He’s Not Here (March 31, 2024) Mark 16.1-8

Most people I know enjoy a good book. And sometimes they enjoy a certain author more than others. Now, sometimes an author does not finish a book due to the inconvenient fact of death. There have been several of these over the years: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Michael Crichton, Truman Capote, and others both well-known and obscure. One of those not so well known is Jaroslav Hasak who wrote The Good Soldier Schvek. I listened to this story on an audio book and was intrigued by it. I really was interested to see how it ended. Then it ended abruptly. I mean it cut off right in the middle of a thought. I was outraged. How could the author have done such a thing? I read that he had died before finishing the novel, which answered all my questions. But I was still wondering is this the end?

There are other books that I read in the past which made me ask the question “is this the end of the story? If so, I don’t like this ending.”

It appears that we have this in the Gospel according to Mark. We have a great story throughout the book about Jesus and his ministry. The story of his passion takes up about one third of the book. And then comes the ending of the Gospel and one has to scratch their head and wonder if something is wrong here. Why would Mark end this story in such an abrupt manner? Is this the end of the story?

We, of course, know that this is not the end of the story. If it were the end, then we would not be here today celebrating Easter. We would be living our lives wondering if there was more to this life. But we know that there is more to the story. It is not because there is more to Mark (there is a longer ending, but it is universally agreed that this was not original to Mark), but because we are reading this text today. Someone must have told an ending that was different to what we have here in Mark. Or it could be that we know this from the beginning of Mark which states that this is the good news of Jesus Christ. Whatever it is, we know there is more to the story.

But let us look at some context as to why this part of the story turns as it does.

The women who are coming to the tomb saw Jesus die on the cross. With his death died their hopes and dreams for the coming kingdom of God. They believed that he would bring about the kingdom in a way that was expected by all, by military might and that it would be a kingdom of this world. What they saw was a man who chose not to fight, but rather gave up himself for others in love.

This was what they saw along with where he was buried. They did not get a chance to give the proper burial rituals because the Sabbath was coming, and they could do no work then. So, they waited for a day to do what needed to be done.

When the Sabbath was over, they went out and bought spices and perfumes, at cost to themselves, to put over the body to mask the smell of decay. Then, early in the morning of the first day of the week, about sunrise according to Mark, they walked to the tomb.

Now, they walked there in a somber mood. This was to be the last time that they would see their friend. They knew this. This man was DEAD and there was no coming back from that. So, they went with heavy hearts and not much to say.

Along the way, someone realizes something: the stone needs to be moved. Now, this should have been one of the first things they thought of, and it appears to be an afterthought. How were they to get the stone moved? Even three women would not be able to move the heavy stone. I wonder if they were thinking that they should have looked for the disciples, the ones who ran away, and asked them for help. But they continue and wonder just what to do.

Then, in the distance, they see something strange. It could be the shadows of the early morning playing a trick on their eyes, but it looks like the stone was rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. Someone already opened it. Well, this would make things easier for them.

As they go into the tomb, they encounter a young man dressed in white sitting on the right of where the body should be. Wait a minute, where the body SHOULD be. Where was the body?! Dead men do not get up and walk away. The women knew this to be true and are therefore confounded. They are also alarmed by the man because they can see his white clothes in the dark tomb meaning that this is someone who is not from the surrounding area. This is someone special.

The young man begins to talk to them. He says, ““Do not be alarmed…” Have you ever noticed that the words “Do not fear” or “Do not be alarmed” are always the first words spoken by a messenger from God? It seems that these messengers always need to put those listening at ease because there is something alarming about seeing them. And so it is with the women.

The young man continues: “…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.”[1]First, he tells them that he knows for whom they are looking and in doing so tells them that they are in the correct spot. This is not the wrong tomb; they came to where they saw him buried. Second, he tells them that Jesus has been raised. This is in Greek what is known as a divine passive. This is telling the women (and all who are listening) that Jesus did not raise himself. Again, he was dead. Someone had to do the raising. The message to them is that God raised Jesus from the dead. Third, they are told that “he is not here.” “Well, thank you Captain Obvious” would be what the women might be thinking if they were not so alarmed by what was happening. Finally, the young man points to the spot where the body should be and says, “There is the place where they laid him.”

He is not here. Then where was he? Mark does not tell us. All we are told is that the man continues saying to the women that they are to tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee just as he said he would. “And oh, by the way, make sure that you find Peter and tell him too. Make sure that he knows that even after those denials of his, there is still the hope of redemption. Just go and find Jesus. Make sure you tell them all that. Got it? Do I need to repeat anything?” If he were a good Presbyterian he might have added, “And why don’t you stay for a few minutes. I have coffee and doughnuts.”

By this time the women are running out of the tomb. They are trembling with terror and amazement. Amazement can mean a blending of fear and wonder. They are beyond consolation. They are running and not stopping until they reach one of the houses where they may catch their breath. And in the meantime, they tell no one what they have seen or heard.

And it is here that Mark’s story (in the earliest manuscripts) ends. A good present example would be to say that Mark has left us with a cliffhanger that is finished with Matthew and Luke. Sure, we have verses 9-20, but again it is almost universally agreed upon that these verses are a later addition to the text. Someone came after, looked at this text and said, “We can’t have it end like that. Where is the wrap up?” It is true that this short ending makes it difficult to figure out what happened. One sees that in the followers of Jesus, men and women, there are really none who can be called heroic. They all run in fear when the rubber meets the road. But guess what? Something must have happened with those who ran because we know the story. They go and meet Jesus in Galilee (see Luke-Acts). They are infused with backbones. And notice again that there is never a choosing of a new group to tell the story, but the ones who ran are the ones we who are chosen to take the message. The resurrection was not just God raising Christ from the dead but the giving of new life to the faith of those who had run.

“He is not here.” We are here to celebrate the one who was raised from the dead. But we treat Easter sometimes like it is an old hat, a comfortable and favorite hat, one we always know will be there. It is an afterthought, a time when we have bunnies, lilies, baskets, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and other things that fill our minds and push out the message.

“He is not here.” The message was given to the women who fled in fear but must have told someone. And the message is given to us. Some scholars say that the short ending of Mark tells those listening that God put the ball in the women’s, and by extension our, court. It is as if to say, “Here is the message. He has been raised. He is not here. Just as he told you would happen. What are you going to do with this message?” What are we going to do with the message? Are we comparable to the women who run in fear and tell no one? Or are we going to go out and tell others this good, no, this glorious news? He has been raised; he is not here. Death and sin no longer have hold on us because of this news. Christ is risen! Alleluia! Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print.