Show Don't Tell: Mark 16:1-8

Instead of saying "The women found the tomb empty," arrive at sunrise. When the Sabbath is over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome buy spices so they can go and anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they are on their way to the tomb. They ask each other: "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" They've come to anoint a corpse; they haven't planned for the obstacle. But when they look up, they see that the stone—which is very large—has been rolled away. Entering the tomb, they see a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they are alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he says. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'" Trembling and bewildered, the women go out and flee from the tomb. They say nothing to anyone, because they are afraid. Mark's original ending: fear, flight, silence. The resurrection is too overwhelming for words.