Scripture: Mark 16:7
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
Thought for the Day: As I shared a few years ago on Easter, the phrase “into Galilee” is more than a geographic place for Mark. The Gospel was written shortly after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70AD), and Jews (to which Christians still considered themselves connected) were forced out. Suddenly the mission of Christianity was no longer centered in Jerusalem. Even though Paul and his influence had been well outside Jerusalem for a number of decades, so much of the movement of Jesus followers remained rooted in Jerusalem. Overnight, things changed. In many ways, the Gospels (first Mark) were written to remind the reader of just how much of Jesus’ ministry was spent in Galilee (70-80 miles north of Jerusalem). Even more so, Galilee for the Gospel of Mark is a metaphor for the place where God’s love is healing, redeeming and transforming lives. In the above verse, it is not simply directing the disciples to look for Jesus by riding a donkey three or four days north, but to look for Jesus wherever God’s love is changing lives. Where is your Galilee?
Prayer: Give me an awareness of your loving work, O God of the Incarnate Christ. Allow me to see that Galilee is not simply a piece of land in the MiddleEast, but wherever you and your followers are changing the world. Amen.
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