Mark 16

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Mark 16 by verse:

1-89-20
Mark 16:1-8

(Matthew 28:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10)

John Dominic Crossan, “The Named and the Unnamed,” The Historical Jesus, p. 410 ff.
Dan Damon, “The Spirit Filled the Tomb with Breath,” The Sound of Welcome, p. 16
Carla De Sola, The Spirit Moves, p. 95-96
Mary Gordon, “The Empty Tomb,” Incarnation, p. 24
Donald Hall, “Easters,” The Painted Bed, p. 33

“Easters”

On the fourth Easter the passionate
minister with the face of a boy
spoke as he blessed Communion,
and my spirit lightened for the first
time since her death at the image
of a tomb opened, a hooded figure.

Luke T. Johnson, “Expository Article on Luke 24:1-12,” Interpretation (January 1992), p. 59

“Expository Article on Luke 24:1-12”

In Mark, the messenger is a “young man,” clearly meant to suggest the restoration of the disciples who had abandoned Jesus. The nonangelic, fully human identity of the messenger makes him the first witness to the resurrection and alleviates the failure of the women to fulfill their commission.

Richard Lischer, “The Interrupted Sermon,” Interpretation (April 1996), p. 179

“The Interrupted Sermon”

What we see in our parishes is improvements and setbacks; he sees on our behalf what is the beginning of a whole new age. The unfinished nature of the New Testament documents hints at this reality. In the original ending of Mark, the disciples and women are like projectiles emanating from some Big Bang. Where they will land, God only knows.

Parker Palmer, “Threatened with Resurrection,” The Active Life, p. 139-157
Ronald Parker, “Go out to meet him.,” Meeting Life

“Go out to meet him”

They rouse themselves
shake off the weight of sleep and grief …

They set their sorrow gently to the side
and while the men indulge their loss
with sleep take on the task at hand
as women always have …
The dawn did not awaken them
New life did not intrude itself
into the darkened room of sleep.
They went to meet it and were met
by unanticipated Joy.
Hallelujah! Christ has risen!

Imaging the Word, Vol. 3, p. 192

1-2     Yusuf Al-Khal, “Repentance,” Divine Inspiration, p. 514
1-2     Kassia, “Mary Magdalene,” Divine Inspiration, p. 513
2         John Donne, Classics of Western Spirituality, p. 203

Classics of Western Spirituality

[concerning Psalm 90:14] St. Jerome refers this prayer of our text to the resurrection and to that fulness and that satisfaction which we shall have then and not till then.

[Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.]

3-4     Abioseh Nicol, “African Easter: Easter Morning,” Divine Inspiration, p. 516
7-8     Anna Carter Florence, “The First Testimony,” The Covenant Connection (Summer, 2007) p. 5

“The First Testimony”

Can I really say that? There are plenty of times when preachers decide that the answer to this question is a definite “No!” … A vivid metaphor for this can be found in the so-called first ending of the Gospel of Mark (16:1-8): the women go to the tomb, see that it is empty, meet the messenger, hear his news, receive his instruction to tell the disciples … and run away in utter terror, without saying a word to anyone. It isn’t hard to imagine why. How could we really say that?! when it sound completely crazy… when we have no proof beyond our words… when we’re women for crying out loud, and no one will ever believe us! The women are captive to old authority structures that would never permit such speech, and so the Gospel ends with an abrupt silence, a mute and terrified, “No!”

… the second ending makes plain what the first ending only implies: fearful first reactions are not the last word. We can look again, choose faith over fear, break silence, risk words—as indeed must have happened, since the Word is out!

8         David Dark, The Sacredness of Questioning Everything, p. 178

The Sacredness of Questioning Everything

     These Jewish peasant women weren’t afraid and bewildered because of the spiritual significance of what they’d stumbled on. They were shaken because what was known, what was familiar and verifiably normal, had been forever cast into doubt.

     … But now all bets are really off.

8         Gary Gunderson, Deeply Woven Roots, p. 73

Deeply Woven Roots

The whole point of the Christian narrative is that it isn’t over yet. The first shall be last and vice versa means that all the evidence isn’t in to justify a rational conclusion yet. Just wait until the end of the story.

8        Madeleine L’Engle, Summer of the Great-Grandmother, p. 72

Summer of the Great-Grandmother

It’s a good analogy for me, birth, and certainly has nothing to do with pie in the sky by and by. Perhaps the great-grandmother is as much afraid of the violence of a new birth as she is of the act of dying.

8        W. B. Yeats, “Calvary,” Selected Poems and Plays, p. 196 f.

“Calvary”

Lazarus.      But death is what I ask.
Alive I never could escape your love …
You dragged me to the light as boys drag out
A rabbit when they have dug its hole away, …
You travel towards the death I am denied. …
But now you will blind with light the solitude
That death has made; you will disturb that corner
Where I had thought I might lie safe for ever.
Christ. I do my Father’s will.

