...enemies of the Gospel...

Having been a pastor for nearly 40 years I am sadly but distinctly aware of how I have sometimes been the worst enemy of the Gospel Message. And I see this unhappy phenomena in Mark’s Gospel where Jesus prophesied His necessary rejection and persecution by “the chief priests, scribes, and teachers of the Law” Mark 8:31.

In the text above Jesus tells the disciples that "The Son of Man” — The God of all humanity, as He deliberately calls himself — will suffer grievously and be rejected and put to death. But notice that Peter totally rejects this path, at which time Jesus strongly rebukes Peter — and this is the only person that Jesus ever calls Satan. “Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things’” Mark 8:31-33.

It’s interesting that the first Pope got the strongest reprimand from Jesus — ever — because he directly rejected the necessary path Jesus must take, and he is the only one who later denied Jesus three times. For me this is good news for the possibility of my own personal conversion, but bad news for those who think that religious authorities are always right — including the leaders themselves. But in Mark’s account, I too have resembled the disciples who showed themselves to be unbelievers until the very end of the Gospel, guardians of their own security and status more than any message of resurrection.

Read the closing chapter of Mark which is really rather disappointing:

“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table, and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it” Mark 16.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.