Rev. Michael Pizza in Liberating Word says “The Gospel of Mark ends with an empty tomb. Actually, there are three endings to Mark. The most reliable ending is the first one in chapter 16, verse 8: So they ( the three women) went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. There is no appearance by Jesus, no affirmations of faith, no angelic choruses. The first and oldest description of the resurrection simple ends with an empty tomb. Then there is a shorter ending that was added later. The two sentences were clearly not written by Mark, as any reader can tell. There is also a third ending of about 11 verses in which Jesus does appear to the disciples in much the same way he did in the other Gospels. There is even a long verse or two in this segment that is in some ancient manuscripts, but not the most reliable. In short, the ending of Mark is a mess. Again, one is left to wonder how Biblical literalists explain which one of these endings qualifies as inerrant/infallible. The most reliable version leaves us with witnesses who are too afraid to say anything to anyone about what they have seen. They are seized between terror and amazement, unable to say anything to anyone. That is how the story ends. Actually, Mark simply stops without an ending. That is why at least two attempts have been made to add one. We are uncomfortable with music that is unresolved. Maybe that is one of the reasons Matthew and Luke felt they had to tell very similar stories, but with endings. What would Christianity have looked like if we had left Mark’s Gospel as it was? Could we have lived with a missing body? Could we have believed that the Church, which rose up after Jesus, was the resurrected Jesus in the world? Would that be enough, or did we need an animated body to free us from our own fear of death? Mark ends with an empty tomb. It is likely that the real ending got lost and others tried to provide one. What is unfortunate is that we have yet to realize that, regardless of what you believe about the resurrection of Jesus, the Body of Christ alive today must live in that tension between terror and amazement, and we must be the real ending to the Gospel."
Rev. Michael Pizza in Liberating Word says “The Gospel of Mark ends with an empty tomb. Actually, there are three endings to Mark. The most reliable ending is the first one in chapter 16, verse 8:
ReplyDeleteSo they ( the three women) went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
There is no appearance by Jesus, no affirmations of faith, no angelic choruses. The first and oldest description of the resurrection simple ends with an empty tomb.
Then there is a shorter ending that was added later. The two sentences were clearly not written by Mark, as any reader can tell. There is also a third ending of about 11 verses in which Jesus does appear to the disciples in much the same way he did in the other Gospels. There is even a long verse or two in this segment that is in some ancient manuscripts, but not the most reliable.
In short, the ending of Mark is a mess. Again, one is left to wonder how Biblical literalists explain which one of these endings qualifies as inerrant/infallible.
The most reliable version leaves us with witnesses who are too afraid to say anything to anyone about what they have seen. They are seized between terror and amazement, unable to say anything to anyone. That is how the story ends. Actually, Mark simply stops without an ending. That is why at least two attempts have been made to add one. We are uncomfortable with music that is unresolved.
Maybe that is one of the reasons Matthew and Luke felt they had to tell very similar stories, but with endings. What would Christianity have looked like if we had left Mark’s Gospel as it was? Could we have lived with a missing body? Could we have believed that the Church, which rose up after Jesus, was the resurrected Jesus in the world? Would that be enough, or did we need an animated body to free us from our own fear of death?
Mark ends with an empty tomb. It is likely that the real ending got lost and others tried to provide one. What is unfortunate is that we have yet to realize that, regardless of what you believe about the resurrection of Jesus, the Body of Christ alive today must live in that tension between terror and amazement, and we must be the real ending to the Gospel."