And Finally......

Mark 15v46-16v8 (And Daniel 6) ‘And Finally....’

2.5.2010 6.30pm

What closing sentence would you use to finish a Gospel if you were one of the writers?

I asked that question to a lot of people via Twitter and Facebook..........

I got one answer from a Bishop! And it was blank - which I thought was really profound, a way of saying: ‘how could you possibly end a Gospel, it is unending’ - until he later apologised that he had left his phone on in his pocket and accidentally sent me a blank message!

But some other endings read like this.....

"In the end, God only walked the earth for a short time. But what he did changed the world."

‘and there they found that the tomb was empty’

"and now we can all live happily ever after".

Or more doubtfully:

"Or at least that's what the bloke in the pub said"

But, again, more in keeping with the Gospel accounts:

‘I know... I was there’

‘Daunting! It stopped me in my tracks.’

‘I hope you lot are writing all this down!’

Now you might say 'That's a far fetched story' but it all really happened, and that's the gospel truth!"

And to make it more personal for today:

‘This is what God did when Jesus was on earth. To learn more of how he's working now, come and meet him yourself.’

And in anticipation:

‘That's the end of news: now for the weather forecast: gale force winds sweeping around the world...’

‘The next chapter belongs to those who believe' (from the wife of a soon-to-be elected MP)

And finally:

'... and the women said: "well if the men keep on faffing about perhaps we'd better get on with it". :)!’

So that is how some people would finish their Gospel, if they were a writer. Turning to the actual Gospels I love the true last verse of Mark! If we did an opinion poll on what people thought the real last words of one of the Gospels might be, I wonder what people would come out with? I doubt very much they would be the words Mark wrote.

A lot of people might anticipate the majestic words of Matthew, although I doubt they would structure it so brilliantly: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ (Matthew 28v19-20)

Some, with an awareness of the coming Pentecost gift of the Spirit, might nod to Luke’s bridge to the book of Acts: ‘Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.’ (Luke 24v52-53)

Or, perhaps we can understand John’s awareness that even he, in the most profound of the Gospels, had only scratched the surface: ‘Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.’ (John 21v25)

But Mark? Would anyone who knows of the incredible contents of the Gospels ever imagine that one of the writers would end it the way he did?

And Mark’s ending, which I love, is this:

‘Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid’ (v8)

What an incredible understatement! We have the amazing Gospel teaching and miracles, the painful struggle and death, the wonder of the empty tomb.... and then this! ‘Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid’

Couldn’t you do better than that, Mark? Leaving people trembling and bewildered, fleeing from the hope of the empty tomb, saying nothing to no-one, afraid.

A lot of people thought they could improve on it. We have one early attempt in v9-20, although, as it says in our translations, the most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not include it - so it probably is not part of the Gospel, or even the work of Mark. Others have suggested that maybe Mark lost the end of his Gospel - perhaps his dog ate it in true ‘homework excuse’ fashion. Or maybe he was disturbed and distracted from finishing, when a candidate in the General Roman Elections knocked, asking him to support the Nero party.

But it seems to me that this is the true ending. And, actually, once we have got over the shock of the incredible understatement, this ending is brilliant! It is meant to be an understatement! For that is true to life, isn’t it. We are like this.

We come to the empty tomb, we even meet the risen Christ - and we become super-men, super-heros, never with any doubts or failings, don’t we? The Easter Story makes us forever faithful Christians, who never stumble, doesn’t it? Super-Christians, isn’t it? Not, not, not.....

Mark’s Gospel ending is brilliant because it describes us, doesn’t it?

The tomb is empty, Christ is risen, Allelluia! - but we are still humans who fear and fail. ‘Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid’

Not that Mark is being negative. He knows the Spirit will transform these women, and the Spirit is transforming us now. But the Spirit works within our fears, bewilderment, trembling, fleeing and fearing - and in the failure creates life from the chaos.

Mark is encouraging us that although we know ourselves too often to be fearful and failing, that Christ is still risen, and the living Christ is at work within us. The glory is kept in earthen jars. The glory of the Spirit and the Risen Christ shines through our fallen humanity.

Someone has said, ‘God doesn’t define us by our history. He looks at us through our destiny.’

Was Daniel fearful when he was thrown to the lions? I am sure he was. The King certainly couldn’t sleep, fearful of his fate. And as we struggle with our own lions, as we wait for the victory, Mark encourages us in our humanity. We are sometimes fearful and failing - but Christ is still risen. The Spirit is still at work in us, even fearful us, especially fearful us.

It is as if Mark finishes his Gospel with dots...... Yes, we are weak like this..... But Christ is risen..... You finish the Gospel with his power with...... Over to you!

How would you finish your Gospel? Any suggestions?

Listen again to the genius simplicity of Mark’s understatement, inviting us to fill in the dots........‘Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid’...... Yes, that’s me! But Mark perhaps invites us to also add ‘But Christ is still risen. Within my weakness, He is risen indeed! Alleluia!’