Extended Ending, Mark 16:1-8, April 12, 2009
Think back on a time you were watching movie you were totally engrossed in, maybe a mystery or suspense drama. The movie was almost over and you can't wait to find out "who done it." All of a sudden someone, without thinking, picks up the remote and changes channels. Maybe your cat sat on the remote.
Either way, you never find out what the ending was. At least if you were watching a game you can catch the final score on the evening news or see that magnificent play during "Instant Replay."
For those who may have enjoyed the adventurous Star Trek movie series, all of which were a huge box office success, there is one thing about which many Trekkies (fans) agree: the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis was a big disappointment. Objections had to do with plot, character development and the ending of the movie. One disappointed fan described it this way:
The theatrical ending felt rushed and didn’t service the characters. That’s sad since it was going to be their last outing. I’m not sure who was responsible for the cuts ... but it was a bad decision. We needed to see Picard talking to his crew, showing them that life goes on, but we didn’t get that ending.
Apparently somebody felt that way about the original ending of the gospel of Mark. They didn’t have today’s technology, but they did have pen and ink, so they doctored up Mark’s conclusion.
Apparently somebody felt that way about the original ending of the gospel of Mark. They didn’t have today’s technology, but they did have pen and ink, so they doctored up Mark’s conclusion.
A. The gospel of Mark and its alternative endings
Following Mark 16:8, there are two blocks of material enclosed in double square brackets. The first is headed “The Shorter Ending of Mark” and the second is headed, “The Longer Ending of Mark.” In addition, there is a lengthy footnote, that’s an additional addition sometimes included with the second ending of Mark.
What’s going on is the attempt of Bible translators to give us the full picture from the old manuscripts. The New Testament was originally written on the standard materials of the age, scrolls of papyrus, leather or parchment.
Later, many of these scrolls were hand-copied and circulated in various areas. As far as we know, none of the original scrolls exist. Today, the modern biblical translator has access to more than 5,000 whole or partial early manuscripts of the New Testament.
(So) when Bible translators work on producing English versions of the Bible, they look for the oldest codex available on the assumption that the older the manuscript, the more accurate it is.
Following Mark 16:8, there are two blocks of material enclosed in double square brackets. The first is headed “The Shorter Ending of Mark” and the second is headed, “The Longer Ending of Mark.” In addition, there is a lengthy footnote, that’s an additional addition sometimes included with the second ending of Mark.
What’s going on is the attempt of Bible translators to give us the full picture from the old manuscripts. The New Testament was originally written on the standard materials of the age, scrolls of papyrus, leather or parchment.
Later, many of these scrolls were hand-copied and circulated in various areas. As far as we know, none of the original scrolls exist. Today, the modern biblical translator has access to more than 5,000 whole or partial early manuscripts of the New Testament.
(So) when Bible translators work on producing English versions of the Bible, they look for the oldest codex available on the assumption that the older the manuscript, the more accurate it is.
In the case of Mark, specifically, the oldest manuscripts end at verse 8. Among the later manuscripts, one has the “shorter” ending, some have the “longer” ending, some have both, and some also have the additional material that’s included in the NRSV footnote.
a. 1st one “the shorter ending of Mark” (sometime after the 3rd century)
THE SHORTER ENDING OF MARK
[[And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]]
b. 2nd one “the longer ending of Mark” (sometime in the late 2nd or early 3rd century)
THE LONGER ENDING OF MARK
Verses 9-20
These are the verses most of us are familiar with and included many bibles.
Copies closest to the original (determined by chemical dating methods) reveal that the gospel of Mark ended with verse 8.
B. Why does Mark’s gospel end so strangely? Obviously, the women did ‘tell’ others, otherwise none of the gospels would have been written! Mark’s gospel is open-ended and must be completed by the hearer/reader.
Did Mark intend that his book end with verse 8 or did he write some additional material that somehow got separated from his original manuscript? Nobody knows for sure, although the consensus among Bible scholars today is that verse 8 was the original ending.
But if Mark did intend verse 8 to be his conclusion, it tells us two things. The first is that it takes a considerable adjustment in one’s thinking to accept the concept of someone who was dead coming alive again.
If you look at verse 8, you can understand why copyists or editors felt compelled to add endings. Verse 8 reads: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." Obviously, the women did ‘tell’ otherwise Mark would not have been written!!!
