Resisting the Message

Gospel: Mark 16: 9-15

The similarities between today's Gospel portion and the first reading are striking.  In the first reading we have religious authorities resisting the message about Jesus rising from the dead - not only resisting but openly persecuting the idea.  In the Gospel reading we find the apostles refusing to believe the word of the women and others that Jesus had in fact risen from the dead and appeared to them.  For that refusal to believe, Jesus rebukes them personally.

Religious leaders always take offense when someone they see as lesser than they have an authentic encounter with God.  Leaders always think they alone have access to God and tell others about their access so they can have followers.  Their power and influence is threatened if others actually have access and encounters of their own with God.  Thus has it always been; so it continues to be...

Imagine what religion would look like if we encouraged others in their relationship with God, having them cultivate it themselves rather than imposing our own idea on what it should look like.  Imagine if we built religion around the works of mercy rather than on the financial pyramid scheme it has become so often.  We might just avoid such rebukes from the Lord if we put these imaginings into action.