Manya Breachnear at the Chicago Tribune writes about preaching from Mark's account of the empty tomb at Easter. I wouldn't say exactly this about Mark 16:8 but it does get the point across.
The Gospel of Mark reflects a universal state of limbo; like a season finale, it leaves the reader wanting more. The Greek translation of Mark even stops in the middle of a sentence.
"People are staring mid-sentence out into a future they can not see or predict," Brian Hiortdahl, pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Lakeview said. "It's scary to think that God is alive and able to do things so far beyond our prediction and beyond our control.
"The future is wide open. We can participate in it, but we're not in charge, and we are a people who like to be in charge of stuff," he said. "We like to predict. We like to figure out when the economy is going to get better and plan for it. Resurrection just blows all of that away."
Jeff Golliher's book, A Deeper Faith, makes the point that when confronted with the empty tomb, we tend to project all of our expectations and anxieties into that void so as to fill it. The challenge is to recognize the void for what it is and what it is not.
2 comments:
I was stunned last night when I read the gospel from our RCL gospel book and found that had included the "shorter ending" of Mark instead of just stopping at v.8. In my sermon I had mentioned the way that pericope ended so I had a bit of explaining to do!
I have always rather liked the gaping tomb and the void of the resurrection in Mark. this resurrection passage was the one I chose for two of the most important funerals I have so far take - I mean of course important to me personally. My fatehr's and Alain Blancy's - whom I could call my father in God. the year before he died Alain led Lenten Bible study about the passion story in the four gospels offering us a Jewish perspective on the Christian texts. He showed us how deeply the ending the beginnign are one. Mark's gospel ends in emptiness as begins from nowhere.
Thanks for this post which helps me on my Easter journey.
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