The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark

 

After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.  She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened.   But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country.  They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.  Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.  These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe:  They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.  They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs. (Mark 16:9-20 NLT)

 

Bahman’s Interpretation

 

First of all, we need to be very careful in our understanding of the appearance of the risen Lord.  When we speak about Jesus Christ, we are speaking about God Himself—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, always together in unity and relationship.  So when we say that Christ was tortured, belittled, mocked, spat upon, and condemned as a criminal, we are saying that God who walked on earth in Jesus Christ went through all of this suffering.  This is very important for us to understand: the suffering of Jesus is not separate from God, but is the suffering of God in the world. And yet, even in this mystery of suffering and the cross, the fullness of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—remains present and united, even in suffering.

Yet nothing can put God to death. God cannot be contained by death or defeat.  The risen Lord comes again and again, sometimes when it seems all hope is gone.  He appears in different ways, in different moments, to individuals and communities.  Even when He appears, there are moments when people fail to recognize Him, or deny what they have seen, saying it is only a ghost or illusion.  This raises a deep question: why does God appear in certain moments, situations, and to certain people?  And we must also recognize that not only human resistance, but also spiritual opposition, may be at work.  Yet God’s time is always purposeful, even when we do not understand it in the moment.  God is never late, never early, and never without intention.  His timing is always meaningful, even when life feels confusing or delayed from our perspective.

 

In the same way, God’s presence is revealed according to His will, not always when we expect it, but in the right moment and in the right way for each person and each situation.  Sometimes we may recognize His presence clearly, and other times we may only understand it later, in reflection.  But we trust that God is always working, always present, and always revealing Himself in ways that lead us toward life, faith, and hope.

The risen Lord then gives a command: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone.”  This is not advice, but a command.  All followers of Christ, in different ways, with different gifts and ministries, are sent into the world to proclaim the good news.  We can only do this if we truly embrace the whole Gospel, including the Sermon on the Mount, and allow it to shape our hearts and lives.

If we are consumed by trivial matters—competition, self-promotion, ambition, and comparison—then we lose the depth required to proclaim the Gospel.  The good news cannot be preached from a divided heart. But when we are rooted in Christ, even in the midst of suffering, injustice, and darkness, we become capable of carrying and embodying the Gospel.  In this way, we do not only preach the good news—we become the good news.

The idea of “condemnation” in this passage is not simply punishment. Rather, it describes a state of separation from God.  It is when a person chooses to live independently of God, relying only on their own understanding and rejecting divine relationship.  In this sense, condemnation is self-chosen isolation from the source of life. When God is rejected, life becomes centered only on the self, and the person becomes disconnected from God, others, and creation.  This leads to spiritual loneliness and a loss of awareness of the world beyond oneself.

Some have also questioned the meaning of the miraculous signs mentioned in this passage—casting out demons, speaking in new languages, handling snakes, and protection from harm.  These are sometimes seen as unrealistic.  While such questions are understandable, we must also consider the deeper meaning.  When a person is transformed in Christ—living faithfully, bearing fruit, and becoming an agent of peace, love, and joy—the strength that comes from God makes the believer spiritually unshaken.  The harm of the world cannot ultimately weaken those who are fully rooted in Christ.  This can be understood both literally and symbolically, but at its heart it speaks of spiritual transformation and resilience in God.

The passage concludes with the ascension of Christ and His reign at the right hand of God.  The disciples then go out and preach everywhere, and the Lord works with them, confirming their message through signs.  We are reminded that these were ordinary people—without modern tools, without media, without the resources we rely on today—yet they carried the message of Christ across the world.  Through persecution, hardship, and simplicity, they became living witnesses of the Gospel.  Step by step, they revealed the love of God and transformed the world through the power of the Holy Trinity working through them.

Tonight, we are invited to meditate on this mystery: that the same call remains with us today—to go, to live, and to embody the good news of Christ in the world.

 

Rejoicing in God’s new creation

and gathering our prayers and praises into one,

let us pray as our Savour taught us,

 

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever.  Amen.

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Song:   Love of God by Brandon Lake & Phil Wickham