0:19
we once again in Mark chapter 16 and I would like to read the first eight verses of that chapter Mark 16 beginning at verse
0:31
one and when the Sabbath was over Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and salomi bought spices and they might that they might come and anoint him and very
0:43
early on the first day of the week they came to the tomb when the sun had risen and they were saying to one another who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the Tomb and looking up they
0:55
saw that the stone had been rolled away although it was extremely large and entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting at the right wearing a white robe and they were amazed and he said to
1:07
them do not be amazed you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who has been crucified he has risen he is not here behold here's the place where they laid
1:18
him but go tell his disciples and Peter he is going before you into Galilee and there you will see him just as he said to you and they went out and fled from
1:30
the tomb for trembling and astonishment had gripped them and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid let us
1:41
pray Our Father we again desire to be as the psalmist and the hym writers that
1:51
we have we have sung that we would seek you that we would follow what is holy what is righteous and not what is
2:02
sinful and perverse that we would seek to know you and to worship you right and so we ask again father that you would
2:12
draw Us close that we might by your spirit hear your word that we might obey we might walk in it For Your Glory and
2:23
Honor in Christ's name we pray amen am in my study of Mark I've seen uh not only from my
2:37
reading but in the commentaries two difficulties facing students of the word students particularly of Mark as we approach the ending of his
2:49
gospel and I've kind of over the past probably three or four weeks um known that today was coming known that today would be a a little bit different kind
3:01
of sermon than I would normally preach because I want to talk about those difficulties and I want to try to
3:12
relate those difficulties to to you to us as Believers because I believe that many
3:23
stumble over these two difficulties one is the obvious difference in the detail s highlighted by each of the gospel
3:36
writers we'll have opportunity in a few minutes to discuss the ending but it was interesting that the ending that I was going to read from Matthew was already
3:48
read in your hearing and probably you've already noticed some significant differences in what Matthew relates and what Mark relates in his ending
4:02
is there what many would call a Harmony of the gospels I looked up the word harmony I not as you know very musically inclined
4:13
but it's when two notes or two sounds have a very pleasing connection a pleasing effect on the mind and sometimes when I read the different
4:24
gospels I wonder well why did he not read relate the issue that one of the other writers writes why is there not to
4:36
my ears a Harmony of the words in the gospel another issue is the confusion perhaps you've already glanced
4:46
at the marginal notes in your Bibles mine says simply in the margin where verse 9 of
4:58
Mark is quote some of the oldest manuscripts do not contain verses 9- 20 does the gospel of Mark end abruptly
5:09
with verse with verse 8 and the women said nothing to anyone for they were afraid end of
5:20
gospel some people become very upset by these difficulties some reach a point and I had a discussion a couple coup of years ago with one man who felt you're telling
5:34
me I can't trust my Bible anymore I don't want to talk about this I don't want that note to be there some are saying well you know the English
5:46
translations now upset me because I I can't trust what the translators have done and of course piling on to that are some of the critical Scholars who take
5:58
the seeming desp discrepancies between the gospel writers and they write extensively about the errors in scripture adding
6:09
scripture adding fear or questions of consternation for believers sometimes we can become anxious by the apparent difficulties in
6:21
what we what we read but the scriptures say but we do not walk by sight we walk by faith we do hold that all scripture is profitable
6:32
for teaching for reproof for correction for training and righteousness but we need not fear the
6:45
scriptures is there a Harmony of the gospels again what do we make of the different evangelist reports particularly on the Resurrection Day in your hearing Ariel read from
6:57
Matthew 28 that after the Sabbath as the day dawned toward the first day of the week the women came and there was a severe earthquake that had occurred and an
7:08
angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it his appearance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow the guards shook from fear of him
7:21
and became like dead men pretty graphic the earthquake the description of the appearance of the Angel sitting on the
7:32
stone and the guards shaking with fear and then becoming like dead men in Luke chapter 4 we read this but on the first day of the
7:43
week at early Dawn they came to the tomb bringing spices which they had prepared and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus
