Three Endings for Mark?

Consider the end of Mark 16. The task might not be as easy as you think. Where is the end of Mark 16? There's debate, and the last questionable line is verse 8. This verse may be the end of the book of Mark. You likely have more in your copy of God's Word, probably through verse 20. Depending on your translation, there may be brackets around verses 9-20. There may be a note about verses 9-20.  

You may even have two endings if you're reading the NLT, NRSV, CNT, or CEB. In those translations, after verse 8, it says (probably in brackets): "And all that has been commanded to them they quickly reported to those around Peter. After these things, Jesus himself sent out throughout them from east to west, the holy and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation, Amen." This addition is one of two proposed ending that picks up after verse 8. The other is what we typically see in other Bible translations as verses 9-20. Given that both proposed endings pick up after verse 8, most scholars believe that either the last part of Mark's gospel was torn off and lost after verse 8, or ended at verse 8.  

If you read Greek, it's easy to see that the additional ending isn't the same as the rest of Mark. We don't find either of these endings in the earliest known manuscripts.   

This could go a lot of ways. Maybe the original ending was lost. Perhaps what we have in our Bible was verbally handed down over the years, and eventually, a scribe added it in writing, and now we've reclaimed what was lost. Maybe God superintended later inspiration to a scribe. People have put all of these arguments forward.  

But let us not overlook that Mark's gospel may have ended this abruptly for a reason.  

If the shorter ending was the point, what does that say? Why? It says that the ladies were expected to believe the messenger. We are also expected to believe the messengers and witnesses that proclaim the gospel. The ladies were told to tell others. We are also commanded to tell others. We should also see that the story isn't about the ladies but about the Risen Lord. And that story continues even now when we hear that Jesus is Risen.  

It is an abrupt ending, but it seems fitting given the purpose of the Gospel. If indeed it ends there, it's handing the decision and the continuing story back to the reader. Now, what do you say about Jesus?  Is he risen?