This is Mark’s version of the Great Commission. Along with the Great Commandment, the two give us our mandate for being the salt and light Jesus has called us to be on the earth, wherever we are. The command to love God and love others is the prerequisite to making disciples. This requires that we have a firm belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ because in it is our primary source for God’s power for following all of Jesus’ other commands. In his early years, Billy Graham would go out into solitary places in nature and practice preaching to the wilderness and its inhabitants. All of God’s creatures and creation are waiting for us to proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead in order to bring reconciliation and healing to the whole world.
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’”
Mark 16:15-16