7:54
while they were perplexed about this behold two men suddenly stood near them in gleaming clothing and the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground and the men said to them why are
8:06
you seeking the living one among the dead and this from John chapter 20 now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the
8:18
tomb while it was still dark and saw the stone already removed from the tomb so she ran and came to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said
8:29
to them they have taken the Lord from the tomb and we do not know where they have put have put him these four gospels give us differences right away
8:42
that we we don't have to search to diff hard for Matthew gives an earthquake and an angel descending and the
8:53
guards shaking with fear Luke has two angels but no earthquake and no guards John has no earthquake and no angels and no
9:14
guards what are we to make of these things the gospel writers themselves are not to not to blame the events were brought out with different emotions and
9:25
different perspectives from the witnesses that passed on and relayed this information to the evangelists I could name two 99-year-old
9:36
young ladies of my acquaintance and family that if they were to watch the same movie they would be describing generally
9:47
the same scenes but in a very very way you've experienced that that different
9:57
people see things differently even though they watch the thing personalities they their upbringing the
10:08
way their family discusses things at home perhaps their their own bents in life the things that kind of make them tick the the way they learn their
10:22
learning style all of these things enter in and they're not only relating what they saw they saw but they relate certain details of why they saw what they
10:36
saw and so again the gospel writers cannot be cannot be blamed the gospel writers had specific audiences in mind and specific goals for
10:49
writing and I not quite sure that I understand but some critics just won't allow them to be human they will not allow them to be
11:06
themselves Ned Stonehouse in his book wrote this about the gospels in general the approach to Mark and to the other gospels as well has too long been under the spell of the liberal point of
11:18
view that the evangelists aim to present biographies of Jesus Christ or if this be regarded as an overstatement that they aim to depict the historical career
11:29
of Jesus of Nazareth that's what many believe that this is just a biography and all of the biography
11:40
should be exactly the same with maybe one or two anecdotes slightly different but this makes if that is the case this makes the
11:59
incomplete because is it not a narrative of his birth his life and his death God could have made a single gospel from a single writer from a
12:09
single point of view but he did not choose to do that and Mark doesn't even tell us about Jesus birth he doesn't tell us about his
12:20
early life he starts in with the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he goes immediately to Ministry and to his
12:37
baptism and on the other hand radical critics isolate Jesus from the records by pointing out as one author put it exploding the gospel into a thousand
12:48
different pieces because they're concentrating on certain un certain details
13:03
and creating skepticism among Believers and turning as one author says turn some Believers into agnostics they do not know what to believe at all ja Alexander wrote this and I
13:17
highlighted it as soon as I read it in his book a large part of the difficulty practically felt as to the gospels has arisen from the error of attempting The
13:29
Impossible to Wi the resolution of four Landscapes into one and the effort listen to this and the effort to improve upon God's
13:40
method of exhibiting this part of Saving truth instead of thankfully resting in the APO Apostolic dictum that the foolishness of God is wiser than
13:52
men people say God has got it wrong he didn't present the Bible correctly and yet what he has left us with is a record that gives us the fullness of what we
14:03
need to know certainly it is not all the truth but everything there is truth and we can rest upon it and we see we see
14:15
that the gospel writers do cover it that we see these perspectives where we understand better the personalities
14:25
involved and I think what we'll see as we look at the rest of Mark and we turn to that question of the ending of Mark next but Mark brings out details brings
14:39
out things of people and individuals and their reaction to Jesus that the other gospel writers do not and I guess my thought the ending besides the
14:50
foolishness of God is wiser than men is let the writers be themselves let them speak to us through the Holy Spirit and
15:04
the record that he has left in all four of the gospels but this marginal note that some of the older manuscripts do not include
15:15
verses 9 through 20 the question is did Mark leave his gospel at verse eight did he intend to
15:26
end it with verse 8 and they went out and fled from the tomb for trembling and astonishment had gripped them and they said nothing to anyone for they were
15:41
