Mark 16:15 - Jesus' Commission to All Creation
Mark 16:15 records Jesus' final commission to his disciples: "Going into all the world, preach the gospel to all the creation" [1]. This command appears in the longer ending of Mark's Gospel, a textual unit whose manuscript history has generated considerable scholarly discussion, though its content has profoundly shaped Christian missionary theology regardless of its textual status.
Literary Context and Parallel Accounts
The verse stands within Mark 16:9-20, the so-called "longer ending" of Mark, which narrates post-resurrection appearances and Jesus' final instructions before his ascension. The commission in verse 15 parallels Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus commands the disciples to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" [6]. Charles Hodge notes that in Mark's version, "the commission reads thus: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature'" [6]. The Matthean account emphasizes teaching converts "to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," distinguishing between initial evangelistic proclamation and subsequent pastoral instruction [5]. Mark's formulation, by contrast, focuses on the universal scope of gospel proclamation without elaborating the discipleship process.
The Phrase "All the Creation"
The Greek phrase rendered "all the creation" (πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει) has occasioned interpretive discussion. Easton's Bible Dictionary identifies this usage as denoting "the whole human race" [2], distinguishing it from other New Testament uses of κτίσις that refer to the entire created order, including non-human creation (Romans 8:19-22, Colossians 1:15, Revelation 5:13) [2]. The phrase functions as a Hebraic idiom for universal human scope—every person without ethnic, geographic, or social limitation.
This interpretation aligns with the parallel construction in Matthew 28:19, "all nations" (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη), which clearly designates human ethnic groups rather than literal non-human creatures. The commission's object is anthropological, not zoological: the gospel addresses human beings as moral agents capable of faith and repentance. The phrase "all the creation" thus emphasizes the comprehensive reach of the gospel message across all humanity, transcending the ethnic boundaries that had previously defined God's covenant people.
Historical Setting and Apostolic Mission
The commission presupposes the resurrection and anticipates the ascension, positioning the disciples at the threshold of a new epoch. The command to go "into all the world" (εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἅπαντα) marks a decisive shift from Jesus' earlier restriction of mission to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6). The resurrection vindicates Jesus' identity and authority, establishing the basis for this universal mandate.
Hodge observes that this commission "prescribes the present duty of the Church; one that is not to be deferred or languidly performed until a new and more effective dispensation be inaugurated" [6]. The promise of Christ's presence "to the end of the world" in Matthew's parallel account grounds the ongoing validity of this missionary task [6]. The commission thus inaugurates what would become the church's fundamental self-understanding: a community constituted by and for the proclamation of the gospel to all peoples.
Theological Dimensions: Creation and Redemption
The language of "creation" in this verse invites reflection on the relationship between the created order and redemptive proclamation. While the immediate referent is humanity, the choice of κτίσις rather than a more restrictive term like ἄνθρωποι connects gospel proclamation to the broader biblical theology of creation. Colossians 1:16 declares that "by him were all things created" and "all things were created by him, and for him" [8]. Christ's role as Creator establishes his authority over all creation and grounds the universal scope of his redemptive work [7, 11].
The Augsburg Confession cites Mark 16:15 as part of the apostolic commission that defines the church's essential task: "to preach the Gospel, to remit and retain sins, and to administer Sacraments" [9]. This Lutheran formulation links the Great Commission directly to the church's ongoing ministry, emphasizing proclamation as the means by which Christ's redemptive work reaches its intended recipients.
Irenaeus, writing in the second century, insisted that God accomplished his redemptive purposes "by His own power and wisdom, not out of defect or ignorance," using "those which had their substance from the wisdom and power of His Father" [10]. This patristic emphasis on divine sovereignty in both creation and redemption underscores the theological coherence between Christ's creative work and his redemptive commission.
The Gospel as Content
The commission specifies "the gospel" (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον) as the message to be preached. Mark 1:15 summarizes this gospel: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" [4]. The content includes both indicative announcement (God's kingdom has arrived in Christ) and imperative summons (repent and believe). The following verse, Mark 16:16, makes explicit the response required: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" [3]. This conjunction of belief and baptism reflects the early church's understanding that faith finds visible expression in the initiatory rite that incorporates believers into the covenant community.
