Mark 16:1-20
Carol and I are out in Maryland for the next many days with our daughter, Nancy, and her family (including two grandkids), so my early-morning posts will probably be set aside for the next week or so.
Two years ago we spread these twenty resurrection verses from Mark’s gospel over five readings; check out all five of those 2019 posts in the links below. If you are reading the notes from a study Bible or you see verses 9-16 bracketed in your Bible, it’s because Mark’s gospel ends abruptly after verse 8 – for whatever reason. Most likely his ending got lost, just like the first and last pages of a paperback novel can go missing. Most scholars believe that other believers added to Mark’s shortened ending, bringing in bits of four events that are covered by the other three gospel writers. Those four events are Jesus (1) appearing to Mary Magdalene, (2) meeting two disciples on the road to Emmaus, (3) meeting the eleven in the Upper Room, and (4) ascending. You see only snippets of those four events mentioned in Mark, but covered in much more detail in other gospel accounts that we’ll be reading over the next five days.
Jesus speaking: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (v. 16) These verses trouble me, even though I fully believe Jesus’ words. I’m troubled because of those people with whom Carol and I have shared the gospel, but who refuse to acknowledge Jesus’ love or His gift of repentance, forgiveness and salvation. What to do? In the previous verse (v. 15b) Jesus told His disciples, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” That’s about all we can do. Ask the Holy Spirit to intervene in their lives. Pray and wait, wait and pray.
See also: December 15 / Mark 16:1-8; December 19 / Mark 16:9-11; December 21 / Mark 16:12-13; December 27 / Mark 16:14-18; December 30 / Mark 16:19-20