The reason for these "additional" verses (if I may call them that) is clear. Verse 8 ends by saying, the women "went out from the tomb... and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid."
Not a very glorious ending, all would agree. On Easter we shouted "Christ has risen!" But Mark would leave us with a group of first witnesses who were incapable of even a whisper.
In Mark's additional verses. the resurrected Jesus appears. He makes himself known. And he upbraids the disciples for their unbelief.
Which ending of Mark matches your experience of Easter? Have you noticed a turning of a corner, in the passing from Lent to Easter season? Or has there been mostly muted silence? I heard several references yesterday to the "spring break" for local school systems, but I don't think anyone (outside of Church staff) spoke of the day as Easter Monday.
Read Mark 16 today. Read the older ending, then the newer one. Consider which matches your life experience. And I extend once more the invitation to speak to those you encounter about the realities of what happened on this past Sunday.
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