Mortal Flesh before the Living God

In the Western Church, the historic Gospel for Easter, the Resurrection of our Lord, is Mark 16:1-8. The Gospel reading includes the angel announcing that Christ is risen from the dead, but ends with the women fleeing the tomb in fear. How can this be? What does this mean? Is fear the end of the Gospel? We must understand St. Mark’s perspective on the Gospel.

Each evangelist preaches the Gospel according to his own perception of it. As St. Mark’s Gospel unfolds, it reveals Jesus as the eternal, omnipotent Son of God who has put on human flesh with power. As the one true God and King, He commands and dominates demons, diseases, sin, nature, persecution, and even death. Moreover, this is not a self-serving King, but the One vested in human flesh to be the True Man with fullness of love, in the place of sinners, to atone for their sins, conquer death for them, and bring them into His everlasting kingdom of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Tradition holds that St. Mark’s Gospel was written to the Church in Rome. It depicts Jesus as the Savior, the Son of God, greater than all the Roman “gods,” greater than the demons, greater than Caesar (although Caesar’s reign is recognized as authoritative, yet subordinate to God’s; 12:17). To persecuted Christians, St. Mark offers the comfort that their sorrow has been taken into the sufferings of Christ, whose love saves, whose power conquers, whose victory stands.

Given St. Mark’s perspective, his Gospel more than any other shows how mortal flesh trembles before the all-powerful, living God. Thus, we find in Mark, and in no other Gospel, certain passages where mortal man confronts the living God: The shaking faith of the father, whose deaf and dumb son is violently convulsed by a spirit, cries out to Jesus with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”(9:24) On the other hand, those who offend “these little ones” await a final punishment where “their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”(9:48) In Gethsemane a young man, likely Mark, tries to follow Jesus, but runs away in fear as the armed crowd seizes his linen garment.(14:51-52) Finally, at the Easter tomb, the women

16:5 . . . saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Here mortal flesh comes face-to-face with a divine messenger sitting in the place of authority (on the right side of where the Body of God rose), hears the announcement of the King’s victory over sin and death, and receives follow-on orders for Peter. The women are amazed, fall into a stupor, then flee in fear.

From St. Mark’s perspective, this is not about the women disbelieving the proclamation of Easter joy. It is about flesh confronting the living God by way of angelic revelation.

The resurrection of Jesus, the eternal Son, the righteous Man, means that He and He alone reigns! All others must tremble and bend the knee . . .

. . . all “gods,” kings, idols of false power, demons, darkness, corruption of this world, sin, death, and mortal flesh. There is one God, whose Son took on flesh, served in love, atoned for sin, and conquered all enemies by rising from the dead in the Spirit. This He has done in love, to open His kingdom to all believers.

The Marcan Easter Gospel ending holds back with anticipation a future yet to be unfolded by the Spirit in the history of the Church. How will the women come to respond? What will Peter and the apostles do? What about following generations?

The New Testament witnesses thankfully fill in the apostolic details, and the Spirit continues to present the living Christ in His Church by Word and Sacrament. St. Mark’s Easter Gospel continues as the historic, one-year series Gospel text read each Easter Sunday. Its ending continues to stand mortal flesh before the living God. The Church, composed of believers of mortal flesh, continues to draw strength from the Word made flesh, now ascended to the Right Hand as our God and King. And St. Mark’s Easter Gospel continues to guide the faithful with its Easter eucharistic hymn,

1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence
   And with fear and trembling stand;
   Ponder nothing earthly minded,
   For with blessing in His hand
   Christ our God to earth descending
   Comes our homage to demand.

2 King of kings yet born of Mary,
   As of old on earth He stood,
   Lord of lords, in human vesture,
   In the body and the blood,
   He will give to all the faithful
   His own self for heav'nly food.

3 Rank on rank the host of heaven
   Spreads its vanguard on the way
   As the Light of Light descending
   From the realms of endless day,
   Comes the pow'rs of hell to vanquish
   As the darkness clears away.

4 At His feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

Lutheran Service Book, No. 621