Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 7, 2018 - Octave of Easter - Sat
[Acts 4:13-21 and Mark 16:9-15]SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2018. SATURDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER [Acts 4:13-21 and Mark 16:9-15] “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” [Acts] The contrast between the bold faith of the apostles in Acts and the frightened and grieving group in the Gospel According to Mark in today’s scriptures is sharp. The passage from Mark comes from a section that scripture scholars call the Marcan Appendix, meaning that it was added at some point in the final composition. However, the image of the apostles is consistent with the rest of the gospel in that the apostles have a hard time “getting it” about Jesus. After Pentecost things would be turned around, and that is what we have from the Acts of the Apostles in our first scripture today. The early preaching in Jerusalem led to confrontations with the religious authorities, especially when that preaching resulted in miraculous events like the healing of a beggar. In our own day, the confrontations may occur with secular authorities who legislate matters that are against our faith. Sometimes the confrontation is within ourselves when we become afraid to speak about “what we have seen and heard” to others whom we think might be “offended.” We will see and hear in the post-Easter scriptures the courage of the early disciples once they received the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We have received that same spirit. Do we have the same courage? AMEN
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