Wednesday Bible study:the end of all things- Mark

 

 

 

This episode- the end of Mark- Has been especially problematic for me.  For one reason, I am in a four week stretch where I will be doing the same story- the endings of the Synoptic Gospels- three times.  But also, there is the curious matter of the last part of Mark 16- vv 9-20- NOT being original to the text!

Most experts agree on this.  The most respected, oldest sources did NOT have these verses in them; it is estimated by language used, they were added by a well-meaning, perhaps inspired, individual in the 2nd century.  Verse 8 ends with the women leaving the empty tomb; verse nine begins with a word that indicates moving on from there, but what follows actually backtracks to the beginning of Resurrection Sunday and moves forward with none of the personal details that Matthew, Luke, or John give us.  You might say to yourself, "But remember, when last we saw Mark, he was running from the soldiers in the garden naked to get away.  He might not have returned for these events (Mark 14:51-52)."  True, but he had personal details elsewhere in his account, and likely he wasn't there for all of them- those who know these things say that Mark wrote down what Peter told him.

A better way of looking at this is how Mark STARTED his Gospel.  Instead of opening with the story of Christ's birth as Matthew and Luke did, or the connection to His coming from God as John did, Mark starts right with the ministry of John the Baptist, and Jesus is introduced at His baptism by John.  Likewise, He ends a distance from where the others did- with the women leaving the empty tomb, not knowing what to make of what had happened. (at least , that's where the part we know is Mark ends!) So Mark had some reason for starting and ending short- here the experts disagree, and I really don't have a good theory.  But here is how he ends:

Mar 16:5  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
Mar 16:6  And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
Mar 16:7  But go, tell his disciples -and Peter- that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."
Mar 16:8  And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now, look at how he started:

Mar 1:1  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mar 1:2  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,
Mar 1:3  the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'"
Mar 1:4  John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

He starts with John appearing; he ends with Jesus disappearing.  Almost a "Hot off the AP ticker" version of the story.  Here it might be noted that the early Church received Mark first (it is believed), then Matthew, who gives the beginning and ends, both miraculous, along with one genealogy (the royal line of Joseph); then Luke, in almost of a "digging for the details" manner, with the Mary genealogy; and finally John, with the God-down connection.  Kind of like they were 'easing people into the story', or else just bringing in the 'just wait there's more' aspect.  At this point, I would like to paraphrase Paul:  "I do not know, God knows."

But, the one passage that struck me might just be the answer to all of it.  Observe:

Mar 16:3  And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
Mar 16:4  And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back--it was very large.

This kind of strikes me as similar to Phillip's Ethiopian Eunuch:

Act 8:29  And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot."
Act 8:30  So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Act 8:31  And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Act 8:32  Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.
Act 8:33  In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."
Act 8:34  And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"
Act 8:35  Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

In essence, we all have that same misunderstanding of what we're reading- we all need that stone rolled away for us.  How blessed we are that God provides!  But just like a couple weeks back in Luke, it is a step by step process- remembering what you have been told, looking into it, having Jesus open your mind to it.  Perhaps, when you consider the timeline of the writing of the Gospels, you can see that principle working here as well.