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When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome. These women had followed him when he was in Galilee and ministered to him. There were also many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
The Burial of Jesus
When it was already evening, since it was the day of preparation, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Pilate was amazed that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already died. And when he learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched where he was laid.
Today’s gospel reading encompasses two chapters from Mark – chapters 14 and 15. But the passion narrative seen as the climax of Jesus’ ministry has to be read in conjunction with Mark 16:1-8 also.
The Resurrection of Jesus
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.’”
Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
The Pre-Markan Passion Narrative
Studies of the Gospel of Mark by scholars indicate that the author of Mark must have obtained some material from an earlier source, a hypothetical gospel known as “The Pre-Markan Passion Narrative”.
Though this source is now lost, the evidence suggests that it must have been a short narrative of the arrest, interrogation by the Sanhedrin and by Pontious Pilate, and the final crucifixion of Jesus. For this reason, it is called the Pre-Markan Passion Narrative, also known as the Lost Passion Narrative.
The unknown author of this missing work must have had a good knowledge of what happened to Jesus during and after his arrest. Most probably, tt might have even been written by a member of the first community of believers, the Nazarenes, who lived in Jerusalem in the years after Jesus died.
But the existence of a pre-Markan passion narrative has been challenged by some scholars. However, the idea of a pre-Markan passion narrative continues to seem probable to a majority of scholars. One recent study is presented by Gerd Theissen in his book “The Gospels in Context“.
Did you notice that there are two anonymous people in the Passion Narrative?
- One of the bystanders drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear. (Mark 14:47)
- Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked. (Mark 14:51-52
Theissen writes (pp. 186-187): It seems to me that the narrative motive for this anonymity is not hard to guess: both of them run afoul of the “police.” The one who draws his sword commits no minor offense when he cuts off someone’s ear. Had the blow fallen only slightly awry, he could have wounded the man in the 