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Bible Reading Plan: July 25 - 31
The Way of Jesus: The Last Word
Mark 16:9-20
With this Sunday, our sermon series in Mark’s Gospel entitled “The Way of Jesus” comes to an end. As our Bibles duly note, the most reliable ancient manuscripts do not have verses 9-20, what is often referred to as “the longer ending” of Mark. These verses appear to have been drawn from the resurrection narratives of Matthew and Luke along with some additional material and may have been added by copyists uncomfortable with the absence of what they considered a suitable ending. After all, Mark 16:8 reads, “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” We’ll never know whether or not Mark wrote a more complete ending unless, of course, another manuscript is suddenly discovered. So…our conclusion? Mark’s “last word” is not as tidy as we’d like – an appropriate reminder that following the Way of Jesus is not without its challenges.
Nevertheless the “longer ending” underscores important truths for us today. First of all, the cross was NOT the end of the story; Jesus rose on the first day of the week inaugurating the beginning of God’s Kingdom on earth! Secondly, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, to two walking on the road to Emmaus, and to the Eleven and, in so doing, continued His commitment to instructing the people of God in the ways of God. Thirdly, Jesus was taken up to assume His position of power and authority at God’s right hand but sharing that power with the disciples and calling them to go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Finally, the text reminds us that those first followers on the Jesus Way encountered resistance; there were those who did not believe.
God has chosen to communicate His way as well as His truth and His life not in words, but in the Word, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Yes, Jesus will have the last word, but in the meantime he continues to invite us into God’s larger story. “Come,” Jesus says, “Follow me!” What are your “takeaways” from this sermon series? What does walking the Way of Jesus mean in your life?
Written by Dr. Carol Friesen
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