“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of
childbirth right up to the present time.
Not only so, be we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly as we await eagerly.”[i]
She waddled up the aisle and slowly plopped down next to me
in seat 29G. For her, it was going to be
a long flight from LAX to D.C. She must
have been at least 14 months pregnant because bless her, she was about to
pop. It was evident that she was already
great with child, but had not yet delivered her sweet baby. The tension between her current discomfort and
her ensuing joy was apparent. Her belly held not only her coming child, but a hint of Pauline theology.
For Paul, and for us, the death and resurrection of Jesus is
the apocalyptic event signaling the end of the old world and the beginning of
the new creation. We find this theme
echoing throughout Scripture, clearly articulated through the Prophet Isaiah, “For I am about to create new heavens and a
new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” [ii]
This apocalyptic promise is the foundation for Christian ethics and Christ-like
praxis within the current space, time universe.
But while we wait expectantly for the appearing of Christ and the
fulfillment of his kingdom purposes, we live in the present time which is “an
anomalous interval in which the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’ of redemption exist
simultaneously in dialectical tension.”[iii] The end of one age and the beginning of
another have overlapped. New Testament
scholar Richard B. Hays describes our historical moment as the “time between
times”; our future hope is near, and yet we are entreated to join in Christ’s
suffering now.[iv] The Gospel is about living within this
dichotomy.
This synchronicity shouts to us, the modern church, from the
pages of Mark’s gospel, especially its enigmatic ending. You’ve probably noticed it before, but there
is an asterisk the size of Barry Bonds beside Mark 16:8. It’s there to remind
us that the manuscript evidence is decisive; all manuscripts that provide
endings other than verse 8 were added much later to ‘clean up’ Mark’s strange
ending, and was never a part of Mark’s original work. The corroboration is clear; Mark’s gospel
ends at verse 8, pregnant with tension:
“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James
and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early
on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.
And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from
the entrance of the tomb?’ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been
rolled back-it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were afraid. And
he said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was
crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But
go; tell the disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There
you will see him, just as he told you. And they went out and fled from the
tomb, for they were trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they
were afraid.”[v]
Then and there, Mark’s drama ends. “The abrupt ending without a resurrection
appearance points emphatically to the still future character of the kingdom of
God. Jesus’ disciples at the end of the story find themselves suspended between
the news of the resurrection and the experience of the risen Lord.”[vi] Joy and frustration give birth to uncertainty
and fear as Mark’s Jesus remains elusive, just out of reach but still calling
us to meet him on the road. This
rightful ending to Mark’s story summons the reader to embrace the tension of
discipleship. First, the reader is
summoned to continue to follow Christ’s example even without him. Discipleship
requires nothing less than what was demanded of him, that we take up the cross
and follow, that we abandon any temptation toward power, that we cease to
coerce the opposition by defending our ‘traditional’ values, and that we share
in his cup of suffering. Simultaneously,
joy is experienced not only in the pursuit of the risen Lord, but also in the
promise of complete, cosmic redemption.
The game has not been lost, darkness does not prevail, sickness and
death do not triumph, evil has been dealt with once and for all and at His
parousia, we will be like Him.
Living in these between times requires understanding,
humility, soberness and discipline as we balance the current, fallen state of
things while living out the promise that Christ’s kingdom has already dawned,
but not yet reached its final consummation. Joy and suffering are present, and
Christ-followers must expect this paradox to continue while embracing the role
to live as Christ until his return.
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