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But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.
- Mark 3:7-19
On Saturday, we read of Jesus and His disciples going through the grainfields on the Sabbath, the disciples plucking the heads of grain as they went. And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abaithar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?" And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward." Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" And they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. The Gospel of Mark tells us, now into the third chapter, of Jesus' tremendous fame. Although His ministry has focused on Galilee, people from everywhere around Israel and beyond are coming to Him. The crowds press so strongly, there are so many of them, that a boat has to be kept ready just in case He should be crushed. The drawing power is His healing capacity and power: so that everyone with any affliction comes to Him.
And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known. My study bible notes that "the troublesome demons again recognize the divinity of Jesus (see 1:24), but Jesus commands them to be silent, that the messianic secret may be preserved." Again, we make note that this revelation of His identity comes in His own way and His own time.
And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house. My study bible has a long note here: "The appointing of the twelve sets forth: (1) Jesus' authority in calling people to ministry: many might have volunteered, but He appointed whom He would; (2) the requirement of discipleship before ministry; to be with Him -- for intimate fellowship and training -- and to follow Him in order to be sent by Him; and (3) the commission to share in Jesus' ministry of preaching, healing, and casting out demons. In Mark's view, demonic oppression is characteristic of human existence under the bondage of evil. The mission of Jesus' disciples is to liberate humanity from this bondage. Every age has its own manifestations of demonic power. Thus, we who are His disciples have a similar mission today -- helping people to break loose from bondage and come to freedom in Christ." It also adds that Thaddaeus is probably the same man called Judas son of James in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13.
Today's reading sets us off in many ways of thinking about Christ and what it means to be a Christian. There is first of all the image we've spoken about in several readings so far: that Jesus as the "stronger man" has come to take a "strong man's" (Satan's) kingdom, by binding him first. So in the image of healing, we see the "stronger man" taking over where people are afflicted through the evil one. In a sense, what this does is orient us in terms of how we think of being Christians. Where we see illness or affliction we try to heal and restore. We know many ways in which people experience affliction: it can be as depression and grief, through want, and through pain of every kind. In His name, how do we seek to alleviate these afflictions we see around us? The appointing of the Twelve, and the note that follows that passage in my study bible, really appropriate and carry on the expression of this work of Christ's healing, this loving kingdom setting aright what is afflicted in the world through evil, and we learn more, then, about what it means to be a Christian. One must be a disciple first, and learn. They, the Twelve, walked with Jesus, lived with Him, were taught by Him. But we who follow have all kinds of ways to do the same, through Scripture and through Tradition and fellowship, and we also have His Spirit to guide our lives, our time in prayer and worship focusing on the relationship in our hearts. And through this walk we, too, are disciples, we learn. We learn to grow to be more like Him, and to give up the things in our own lives, in ourselves, that get in the way of that mystical process. From there, ministry comes, but first we must be called. This mystical process, then, becomes one of fellowship in the deepest sense. We can't ever leave out the powerful spiritual truth through which we are engaged in real fellowship with Him. Everything comes from that. Our works are not separate from this trust, and neither is whatever way in which we find we, too, may minister. Over and over, we turn to this place of intimate fellowship to find who He calls us to be and to become, just as the Twelve are called up to the mountain. How do you share in this discipleship with Him? We recall also that Jesus' expression of who He truly is doesn't come with an announcement, but by the way He lives His life. Let us know that this is the way we also declare who we are as His followers, in His name, and for the glory of His Father.
