Texts:
Since I love the "original" ending of Mark so much, "and they said nothing to anyone, for fear and amazement seized them," or something to that effect, I will leave Mark 16:19-20 alone. I think they clean it up too much. I think the end of the gospel was meant to be messy, as it is. So often, we want to clean the Bible up and to make it all make sense. We refuse to see the beauty in the mess that is the Truth. Rather than having a real story that tells the truth about real humans, we would rather hear a story that neatly binds up the loose ends, making it look like it was all meant to go together from the beginning. We want to harmonize the Gospels. We see inconsistencies within the text and, rather than seeing their beauty in their diversity, we try to take them apart. We see characters that, despite having experienced revelation over and over again, continually fail to see their role in the greater story. This is no romantic comedy. We watch and read with our hands over our eyes, scared as to what will happen next.
It is hard that this text is messy. It is hard that it says things that are difficult for me to reconcile with the way that I see the world. It is hard that it says things about me that I don't want to read. I don't want to read about characters that look like me. So many people have died for the life that I live, it is easier to look in the mirror if I pretend this isn't the case. Pretending I do not speak from a place of privilege renders me more dangerous than an acceptance that this is the only place from where I know how to speak.
It is when I can look long and hard in the mirror and recongize the sinner looking back at me that I have learned how to preach. It is when I was in the darkest night of my soul that I learned what it means to live into the theology of the cross. It is when I raised my fists to God in anger and threatened apostasy that I learned what it is to believe.
And so I tell the story. I hang blessings on the doorjams, hoping the people who enter can feel the love of this God who seems to only be able to speak through sinners.
2 comments:
Dear Amanda:
Why do you not accept Mark 16:9-20 as part of Scripture?
Yours in Christ,
James Snapp, Jr.
Hello James.
I wrote a comment and then, having done a little "research" noted you wrote an article written on this very topic. I would be happy to read your article and consider it.
Peace,
Mandy
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