Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 30, 2011 - Octave of Easter - Sat
[Acts 4:13-21 and Mark 16:9-15]"It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." [Acts] "But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." [Mark]
Each of the four gospels presents the immediate aftermath of Jesus' resurrection in a different way so that we have an abundance of impressions and traditions. The Gospel of Mark seems to be hard on the apostles from beginning to end. And at the very end, Jesus rebukes them for their disbelief of the reports of the women and other disciples. Perhaps this goes with being an apostle or successor to the apostles. Caution in matters of faith and fact seems to characterize the episcopal role right up to the present day. The Acts of the Apostles, written most likely by Luke, does show however that once the apostles "got the message and the Spirit" they were persistent and courageous in preaching it in the face of determined opposition. This too seems to have characterized many of their successors.
It might be easy for us to join Jesus in his rebuke. But we weren't there. We might find ourselves subject to the same criticism for our own lack of belief. Do we show any of the enthusiasm of the apostles once they got their act straight? I feel sorry for those who are called to be a bishop! The old saying goes, "You'll never again have a bad meal and no one will ever tell you the truth!" It's tough when you know that many people feel you're well fed and out of touch! If nothing else, a re-reading of the Gospel of Mark can serve as a warning to all of us, bishop and non-bishop alike, that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a serious message and sometimes we will hear it from people we find hard to believe. AMEN
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