Pat Arensberg: The Longer Ending

“When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.”  -Mark 16:9

Did you ever notice that at the end of Mark’s Gospel there is about half of a chapter called : The Longer Ending?  Apparently, in the some ancient manuscripts Mark’s Gospel ended at verse 8.  Most scholars would argue that the last 10 verses were written by “another hand”.  The most important point to remember is that these last verses are in fact inspired by the Holy Spirit and are canonical.  The Holy Spirit works in wondrous ways!  We know that the entirety of the Gospel is inspired, but we don’t know how or through whom.  God’s inspiration is not usually really simple.  He works through his people with their cooperation.  And he does the same thing in our lives!

It is said that God can draw straight with crooked lines.  He works in our lives, even though that usually means working through the messes we make or the messes that other people make.  God can do it.  Sometimes when we cannot see how God can possibly be involved in a certain situation or how he can bring good out of it…boom… it happens.  His marvelous love shines through our weakness.  So, when I see that a few verses of Mark’s Gospel may have been penned by another hand; it does not bother me it all.  God so often works like that.

It also helps to note that these last few verses are certainly ancient.  As early as the second century they are quoted as part of Mark’s Gospel.