Why is the final chapter in the book of Mark so short? ** The mere 8 verses are jarring compared to the long action-packed chapters that fill this gospel. The ending leaves so much unsettled and unknown. There is no resolution. There is no clarity. We are left thinking, “what happened next?” And this was the intent of its author John Mark because the answer to what happens next, is you happen next. Throughout the book of Mark, we see Jesus’ disciples fail him again and again as they act out of fear rather than boldness. The abrupt ending now puts that choice in the readers hands. Will we act out of fear and fail, or will we boldly live out our faith for Christ in a way that the characters in this gospel did not?

So how do we live out our faith boldly rather than fear? I think we can learn from the mistakes of the disciples and the women at the empty tomb.

If we go back to chapter 14 we see one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrays him in Mark 14:10-11, “10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.” While this is a despicable and heinous act by Judas, we too betray Jesus for lesser things all the time. It is called sin. We must be careful not to villainize Judas too much because while his sin was the one we see leading to the crucifixion of our Lord, our sin was also why he was there. We must learn from Judas to see the horrific nature of our sin and betrayal of Jesus. Boldly living out our faith looks like staying true to Jesus and not betraying him for money, acceptance, attention, or whatever else we might try to seek over and above him.

A little later in chapter 14 we see Jesus predict that Peter and the disciples would abandon him when he was arrested in verses 26-30. They all refuse to accept this prediction because they could never imagine denying Jesus under any circumstance. Peter, in typical fashion, throws everyone under the bus and says in verse 29, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” Fast-forward just a bit as Jesus is in the garden praying in agony as he prepares to endure God’s wrath for our sin and his closest disciples cannot even stay awake to pray with him, or even just be with him. The abandoning is already beginning, but as Judas comes to officially betray Jesus and Jesus is arrested, we find in Mark 14:50, “50 And they all left him and fled.” Jesus is abandoned by 11 of disciples, his closest friends, and completely betrayed by the 12th. Peter would even double down and deny he knew Jesus 3 times before the rooster would crow twice the next morning. Their failure was great because their fear was great. These well-meaning followers of Jesus did not live boldly but abandoned Jesus to protect their life and safety. Once again, while it can be easy to cast blame and judgment, how often do we do the same thing? We must seek to cling to Jesus and boldly proclaim him and our relationship to him, even when it might get us in trouble with friends, family, or the hostile world. Living boldly means standing with Jesus no matter what comes our way.

Finally in chapter 16 we see the boldest of Jesus followers, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, who stayed by Jesus even at his crucifixion arrive at the empty tomb to prepare his body. Rightfully they were afraid as they approached the empty tomb with and angel sitting where Jesus should have been. This angel told them in verses 6-7 that Jesus has risen just as he said, and to go and tell the disciples. But even these bold women fail in verse 8, “8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Now obviously these women didn’t remain silent forever, but initially they responded in fear rather than in faith. Again, this is something each of us should be able to identify with today because we have the same response all the time. This is like when God gives us an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus and rather than boldly taking the opportunity we grow quiet or avoid the conversation. Responding in fear looks like silence and timidity while responding in boldness looks like proclaiming the good news from the roof tops!

Everyone surrounding Jesus, even after his resurrection failed in him some way. Every one of us has too. Mark wants us to see this so that we will learn from their mistakes and hopefully respond as bold followers of Christ like we see the disciples do in the book of Acts with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Peter himself is a great example as he responds with brokenness and weeping at the end of Mark 14, only to become a major leader in the early church! What a great reminder that with the power of the Holy Spirit there is opportunity for redemption and restoration even when we fail! Let us seek to learn from the mistakes Mark shows us and live boldly for Christ!

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** Some translations include the longer ending of Mark, but most have a note letting the reader know that the earlier manuscripts did not include the longer ending because it was likely a latter addition. While there is a lot of debate over this, I believe it is best to rely on the earliest manuscripts as they are the closest to the original inspired text written by the biblical author. Not to mention as you will see in this blog, the shorter ending is much more compelling and in line with the reaction the author, John Mark who was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wanted us to have. **