Awe And Mystery

 I like Mark’s Gospel ending the best.  It ends with verse 8 in chapter 16.  What is added later is done by others who can’t live well with awe and mystery.  I like the simplicity of awe and mystery.  The angel in the tomb simply says Jesus of Nazareth, crucified. This is what the two women knew.  Then the angel adds, he has been raised up and gone back to the beginning of the story, Galilee.  There is nothing about Divinity, Christ, Second Person of Trinity.  To me, Mark is saying that my life is to be lived according to the first 15 chapters of his gospel.  No matter what happens to me, I am challenged to keep living as Jesus taught me.  And when I die, it will not be the end for me.  Live like Jesus lived and I will die as he did, but it will not be the end. So many people emphasize the divinity of Jesus and then skip living like the first 15 chapters of Mark taught.  They just pray for Jesus to fix their lives, make thing miraculously better for them, in spite of bad behavior or behavior not fitting to the way Jesus lived.  Sort of worship Jesus but then ignore everyone who does not think, look like, and act like you.  For me, the raised up Jesus, loves the enemy, the neighbor you don’t like.  Now that is awe and wonder.