“And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
– Mark 16:8
Now, it’s interesting, right after you read this in the Bible. You see Mark 16:9–20, that you see a note that says some of the earliest manuscripts do not include Mark 16:9–20, and we could talk for a long time about whether or not this was actually a part of Mark’s original gospel writing.
Mark 16:8 Narrates a Possible ending for the Gospel of Mark
But let’s just assume for a moment that it wasn’t as many people believe that this book ended in verse eight. So verses nine through twenty, go on to talk about basically a version of the great commission, and going out and proclaiming the gospel. But what if it ended at verse eight says, “They went out, fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
What if that was the end of the story, and you started thinking, why would Mark potentially close that way, and you know he’s riding to a predominantly gentile audience that was experiencing a lot of persecution in first century Rome for proclaiming the gospel, and if he were to end this gospel narrative with a picture of Jesus rising from the dead, and people being afraid to share that, what an impact that would have on the church that would say, “No, no, this cannot be the end. This is not going to be the end of our story, of Jesus rising from the dead, and us saying nothing about that.”
There are many who believe that’s exactly what Mark was trying to do. He was trying to encourage the church, don’t let this be the end of the story, and wow, what a encouragement to you and me today in our lives, in our stories.
Mark 16:8 Encourages us to not be Silent about the Gospel Message
We know Jesus has died on the cross and risen from the dead. So what are we going to do with that news? Are we going to go out and share it, or are we going to go out and say nothing to anyone because we’re afraid? Oh God, may that not be the end of our story, may that not be the end of my story, anyone’s story listening to this who knows you, Jesus, who knows you as the resurrected savior and lord. God, we pray for boldness, for a lack of fear, for faith to proclaim this good news to people around us.
Today, god, we pray for opportunities today to share the gospel with somebody, to ask somebody if they know when they die, they’ll go to heaven, or to ask somebody today what they know about Jesus. God, help us to start gospel conversations today, conversations that lead to opportunity to share the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead.
God, please don’t let it be set of us that we were afraid and we said nothing to anyone today. This week, help us to speak this good news, no matter what that means for us. We pray that you would use us to lead other people to eternal life, here, right around us, around the world.
Praying for the Dhanuk Dhankar People
God, we pray today for the Dhanuk Dhankar people of India. No known followers of Jesus around Bihar in such a spiritually dark place in the world. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ life and death and resurrection specifically to the Dhanuk Dhankar people of India.
Please God, bring it about that they might know eternal life in you. Give our Indian brothers and sisters in Christ, boldness. Give missionaries who you have sent to India from other places, boldness, and success in spreading the good news of the resurrected king of kings and lord of lords among the people groups of India, and the lives of people right around us today. God, we pray that fear and silence would not be the end of our story, in Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
