Tuesday after the Sixth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on July 18, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Mark 16:14-18 (NKJV)
16:14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Devotion
The event presented in today’s text from the Gospel of Saint Mark is divinely proclaimed in greater detail in the Gospels of Saints Matthew, Luke, and John, as well as in the book of Acts. This text presents a synopsis of what is normally referred to as “the Great Commission,” in which Jesus Christ commissions His disciples to go into the world baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit while proclaiming all His teachings.
The Church has historically looked to this command of Jesus to His Apostles as part of the divine institution of the Office of the Holy Ministry, which delivers the precious, holy Means of Grace to His Elect. It is also the Church’s impetus for outreach and missions to the lost of this fallen, sin-filled world who are outside the holy Body of Christ. This synopsis presents the wonderful reality that delivers the holy Word and Sacraments (Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper) to us by His grace.
Some of the manuscripts of the Gospel according to Saint Mark do not contain the verses recorded in 16:9-20, so there is some debate among scholars about them. But we verify this text utilizing the orthodox Lutheran practice of Scripture interpreting Scripture. Wherever the holy text is unclear due to our fallen nature it is to be clarified, proved, or expounded upon by other Scripture that speaks in similar terms, words, and forms.
Prayer: Lord of all power and might, Who art the Author and Giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of Thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of Thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
