Reflecting on Mark 16:1-8
"They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." (Mark 16:8)What if Mark intended to end his account of Jesus this way?
The women witness this great event, and then say nothing out of fear?
Most men of the time would say, ‘typical, shows how unreliable women are!’
Why would Mark leave the story hanging, since we know the story did go on?
To me the most likely explanation is that the ending is lost.
But there is something symbolic about being left hanging.
That is, being left in the middle of a story, waiting for the ending.
Knowing that the story keeps going it, but not experiencing it.
This is the kind of story new believers were entering into.
Though they believed Jesus would come again, He hadn’t come yet.
The story was not fulfilled, and at times they were “trembling and bewildered”.
‘Why are we suffering, when is Jesus coming back, how can we speak about this?’
We find ourselves wondering the same thing?
After two thousand years, we also wonder ‘why is it taking so long?’
It takes faith to finish the story in our hearts and minds.
We repeat to ourselves out loud how the story will end.
Jesus will appear, Jesus does ascend, Jesus is on the throne.
Jesus does send us to witness for Him.
And Jesus is working with us as we go for Him, with signs and wonders.
And Jesus will come again, and fully establish God’s kingdom on earth.
We push past the trembling and bewilderment, and we speak in faith.
Jesus is alive, Jesus is Lord, Jesus will come again!
The added verses are attempts to finish the story by faith.
They are not Mark’s words, but they are sincere expressions of faith.
There is a shorter addition not written in the bible, but added as a footnote.
(See at the end of v.8 the little ‘a’ in brackets).
Some manuscripts have the following ending between verses 8 and 9, and one manuscript has it after verse 8 (omitting verses 9-20): “Then they quickly reported all these instructions to those around Peter. After this, Jesus himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.”
The “sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation” spreads!
The message is not silenced, it goes to ends of the earth.
Like Jesus, the message is “sacred and imperishable”.
Though this is not Mark’s ending, it is an accurate statement.
And His message is still spreading, people are being saved… AMEN!
Which brings me back to the women who are trembling, bewildered and speechless.
What a weak way for Jesus to entrust His sacred and imperishable message.
Giving His message to His weak followers (men and women).
Look at the church through history, it has not been all strong and good.
Jesus has entrusted His message to weak and flawed servants.
We are not the best witnesses, and sometimes we are the worst witnesses.
Yet the resurrection message cannot be stopped, just like Jesus could not be.
Despite how weak and flawed our witness is, the message is still spreading.
It is almost as if God chooses the weak on purpose… to make a point.
Again and again Jesus chooses the weak, the flawed, the simple, the humble.
Those who are great are brought low, and the lowly are lifted up.
“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Jesus, not us, is the hope of the world.
Jesus’s power, not ours, is the reason for confidence.
Our witness is weak, we are flawed, and yet His kingdom still comes.
We do not boast about our greatness, we boast in the Lord.
We admit our weakness, because only then are we strong in Him.
“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
The story will not end because of our weakness.
Even though, like these women, our witness flounders and fails…
Jesus is alive, Jesus is Lord, He will come again, His kingdom will win!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help me not to shame the women for being weak witnesses. I am just as weak, and yet You have chosen to work through them and me and all Your weak followers through history. Our only confidence, our only reason to boast, is You!
May Your message continue to spread to the ends of the earth and time through your flawed and failing witnesses.
There have been times when I too was afraid to speak in the name of Jesus. Yet You continue to help me daily to be Your servant. Help me to be a soldier of the cross in my daily living for You.