The Gospel According To MarkSample

The Victory of the Messiah: Mark 16:1-8

Before we get into the content of this section, we should pause to explain why we say that the Gospel of Mark ends in 16:8. After all, most of our Bibles have twenty verses in this chapter. But most of these Bibles also have notes saying that verses 9-20 don’t appear in the most reliable ancient manuscripts of Mark’s gospel. 

In the ancient Greek manuscripts of Mark, there are three different endings. One group of manuscripts ends at verse 8. The second group ends at verse 20. And the third group has a two-sentence ending after verse 8.

A careful evaluation of all the evidence has led most scholars to conclude that Mark ended his gospel with verse 8. The most ancient and most important manuscript traditions favor the shortest ending as the original. 

Many scholars believe that the other two endings seem to have been added because a scribe felt uncomfortable with the idea that Mark concluded the gospel with the sentence “They were afraid.” But this scribal discomfort was unfounded. In fact, the theme of fear, awe and amazement runs throughout this gospel. And for this reason, the emphasis on fear is a very appropriate way to end this particular gospel. In fact, it also fits well with the experiences of Mark’s original audience. As they faced persecution after the resurrection of Jesus, they were surely comforted to know that the earliest disciples of Jesus had also experienced fear. 

Let’s turn now to the account of Jesus’ resurrection in Mark 16:1-8. Mark’s resurrection account is shorter than the same account in the other gospels, but this brevity is completely in character with the outline of this gospel. As you’ll recall, the announcement of the Messiah that opened the gospel was also very short, and so was the apostles’ affirmation of the Messiah that forms the gospel’s centerpiece. 

This section on the victory of the Messiah begins with the women who came to Jesus’ tomb to anoint his body on the third day after his death and burial. They were met by an angelic visitor whose message was clear and direct. Jesus had conquered death and risen in victory, just as he had predicted so many times throughout his ministry. Consider the end of the gospel in Mark 16:6-8:

“Don’t be alarmed,” [the angel] said… “He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him...” Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

The women’s response is completely predictable in the context of Mark’s narrative: they were afraid. Nearly everyone in this gospel responded to God’s powerful presence in awe, amazement, and fear.

God’s people will experience weakness and need in this life. This was true for Mark’s original audience in Rome, and it has continued to be true for the church throughout the ages. But the good news of the gospel is that the kingdom of God has come. The Messiah has conquered the enemies of God’s people — even the final enemy, death itself. And for this reason, the people of God can boldly face the enemies of the gospel of the kingdom. The victory is already ours.

Click here to watch The Gospel According To Mark, lesson three in the series The Gospels. thirdmill.org