The Unfinished Story
Mark 16:1-8
Easter 2009
Do you know the best way to make sure news spreads quickly? Tell someone NOT to tell anyone else! That’s what makes gossip so tempting. We love to hear and share stories about others, especially when we’re not supposed to! Throughout the gospel of Mark, Jesus travels throughout the countryside preaching and teaching. He heals, he does miracles, he raises the dead. And after each of these powerful signs that reveal his identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, he tells those involved to tell no one what they had seen or who he was or that he was the Son of God, the Messiah. And you know what happened? Time and again, those who had been healed, those who had been released from the clutches of a demonic possession, those who had witnessed Christ’s miracles went and told others. Mark 1:27 says, The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. News of this “great teacher and healer” spread so quickly that soon Christ could go nowhere without crowds following him, without people bringing the sick and lame to be healed, without people calling for him to perform signs and wonders.
The women who went to the tomb that first Easter morning were women whose lives had been touched by Christ. They had travelled with him for three years, hearing him preach and teach, witnessing his miracles and the signs he performed. They followed him to Calvary and then followed his body being carried by Joseph of Arimithea to the tomb in which he was laid. These were brave women. They were women of courage. They knew they were risking their lives returning to the tomb in order to anoint the body. And yet, they went to the tomb because somebody had to. They went because the men were too scared to come out of hiding. They went because it was the women’s job to anoint the bodies for burial. They went because they were in mourning, and they wanted to see him just one last time. They went to the tomb because all that they had lived for for the last three years had been taken away from them and they felt compelled to honor him and give him a proper burial.
Bravely Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Solome came to the tomb that morning. Their biggest concern was not what they would find in the tomb (for it was the women’s job to prepare the bodies for burial). They weren’t overly concerned about the stench of the three day dead body that would greet them. But what worried them most was how they were going to roll the stone away. These were not timid and fearful women. Even after arriving at the tomb and seeing that the stone had been rolled away, the Marys and Solome walked in to the dark cavern, searching for the body of their Lord. But what they encountered there was even too much for their fortitude! The tomb was empty! The place where they saw Joseph lay the body of Christ was empty! There was nothing there!
And then all of a sudden there was something – no, not something…someone - there! A young man, dressed in a white robe was sitting where the body of Christ had been laid. One look at him and they could tell he was not of this world – his robe was too white, his manner was too calm – and then he spoke. He spoke saying those words that angels often say, “Do not be alarmed!” (Yeh, that’s easier said than done.) Don’t be alarmed? The stone has been rolled away. The tomb is empty. And there’s this strange guy talking to us. Don’t be alarmed? Get real!
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here! See the place where they laid him.” This was all too much for these brave women. For these women who had witnessed the lame walk; the blind see; the deaf hear; the lepers cleansed, this THIS was all too much! This was the last straw! Who was this guy? He didn’t look familiar. He hadn’t traveled with them, so how did he know all this about Jesus? And what did he mean by Jesus had been raised?
And then he continued to speak, “Go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
How did he know that? How did this stranger know that on the last night when Jesus was with them, as they celebrated the Passover, Jesus said, “After I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” (Mark 14:28) The women were certain this stranger wasn’t in the upper room with them. How could he know this?
Slowly and without saying a word, the women backed out of the tomb, never taking their eyes off this stranger in white. Once they were outside the tomb they dropped the spices they were carrying and ran back to their homes – saying nothing to anyone about what had happened.
Isn’t that ironic? All through the gospel Jesus had told people not to tell about him, and they had. And here the women are told to tell the others and they say nothing!
The oldest manuscripts that we have of Mark’s gospel end at this point. They end with the women returning home and saying nothing to anyone about the resurrection of the Lord. The world’s best kept secret – the resurrection of the Lord! The world’s best kept secret – the powers of sin and death have been conquered. The world’s best kept secret – Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Perhaps if the angel had told the women NOT to tell anyone what had happened, Mark’s gospel would have a different ending.
