Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, March 31, 2024
by Madison Johnston, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Fear plays a huge part in our story of faith—but because we know Jesus, fear does not get to cut our stories short.
The ten verses of Mark’s Gospel that follow today’s text (v.9-19) tell the story of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene and to the disciples, casting out their demons and charging them to spread the good news of his resurrection far and wide. These verses are considered by many scholars to be an optional, or “long,” ending to the book. They are thought to have been authored later, added mostly for the sake of softening Mark’s already choppy tone and retroactively fitting his testimony in more smoothly with the other gospels.
Our passage this morning is the original ending to the Gospel of Mark. Verse 8 is the last line, and it reads, “…they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” What if we stuck to this passage, just like the lectionary lays it out? What if we read only this version every year (or every few years)? How would that make us feel about the leaders of the earliest church? Probably a bit confused. And probably not very confident, either. Where is their curiosity? Where is their faith? Why were these the people trusted with spreading the good news of Jesus in those crucial, early days? How can fear have the final word in a central, biblical text? The way the original Gospel of Mark reads is that because Mary, Mary, and Salome felt afraid, their narratives just stop. There’s no growth past that point. No development. They were afraid, and so the story is over.
That’s what fear does. It tries to end things for us. To shut things off and shut things down and cut our stories short. And because of this, a life of faith necessarily entails trying our best to keep fear at bay. The man sitting in the tomb in this passage tells Mary, Mary, and Salome, “Do not be alarmed,” because he wants them to hear what he is saying. He wants them to give themselves the opportunity to react in a way that fear would stifle.
But in this story, Mary, Mary, and Salome are alarmed. Faithful as they are and fresh as the man’s imperative is in their ears, they cannot keep their fear at bay. And what the Holy Spirit promises us on this Easter Sunday is that that’s okay. Our good news this morning is that when we find ourselves in a similar position, we don’t have to worry about fear having the last word and bringing our stories to premature ends.
Because Jesus defeated death itself, we can conquer any fear through him. If a life of faith involves trying to keep fear at bay, it also entails liberation from this fear when all our efforts fail us. When, for any number of reasons, we can’t muster enough energy or courage or trust or leverage to rise above our anxieties, Jesus is there to give us something new to work with. When we are scared into silence, Jesus is there to remind us what our voice sounds like—and that he needs us to use it to build up God’s reign. When we are overwhelmed into oblivion, Jesus is there to carry us back to center and fortify us. To rejuvenate us. To inspire us once again. This is the promise of Easter Sunday: the new life on the other side of death.
