The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (54-68)
Read
Acts 5:21-33; 1 Peter 5:6-14
John 6:14-27; Mark 6:7-13
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Today’s epistle contains one of many accounts in the New Testament’s letters of the apostles being imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. Having been delivered from prison by God’s divine intervention, the apostles do not flee out of fear of the Jewish authorities but instead, they continue to preach. And what do they preach? What is this Gospel? The Holy Apostle Peter tells us very clearly in verses 30-32 that the apostles are witnesses (in the Greek martyres – martyrs) to Christ’s Resurrection. The High Priest and the council warn the apostles again “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching…” The High Priest is unable to even speak the name of Jesus Christ as this would ultimately affirm Him as the Messiah. Peter and the apostles respond by recommitting themselves to their missionary work affirming that they obey God rather than men.
Brothers and sisters, here we have two choices presented to us as to how we should live our Christian faith. On the one hand, we have the apostolic path that is faithful to Christ, confidently proclaiming the truth of the Resurrection and the forgiveness of sins. On the other hand, is the path of the High Priest and the Council who, despite evidence of the Truth, obstinately refuse to embrace the Resurrection and refuse to even proclaim Jesus’ name. Which path do we follow in our public and private lives? While all of us as faithful Christians should earnestly desire to live the apostolic faith confidently speaking of our faith in Jesus Christ, we often clam up. To be sure, not all of us are called to be great evangelical missionaries like the apostles dedicating our whole lives to proclaiming the Resurrection in the public squares of our day. But we are called to speak. We are all to openly proclaim our faith in Christ and His Gospel in our words and through our actions when called upon to do so whether this is to our family members, our co-workers, or to our fellow students. That is what it means to witness. Let us ask the Risen Lord to give us the words and the courage to do so.