Analysis of the Last Chapter of the Gospel of Mark - Article Example

Gospel of Mark There is no doubt that religion plays an important role in the human civilization. Indeed, the influence of it can be traced almost to the very dawn of the society. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the primitive religions most represented the mythological understanding of the world, while those which emerged later in history often focused on much more complex issues. In addition to that, some religions were able to cross the national boundaries and unite many different nations under one spiritual teaching. A good example is Christianity which originated in the Middle East, but nowadays is the religion which is spread all over the world. That is why it may be particularly important to carefully analyze some of the fundamental text that this spiritual tradition rests on. This paper will examine the last chapter of the Gospel of mark and determine what evidence for the resurrection is offered by him. Whether this passage is an effective ending and what are the implications of the resurrection. Evidence for the resurrection To begin with, it may be rather important to point out that there are many passages in the text in question which might be interpreted as evidence for the most important event in Christianity. For example, upon arrival to the tomb, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome wondered how they will be able to get inside when suddenly “they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away” (Mark 16:4). In spite of the fact that this can hardly be seen as evidence for resurrection, but it is surely an extraordinary situation which shows that some supernatural forces were engaged. The next part of the text provides even more evidence. Thus, the above mentioned three women met “a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side” (Mark 16:5). This appeared to be an angel who told them that Jesus Who was crucified resurrected. There is no doubt that the presence of an angel in the tomb should be regarded as indisputable evidence that the resurrection truly took place. The text features a rather vivid description of the angle which is rather persuasive. It is obvious that for materialists this is no evidence at all; however, the believers would most certainly acknowledge that the visit of an angel into the empty tomb is extremely important for the support of such an extraordinary event as resurrection. Finally, while talking to the above mentioned angel, they learn that Jesus “is not here. See the place where they laid him” (Mark 16:6). And indeed, the women took a look at the tomb and found out that there was not body of Jesus. In other words they witnessed an empty tomb. There are the three pieces of evidence that are mentioned in the text in question. What is more important is that if one combines them, one will be able to see that they support each other. Thus, the empty tomb serves as the major evidence, but the fact that the stone was rolled away amplifies the fact that something extraordinary happened. In addition to that, the very presence of an angel implies that divine powers are responsible for this event. Therefore, there is a sufficient amount of evidence for the people to believe in the resurrection. The effectiveness of ending The question whether verses of Mark one through eight make an effective ending is quite debatable. On the one hand, one might suggest that there surely make a good ending to the whole gospels. They provide enough evidence for resurrection and they depict the quite natural reaction of the women. In addition to that, if the story stops on verse eight, then, for a stylistic point of view, it is quite entertaining as it allows the readers to be wondering about the future and since nothing is told for sure they will use their imagination to create a closure to the story. However, since the entire situation is not told, there is always room for speculation about the end which makes it rather interesting for the believers. On the other hand, the fact that the story ends at such a point is too dramatic and does not allow a person to understand the entire story. Thus, it may be effective if one takes a look at this chapter and several ones before; but there is no doubt that the first eight verses of the sixteenth chapter might be seen as a valid ending for the entire gospel. It is that the resurrection should be regarded as the most important part of the Christian traditions and these verses do provide enough evidence to show that it truly happened. However, there must be some description of the aftermath of the events. In other words, while the author formally concludes the story, he does not provide the readers with an ability to reflect on the narration and think about the implications that it has for the future. Finally, one should point out that the contents of the sixteenth chapter of Mark has often been seen as a subject for a discussion since the first eight verses are clearly recognized to be of his authorship, but the latter twelve are thought to be added later in history. This is a rather important topic since the second half of the chapter provided a full account of the situation and provides the readers with a proper closure. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that the original desire of Mark was to leave some mystery in the story of resurrection in order to provoke further inquiries. In addition to that, the gospels that was written by him is the shortest one which might serve as an implication that he did not want to provide the full story. Implications of the resurrection As it has already been noted, the very notion of resurrection is essential to Christian tradition as it shows that Jesus Christ was truly God. Therefore, it is extremely significant for the whole story and Mark could not have omitted implications that it has. For example, in verse seven the angel says: “He is going ahead of you into Galilee” (Mark 16:7). This is particularly important since it shows that people will be able to meet Jesus after His resurrection. This means that the focus of attention of the readers should shift to Galilee since this is the place where other significant events will occur. Mark mentions this town to show that Jesus will appear to people there. Earlier in the same verse, the angel also suggests that “his disciples and Peter” are the people whom Jesus would like to visit after His death (Mark 16:7). Indeed, this means that while Son of God is willing to meet everyone, He is particularly concerned with meeting His disciples as this will provide them with a concrete evidence for their faith. Indeed, witnessing a person who has been crucified and rose for the dead is sure able to make anyone adopt faith in Him. What is more important is that all this shows that the disciples enjoyed a close personal relationship with Jesus so that even after death He is willing to visit them among the first. This means that the disciples were able to have a first hand experience of seeing God after resurrection. There is yet another implication that the fact of resurrection has. It must be noted that this news was proclaimed by an angles. It is beyond any doubt that an angel will never lie. In other words, the proclamation of resurrection is made by a rather authoritative source and can hardly be doubted by the believers. Indeed, the story would have been completely different in case the women was a large stone rolled away and an empty tomb. However, the very fact that they talked to an angel shows that they were able to see the supernatural character of the event. This means that the involvement of an angel contributes to the validity of the story and is supposed to cast away any doubts that the non believers might have about resurrection as such. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence which was brought up the in the paragraphs above, one might suggest that the gospel of Mark is an important text that forms one of the foundations of Christianity. One of the peculiarities of it lies in the fact that the sixteenth chapter is figuratively divided into two parts: the first eight verses are known to be written by Mark, while the next twelve ones might have been written further in history. Thus, the text features some indisputable evidence for the resurrection: the large stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty and there was a angel who claimed that Jesus rose from the dead. Speaking of the effectiveness of the verses in question as an ending, one might doubt this, suggesting that they do not bring the desired closure; on the other hand, Mark is known to have written the smallest gospels. Works Cited "Mark 16." ESV Bible. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. Retrieved from http://www.esvbible.org/Mark+16/ Read More