Mark 16:1-8

The Resurrection

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.



BACKGROUND READING:


Matthew 27:62-28:20


Luke 24



Dig Deeper

In the oldest and most reliable manuscripts, this is the last section in the book of Mark. The section that will be considered tomorrow is something that was very likely added on by some scribe or church leader to give a proper ending. We will consider the merits of that passage in the reading for tomorrow, but suffice it say that verse 8 is probably the end of what we have of Mark’s original work. This is evidenced by the fact that the earliest of the early church fathers, including Clement of Alexandria and Origen, demonstrate no knowledge of anything in Mark beyond verse 8.


Some scholars have proposed that Mark intentionally ended his gospel here. One of the motifs of Mark, says this theory, is that of the fear caused by God’s work through Jesus (Mark 5:15, 22; 9:6). It is suggested then, that Mark left off at the women’s fear, suggesting that God had performed one more great and mighty work that had confirmed what Jesus had said about himself all along. This may be true, but I believe that it is more likely that the original ending was damaged somewhere very early on and was lost. This may cause great concern to some, the possibility that some of the original, apostle-directed Scriptures have been lost. This should not cause us any concern at all, however. The rest of the book of Mark has clearly demonstrated the power of the Messiah that was sent of God. If God can direct such things as the resurrection of Jesus Christ, then surely he is capable of preserving the portions of Scripture that he wished to be preserved. The most important parts of Mark are still beautifully preserved, and we have accounts of Jesus’ actions between his resurrection and ascension from Matthew and Luke. Of course we are left to speculate as to why God did not deem it necessary to preserve the final portions of Mark, if they did exist, but it’s not something worth spending too much time thinking about, because the answer will be nothing more than speculation.


It is the three women, we are told, who Mark counts as being present on that incredible Sunday morning. They are going there to anoint Jesus’ body, not to witness the resurrection. There was, we should remember no expectation amongst the disciples that Jesus was going to literally raise from the dead at this time. They have gone, realizing that they wouldn’t be able to roll the stone back, but hope that someone strong enough will be there to do it for them.


When they arrive, they find that the work of rolling back the stone has already been done and that a young man is sitting inside of the tomb. The news he gives them must have sent shock waves through their bodies. He tells them that Jesus is not there, that he has risen.


The details that Mark gave us in the previous passage now become rather important. The women were there when Jesus was declared dead. They probably helped prepare his corpse for the first stage of burial. They were certainly present when his body was laid in the tomb. The point of all of that is that they knew that he was indeed dead, and they also knew which tomb was his. Even if they had somehow gotten to the wrong tomb that morning, surely it would have been easy enough for the Jewish authorities or the Romans to go to the correct tomb and produce Jesus’ body. The fact is, it was not there. He had indeed risen from the dead, just as he had told them he would.


The fact that Peter is singled out by this messenger to have the good news reported to him and the other disciples does not show that he is favored in any way. In fact, it is probably meant as a merciful way of telling him and the others that even after his three denials, even he was not beyond redemption. He would still play an important role in the kingdom of God.


We are left with the detail that the women ran off, quite afraid. So afraid, in fact, that they didn’t tell anyone that they had passed along the way. Throughout the pages of Mark, people have been told to remain silent about Jesus. Now these women who have just arrived on the scene of Jesus’ most incredible miracle, remain silent all on their own. Presumably they will not say anything until they find people that they know they can trust and who can help them make sense of what they’ve just been told.



Devotional Thought

If this is indeed the end of the original story of Mark that has survived, then perhaps it provides a bit of theological good fortune in which we are asked to wrestle with the mystery of what happened next. It is up to us to finish the story, the decide what we are going to do with it, and how we will spread the message to our world in our day. Spend some time today thinking about the mission that has been handed down to today’s Christian community and what part you are going to take in it.