When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; 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. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Mark 16:1-8

This is the ending of the gospel of Mark. It's not the ending that you'd expect, is it? The women are so unsettled and frightened by seeing the resurrected Jesus that they flee the scene, too afraid to tell anyone the good news. The End.

To be sure, even back in the second century, people didn't think that this was a particularly satisfying end to Mark's gospel. So they wrote their own ending, and that's the ending we find in the Bible. You can read what they wrote: it's found in Mark 16:9-20. It's certainly a happier ending. But it's not the way Mark wrote it.

In one way, it doesn't make any sense. Mark wrote his gospel about 40 years after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. So someone must have shared the good news of the resurrection, or he wouldn't have known the story to begin with. You'd think Mark would want to tell us how he knows what he knows. How can we know how Jesus' followers continued their faith in Jesus, if Mark doesn't tell us?

Well, maybe Mark's not a very good storyteller. Or maybe Mark doesn't really care whether or not we know how the news of the resurrection first spread. For my money, that's the best answer. Mark's point isn't to explain how the news spread. Mark has another scheme up his sleeve.

I believe that Mark knew what kind of a reaction the end of his gospel would get: frustration, confusion, a feeling that there were an awful lot of loose ends left dangling. I think he wanted us to feel all of those things.

Mark's gospel forces the question: how will the world hear of the resurrection? If the twelve disciples have taken cover, and these women flee, how will the gospel be spread? Mark ends his gospel the way he does to force the issue on you. The ball is in your court, now. You've heard about the resurrection, but everyone else is silent. What will you do? Will you be silent, too? Or will you share the good news?

Here is something to ponder as you journey through this Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Jesus' last meal with his disciples, from the anguished prayer in the garden to the cross, and from the cross to the empty tomb: how will the world know?

The story is ours to finish. May we finish it faithfully, openly, joyfully. And may our faith be so full of gratitude, honesty, and compassion that we make the resurrection real to others. After all... if our neighbors can't recognize Christ's resurrection in our lives, why would they believe it in a book?