1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.  3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; — it was very large.  5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.  6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.  7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”  8 And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.

16:1 και διαγενομενου του σαββατου μαρια η μαγδαληνη και μαρια [η του] ιακωβου και σαλωμη ηγορασαν αρωματα ινα ελθουσαι αλειψωσιν αυτον 16:2 και λιαν πρωι της μιας σαββατων ερχονται επι το μνημειον ανατειλαντος του ηλιου 16:3 και ελεγον προς εαυτας τις αποκυλισει ημιν τον λιθον εκ της θυρας του μνημειου 16:4 και αναβλεψασαι θεωρουσιν οτι αποκεκυλισται ο λιθος ην γαρ μεγας σφοδρα 16:5 και εισελθουσαι εις το μνημειον ειδον νεανισκον καθημενον εν τοις δεξιοις περιβεβλημενον στολην λευκην και εξεθαμβηθησαν 16:6 ο δε λεγει αυταις μη εκθαμβεισθε ιησουν ζητειτε τον ναζαρηνον τον εσταυρωμενον ηγερθη ουκ εστιν ωδε ιδε ο τοπος οπου εθηκαν αυτον 16:7 αλλ υπαγετε ειπατε τοις μαθηταις αυτου και τω πετρω οτι προαγει υμας εις την γαλιλαιαν εκει αυτον οψεσθε καθως ειπεν υμιν 16:8 και εξελθουσαι εφυγον απο του μνημειου ειχεν δε αυτας τρομος και εκστασις και ουδενι ουδεν ειπον εφοβουντο γαρ

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Mark 16:9-20

14-18    Girolamo Savonarola, “Sermon,” Lend Me Your Ears, p. 411-415
17           Geza Vermes, The Changing Faces of Jesus, p. 261 & 269

The Changing Faces of Jesus

Our masters tautht: It happened that there was a snake in a locality which injured people. They went and reported it to R. Hanina ben Dosa. He said to them, “Show me its hole.” He placed his heel on the entrance of the hole, and the snake came out, bit him and died. He put it on his shoulder and carried it to the school. He said to them, “See, my children, it is not the snake that kills, but sin.” In that hour they framed the saying, “Woe to the man who meets a snake, but woe to the snake that meets R. Hanina ben Dosa.” (bBerakhot 33a) [p. 261]

The Hasid’s immunity due to his total trust in God provides a real context for Jesus’ certainty that a man of faith could safely step on, or pick up, serpants without being harmed. (p. 269)

9 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.  10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.  11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.  14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.  15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.  16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  19 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.  20 And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.

16:9 αναστας δε πρωι πρωτη σαββατου εφανη πρωτον μαρια τη μαγδαληνη αφ ης εκβεβληκει επτα δαιμονια 16:10 εκεινη πορευθεισα απηγγειλεν τοις μετ αυτου γενομενοις πενθουσιν και κλαιουσιν 16:11 κακεινοι ακουσαντες οτι ζη και εθεαθη υπ αυτης ηπιστησαν 16:12 μετα δε ταυτα δυσιν εξ αυτων περιπατουσιν εφανερωθη εν ετερα μορφη πορευομενοις εις αγρον 16:13 κακεινοι απελθοντες απηγγειλαν τοις λοιποις ουδε εκεινοις επιστευσαν 16:14 υστερον ανακειμενοις αυτοις τοις ενδεκα εφανερωθη και ωνειδισεν την απιστιαν αυτων και σκληροκαρδιαν οτι τοις θεασαμενοις αυτον εγηγερμενον ουκ επιστευσαν  16:15 και ειπεν αυτοις πορευθεντες εις τον κοσμον απαντα κηρυξατε το ευαγγελιον παση τη κτισει 16:16 ο πιστευσας και βαπτισθεις σωθησεται ο δε απιστησας κατακριθησεται 16:17 σημεια δε τοις πιστευσασιν ταυτα παρακολουθησει εν τω ονοματι μου δαιμονια εκβαλουσιν γλωσσαις λαλησουσιν καιναις 16:18 οφεις αρουσιν καν θανασιμον τι πιωσιν ου μη αυτους βλαψη επι αρρωστους χειρας επιθησουσιν και καλως εξουσιν 16:19 ο μεν ουν κυριος μετα το λαλησαι αυτοις ανεληφθη εις τον ουρανον και εκαθισεν εκ δεξιων του θεου 16:20 εκεινοι δε εξελθοντες εκηρυξαν πανταχου του κυριου συνεργουντος και τον λογον βεβαιουντος δια των επακολουθουντων σημειων αμην

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