afraid period end of sentence what did the British call it full stop did Mark intend to end it there or did he his gospel remain
15:52
unfinished or did he write verses 9- 20 and they were supposed to be included by but they're
16:02
but they're not the not the situation is that some manuscripts stop at verse 8 and do not have 9- 20 other manuscripts include 9 through 20 and
16:15
other manuscripts include between 8 and nine a little two verse ending that someone put
16:26
someone put in probably not mark and some of your Bibles will show you all three of those endings the question again is which is
16:38
the most conceivable situation to be authentic and does it matter Mark ended it gospel at verse 8
16:49
and never intended to write any further is that a conceivable issue the angel has told him go and tell the disciples and yet they go out and they do not
17:01
speak to anyone because they are afraid even though he has told them do not be amazed do not be
17:14
dumbfounded did Mark write a conclusion but it's lost to history and lost to scripture or perhaps Mark wrote to verse 20 but 20 but somehow the copyist left those out that
17:27
the manuscript was torn and that those were the verses that got left off some conjecture that Mark died before finishing his gospel and his
17:39
friends wanted it to be published and they pushed it into publication as he left
17:52
it is the closing section of Mark verses 9-20 inspir inspired or not the reader of scripture I think must look at two things the
18:04
things the textual evidence textual evidence for 9- 20 and the internal evidence what does it read to
18:14
you for the textual evidence there is much ink written about them much more than the 12 verses that we are talking about but there are things called
18:26
unseals there are texts that were written with single capital letters on parchment or Vellum and these texts that
18:37
have been collected and discovered over the centuries two of them stop at verse 8 and do not include the rest one called the and these are Big 25
18:50
cent words the caticus or sometimes some of you will see that as the alif the first uh letter in the Hebrew alphabet the olive
19:01
contains the Greek and Old Testament and the Greek New Testament plus some what are called dudo canonical books uh book about Peter and one called The Shepherd
19:15
of Hermes the other one is B the B the vaticanus it's considered the oldest
19:25
extent copy of the Bible and it has the majority of the Greek Old Testament and New Testament and those two do not contain anything beyond verse
19:39
8 99% of the 1600 Greek manuscripts that have been discovered however have verses
19:50
9- 20 but they also have anomalies some have extra endings some have have notes that Express doubts
20:01
concerning the authenticity of verses and some are missing other sections of the scripture which we would again recognize as part of our
20:12
Bibles and what about the two verse What's called the short conclusion well I could find no nobody writing that a Greek textual
20:24
evidence exists although there is a Latin version that includes it I did discover that the 2
20:40
Century writer and I guess he was a I'm I'm losing the word you'll recognize the name arenus quotes Mark 16:19 as scripture in
20:52
his work against heresies but eus from the 4th century and Jerome who made who wrote and created
21:03
the Latin the Latin Vulgate competent Witnesses and judges of scripture both affirm the genuine text ends at verse 8 so you have this
21:15
collection 99% of the manuscripts say it is included but two of the most respected and ancient manuscripts do not
21:26
include it some ancient writers include it some do not I was in agreement with one of the commentators at least into framing the
21:38
issue when he wrote without verses 16 uh 9- 20 there's an empty tomb but where is Jesus it seems to me the women leaving
21:50
the tomb weren't the only ones afraid to be left be left hanging so we see the text we see the scholars looking at them and examining
22:01
them and cataloging them but what about the internal the internal evidence the question does the language of verses 9 through 20 show that Mark
22:13
did not write them does the ending of Mark harmonize with its beginning some believe that Mark intended to write two volumes
22:24
because he begins Mark 1:1 by saying in the beginning the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he intended to write another one called in
22:34
the ending of the Gospel of Jesus Christ don't find much Credence in that but that is that is speculation but what we want to know is
22:45
does it harmonize with the rest of his writings does it fit with what we've already read in the gospel of Mark there are those who believe it is
22:56
not Mark's character because it seems to be a Chronicle it seems to be what one writer called a resume taken from Luke's gospel rather
23:09
than a narrative account original to Mark some of the internal evidence for what we might call a good fit should
23:20
come from the verses themselves and to keep you from wondering further I am going to look at those verses over the next several weeks
23:30
but the arguments that many have is with a few a few words and a few phrases that are their saying are at variance with Mark's
