Acts 4:13-21 / Mark 16:9-15
Somewhere along in life we would have met some people who are stuck in their incredulity and obstinacy.
These people are difficult to talk with, and to make it more difficult, they can be found in the high places of authority.
Probably dictators and cult personalities have these kind of traits.
We have heard of Jesus reproaching the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees.
Yet, in today's gospel, we hear of Him reproaching His own apostles because of their incredulity and obstinacy.
For Jesus, whether it is the incredulity and obstinacy of the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, or whether it is that of His apostles and disciples, He does not let it go so easily.
He gave them a good scrubbing and they better hang their heads down in shame.
Yet, almost immediately, Jesus told them to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.
So where once they were unwilling to believe and skeptical about, where once they were stubbornly adhering to their unbelief, now they were told to proclaim the very thing they denied.
As for us, we certainly don't want to be reproached by Jesus. But that would mean that we better wake up from our own incredulity and obstinacy.
We certainly don't want to be known as Christians who are incredulous and obstinate.