Feast of Saint Mark,
evangelist
(1 Peter 5:5b-14; Mark 16:15-20)
St. Mark’s gospel is the shortest of the four and in all probability
the first written. Its Greek is rustic,
and its text is full of primary emotions.
But none of these factors make it so compelling. More than anything Mark’s gospel conveys
urgency because it justifies the suffering of discipleship.
After Peter intuits Jesus’ identity as Messiah, Jesus gives
a warning to those who will accept him as such.
Since he will suffer for the sake of God’s kingdom, they must prepare
themselves for the same. Jesus does not
tolerate any pretension of glory among them.
Rather he tells them that the one who will be first must serve the rest
until the end. The passion narrative in
Mark does not spare Jesus any pain or cruelty.
He is tortured, ridiculed, and lingers on the cross more in Mark than in
any other gospel. His followers can
expect similar mistreatment.
With few exceptions Christians experience suffering even martyrdom
in greater numbers today than ever. But in
truth few of us are likely to be tortured physically. However, we may be belittled or even
ostracized for making Sunday worship a priority or for defending refugees and life
in the womb. As readers of Mark’s
gospel, we should welcome such opportunities to follow our Lord and Savior.