A different ending is what early church leaders craved. Early church leaders were unsettled by this original ending of Mark. They didn’t like that the women returned home and didn’t say anything to anyone. So in the second century, an additional ending was written for this gospel – an ending where Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and she goes and tells the disciples; then he appears to two others and they go and tell the disciples; and then he appears to the eleven. But this ending is a little too tidy. It’s a little to compact and tries to make Mark’s gospel have a ‘happily ever after’ ending. But that’s not what the author intended.
Mark opens his account of Christ’s life by stating: “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (1:1) Mark wrote this account of Christ’s life with the intention of it being the BEGINNING of Christ’s ministry. And he left the ending with the women running in fear from the tomb because it makes us finish the story for ourselves. Mark’s gospel is intentionally an unfinished story because it is up to us to choose how we are going to finish the story in our world and in our lives.
As a young teen, I loved to read books from the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series. In the first couple of pages a story would be set up – for example you are going on a hike with your cousins and it begins to storm. But by the end of page three the reader comes to a critical point in the story and has to make a choice – for instance, to get out of the storm will you choose to go into the deserted cabin or the dark cave. The reader makes the choice and turns to the appropriate page and continues reading, then soon enough another choice presents itself. And on and on the story goes until you make a choice that ends your adventure. What I loved about these books was that I could read the same book time and again and rarely ever have the same story. I, as the reader, was in charge of the story and where I would take it.
The gospel of Mark, as it ends in verse 8, is like a Biblical “Choose Your Own Adventure.” As readers and hearers of the gospel, we have heard the same news that Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James and Solome have heard. As readers and hearers of the gospel we have traveled to the tomb and found the stone rolled away and the grave empty. As readers and hearers of this gospel we have received the same command from the young man dressed in white… the command to go and tell the others that Jesus Christ is risen. And then it’s up to us.
Do we choose to be like the women, once so brave. Once so passionate about their devotion to the Christ. But now too scared to tell others about the resurrection?
Or do we choose to do as the angel commands, to go and tell others that death now longer has power for Christ the Lord in risen from the grave. He has conquered death and is going ahead of us to prepare a place for each of us.
The choice belongs to each of us. What will we each do with the unfinished story of Christ’s resurrection in our life.
Some do choose to end the story with silence. They have seen the empty tomb. They have heard the proclamation of resurrection. And that is good enough for them. They return to their homes and in fear, they don’t share this good news with others. They, like Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Solome, fear that people will think they’re crazy. They fear that people will ask questions they can’t answer. But fear is not of God. Fear is a tool that is used by the Adversary to keep us quiet about the glory and power and greatness and goodness of our Lord and Savior!
“Do not be alarmed!” the angel said. Do not fear. Christ is not in this tomb. Christ is risen. Christ has conquered sin and death. Christ has released us from the bondage of fear. A life lived in the presence of the resurrection of Christ is a life lived free of fear. Do not be alarmed. Do not be afraid. Go and tell the others he is risen!
Silence ends this gospel. Silence ends the spreading of Christ’s word to the world. We cannot be silent about this good news! We cannot keep it for ourselves. Christ is risen! Christ is alive! Christ is no longer bound by this world! And neither are we.
We who believe in the risen Savior, can look beyond the struggles of this world, because we are assured of a world to come.
We who believe in the risen Savior, need not fear the powers of evil at work in this world, because we have faith in a greater power.
We who believe in the risen Savior, need not worry about our lives, what we will eat or what we will wear, because we know that the Shepherd will supply all our needs.
We who believe in the risen Savior, have a message for the world that we cannot keep silent. We have a message of hope for the hopeless. We have a message of healing for the sin-sick. We have a message of courage for those who are in despair. We have a message of life for those who are dying. We have a message of love for those who feel unloved or unlovable. We have a message of peace for lives torn apart by violence. We have a message for the world…
Christ is risen!
Our lives changed at the empty tomb. No longer need we fear anything in this life or in the world to come, because Christ our Lord is risen from the dead.
Mark’s gospel is unfinished for a reason. It’s up to us to come to the empty tomb, hear the proclamation of resurrection, to have our lives changed and then continue to tell the story of Christ’s ministry in and to the world around us.
“Do not be alarmed,“ the angel said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.”
Death could not contain him.
Our minds cannot fully comprehend him.
But let our lives proclaim him.
One Lord, now and forever. Amen.
