Mark 16:15-20 | Pieter Paul Rubens | Feast of St Mark the Evangelist

Mark 16:15-20   Feast of St Mark the Evangelist

The Four Evangelists, Painted by Pieter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Oil on canvas, Painted in 1614 © Sanssouci Picture Gallery, Potsdam Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’ And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painting Today we celebrate Saint Mark, the Evangelist. Rather than just illustrate a painting of Saint Mark, I am sharing a painting with you by Rubens, showing all four evangelists together, with an angel above them giving divine inspiration to compose their gospels. Of course this very event where the four of them meet, did not occur in reality. But it makes for a fascinating scene. It is sometimes called the Sacra Conversazione (sacred conversation). Each of the four evangelists are shown with their attributes: Mark: he is flanked by a winged lion at his feet, a sign of courage and monarchy (Christ the King). The lion also represents Jesus’ resurrection, as lions sleep with open eyes, a comparison with Christ in the tomb. The lion signifies that Christians should be courageous on the path of salvation. Luke: depicted with a winged ox or bull by his side. Bulls were symbolic for sacrifice, service and strength. It thus represents Jesus’s sacrifice in His Passion and Crucifixion. We as Christians should also be prepared to sacrifice ourselves in following Christ. John: symbolised by an eagle, a figure of the sky and believed to be able to look straight into the sun. It thus represents Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven, and Christ’s divine nature. We as  Christians should also remain focussed on heaven and our union with God. Matthew: he is symbolised by a winged man or an angel. Matthew's gospel starts with Joseph’s genealogy from Abraham onwards, and thus stresses the Incarnation and Christ’s human nature. Mark’s Gospel is generally accepted as the first of the four gospels. Mark begins his gospel with a simple declarative statement, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. There is no ambiguity of who Mark believes Jesus is and that simple phrase sets the tone for what is to follow… by Patrick van der Vorst