What kind of closure is that? If you were going to write a biography of Jesus that went all the way up through the resurrection:
• Would you end your book with a sentence saying that some of his followers — three women specifically — were afraid?
• Would you point out that despite being told by no less than an angel that Jesus had risen from the dead and that they should pass this news to the disciples (Mark 16:7), the women were so terrified that they said nothing to anyone?
• Wouldn’t you conclude the story on a more upbeat note, even a triumphant one, because to stop at verse 8 seems as though one is leaving out the rest of the story; the resurrection was a marvelous triumph over death.
We shouldn’t be surprised at the terror the three women felt that first Easter. They came to the tomb planning to finish the burial preparations. The last thing they were expecting was that Jesus would have left the tomb, at least not under his own accord.
They were heartsick with grief, but they were at least functioning. Death wasn’t welcome, but it wasn't anything new. They knew what they were supposed to do, and they were beginning to adjust to the fact that Jesus was gone.
• Wouldn’t you conclude the story on a more upbeat note, even a triumphant one, because to stop at verse 8 seems as though one is leaving out the rest of the story; the resurrection was a marvelous triumph over death.
We shouldn’t be surprised at the terror the three women felt that first Easter. They came to the tomb planning to finish the burial preparations. The last thing they were expecting was that Jesus would have left the tomb, at least not under his own accord.
They were heartsick with grief, but they were at least functioning. Death wasn’t welcome, but it wasn't anything new. They knew what they were supposed to do, and they were beginning to adjust to the fact that Jesus was gone.
Resurrection, however, was something entirely out of their realm of experience. It was an entirely new and unfamiliar and scared the wits out of them (as surely it would us). They were not emotionally or psychologically prepared for such "out-of-this-world" news.
C. The other (second) thing that Mark’s original ending tells us is that the pen is in our hands. We have an opportunity to write our own ending. Easter gives us a chance to start writing. Mark's abrupt and ragged ending leaves it to us to decide how the story will come out.
Easter is the beginning of resurrection life—we extend the Easter story with our own lives. We’ve come to expect death and disappointment; that a certain number of our dreams and goals will not materialize.
Easter is the beginning of resurrection life—we extend the Easter story with our own lives. We’ve come to expect death and disappointment; that a certain number of our dreams and goals will not materialize.
We could say that they’ve died, but we usually express our disappointment with expressions like, “You can’t win them all” (or) “Life must go on; pick up the pieces” (or) “Nothing lasts forever.” We don’t welcome such defeats, but we accept that nobody’s life is free from them.
But Easter gives us another perspective on all of that. Easter is not only about one man’s escape from the grave. It is also about the victory of God’s love over death in our lives as well as victory over the death-in-life experiences of our earthly existence.
And that comes to us through Jesus. Easter means that Jesus is not just remembered; he is experienced. We have a Jesus who is alive.
But Easter gives us another perspective on all of that. Easter is not only about one man’s escape from the grave. It is also about the victory of God’s love over death in our lives as well as victory over the death-in-life experiences of our earthly existence.
And that comes to us through Jesus. Easter means that Jesus is not just remembered; he is experienced. We have a Jesus who is alive.
That means that Jesus comes to deal, not just with our after-death circumstances, but with our in-life circumstances as well. We can meet Christ in the experience of living.
That doesn’t mean all our dreams come true. It means we stand in a different relationship to them, pulled forward by hope rather than dragged down by despair.
That doesn’t mean all our dreams come true. It means we stand in a different relationship to them, pulled forward by hope rather than dragged down by despair.
The abrupt original ending of Mark’s gospel reminds us that it takes considerable adjustment in our thinking to include resurrection as a possibility in our lives, but it also puts us in the place of decision and extending the Easter story with our own lives. The varied ending of Mark invites us to write our own version, with ourselves in the story. With our own lives, we become "the rest of the story."
The Apostle Paul speaks of the "great cloud of witnesses" in the book of Hebrews. This cloud of witnesses became part of the story over centuries gone by. We, too, can become part of the story. Are you part of the story? If not, . . . start writing.
God bless you this Resurrection Sunday and give you peace throughout your days.
Rev. R.E.Stelz
