January 31, 2025

Hope and Despair and Life

Mark 5:21-43

We encounter in this passage two interwoven stories, both of which are demonstrations of Jesus’ power over illness and death.  The first thing to note is that Jesus and the disciples have again crossed over to the other side of the lake.  Where exactly they arrive we are not told, but what is important is that they have left the Gentile territory to the east and have arrived back in Jewish lands.  This is reinforced by the detail that one of the leaders of the local synagogue comes to meet Jesus, among a large crowd.  In a rather unique sense, we are also given the name of this leader, that being Jairus.  It makes this scene very personal.  And Jairus begs Jesus to come and heal his sick daughter, that she might live.

Jesus goes with him to his home, but is interrupted along the way by the woman who has been suffering with hemorrhages for twelve years.  It may not have been as urgent a situation in the eyes of some, but after twelve years, and exhausting all of her medical options and all of her livelihood, she is desperate.  She says to herself, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”  Now, that always strikes me in a strange way, as though it is a superstition of some kind, a sense of magic that will heal her.  But she does touch his clothes somehow, and she is healed, immediately.  Whatever it may seem on the surface, she has put her faith into action, and it has worked.  But then she is caught.  Jesus felt a transfer of power from him to someone else, and he asks who touched his clothes.  The disciples are incredulous at his question, for there is a crowd around him and everyone is touching his clothes.  But Jesus knows that this was not a casual touch, and he looks around to see who it was.  And the woman, with her newly healed body, comes in fear and trembling and admits that it was her.  And Jesus, far from being upset, gets to look her right in the eyes, and tells her that her faith has healed her, and dismisses her with peace.  It is a wonderful encounter.

Except, this healing has delayed Jesus, and the bad news comes from Jairus’ house that his daughter is dead.  But Jesus, who never gave up, says, “Do not fear, only believe.”  Curiously then, Jesus only allows his inner circle of three disciples (Peter, James and John) to go with him and Jairus to the house.  This was not going to be a spectacle for the crowd, but an intimate encounter in a time of great anxiety, as Jairus tried to hold off his grief.  When they arrive, the village mourners are there, and Jesus questions them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep?  The child is not dead but sleeping.”  This is an interesting, and somewhat confusing, statement.  After all, these people surely knew when someone had died.  And even the term “sleeping” was often used to refer to someone who had died.  And yet here, Jesus seems to make a distinction between death and sleep.  And after clearing the house of all except Jairus and the child’s mother, and the three disciples, Jesus takes the child by the hand and tells her to get up, and this twelve-year-old gets up and walks around.  Now, was she sleeping?  If so, it would seem that anyone could have done what Jesus did.  But they couldn’t, and he does.  I think, then, that this is more of a resurrection, but, being early in Jesus’ public time, he doesn’t want everyone to focus on this yet.  And he even tells those in the room that no should know about what happened.  But, we know, and I think it is indeed a precursor to his own resurrection.  This story may even tell us what God said to Jesus there in the tomb a couple of years later.  Someday, perhaps, we will know for sure.

January 25, 2025

The Unclean Spirit Named Legion

Mark 5:1-20

There is so much going on in this passage, that it is difficult to know where to start.  So, let’s just work our way through it as it comes to us.

When Jesus and the disciples land in the country of the Gerasenes, this means that they are now in Gentile territory.  They are met by a man who is described as having an unclean spirit, someone whom the community fears and whom they cannot control.  But rather than talking with the man, Jesus converses with the spirit that is tormenting him.  Jesus tells the spirit to come out of the man, and then asks the spirit what its name is.  The spirit says his name is Legion, for he is many.  The spirit begs to not be sent out of the country, but rather to be allowed to enter into a large herd of swine.  In addition to the geography itself, this fact tells us again that we are in Gentile territory, for Jews would not have been raising swine.  Jesus allows the spirits to enter the swine, and that so panics them that they all rush down into the Sea of Galilee and drown.

What is interesting to stop and note here is the name of the unclean spirit.  Legion is his name, for they are many.  Well, as we think about the historical context of this, we realize that the land was then occupied by many Roman Legions.  These Legions were a cause of great distress to the people, filling them with fear and taking from them things that endangered their livelihoods.  So, in this story then, is Mark bringing to us a statement about the Legions of Romans, of their evil ways, and is the story making a statement about the hope that Jesus will indeed vanquish the Legions?  The Gospel of Mark was written right around the time that the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.  Is he then bringing to us more than just an exorcism by Jesus?  I am inclined to think so.

