Mark 16 - The Shorter Ending of Mark's Gospel

Jesus Has Risen

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,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, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Mark 16:1-8 is often called the "shorter ending" of Mark's gospel. The earliest manuscripts omit verses 9-20. All things being equal, textual critics prefer the shorter version, as there is less likelihood of a later addition or edit.  Textual criticism is the science of determining what is the most accurate manuscript to use for a particular bible translation. There is nothing wrong with verses 9-20, as they include many details corroborated by Matthew and Luke, but I find the shorter version more compelling.

Why?  We see three of Jesus' closest followers, who happen to be women, be the first ones to go to the tomb.  They thought the least they could do would be to give their Lord a proper burial.  But when they got there, they remembered an important detail.  Who would roll away the stone?  Remember this is a huge slab of stone that covered the "walk in" tomb.  

Here is what one commentary said about the stone, 

"How much would such a stone weigh?  Depending on the type of stone used, it could weigh between 1-2 tons (2000-4000 pounds). This is quite heavy, but two men could move it into place (Mt 27:60; Jn 19:38-42).  The more difficult task was removing the stone."

But instead of finding an immoveable stone slab, they find a young man dressed in a white robe sitting in the empty tomb. You can only imagine what the women must have been thinking.  The young man informs the women that Jesus had risen and they should go and tell Peter and disciples. 

Mark's gospel ends with the women trembling, bewildered and paralyzed by fear to do anything but flee the scene.  Mark's shorter gospel ending is believable, it is raw, and it feels like how I might have reacted to an empty tomb with an angel sitting there.  It is not neat and tidy, but then neither was the crucifixion.

Later we learn that these women played a big role in the early church, but at this point in the story they were afraid, they fled, and they told no one.  Not a very pretty way to end a gospel.  What I like most about the shorter version of Mark's gospel is that it seems very authentic.  After all, if this story were not true who would have written it this way.  It is yet another piece of evidence that shows the bible is a trustworthy source of truth.  The fact that women are the first primary witnesses in the resurrection event also shows the authenticity of the bible.