Saturday within the
Octave of Easter – Mark 16:9-15
In this passage, Jesus appeared not once, but three times. First, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, the
woman out of whom he had driven out seven demons. Mark doesn’t tell us what happened in the
encounter, but Mary Magdalene immediately went to find Jesus’ companions. They
had gathered together to mourn and to find solace with one another.
When Mary told them that Jesus had appeared to her, they did
not believe her. Were they wondering why
Jesus would appear to a woman? Surely, he first would appear to his closest
companions, the apostles. Mark tells us:
“They did not believe.”
Later that day, Jesus appeared once again. He showed himself to two disciples who were
walking on the road. When the disciples realized it was Jesus, they hurried to
tell the others. However, when these two
disciples returned to tell the other disciples of their encounter with Jesus,
Mark says that the disciples “did not believe.” Were they jealous that Jesus
had not appeared to them? In order to
believe that Jesus was alive, did they need to see Jesus for themselves?
Then Jesus appeared once again! This time it was to the
Eleven who were gathered at table. Jesus
rebuked them for their lack of belief and for their hardness of hearts. Despite
their shortcomings, Jesus commissioned the Eleven to “Go forth into the whole
world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Today Jesus commissions us to do the same. Does this mean we have to leave our homes,
our families, and our jobs? Will we be called to stand on a street corner and
preach the Gospel to strangers? Perhaps
Jesus’ call is for us to preach the Gospel by our lives, by the way we love and
forgive one another, by our care for the stranger, the poor, and the lost. How will we respond to His call?
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