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Pursuing Jesus In The Gospel Of Mark
The Unfinished Gospel
Mark 16:9-20

Introduction: Visiting A Children’s Sunday School Class

I want to invite you to visit a Sunday School Class of 3^rd Graders this morning. The children have recently received Bibles when they graduated from the 2^nd Grade.  The teacher asks the class to find John 8:1-11.  As the pages stop turning, you see puzzled looks on their faces. One of them raises his hand—this is a polite class of children—and points out there are no verses 1-11. The chapter starts with verse 12. Then the question comes, “Teacher, why are these verses left out?” The teacher hasn’t checked out the Bibles awarded to her class. In this version the verses have been placed in a footnote. The teacher has no answer.

This actually happened in my 3^rd grade Sunday School class. The Bibles given to us were the Revised Standard Version. The editors had determined the account of the women who was about to be stoned for adultery shouldn’t be included—at least not at this place. My friend, Steve, and I began to look for other places where this happened. One of our favorites was James 1:7. This became our favorite memory verse because it consists of a single comma. You can check it out and consider it as a possibility to be your life verse.

We soon discovered the verses at the end of Mark had also been placed in a footnote that said other texts and versions added these verses. There was also another shorter ending offered as a possibility.

But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

Even in 3^rd grade that sounded strange.

Some have pounced on verses like this as proof the Bible has errors. Because errors exist in the Bible, and are very common they argue, it is up to the reader to decide what really belongs and what doesn’t.

So, what’s up? Let’s read the passage and then see if we can answer that question.

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Question 1: Did Mark write verses 9-20?

While many options have been proposed as answers to this question there really is a choice between only two answers: yes, he did or no, he didn’t. Those who answer no can then be further divided into two groups. The first group says Mark intended to end his gospel at verse 8. The second group contends he meant to include something more but he never did or it was somehow lost.

Where do I fall? I don’t think Mark wrote the verses.

Question 2: What reasons are there for not accepting Mark as author of these verses?

1^st Reason: The textual evidence doesn’t support the verses

A valuable principle of biblical interpretation is that the earlier a manuscript was transcribed the more likely it is to be accurate. In other words scribal mistakes in copying are more likely to occur the farther you move away from the actual date of writing.

It’s the same principle that works in the childhood game of telephone where a phrase is whispered from person to person. By the time you get to the end of the chain the message is far removed from the original.

One reason for valuing the accuracy of the Bible we have today is that very few “mistakes” were actually made. Even in those passages where items identified as mistakes are used as an attack against the value of the Bible, the errors made in scribal transmission are quite minor and don’t affect any major doctrines. Many of us have discovered during a Faith Search Seminar: you can count on the accurate reliability of the Bible.

These verses simply aren’t found in the earliest, most reliable manuscripts. It’s not just some of the early manuscripts. It’s all of them. The verses aren’t found until much later. Early church fathers like Clement of Alexandria and Origen didn’t seem to know in the early 3^rd Century these verses even existed. Noted church historian Eusebius, born about 260 A.D. and died about 340, noted that “the most accurate copies” and “almost all the copies” of Mark ended with verse 8.  Jerome who was born around 340 A.D. and died about 420 wrote that almost all the Greek manuscripts lacked verses 9-20.

Modern scholars who produced the most widely used Greek New Testament evaluated passages like this one and provide their evaluation in footnotes. After evaluating the manuscript evidence they assigned the highest level of certainty to their decision that these verses weren’t included as part of Mark’s original history. We should note there are manuscripts that do include these verses. The balance, however, is heavily weighted toward not including these verses.

2^nd Reason: Internal evidence doesn’t support the inclusion of these verses

The findings here become quite technical so let’s note a few highlights.

·         There are 18 occurrences of words not previously used by Mark. This is highly unexpected.

·         There is a noticeable difference in the style of writing. Greek scholars note there is an abrupt shift in sentence structure and formation.

·         The contents don’t fit the context. After Jesus is risen the woman are told…

“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.' "                                                  Mark 16:7

One would therefore expect Jesus to meet His disciples in Galilee. What actually happens? There are a number of appearances mentioned, but we know from other passages that most of them took place in Judea.

The internal evidence points to someone other than Mark adding an ending at a later time to soften the abrupt ending.

Question 3: Did Mark intend for the gospel to end with verse 8?

It seems highly unlikely that Mark intended for the gospel to end here. One reason is the fact that there is no other example of another book ending so abruptly. A second reason is that the ending is not only abrupt; it is discouragingly pessimistic. Look again at how this verse would end the gospel.

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.                                       Mark 16:8         

The most joyous event Christianity knows is shrouded by dark gloom.

Question 4: Did Mark ever finish his gospel? If not, why not? If so, what happened to the concluding lines?

There is only one answer to these questions: Nobody knows. If they were finished, they have been lost and never found. If they never were finished they don’t exist and can never be found. Either way, we end up at the same place. We don’t know if they ever existed.

Question 5: Are there parts of the passage we would be wise to follow? Are there parts we would be wise to question?

Even though these verses may not have been written by Mark there are portions of the passage it would be wise to follow because they agree with other passages in the New Testament.

Jesus Appears To Mary Magdalene (vv. 9-11)

We need to note that even though some translations use His name, Jesus is not identified by name. References are in the third person.

Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.                               Mark 16:9-11 NASB

This summarizes John 20:11-18. It is brief and to the point. It covers all the important points of Jesus’ appearance to Mary. There is nothing here that doesn’t fit the facts.

Jesus Appears On The Road To Two Disciples (vv. 12-13)

These two verses summarize Luke 24:13-35. It is again brief.

Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

                                                                                                Mark 16:12-13

This passage has the feel of a commentary on Luke’s account. It explains why the two disciples didn’t recognize Jesus. He appeared in a different form. The account doesn’t tell what happened along the road or why they finally understood they were walking with Jesus.

There is a significant problem, however, when the disciples don’t believe the report that they had seen Jesus. The longer account in Luke mentions nothing about doubt. It’s another reason to doubt the reliability of these verses.

Jesus Commissions The Disciples (vv. 14-18)

The next action, paralleling Matthew 28:16-20, is the commissioning of the disciples to carry on with the task of taking God’s good news to the world.

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.                                                                                                                                 Mark 16:14

There are no details provided about the time or place of the meeting. It is probably Easter evening and may refer to the meeting where Thomas wasn’t present. Thomas is singled out later for his lack of faith, but this account tells us the other disciples were also struggling to believe Jesus was no longer dead. In fact, they stubbornly refused to believe the accounts they were hearing.

With words that parallel The Great Commission in Matthew 28 Jesus gives the disciples their assignment. The timing here is much different than in Matthew where the commission is given just prior to Jesus’ return to heaven.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

                                                                                                Mark 16:15-16

Some have used this verse to tie salvation to being baptized. The emphasis, however, is on believing. It is not the refusal to be baptized that condemns someone; it is the refusal to believe. We certainly do well in carrying out the command.

That’s not so true with the next verses, which make up a most difficult passage. Jesus gives five signs that accompany those who believe.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."                                                                              Mark 16:17-18

Some of these signs were powerfully evident during the early years of the church.

·         Demons were cast out of people

·         People spoke in different languages

·         Sick people were healed

While these miraculous gifts are viewed in many different ways today, there is no doubt they demonstrated God’s power as the church began.

The two other signs pose significant problems. There is no other place in the Bible where we see handling poisonous snakes and drinking poison being normative. There are religious groups today who practice snake handling as a way to demonstrate faith. They join this passage with the account where Paul is bitten by a snake after being shipwrecked on Malta (Acts 28:1-6). When the other people saw the snake bite Paul they thought at first he must be a criminal because, even though he escaped the shipwreck, justice was still going to require his life. When Paul shook the snake off his hand and showed no effects from the bite, they then decided he must be a god. They were wrong both times. It’s also wrong to use this account as an example of what is being suggested in this ending of Mark. This isn’t talking about an accidental bite. This talks about deliberately picking up a snake because faith will keep you safe even when you are bitten. Groups that practice snake handling handle the snakes carefully—very carefully. They are much more about being kept safe by not being bitten than being kept safe after being bitten.

There are no groups who actively practice drinking poison as a demonstration of faith. I suppose it would be powerful way to demonstrate your faith. The problem is that any religious groups that have used poison used it as part of a mass suicide. I want you all to relax because we are not going to adopt drinking poison as part of our worship service. I couldn’t get anyone to volunteer to be the first person—and it wasn’t because of a lack of faith.

Question 6: How should we treat these verses?

There is much that is good in this questionable ending to Mark’s gospel and there is some that is deadly dangerous. What should we do with them? Consider this as a guiding principle: Use these verses where they are in agreement with other Scripture, but don’t build doctrine where these verses stand alone.

This principle frees us to live by faith according to the clear teaching of God’s Word, but it also protects us from being foolhardy. We know we have been commanded by Jesus to tell others about His life, death and resurrection. We know faith will be accompanied by miraculous power. We also know that we must be very careful to avoid acting in presumption. God doesn’t guarantee to protect us from our foolishness.

This ending of Mark finishes looking to the future.

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

                                                                                                Mark 16:19-20

The timing of Jesus’ return to heaven doesn’t match with the other places in the New Testament, but He did return and sit down in the place of honor. The disciples did go and preach as God worked through them, confirming the message with His miraculous power.

This leaves one last question.

Question 7: After studying this question-filled passage, what can we take away with us today?

Conclusion: Remember The Beginning

To fully appreciate the ending of Mark we need to remember the beginning. Go back to the first verse of the book.

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

                                                                                                Mark 1:1

In the very first message in this series I shared this thought with you.

Matthew develops the Jewish heritage of Jesus in his opening chapters. Luke presents the most complete account of the birth of Jesus as the God-man. John presents Jesus in the eternal plan of God. Mark jumps into the story at the point where Jesus begins His ministry. His approach connects with the Joe Fridays of the world, “The facts—just the facts.”

Mark’s purpose is to lead people to consider who Jesus is so they might put faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Keeping this purpose clearly in view, to assume that Mark ends the gospel at verse 8 with trembling, terrified women doesn’t seem to fit with how carefully he builds his case throughout the book to lead people to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord. Neither the short or long ending proves effective in fulfilling his purpose because we are left with more questions at the end than answers.

This is the lesson I want you to consider. Let Mark be known as The Unfinished Gospel with verse 8 as the last, but not final word. Mark promised to write the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The ending is up to us.