We come
the ending of all endings of Mark today.
It is a summarization probably borrowed from other sources in order to
wrap up the gospel in a nice tidy way. This
ending certainly does a better job of that than the original ending (verse
16:8), which leaves great uncertainty. Jesus
ascends into heaven and his disciples begin carry out the mission. This ending is descriptive of the time after
the original gospel was finished, so in that way, it is appropriate. It also likely
gives us glimpse into the early second century after Jesus’s death.
It
references a church that is fully focused on its primary mission of proclaiming
the good news of Jesus. This is a great
reminder to the church of the twenty-first century which often becomes
distracted by other more superfluous matters.
This ending also references a church fully connected to the power of God
as they experienced signs and wonders amidst their efforts to further the
mission of Christ. This also serves as a
guiding principle to current congregations that often operate as if it all
depends on the human being involved to “make” the mission of the church
happen.
Both reminders
are also instructive to individual Christians.
As followers of Jesus, we are part of a calling that is bigger than our
individual concerns and livelihoods.
Our lives are supposed to be a reflection and witness to the resurrected
Messiah Jesus. Additionally, the power
for us to do that does not originate in us, but in the power of the Holy Spirit
that dwells in us. We rely on God more
than we rely on our own power and intellect.
As we come
to the end of our journey through the Gospel of Mark, I pray it has been good
one for each of you. I pray that God has
used these reflections to spur you forward in your faith and calling. I pray that your understanding and appreciation
for scripture has grown and you feel more connected to the church to which Mark
is a faithful witness. I also pray that
this journey has strengthened your commitment to connect with scripture
regularly, whether it is through a devotional commentary like this or through
other means. Finally, I pray that you
will be blessed through your daily practices of scripture and prayer. To that end, I leave you with a benediction
from scripture that has meant a lot to be since I was a teenager.
Questions: How are you personally connected to mission of
the church? Do you rely on the power of
God to fulfill that role?
Prayer/Blessing: "May
the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious
unto you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you
peace,
both now and forever more." Amen.
Song: Priestly
Blessing – James Block
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