April 19 - Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1-8

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ 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.

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All manuscript study seems to point to this being the original ending of this Gospel.  It is a bit unsettling to end with "they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid"- and as a result there have been a number of attempts through the early centuries to add a "better ending" with resurrection appearances.

Are we too afraid to say anything to anyone about what this story means to us?

I love that there is a specific reference to "his disciples AND Peter" - the last time we saw Peter he was denying that he even knew Jesus.  This draws him back in.