The healing of a crippled man should have been an occasion for joy. For the religious authorities, it was not. The healing that they had witnessed was stunning, and they could not deny it. Afraid of losing their grip of power over the people, they had Peter and John arrested. They warned them to speak no more about Jesus and the resurrection, but Peter and John insisted that they had to obey God, rather than humans. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and were therefore no longer afraid. They were not cowed by the threats of the authorities. Fear is how governments and institutions control people. Once the fear is gone, however, people are free. We must always obey God rather than humans, for it is to God that all must ultimately answer.

The commission given to the Apostles, in this longer and later ending of Mark, commanded them to preach the good news to all of creation. Not just people, but to creation itself. The resurrection of Christ brought salvation to the entire created world and all that is in it. In other words, Jesus died for the world - our planet - as well as for humanity. And what Jesus died for, we dare not mistreat, abuse, or destroy. Jesus renewed our world - let us rejoice and reverence it as his gift.