Living the epilogue

In an online chat room recently, people were asked for a response to the question: “Why did you choose the [online] username that you have?” One of the 575 postings caught my attention. The person had chosen the username once_upon_a_time, “because I believe that all of life is a story and you choose your ending.”

I suspect that Mark, the Gospel writer, would concur with that response. He designed his Gospel so his readers would make the story of following Jesus their own. Then at the point of climax and decision he stopped writing.*

After detailing Jesus’ death on the cross and His burial by Joseph of Arimathea just before the Sabbath, Mark concludes his Gospel this way (Mark 16:1–8 NLT):

The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they came to the tomb. On the way they were discussing who would roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. But when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone – a very large one – had already been rolled aside. So they entered the tomb, and there on the right sat a young man clothed in a white robe. The women were startled, but the angel said, “Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!” The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened to talk.

That’s it. Yes, in many Bibles an epilogue is provided (16:9–20), with a footnote or comment. The best evidence indicates that Mark did not write those verses. They were added to complete the apparently incomplete manuscript.

So Mark leaves us wondering. Did the women get over their fright and tell the disciples? Did the disciples join up with Jesus in Galilee? What difference, if any, does the resurrection of Jesus make in the lives of His followers?

But Mark knew the rest of the story. So why didn’t he write it? Why end the Gospel so abruptly without an appropriate epilogue?

I believe there’s a good reason. First, though, let’s explore the significance of Jesus wanting to meet the disciples in Galilee.

Back to Galilee

The angel told the women to remind the disciples, and particularly Peter, of Jesus’ earlier instructions. At the Passover supper Jesus had informed the disciples that He would be crucified, they would fail Him, He would rise from the dead, and He would meet them in Galilee after the resurrection.

Peter had immediately rejected the idea that he would fail Jesus. But he did, and so did the other disciples.

Galilee, then, is the place where the disciples will meet Jesus after failing and rejecting Him. It’s a place where those who fail and reject Jesus can be restored and reconciled to Him.

Mark doesn’t detail this restoration but John describes it beautifully. He describes how Jesus appeared to the disciples huddled behind locked doors in fear. He reveals how doubting Thomas saw Jesus and believed, declaring “My Lord and my God!” Most significantly, John portrays the warm restoration of Peter by Jesus.

The potential for restoration of Jesus’ disciples after sinful failure is significant. However, Galilee also signifies a renewed calling into ministry.

Galilee was where Jesus first called the disciples to follow Him. They had done so, literally following in His footsteps through Galilee and eventually to Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. Now Jesus was calling the disciples back to Galilee where He would give them their new commission to ministry.

There, as Matthew records it, Jesus declared,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Mark knew this fuller story. His readers knew this story. So why didn’t he include the epilogue – the disciples’ restoration and renewed call?

Completing the Gospel

I suggest Mark left the story dangling because he wanted his readers to supply their personal epilogues through their own responses to Jesus’ invitation. He wanted them to complete it for themselves.

Through his Gospel, Mark wants us, the readers, to place ourselves in the disciples’ sandals. He wants us to identify with the disciples in their successes and more particularly their failures, in their struggle to understand and their need to exercise faith in Jesus. In the end, Mark lets his readers decide whether or not they will find restoration and renewal with Jesus in “Galilee.”

Mark, through his Gospel, asks each of us: Do you feel like a failure? Do you feel like Jesus has abandoned you since, after years of trying to faithfully follow Him, He seems distant and uncaring? Have you given up on this whole Christian faith thing? Do you want to return to a simpler life free of responsibilities and painful struggles? Have you rejected Jesus through deliberate rebellion, grievous sin, or heart-aching failure? Then Jesus invites you to “Galilee.” He stands ready to forgive, restore, renew and send out in fresh ministry.

During my own time with Jesus in “Galilee” I envisioned Jesus as my pastor/shepherd from Psalm 23. Here’s what I discovered.

Jesus is my friend;
what more do I need?

He provides for everything so I can rest.
He delights over me so I am renewed.

He strengthens me so I am restored.

He leads me along the best pathways
that He Himself discovered.

When anxieties, depression, or troubles overshadow me,
I will trust Jesus.

For like a big brother,
He takes my hand and confidently leads me through.

His strength and presence
protect and comfort me.

O Jesus,
when I’m tempted from within

and criticized from without

You offer me a rich feast of Your goodness and love.

You welcome me into Your home
as an honoured guest and intimate friend.

You pronounce a blessing upon me
that fills me to overflowing.

In Your presence
I am confident of Your goodness and unfailing love.

You have promised to always be my friend,
and keep a room just for me in Your home.

We know how the story ended for the biblical disciples, how they went from cowering failures at Jesus’ death to towering and powerful servants of God after His resurrection. But we have the opportunity to attach our personal stories to conclude what Mark left open. Our lives form the epilogue to Mark’s Gospel.

Ken Dueck is pastor of Harrison Gospel Chapel, Harrison Hot Springs, B.C.

* My thoughts on this subject parallel Tim Geddert’s conclusions expressed in his commentary on Mark’s Gospel (Believers Church Bible Commentary, Herald Press, 2001). While I formed my thoughts through my own study many years ago, his comments sharpened my views.

—KD