Scary Good News

At the end of Luke’s Gospel, which Chaz read during our scripture reading, the focus is on Jesus’ appearance to His disciples and His ascension into heaven. This is a common way to conclude a Gospel, except in Mark’s case, where the ending is quite different. Throughout the New Testament, beyond the Gospels, the epistles of Paul, Peter, and John often highlight what Jesus is doing now: ruling with authority, exalted above creation, interceding for His people, waiting, and exercising dominion. These writings help us understand not only what Christ accomplished but also what He continues to do.

In Mark’s Gospel, where we are today in chapter 16, we last left Jesus buried in a tomb, sealed with a very large stone. This raises the question: if Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for the saints and exercising dominion, what happened between His burial and ascension? We all know the answer, don’t we? Even if you’re not a Christian, you’re likely familiar with what Christians believe about Jesus because Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian calendar. Despite being overshadowed by eggs and the Easter bunny in popular culture, most people understand that Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This is no surprise—it’s the most celebrated event in our faith. Jesus’ resurrection sets Him apart from every other religious figure or so-called savior. Many have died, but only One rose from the dead, never to die again. Can I get an amen for that? This is the heart of Christianity.

With this central truth in mind, let’s examine Mark’s account of Jesus’ resurrection, which is perhaps the most unique among the four Gospels. Let’s read Mark 16:1–20:

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they might go and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 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. Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.” 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.

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this, He appeared in another form to two of them as they were walking into the country. They went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward, He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw Him after He had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. They went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

If you’re using a paper Bible, you may notice brackets or an asterisk around verses 9–20, often with a footnote stating that some of the earliest manuscripts do not include these verses. This raises questions: Why are these verses in our Bibles? What’s going on here?

In textual criticism, older manuscripts are typically given more weight because they are closer to the original writings. The earliest manuscripts of Mark, dating about 200 years after the Gospel was written, often lack verses 9–20. Several theories explain this. One suggests that the original ending was lost due to wear on a scroll or codex. Another posits that Mark didn’t complete his Gospel, possibly due to persecution under Nero. Additionally, the language in verses 9–20 differs significantly from the rest of Mark—over a third of the words are unique to this section. The content also feels inconsistent. For example, no other Gospel records Jesus strongly rebuking His disciples for unbelief after His resurrection, as described here, whereas Luke’s account (read by Chaz) shows Jesus appearing without such a rebuke. Furthermore, Mark’s Gospel closely parallels Matthew’s, so we would expect a similar ending, but verses 9–20 include unique elements, like handling snakes and drinking poison, which aren’t supported elsewhere in the New Testament as universal signs of belief.

I believe someone later added verses 9–20 to provide a sense of completion, recognizing that verse 8 feels abrupt as an ending. These verses summarize events found in other Gospels: Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–18), to the disciples in the upper room (Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–23), giving the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20), and ascending (Luke 24:50–53). While not originally part of Mark’s Gospel, they reflect a later attempt to compile key post-resurrection events.

For today, let’s focus on Mark 16:1–8, which I find not only encouraging but soul-strengthening. The heart of this passage is the angel’s statement in verses 6–7: “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. Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.” If you have your Bible open, circle that phrase, “just as He told you.” This is crucial. The angel reminds the women that Jesus’ resurrection should not be surprising—it’s exactly what He promised.

This passage reveals that Jesus fulfilled and continues to fulfill His promises. Let’s survey Mark’s Gospel to see this. In Mark 8:31, Jesus teaches that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, killed, and rise after three days. In Mark 9:31, He repeats that He will be delivered, killed, and rise after three days. In Mark 10:33–34, He elaborates: He will be delivered to the chief priests, condemned, mocked, flogged, killed, and rise after three days. The women witnessed these events unfold exactly as Jesus predicted—up to His death and burial. They followed Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb and saw the large stone rolled in place. They knew Jesus was dead. Yet, when Jesus spoke of rising after three days, they struggled to believe it, even rebuking Him when He mentioned it.

What’s beautiful is that Jesus remained undeterred by their doubt, the mocking, or the abuse. He faithfully fulfilled His promise, accomplishing the resurrection—the very part they doubted most. The angel’s words, “He has risen; He is not here,” confirm this. The angel is specific: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” This is the same Jesus, the same tomb where they saw Him laid. There’s no confusion—He died, was buried, and rose, just as He said.

This resurrection is the sign Jesus promised in Matthew 12:38–40, when the Pharisees demanded a sign. He said no sign would be given except the sign of Jonah, who was three days in the whale’s belly, as the Son of Man would be three days in the earth. Jesus’ resurrection fulfills this promise, securing atonement and justification for His people.

The angel’s instructions to the women—go tell the disciples and Peter, and meet Jesus in Galilee—show that Jesus’ work continues. His disciples’ work is just beginning. In Mark 14:28, Jesus said, “After I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” He didn’t retire after His resurrection; He continued fulfilling His plan, equipping His disciples for the Great Commission.

Two subtle details in these verses are particularly encouraging. First, the angel specifies “tell His disciples and Peter.” Peter, a disciple, had boldly claimed he would never deny Jesus, yet he did so three times. Devastated by guilt and shame, he might have felt unworthy to face Jesus. The angel’s inclusion of Peter signals that, despite his failure, he remains a true believer, useful to God. The book of Acts shows God using Peter powerfully, proving that even those who fall can be restored for God’s purposes.

Second, the angel says, “He is going before you,” in the present tense. Jesus doesn’t just go ahead once; He continues to lead His people. Before His ascension, He promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus remains active, equipping and including us in His kingdom’s mission.

Verse 8 describes the women’s response: “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.” This seems surprising—they heard Jesus’ promise, saw the empty tomb, and spoke to an angel, yet they were afraid. I find this relatable. Even with full confidence in Jesus’ resurrection, sharing the gospel can be daunting. The women faced real danger—Roman soldiers and religious leaders wanted Jesus dead, and proclaiming His resurrection could invite persecution. Their fear reflects a human struggle: knowing the truth but hesitating to share it due to potential consequences.

This scenario is as relatable as it gets. Many of us hesitate to share our faith, fearing rejection or hostility. Recent events, like the shooting of Charlie Kirk, highlight this tension. Some have noted that Kirk frequently shared the gospel in his public talks. If sharing your faith doesn’t come naturally, you might feel inadequate. But these women’s initial fear shows you’re not alone. They were as close to the empty tomb as anyone, yet they struggled. The encouragement is that, through God’s grace, they overcame their fear and shared the news. Their example challenges us: we don’t have to stay afraid. God can use us, as He used them, to accomplish His purposes.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for the encouraging ending of Mark’s Gospel. Even with questions about verses 9–20, verses 1–8 strengthen our faith, showing Jesus accomplishing Your perfect will exactly as promised and continuing to fulfill those promises after His resurrection. Thank You for the angel’s clear testimony to the women and the inclusion of Peter, giving us hope that even those who fall can be useful for Your kingdom. Thank You that, despite the women’s initial fear in a world that wanted Jesus dead, they overcame and became bold witnesses. Comfort and embolden us to share our faith, trusting You to use us for Your purposes. We pray this in Your name. Amen.