Be the Good News!

Mark 16:9-15

After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. 10 She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. 11 When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't believe her. 12 Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. 13 They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either. 14 Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. 15 Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.

Food for thought!

Do you realize how many times in this text there is "disbelief" in the resurrection?

Verse 11 When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't bel ieve her.

Verse 13 They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either.

Verse 14 Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up.

And do you realize how Jesus, in spite of all this disbelief, still tells such unbelieving people "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all"? Jesus is telling doubting people to announce exactly what they doubt; he is telling them to go forward, in spite of their hesitations.

In other words:

Jesus does not wait for us to get all the knowledge there is on the resurrection; Jesus does not wait for us to understand everything on his resurrection; Jesus does not wait for us to know all the theology; Jesus knows that the resurrection is a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend; so he tells us to go on and announce him, anyway.

Jes

us entrusts to us, you and me, the announcement of this great news; with the little or much we know and believe, Jesus tells us, as he told them then, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all." In other words, what we announce is not ours, it is Jesus' good news. In spite of ourselves, we can be of use to Jesus. Yes, inspite of yourself, you can announce the good news; inspite of myself, I too can announce the good news of Jesus.

And note this one as well: Jesus tells us to into the world! Yes, it is into the world, the real world we live in, the main street, the down town, the office we work in day in, the home we live in; it is there that he sends us to go and be, not the bad news, but the good news. Where we are, we are called to make people happy, not sad. If, when you move into a place, an office, a home, people feel sad, then you are not proclaiming yet the good news; if when you come back home your children instead of r unning to embrace you they run away from you and hide, then you are not good news to them. And your spouse, does s/he rejoice when s/he sees you? Does s/he smile when you return home? If not, you are not being good news to her/him. Something must be done. Go into your world and proclaim the good news. Be good news, not bad news! We are called to leave our comfort zones and take the good news into the world. "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all."