From Mark 15-16
Two women return to Jesus tomb and find an angel. The angel tells them Jesus has risen from the dead and shows them the empty tomb. The angel instructs them to tell the disciples what has happened. But the gospel ends with them fleeing the tomb in fear and not telling anyone. How should we respond?
This post is part of my bible in a year series.
Passage and Comments
Jesus predicted three times he would be handed into the hands of men, suffer and die at their hands and on the third day rise again (Mk 8.31; 9.31; 10.32-34). Jesus has died and at Joseph’s request buried in a descent tomb (Mk 15.46). Otherwise I suspect he would be thrown in a mass gave outside Jerusalem.
Two women, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses take note of where he is (Mk 15.47). The Jews customarily performed burial rites on their dead. We don’t know much about them. But we do know they involved washing, anointing and dressing the body. After the Romans took Jesus down, the women couldn’t perform the rites on Jesus because of his criminal status (associated with crucifixion) and the haste of his burial.
16 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. (Mk 16.1-2)
The woman returned to complete the burial rites. They brought spices to make him smell and be presented as best they could.
It is a new day and the first of a new week. A new beginning.
The story of the empty tomb is historical. No men are present at this important event. If it was a fictional account in late antiquity the author would scarcely have chosen women as witnesses. Jesus and early Christianity however has raised the status of women in a normally male dominated culture.
But they have a problem. There is a big stone covering the entrance of the tomb.
3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. (Mk 16.3-4)
Problem solved. But who did it and more importantly is Jesus still there? They go on in to see.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
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. (Mk 16.5-6)
‘Young man’, ‘white robe’. Mark does not say that the young man was an angel. Matthew does (Mt 28.2,5). But shining white clothes are usually associated with heavenly beings.
‘Alarmed’. The two women are not alarmed because they know Jesus is missing. They are alarmed because they see an angel and concerned about what he is doing in the tomb. The angel assures them everything is alright.
The crucified Jesus whom they seek has risen from the grave!
The angel invites them to look and see. His missing body is evidence of his resurrection.
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.”
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. (Mk 16.7-8)
‘Tell his disciples’. The angel commands the women to tell Jesus disciples and especially Peter, that He is going to Galilee just as he told them (Mk 14.28). The disciples are on the way there now, but they think Jesus is dead. They do not expect to meet Jesus there.
‘Trembling and astonishment’. The gospel ends abruptly with the woman fleeing the tomb in a state of awe and shock. Jesus is alive and they are unable to say anything about it.
Mark’s Gospel begins with the message about what God was about to do. It closes with a message about what God has done.
“The earliest manuscripts [of Marks Gospel] end here. But later manuscripts of Mark and the later Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John go on to narrate resurrection appearances. The later manuscripts of Mark provide two endings.” (Evans, C.A., 2003. Mark. In J. D. G. Dunn & J. W. Rogerson, eds. Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, p. 1102.)
About Jesus
The gospel of Mark ends with the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead and the only people who know anything about it have not said anything about it to anyone.
The ending is a call for us to enter into the story. What would we have done if we were those first women told about Jesus’ resurrection? What will we do now that we know the good news? Will we flee in fear and become silent?
The Gospel of Mark leaves us with unfinished business to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. Will you go and tell the story?
Copyright © Joshua Washington and thescripturesays, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