The commission's enduring force lies in its combination of universal scope, specific content, and promised divine presence, establishing the missionary identity that has characterized Christian communities across centuries and continents.
Sources
- Mark “Mark 16:15 (LITV) — And He said to them, Going into all the world, preach the gospel to all the creation.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Creature — Denotes the whole creation in Rom. 8:39; Col. 1:15; Rev. 5:13; the whole human race in Mark 16:15; Rom. 8:19-22. The living creatures in Ezek. 10:15, 17, are imaginary beings, symbols of the Divine attributes and operations.”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Mark 16:16 cross-references: Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:15, Luke 8:12, John 1:12, John 3:5, John 3:15, John 3:18, John 3:36, John 5:24, John 6:29, John 6:35, John 6:40, John 7:37, John 8:24, John 11:25, John 12:46, John 20:31, Acts 2:38, Acts 2:41, Acts 8:36, Acts 8:37, Acts 10:43, Acts 13:39, Acts 13:46, Acts 16:30, Acts 22:16, Romans 3:6, Romans 4:24, Romans 10:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 2 Thessalonians 2:12, Hebrews 10:38, 1 Peter 1:21, 1 Peter 3:21, 1 John 5:10, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:8”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Mark 1:15 cross-references: Daniel 2:44, Daniel 9:25, Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 10:7, Matthew 21:31, Luke 10:9, Luke 10:11, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:36, Acts 20:21, Romans 16:26, Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 1:10, 2 Timothy 2:25”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 28:20: Teaching them--This is teaching in the more usual sense of the term; or instructing the converted and baptized disciples. to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I--The "I" here is emphatic. It is enough that I am with you alway--"all the days"; that is, till making converts, baptizing, and building them up by Christian instruction, shall be no more. even unto the end of the world. Amen--This glorious Commission embraces two primary departments, the Missionary and the Pastoral, with two sublime and comprehensive Encourag”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 87: the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” ( Matt. xxviii. 19, 20 .) In Mark xvi. 15 , the commission reads thus: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” This commission prescribes the present duty of the Church; one that is not to be deferred or languidly performed until a new and more effective dispensation be inaugurated. The promise of Christ to be with his Church, as then commissioned, to the end of th”
- Colossians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Colossians 1:16: For--Greek, "Because." This gives the proof that He is not included in the things created, but is the "first-begotten" before "every creature" (Col 1:15), begotten as "the Son of God's love" (Col 1:13), antecedently to all other emanations: "for" all these other emanations came from Him, and whatever was created, was created by Him. by him--rather as Greek, "in Him": as the conditional element, pre-existent and all-including: the creation of all things BY Him is expressed afterwards, and is a different fact from the present one, though implied in”
- Colossians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Colossians 1:16: For by him were all things created, etc - These two verses contain parts of the same subject. I shall endeavor to distinguish the statements of the apostle, and reason from them in such a way as the premises shall appear to justify, without appealing to any other scripture in proof of the doctrine which I suppose these verses to vindicate. Four things are here asserted: 1. That Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe; of all things visible and invisible; of all things that had a beginning, whether they exist in time or in eternity. 2. That whatsoever was cre”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 5 But this is their opinion, that the power of the Keys, or the: 5 But this is their opinion, that the power of the Keys, or the power of the bishops, according to the Gospel, is a power or commandment of God, to preach the Gospel, to remit and retain sins, and to administer Sacraments. 6 For with this commandment Christ sends forth His Apostles, John 20:21 sqq.: As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained. 7 Mark 16:15: G”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 1: Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus — CHAP. XVIII.--GOD THE FATHER AND HIS WORD HAVE FORMED ALL CREATED THINGS (WHICH THEY USE) BY THEIR OWN POWER AND WISDOM, NOT OUT OF DEFECT OR IGNORANCE. THE SON OF GOD, WHO RECEIVED ALL POWER FROM THE (part 1): 1. And such or so important a dispensation He did not bring about by means of the creations of others, but by His own; neither by those things which were created out of ignorance and defect, but by those which had their substance from the wisdom and power of His Father. For He was neither unrighteous, so”
- Colossians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Colossians 1:16: 1:16 Thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world refer to various spiritual powers. This line emphasizes Christ’s supremacy over these beings who were getting so much attention from the false teachers (see 2:18). • Everything was created through him and for him: Christ is both the one through whom all things were created and the goal of all creation.”