That's the End: Mark 16: 5-8

What will you do with the story of Christ?  That’s really the crux of the issue, isn’t it?  Sure, we receive eternal life and look forward to eternity with God.  But what are you going to do between the point where you receive the gift and the time when eternity with our God begins?

Mary, Mary, and Salome find the tomb empty.  There is no dead body.  What must these women have thought?  Grave robbing was a serious threat.  People would rob tombs for valuables as well as to steal bodies.  Perhaps someone stole Jesus body to make the claim later that He never really died.  Perhaps someone stole His body so Jesus’ followers wouldn’t have a place to turn into a marshalling point to continue the rebellion they feared from Jesus.  There were reasons the lack of body should create fear.

The young man – most likely an angelic messenger from God – explains the situation to the women.  He tells them Jesus is not present.  He reassures them about Jesus’ teachings prior to His death coming true.  The angel encourages the women to go and tell the disciples what happened.

The women flee in fear.  The message is far too new for them to comprehend.  The message is also far too miraculous for faith to kick in.  All they understood was the body of Jesus they came to finish preparations on was no longer in the tomb.

The earliest copies we have of Mark’s Gospel end here.  I love this fact.  When Mark wrote his letter, this is where he chose to end it.  The women receive the message, but they go out in fear. The End.

Why would Mark do this?  Ending the story in this manner creates tension.  Mark’s audience would know about Jesus and they would know about the resurrection.  Mark uses this style of ending to evoke questions.  People hearing this account would want the rest of the story to be told.  This provides a wonderful opportunity for the recounting of the story to shift from Mark’s letter to the religious leaders of the community to which Mark wrote.  Those religious elders are set up to share how the Gospel message eventually came to their own location.  This style of ending is about evangelism.

Furthermore, the original ending also creates questions.  It gives place for people to wonder what would have happened if the women had stayed fearful.  That gives the listener the opportunity to realize how important it was for these women to get over their fear.  It gives the listener opportunity to analyze their own fear.

That is the point of Mark’s letter.  Jesus lived without fear.  He rose to the challenge.  He clung firmly to truth and proclaimed it.  He died for the truth and rose again to demonstrate that God’s truth is the best game in town.  Now the story falls upon your shoulders.  How do you receive the story?  What will you do with the story of Christ?