A footnote near the end of Mark can unsettle us. Some early manuscripts end at chapter sixteen, verse eight. Others include twelve more verses. If those verses are disputed, does that place the resurrection itself in doubt?
We should take the question seriously. Two important fourth-century manuscripts omit the longer ending. Yet Irenaeus quotes from it in the late second century, and most surviving Greek manuscripts contain it. The passage circulated early. Whether Mark wrote it requires weighing all the evidence.
But notice where Mark announces the resurrection.
“He has risen; he is not here.” Mark, chapter sixteen, verse six.
That announcement comes before the disputed ending.
Paul also recounts Christ’s death for our sins, burial, resurrection, and appearances to witnesses in First Corinthians, chapter fifteen, verses three through eight. The Gospel’s central proclamation does not depend on accepting those twelve verses.
Some manuscript differences affect the meaning of individual passages. We honor Scripture by examining them honestly. We can acknowledge a difficult textual question while recognizing how firmly the Gospel is supported across the biblical writings.
If you are willing, read Mark, chapter sixteen, verses one through eight, and notice what is already announced before the footnote.
A footnote can become an invitation to understand the evidence more carefully.
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