March 9-March 15

The Question of the Tomb
Daniel Gray

In chapter 13 of Mark, one of Jesus' disciples begins to admire the buildings as they leave the temple, to which Jesus replies that all of them will be destroyed. The disciples begin to question when this destruction will happen and how they will know. Jesus' description seems to be a mix of the destruction of Jerusalem and his second coming. The picture he paints is very bleak: suffering, betrayal, war, and desolation. But Jesus conclusion is that no one will know when this event is going to happen, and so they simply ought to be ready and watchful.

Our church culture is constantly fascinated by the prospect of the end times, even as the disciples probably were. However, Christ's response seems to indicate that the end times are not something that we should be excited or concerned about. The end of time is only important in the fact that we are ready for Christ's return.

If you look at the last chapter in Mark, most Bibles will state that the earliest manuscripts do not have Mark 16:9-20. Many scholars debate whether or not this passage was originally written by Mark or was added later. Regardless, we've come to know these verses as part of Mark's gospel.

We know that Mark's gospel was targeted to Roman Christians and that it has a very action-oriented focus. Imagine for a moment that Mark's gospel ends at verse 8. The picture we're left with is of the women standing at an empty tomb being told that Christ is risen. The women find an empty tomb and are terrified. The End.

Think about the message Mark is leaving us in verse 8. We've seen Christ's power and his actions. We've seen his death. And now his tomb is empty. Mark's abrupt ending seems to propose the question “What are we going to do about it?” When we stand at the empty tomb, how do we respond?

Christ's return is only important in that we are alert and ready for it. Rather than worry about the details of how everything will end, Mark leaves us with an empty tomb – a sign that Christ is victorious over death. Mark's gospel ends with a starting point. We're called to think about how we respond to the empty tomb and whether or not we will participate in the work of God. Our life and our future begins at an empty tomb.

[Daniel is a member of McKnight Road Church of Christ in St. Louis, Missouri and is currently completing his master's degree in social work at Washington University. His interests lie in poverty and economic development. He received his undergraduate degree from Abilene Christian University, where he occasionally preached for a small, rural church and participated in mission trips to Ghana, Uganda, and Sudan.]