What do the three women in the Gospel of Mark do after they discover the empty tomb?

Answer 1

• Was the tomb open, or closed, when they came?

Luke: "They found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre" (xxiv, 2). Matthew: The tomb was closed. The stone was not rolled from the door until after they came (xxviii, 1, 2). This, in the opinion of most critics, is the meaning of Matthew's language.

• Whom did they meet at the tomb?

Matthew: "The angel" (xxviii, 2-5). Mark: "A young man" (xvi, 5). Luke: "Two men" (xxiv, 4). John: "Two angels" (xx, 12).

• Were these men or angels in the sepulchre or outside of it?

Matthew: Outside of it (xxviii, 2). Mark, Luke and John: Inside of it (Mark xvi, 5; Luke xxiv, 3, 4; John xx, 11, 12).

• Were they sitting or standing?

Luke: Standing (xxiv, 4). Matthew, Mark and John: Sitting (Matt. xxviii, 2; Mark xvi, 1; John xx, 12).

• What were the first words they spoke to the women?

Matthew and Mark: "Be not affrighted" (Mark xvi, 6; Matt. xxviii, 5). Luke: "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" (xxiv, 5.) John: "Woman, why weepest thou?" (xx, 13.)

• Did Mary Magdalene observe the divine messengers when she first came to the tomb?

Synoptics: She did (Matt. xxviii, 1-5; Mark xvi, 1-5; Luke xxiv, 1-4). John: She did not (xx, 1, 2, 11, 12).

• Who became frightened at the messengers?

Matthew: "The keepers did shake, and became as dead men" (xxviii, 4). Mark and Luke: "They [the women] were affrighted" (Mark xvi, 5; Luke xxiv, 5).

• What did the women do when they became frightened?

Mark: "They went out quickly and fled" (xvi, 8). Luke: "They bowed down their faces to the earth" (xxiv, 5).

Answer 2

In Mark 16:8, the women ran away terrified, and told no one of what they had seen and heard.

This was originally the ending of Mark's Gospel, which was probably a good place for it to end if you want to start a discussion about what happens next. However, the early Christians wanted to know what happens next, not merely to speculate, so the later gospels (Matthew, Luke, John) included endings that variously depicted the risen Jesus meeting the disciples and others. Eventually, the 'Long Ending' (verses 16:9-20) was also added to Mark in order to provide a more satisfying ending to this Gospel.