Mark 16:1-8

Find a way to separate yourself from whatever’s going on around you so you can fully enter into today’s passage. if you haven’t read the introduction to Mark’s Gospel, read it here.

Read Mark 16:1-8 paying special attention to the first four verses.

This passage starts on the evening of the Sabbath, but what must that day have been like for the women who faithfully followed Jesus?

Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest from the usual day-to-day tasks, but in the absence of activity the pain and confusion of the women must have been heightened. It is impossible to know what they were thinking on this day between Jesus’ death and resurrection, but most probably they searched their memories to recall the words of Jesus about the events that had just transpired. And each time they remembered his words, the echoes of the sound of his voice must have brought fresh waves of grief.

Have you ever experienced a “time between” when you were confused or grieved by events in your life? Spend a moment or two trying to recall the feelings and thoughts you had in that time.

Read Mark 16:1-8 again, this time focusing on the last three verses.

These women are the ones who stayed with Jesus to his death and now they are the only ones who return to care for him in death. They were his students and followers and they heard him predict his suffering, death and resurrection, but now when they enter the tomb they are completely taken by surprise. Though they trusted him in life and believed his teaching, when the angel tells them that Jesus is alive, even these courageous, devoted women are frightened to the point of silence.

And this is where Mark ends his Gospel. The alternative endings were added at a later time and attempt to “finish” the story. But Mark’s original story doesn’t give us a tidy ending. Rather we are left with questions: Did the women overcome their fear and set out on the mission given them by the angel? Did the other followers and disciples of Jesus eventually come to believe that Jesus’ words about rising again were literal and true?

Perhaps the central question of Mark’s Gospel is the one he asked of his followers in Mark 8:29: “Who do you say that I am?”

So, who do you say that he is?

Get as still as possible and take a few moments to sit with this question.

How has your thinking about Jesus changed since you began this journey with Mark’s Gospel?

Mark ends his Gospel with an empty tomb that points to an unprecedented event – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Has God ever acted in your life in a way that opened up a whole new realm of possibility? Are you open to the idea of God acting in ways that are beyond your realm of experience?

Get still again for a few moments and let all of this settle as you breathe and rest in the presence of Jesus. If you sense during this time that there is an action to which Jesus is calling you, write it down and create a plan for following though.

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