Feast of
Saint Mark, evangelist
I Peter 5:5b-14;
Mark 16:15-20)
Very few
people will claim the Gospel of Mark as their favorite. It lacks the beautiful parables of Luke, the
structured teaching of Matthew, and the personal encounters of John. Nevertheless, Scripture scholars tend to
favor this gospel. It was most probably
the first written and therefore possibly has better historical accuracy. More than that, it presents Jesus with a
variety of emotions which underscore his humanness.
Today’s
passage comes at the very end of the gospel.
Most biblical interpreters say that it was attached to the original story
to include the tradition of Jesus’ appearances.
After scolding his apostles for not believing Mary Magdalene, he here sends
them off to proclaim the gospel. The
commission is interesting. Throughout Mark’s
story, the apostles exhibit severe character flaws. They don’t understand what Jesus
teaches. They vie for prominence. Most pitifully, they run away as Jesus’ captors
seize him in the garden.
We can take
some solace in Mark’s treatment of the apostles. We may be as wanting as they are. Yet Jesus also commissions us to proclaim the
gospel. We should not be afraid to tells
others of our belief in Jesus’ promise of eternal life. As the passage declares,
we will find signs accompanying our proclamation. We may not want to pick up snakes, but
perhaps we will experience other wonders.
We might learn a new language or see sick people’s health improving after
we pray for them.
