 14:12). If these discipleshad, up to this time, stood apart from Him, as adherents of John (Mt11:2), perhaps they now came to Jesus, not without some secretreflection on Him for His seeming neglect of their master; butperhaps, too, as orphans, to cast in their lot henceforth with theLord’s disciples. How Jesus felt, or what He said, on receiving thisintelligence, is not recorded; but He of whom it was said, as Hestood by the grave of His friend Lazarus, “Jesus wept,” wasnot likely to receive such intelligence without deep emotion. And onereason why He might not be unwilling that a small body of John’sdisciples should cling to him to the last, might be to provide someattached friends who should do for his precious body, on a smallscale, what was afterwards to be done for His own.
Mr6:30-56. THE TWELVEON THEIR RETURN,HAVING REPORTEDTHE SUCCESS OFTHEIR MISSION,JESUS CROSSESTHE SEA OF GALILEEWITH THEM, TEACHESTHE PEOPLE, ANDMIRACULOUSLY FEEDSTHEM TO THE NUMBEROF FIVE THOUSANDHESENDS HISDISCIPLES BY SHIPAGAIN TO THE WESTERNSIDE, WHILEHE HIMSELFRETURNS AFTERWARDSWALKING ON THESEAINCIDENTSON LANDING. ( =Mat 14:13-36; Luk 9:10-17;Joh 6:1-24).
Here, for the first time, all thefour streams of sacred text run parallel. The occasion and all thecircumstances of this grand section are thus brought before us with avividness quite remarkable.
Five Thousand Miraculously Fed(Mr 6:30-44).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when his disciples heard of it,…. That is, when the disciples of John heard of this barbarous execution of their master,
they came; to the prison in the castle of Machaerus,
and took up his corpse; the trunk of his body; for his head was carried away, to glut the revenge of Herodias;
and laid it in a tomb; [See comments on Mt 14:12].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
His corpse ( ). See on Mt 24:28. It was a mournful time for the disciples of John. “They went and told Jesus” (Mt 14:12). What else could they do?
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Corpse. See on Mt 24:28.
Stier (” Words of Jesus “) says of Herod : “This man, whose inner life was burnt out; who was made up of contradictions, speaking of his kingdom like Ahasuerus, and yet the slave of his Jezebel; willingly hearing the prophet, and unwillingly killing him; who will be a Sadducee, and yet thinks of a resurrection; who has a superstitious fear of the Lord Jesus, and yet a curiosity to see him.”
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And when his disciples heard of it,” (kai akousantes hoi mathetai autou) “And when his disciples heard what had happened,” of his murder, how he had been unlawfully put to death by Herod.
2) “They came and took up his corpse,” (elthan kai heran to ptoma autou) “They went and took his corpse,” his dead body, his carcass, Whether or not they were also given his head to bury with the body is not known, but we can be certain that the burial was an appropriate one, with sorrow and compassion, much as that given our Lord by Nicodemus and Joseph of Aramathaea, Luk 23:50-53; Joh 19:38-42.
3) ”And laid it in a tomb.” (kaiethekan auto en mnemeio) ”And. placed it in a tomb,” a burial place, similar perhaps to that in which their Lord was later buried, Mat 14:12; Mat 27:60,
Lessons taught by this account are:
1) Depravity of man, even of a girl, of the gentler sex.
2) Banqueting hours of drinking and dancing lead to rash promises and wicked deeds.
3) What begins as a teasing sport may lead to capital crime,
4) Malice, old grudges, and revenge often lead to violence.
5) False honor or fickle promises may lead to bloody murder.
6) Conscience of wrong doing may torment one through life, except he find forgiveness in Christ.
7) Faithful ministers of God may expect to suffer and be hated by the vile whose sins they expose.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
29. His disciples came. One thing only remained to complete the woman’s cruelty. It was, to leave the corpse of the holy man unburied; for there is reason to believe that, when his disciples performed this duty, the attendants of the tyrant had thrown out the corpse. Though the honor of burial is of no importance to the dead, yet it is the will of the Lord that we should observe this ceremony as a token of the last resurrection; and therefore God was pleased with the carefulness which was manifested by the disciples, when they came to commit to the tomb the body of their master. Moreover, it was an attestation of their piety; for in this way they declared that the doctrine of their master continued to have a firm hold of their hearts after his death. This confession was therefore worthy of praise, more especially as it was not without danger; for they could not do honor to a man who had been put to death by the executioner without exciting against themselves the rage of the tyrant.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
‘And when his disciples heard, they came and collected his corpse and laid it in a tomb.’
The same word for corpse is used in Mar 15:45 in a similar setting and the parallel may be intentional. And they also laid him in a tomb (compare Mar 15:46). Both the forerunner and his Master received similar treatment, and both would rise again.
Note. The differences in this account and that of Josephus, who makes the whole thing purely political, can easily be put down to differences of approach. Josephus, a Jewish historian seeking to present the Jews in a good light, is interested in political propaganda in support of the Jews and the facts here do not reflect well on them. He stated that the reason for John’s death was because Herod feared that John’s influence over the people might lead to a political rising. And that was of course true. Had it not been for that he would not have been in prison. But this does not prevent acknowledgement of the further influence of a jealous and angry woman. Mark is not concerned about politics. He is concerned about man and his relationship to God. And he may even have had sources not open to Josephus, for the wife of Herod’s steward may well have been known to him (Luk 8:3). He did not need the rumour of the marketplace. (End of note).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
29 And when his disciples heard of it , they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Ver. 29. See Trapp on “ Mat 14:12 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mar 6:29 relates how the disciples of John buried the carcase of their master. , in a tomb. The phrase recalls to mind the burial of Jesus. Did the evangelist wish to suggest for the reflection of his readers a parallel between the fate of the Baptist and that of Christ? (So Klostermann).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
a tomb = the tomb. See note on Mat 27:60.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mar 6:29. ) So of the prophet [Urijah], Jer 26:23, Lat. cadaver. The body of the Saviour is not so termed.- , in a tomb) perhaps that of his father, in which it was natural for him to be laid, as his own. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Life, was laid in the sepulchre of another.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
they came: 1Ki 13:29, 1Ki 13:30, 2Ch 24:16, Mat 14:12, Mat 27:57-60, Act 8:2
Reciprocal: 2Sa 4:7 – took his head
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
9
His disciples means the disciples of John. All that was left for them to do was to give respectful and loving attention to the headless body. I have been unable to find any information on what became of the head of this righteous man.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 6:29. His disciples, i.e., those of John. They came and told Jesus (Mat 14:12).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The parallels between John’s burial and Jesus’ are also striking (cf. Mar 15:42-47). John died alone; his disciples were not with him. The same was true of Jesus with the exception of His disciple John and some of His female disciples. Herod gave John’s disciples permission to bury his corpse as Pilate permitted Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus. The disciples of each man gave their teacher an honorable burial in a tomb.
This pericope shows that people who preach repentance and point to Jesus as the Messiah can expect opposition, persecution, imprisonment, and perhaps a martyr’s death. This is a comfort for disciples who suffer for their witness for Jesus. It does not relieve them of their suffering or hold out the hope of escape, but it does enable them to see that they are in the best of company. This is some encouragement. Historically martyrs have found strength in remembering that they are part of a large company who have shared the sufferings of their Savior.