What Did Mark Intend to Write?

What Did Mark Intend to Write?

Although it is clear that Mark did not write verses 9-20 or any of the other proposed endings, the passage is included in most Greek texts because of its antiquity and its importance in the textual tradition of the Gospels.  As for the actual ending of Mark's writing, there are three options; (1) he intended to end with verse 8, (2) he intended to write more, but was prevented from finishing for some reason, or (3) his original ending was lost.

It is important to note that if Mark's original ending was lost, there is a possible canonical problem for Christ says "not the smallest letter... will pass away" (Matt. 5:18) and "the Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:36).  Peter writes "the word of the Lord stands forever" (I Pet. 1:25).  Since we have no evidence indicating that Mark was prevented from finishing his writing,¹³ we need to consider whether it is possible that Mark intended to end with verse 8.  If we find that he didn't intent to end the book there, then we should consider whether verses 9-20 should still be considered a legitimate ending and a part of the inspired Scripture.  The Psalms were written by multiple inspired authors, so it is also possible that an inspired writer finished the Gospel of Mark.

Mark's Emphasis & Style

"They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid" (Mark 16:8) is an initially unexpected ending.  It is obviously not the gospel ending we have come to expect and what we find in the Matthew, Luke and John.  There is no account of Christ's post-resurrection ministry and the feeling of triumph found in found in the other gospels is completely lacking. But there are at least a few possible reasons why Mark may have concluded with this verse.

The strongest argument is that Mark consistently emphasizes fear as the normal response when Christ's power and transcendence are displayed ( Mark 4:41; 5:15; 33, 36; 6:50; 9:6, 32).¹⁴  Consider the three accounts of Christ calming the storm; Matthew reports "the men were amazed" (Matt. 8:27), Mark says they "were terrified" (Mark 4:40), and Luke records both their "fear and amazement" (Luke 8:25).  If Mark chose to end his gospel with the woman's fear, it is not only consistent with his writing and emphasis, but the women's overwhelmed response may also be an acknowledgment of Christ's power in the resurrection.  Some scholars have proposed that Mark intended to leave his original audience hanging so they would be forced to consider whether Jesus was really the Christ.