Mark 16:15 Preach the Gospel

Mark 16:15 Preach the Gospel

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation

And so we come to the end of the Gospel according to Mark. This text contains the charge that Jesus leaves with His disciples, and thus His church, until He returns again. There are other commission statements, for instance Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:7-8. But we will limit our attention to these words in Mark’s Gospel. 

If I were to diagram this sentence, following the grammar and word order of the Greek text, it would read something like this: “Having gone into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature.” There is one key verb: “preach.” The “going” is not incidental, but it is assumed or understood.

We have in fact “gone,” haven’t we? Not as individuals, but as families and people groups. Christians, and those who would become Christians, have scattered all over the world. I am not intending to argue against “going” in mission, but, in a sense, all Christians have already “gone,” or “come” to the place where God has placed them. That is, we are all to be missionaries in our mission field, which happens to be where we live, unless God chooses to move us somewhere else. This commission is for all of us.

What is it that we are supposed to do? We are to preach. Well, that sounds preachy. That sounds like something a “preacher” would/should do. And you may feel that this should not apply to you. But what does it mean to preach?

Well, it means kind of like it sounds. It really is not primarily a religious term. It’s a “good news” term. “To preach” means “to herald.” Newspapers are sometimes called this, e.g., “Boston Herald,” or “The Daily Herald” from Everett, Washington. What do they do? They announce, in print, the news. Their announcement is in print because they are a news-paper. But you and I are not newspapers. We are people, and as “heralds,” we are to announce the news as people would announce news.

“What was the score of the ballgame last night?”, one might ask. His buddy at the coffee shop, if he knows the news, tells him. He is “preaching,” “announcing” some news. It might not be particularly good news, or important news, but he is announcing it nonetheless.

St. Francis is said to have said (and, he probably didn’t) “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.” I hope he didn’t actually say it, because it’s hogwash. And I hope you won’t repeat it, unless to explain that it is something of a contradiction of terms. How does one share news without saying it? “Preach the Gospel” is to announce Good News, the best news possible, and to do so without words is not to do it at all. Yes, certainly our actions should match our words. But words are necessary. Your words are necessary.

“Gospel” means “good news.” It has an Old Testament background: 

Is. 52:7  How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

It’s almost a political statement - the administration has changed! The evil ruler has been replaced by the Good: “Your God reigns!” And since, then, it is about God, not only is it political, but it is also theological. We are able to be put back into right relationship with the Creator of heaven and earth. We, who once were enemies to this Righteous and Omnipotent One, have the opportunity to have the enmity extinguished, and our fellowship restored. This is really, really good news.

And, who needs to hear it? “Every creature.” Your kids? Yes. And they should hear it from you. Your grandkids? Yes. And they should hear it from you. From only you?  Hopefully not. But the commission is to you, for all around you to whom God has made you a missionary. Your neighbors? Yes. Why would you want them to live in ignorance of such good news?

We know that there is resistance in this world to the Gospel. There seems to be a deafness and a blindness to it. And, there is a resistance, on our part, to sharing it. Perhaps you can think of other reasons or excuses, but it seems to me we care too much about what people think of us. This is not a new thought, but think about it a moment. On that last day, when we stand before God, and your neighbor is found to be without salvation through Christ - and they realize that you had this Good News and failed to share it with them - what will they think of you then?

At two different points in the prophet Ezekiel, he is warned that the watchman bears responsibility for the warning of the people. If he fails to warn them, their blood will be on his hands. If he faithfully warns them, and they disregard him, then he is free from blame, though they be judged for their sin. Some may say that these passages to not directly apply to Christians who fail to share the Gospel. But I am not sure why. 

And that’s not our primary motivation for sharing anyway, is it? We announce it, because the Gospel is such Good News.