However we interpret the story, the community, which has now lost a great source of its income, begs Jesus to leave them, and hopefully never come back.  The healed man, however, wants to go with Jesus.  But Jesus tells him to stay where he is, and there in familiar surroundings to tell what Jesus has done for him.  And tell it he does!

January 17, 2025

Storms of Faith

Mark 4:35-41

This is a fascinating incident, as the disciples ferry Jesus away from the crowds.  Note, however, that some out of that crowd follow in their own boats.  We are told nothing more about them, as the focus turns to the storm that arises, even as Jesus is sleeping.  The wind and the waves cause great concern among the disciples.  Or, perhaps, it causes great concern for some of them.  Remember, Peter, Andrew, James and John had spent plenty of time on the Sea of Galilee as they were fishing for a living.  They had to have encountered storms at times, and likely knew exactly what to do in such circumstances.  But for others of the disciples, some of whom had perhaps never been in a boat before meeting Jesus, this would have been a cause for great concern, not to mention some fear of drowning.

As Mark brings the story to us, it seems to be the collective disciples who are afraid, and who ask Jeus is he doesn’t care that they are about to die.  I just wonder if the four who were used to boats and the sea wouldn’t have been trying to calm the other eight.  In any case, Jesus gets up from his nap and calms everything down.  And we hear at the end of the passage that they are in awe, and recognize that Jesus even has a hand in controlling natural forces.

But right after the storm ceases, we have those two questions from Jesus  -  “Why are you afraid?  Have you still no faith?”  (Mark 4:40 NRSV)  Now, I think we tend to look at the disciples and see this situation as one more time when they miss the point of things.  But before we jump to that conclusion, we should ask ourselves, how do these questions apply to us?  Would you have been afraid in that situation?  I likely would have.  Should the fact that Jesus was sleeping through it all have given them some comfort?  Remember, some of them hadn’t known Jesus all that long.  And perhaps his question is meant to prepare them for the next time, whatever and whenever that might be, so that they wouldn’t need to be afraid, or at least not so much afraid.

But then there is the second question about having no faith.  What does Jesus mean here?  Is he asking about their having faith in him, as in trusting him with their lives?  Is he asking whether or not they have faith that God is leading this journey that they are on, and thus will protect them?  Maybe the word “still” is the critical one, which implies that they have had opportunities to have faith before, and why hasn’t that produced fruit in their lives now.  We can certainly interpret this question in different ways.  And so, how do you hear this question – “Have you still no faith?”  Reflect upon that, both in regard to the story, and in your life.

January 11, 2025

Planting and Harvesting

Mark 4:26-34

In this portion, we are given two parables to consider, along with another comment about the use of parables by Jesus.  The first parable of the seed that grows into a full harvest would seem to play off of the earlier parable of the sower.  Here though, the only action described of the one sowing the seed is the actual planting, or more accurately the sowing on the ground.  There is no watering mentioned here, no tending of weeds, nothing other than allowing the growth to happen in a rather miraculous way, and of then harvesting the crop when it is ready. 

Of course, what we need to notice immediately here is that Jesus isn’t trying to teach the people about agriculture, he is rather telling them something significant about the kingdom of God.  It is not the actual crops that many of them worked with that Jesus is concerned with here, but instead he is trying to help them to understand the marvelous workings of the kingdom of God.  That kingdom is such that if they simply share the good news, they simply offer the gifts of the kingdom to others, then God will take care of the rest.

This is followed by the second parable, which is again about a seed and planting, with the message this time being about how just small beginnings will result in amazing growth in the kingdom of God.  This had to have become particularly poignant for the disciples after Jesus’ death, to remember that even their smallest efforts would bring forth great fruit for God’s kingdom.

It was with such parables that Jesus offered his message to the crowds, and then offered further explanations and insights to the disciples in private.

January 3, 2025

Paying Attention

Mark 4:21-25

I spoke last week about Jesus’ use of parables in order to open doors for people.  He seems to be reinforcing that perspective as he talks here in this week’s portion about how the light of a lamp is intended to show forth things, to illuminate life, just as things which may seem to be secret are meant to be revealed and known.  And Jesus then encourages people to pay attention.

That is both a general encouragement and also words specifically related to understanding the parables.  In essence he says, “the amount of attention and thought that you give to them, will be directly related to how much you get out of them.”  For those who do this regularly, they will be blessed in increasing measure.  By contrast, those who don’t put much effort into things, will discover that even the knowledge that they do have will begin to fade away.

Our walk with Jesus, if it is to bring forth abundance in our lives, requires our commitment and our attention.  When we most fully engage in our relationship with Jesus, then we will discover a richness of understanding, and we will be blessed fully in our lives.