23:47
style and again we leave resting here at verse 8 the Angel's declaration to the women tell the disciples and Peter he is going
23:59
before you into Galilee there you will see him just as he said to you did that ever happen and why did the women would you
24:10
not see the women reporting that to the disciples but if we look at Mark if we go back and look at a couple of passages
24:21
and I won't recite them all here but it hinges on the phrase that Jesus uses of himself the son of
24:33
man let me read three of these in Mark 10:45 Jesus says for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve
24:46
and to give his life a ransom for many in Chapter 14 verse 21 we read Jesus saying for the son of man is to go
24:57
just as is as it written of him but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed it would have been good for that man if he had not been born in
25:08
verse 41 of that same chapter Jesus comes to the disciples after they have been sleeping in the
25:20
garden and he says are you still sleeping and taking your rest it is enough the hour has come behold the son son of man is being betrayed into the
25:31
hands of Sinners one of the more compelling Arguments for the abrupt ending at verse
25:43
8 is by the author Ned Stonehouse and he points out that every one of these passages that I have just read where Jesus discusses himself as
25:55
the son of man it's all in the present I am being betrayed I am coming I am
26:09
serving Stonehouse writes that Mark's gospel quote establishes unmistakably that Mark describes Jesus as acting not out of a consciousness of prospective dignity as the son of man but as the one
26:22
who in its entire historical life possesses the authority and Power and dignity of the son of man and yet is called to give up his
26:34
life he goes on to say the Striking feature of the whole story is that the Vindication in Prospect is the Resurrection on the third day in other
26:46
words we look back at what I have said about the gospels that Mark specifically was looking at the son of man the beginning of his ministry to the end end
26:58
of his ministry he was the son of man coming in power and glory and here is the culmination here is the prospect the Vindication of that
27:11
Prospect ends here at the empty tomb that he does not and you'll recognize that all of the gospel writers do this
27:22
none of them say the resurrection none of them try to narrate it none of them try to explain how it happened and when it happened it is something that they
27:35
say is implied it happened the tomb is empty the whole story of Mark
27:47
presents us with the bringing forward of that event an event not narrated by men but a Divine message proclaimed by
27:59
the Divine messenger the angel Stonehouse writes not a description of the Resurrection itself nor yet of any appearance of Jesus to
28:10
men but the doubt shattering witness of the Tomb and Tomb and therefore I would say yes these verses 9
28:21
through 20 that we'll look at in the coming weeks have been considered part of scripture since the 2 century but we do not lose our faith if Mark
28:33
ends his book at verse 8 because we ground it on the empty tomb that he has said what he needed to say that he has presented Jesus as the son
28:44
of man who has risen in great Glory so we must not feel uncomfortable even though we
28:56
live in some uncertainty we can rest on the rest of scripture as well Paul who has written even earlier
29:06
than Mark is resplendently proclaiming the resurrection as we said in 1 Corinthians 15 Christ died according to the scriptures he was RA he was buried he was raised according to the
29:18
scriptures and he appeared to sephus and to the 12 and then he appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at one time and Luke
29:28
Luke presents the accounts of his Ascension and Resurrection in his gospel and he goes on and fulfills it when he writes of the acts of the Holy
29:41
Spirit and John has the account of the meeting of the disciples on the beach at the Sea of Galilee having gone before
29:51
them to meet them at the place that he arranged so in all the uncertainty and perhaps confusion and perhaps just
30:03
studying and wondering why remember Jesus laid down his life for his friends the tomb is empty the Lord has
30:14
risen he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father the first fruits of those who will rise from the dead and then as we hear from the
30:27
Apostle Paul Apostle Paul then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to our God and father when he has abolished all Rule and all
30:38
authority and power amen father we do live with some
30:49
uncertainty of the manuscripts and how they came to us and how they've been preserved and what people have said about
31:00
them but father we live in no uncertainty that Jesus is King that the crucified one has risen and he lives and
31:12
Reigns and he will come again someday to be with him and so father I pray that you would comfort our hearts that you would give us as one of the gospel's
31:26
rights that in the apostles fear they also had great joy and they Rejoice to hear the good news and so I
31:38
pray again that you would comfort our hearts and give us joy in Christ's name we pray
