Mighty and Vulnerable
This week we look at a short passage in Mark, Mk 3:7-12. These verses serve as a transition paragraph between the Sabbath healing and new phase of Jesus' ministry in calling the disciples. The story is a more generalized synopsis of Jesus' ministry. There are three aspects of this story that are worth noting.
First, Jesus is portrayed as being a healer to whom people flock from all over the world. Historically, this is highly unlikely, especially this early in Jesus' ministry. Mark is not primarily concerned with historical details or timing. Mark is primarily a teacher, trying to educate a Christian community about who God is and who they have been called to be. This is exemplified in the passage itself when it says that Jesus was with his disciples, when Jesus hadn't even called all of them yet!
Mark is not getting anything "wrong." Rather he is trying to demonstrate that in his own time (60-70 CE), the call to follow Jesus and a positive response to the gospel has gone global. The readers of Mark would be reminded immediately that the ministry of Jesus was not just a small Jewish sect in lower Galilee. But God's kingdom had already spread far and wide.
This, if we are honest, often gives us hope and discomfort. On the one hand, we are reminded that we have been invited into God's kingdom. It doesn't matter who we are or what we have done, we have been invited to sit at the feet of Jesus. At the same time, it compels us to remember that God welcomes all, even those that we do not. God's grace, his family, his kingdom is pervasive.
Second, Mark uses this paragraph to introduce us to a theme that we will see again in that Jesus' family, disciples, followers, and crowd do not know who Jesus is. They recognize him as someone who teaches, who can heal, and who can cast out demons. But they cannot see who he truly is. Mark, more than any other gospel, keeps Jesus' identity a secret. Only the demons, here and elsewhere in the gospel, recognize Jesus for who he really is. More than that, those possessed by demons are said to fall down at the feet of Jesus. Here the Greek word could insinuate bowing down in worship. The people it seems just want to be healed. While the disciples do not catch on to Jesus as Son of God, the readers, both then and now, again see Jesus as mighty Savior. This would have given Mark's audience reassurance under growing Roman hostility.
Third, we see Jesus tell his disciples to get a boat ready for him. He doesn't intend to sail, nor does he use it as a water-based pulpit for his messages. No, he is afraid that the crowd might crush him and he needs a plan of escape. It doesn't make a lot of sense. In a story about healing others, we see a Jesus who is concerned about his own safety. In a story about healing people and casting out demons, Jesus is apparently not able to save himself from an overzealous crowd?
Again, Mark is letting his readers in on a secret that the disciples cannot and will not understand. That Jesus, at the same time, is both the mighty Son of God who can heal the sick and cast out demons, and a real human who possesses real human weakness. He is all-powerful and vulnerable. It gives readers a glimpse of powerful and faithful Son who will in fact lose his life for his faithfulness. Similarly, the readers are given a hint that if they exhibit the same faithfulness to God, they might lose their lives as well.
Questions for Thought
1. Are there times when you feel like you are outside of God's love and welcome? Are there others that you feel can be outside of God's family? How does this passage help you respond to either or both of those?
2. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus even when you don't fully understand who Jesus is? Does the declaration of Jesus as Son of God give you comfort? If so, how?
3. Do you ever feel guilty over fear, doubts, or when you have questions for or about God? Does this glimpse into Jesus' life and spirit give you any insights on the relationship among faith, fear, and obedience?
First, Jesus is portrayed as being a healer to whom people flock from all over the world. Historically, this is highly unlikely, especially this early in Jesus' ministry. Mark is not primarily concerned with historical details or timing. Mark is primarily a teacher, trying to educate a Christian community about who God is and who they have been called to be. This is exemplified in the passage itself when it says that Jesus was with his disciples, when Jesus hadn't even called all of them yet!
Mark is not getting anything "wrong." Rather he is trying to demonstrate that in his own time (60-70 CE), the call to follow Jesus and a positive response to the gospel has gone global. The readers of Mark would be reminded immediately that the ministry of Jesus was not just a small Jewish sect in lower Galilee. But God's kingdom had already spread far and wide.
This, if we are honest, often gives us hope and discomfort. On the one hand, we are reminded that we have been invited into God's kingdom. It doesn't matter who we are or what we have done, we have been invited to sit at the feet of Jesus. At the same time, it compels us to remember that God welcomes all, even those that we do not. God's grace, his family, his kingdom is pervasive.
Second, Mark uses this paragraph to introduce us to a theme that we will see again in that Jesus' family, disciples, followers, and crowd do not know who Jesus is. They recognize him as someone who teaches, who can heal, and who can cast out demons. But they cannot see who he truly is. Mark, more than any other gospel, keeps Jesus' identity a secret. Only the demons, here and elsewhere in the gospel, recognize Jesus for who he really is. More than that, those possessed by demons are said to fall down at the feet of Jesus. Here the Greek word could insinuate bowing down in worship. The people it seems just want to be healed. While the disciples do not catch on to Jesus as Son of God, the readers, both then and now, again see Jesus as mighty Savior. This would have given Mark's audience reassurance under growing Roman hostility.
Third, we see Jesus tell his disciples to get a boat ready for him. He doesn't intend to sail, nor does he use it as a water-based pulpit for his messages. No, he is afraid that the crowd might crush him and he needs a plan of escape. It doesn't make a lot of sense. In a story about healing others, we see a Jesus who is concerned about his own safety. In a story about healing people and casting out demons, Jesus is apparently not able to save himself from an overzealous crowd?
Again, Mark is letting his readers in on a secret that the disciples cannot and will not understand. That Jesus, at the same time, is both the mighty Son of God who can heal the sick and cast out demons, and a real human who possesses real human weakness. He is all-powerful and vulnerable. It gives readers a glimpse of powerful and faithful Son who will in fact lose his life for his faithfulness. Similarly, the readers are given a hint that if they exhibit the same faithfulness to God, they might lose their lives as well.
Questions for Thought
1. Are there times when you feel like you are outside of God's love and welcome? Are there others that you feel can be outside of God's family? How does this passage help you respond to either or both of those?
2. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus even when you don't fully understand who Jesus is? Does the declaration of Jesus as Son of God give you comfort? If so, how?
3. Do you ever feel guilty over fear, doubts, or when you have questions for or about God? Does this glimpse into Jesus' life and spirit give you any insights on the relationship among faith, fear, and obedience?
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