Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
We note the way Jesus expressed this command. More specifically, we note what he did not say. He did not say, "Go and use your cleverness and intellect to debate, argue, and persuade". He did not say, "Use your popularity and charm to sway those susceptible to emotional manipulation". He did not propose any of the normal human strategies that would be used to spread a merely human ideology. Of course his followers would also debate at times. The sermons of Peter and that of Stephen in the book of Acts both have intellectual and rhetorical aspects to them. And it is natural that the likability of many of the early disciples was also instrumental in helping them to establish relationships and spread the good news. But none of this was the primary plan as Jesus expressed it. Rather, he said something more along the lines of "Tell them how good it is and show them it works". It was not going to finally come down to how smart, charming, or persuasive they were since God would work with them and confirm the word as they proclaimed it.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
When the Kingdom breaks through it is as though a whole new dimension of reality has opened. Things that previously seemed impossible become possible. Whether this takes the form of miracles and supernatural signs or the more subtle workings of grace in human hearts it is clearly of a different order from the normal workings of reality elsewhere. People begin to give when there is nothing in it for them, they love even their enemies, they forgive even those who have heart them the most deeply. Apparently intractable addictions are overcome. Longstanding negative patterns of thought, speech, and behavior are transformed. Sorrow that is the natural result of life in a fallen world begins to give way to the joy that results from being connected to a higher one. We do not say this to overly spiritualize the miracles. God definitely did and still does move in power when such revelations actually help to move the will of nonbelievers to faith. He does not do so for entertainment, especially not for the entertainment of Christians who already have faith. But we see in the story of Thomas that there are no lengths to which Jesus will not go to reveal his resurrection to those with otherwise unbridgeable doubts.
Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
It wasn't as though he left and then left matters to the disciples. No, what he did was to claim the higher vantage point that was his right, his heavenly throne. From that point of view he would direct the Church on earth, and provide whatever support we might need to accomplish the mission entrusted to us.
We might wonder our own experience of trying to share the Gospel frequently seems so different from that described by Mark. We do not often feel as though we have much guidance. We are not often aware of heavenly help as we attempt, often awkwardly and inarticulately, to tell others about Jesus. But even in these instances we can be confident that God is at work, directing things from behind the scenes. He helps us to say things we would not have otherwise thought to say. And he opens the hearts of others to hear us. Yet it works still better if we have a practiced partnership with him. If we are used to listening to his word and conversing with him in prayer we will be more docile to his guidance when we really need it. He will give us the words we need when we need them. But we will be more open to those words if we are already used to listening to him and can more easily recognize his voice.
It is only when we are accustomed to the way God's providential hand directs both the universe and our lives, accustomed to it by repeated practice of cooperation with him, that we will trust him enough to do what Peter suggests in our first reading.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
When we begin believe that he cares for us we also start to trust him enough to let him handle our worries. We are still sometimes tempted to try to reclaim them for ourselves and start worrying again. But each time we do, we can remember his love and give them back to him once more. We can know that he will do a better job with them and bring about results that surpass anything we could manage on our own.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
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