The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.
Mark 16:8

We read “To Build a Fire” in sixth grade, the short story by Jack London about a man who treks with his dog in extreme cold. I was used to books that ended with satisfying resolutions, lessons learned, and happy endings, so I was stunned to read how the man’s missteps, moment by moment, narrowed his chance for survival until, finally, he surrendered to the cold.

I expected, right until the end, that someone better prepared would happen along and save the man, or some stroke of genius would replace his doom with hope. But that is not how the story ended, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that.

At the start of the Gospel of Mark, we’re told: “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” But from then on, no one in the story seems to understand who Jesus is or what it means to be the Messiah.

At this culminating moment, where the tomb is empty and an angel confirms the resurrection and directs the women to tell the disciples, the abrupt ending at Mark 16:8, which biblical scholars agree is the original ending to the gospel, makes no sense to us. The Good News is in the care of women who are too afraid to tell anyone what has happened. Even if they did tell, the witness of women was not considered reliable in Jesus’ day.

How could the story of Jesus leave us at such a dead end? Where’s the hope? Where’s the epilogue? Where’s the stroke of genius or better-prepared companion to save the day?

Two alternate endings were added to Mark’s gospel, a short and a long one. Presumably, early believers also found the ending unsatisfying and provided closure based on the accounts of other disciples.

But even then, the story isn’t finished. Because it’s not a story. It is a cosmic event that happened to the women and still happens to us today. Generation after generation, we hear the Good News, and it happens to us. Faith. Trust that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son. Trust that the promises are true—and for you.

The abrupt end of the Gospel of Mark invites you to experience that again. Frightening and bewildering, inviting you to become a part of the story. Will you go and tell, or will you run away in fear?

Reflection: 

  • We often read Scripture like a textbook, from which we are to learn and apply information. We often miss the excellent storytelling and masterful language—much of Scripture is also great literature. The real authority of Scripture, however, is what the words do to us. How have you experienced Scripture as a textbook, literature, or the Living Word of God?
  • How has reading Mark’s Gospel helped you answer the question of “who is Jesus?” What does it mean to you to say, “Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son?”