Posts
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.
- Mark 3:7-19a
Yesterday, we read that it happened that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 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 Abiathar 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 kill?" But 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. Jesus' ministry is at the point where there is conflict with the religious leadership; in yesterday's reading we were told that they were plotting against Him, as He healed on the Sabbath in their presence as a form of direct contradiction. But we see also that Jesus' ministry is simply growing and has expanded beyond Galilee, so much so that others come both from the north and the south, from the Jewish heart of Jerusalem and Judea and those who live in what are considered to be Gentile territories in Tyre and Sidon. We're again given detail in Mark's Gospel, so as to emphasize the power of His presence, and His draw upon all the people: He must stay at the seashore in a boat because of fears that He could be crushed by the crowds. Can we imagine Jesus' ministry ending that way? Nevertheless, precautions are taken. All those with affliction come to Him, and they seek to touch Him. Again, the thread of healing is ever-present. Jesus withdraws to sea because it is not yet time for direct confrontation with the leadership, and also so that He preaches in other places.
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. Again, there's emphasis here that it's not yet time for full revelation of Jesus' identity. His ministry must unfold in the proper way so that His mission can be understood properly, His teachings and the nature of the Kingdom He seeks to bring.
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. A further withdrawal from the crowds and from the clamoring leadership as well, to a mountain. Here the great work of choosing His Twelve, those who will live with Him and learn from Him, to be sent out on the first apostolic mission later on. Disciple comes from a Greek word for "learner;" an apostle is one who is "sent out." As we can see His ministry spreading wildly, so much so that He's in danger of being crushed by people who want to touch Him to be healed, He's at a place where it's time to share His power, to "spread it out," so to speak. These Twelve first will "be with Him" and then He will "send them out to preach." They are also given power to heal sicknesses and cast out demons. With His life, with His preaching and teaching, there is always a parallel healing and casting out of demons.
It's paradoxical and interesting to note that in all the lists of the Twelve in the Synoptic Gospels, the names may vary (some individuals used two names), but each names Judas as the one who would betray Christ (see also Luke 6:12-16 and Matthew 10:1-4). John's Gospel doesn't give a list like the other Gospels, but does mention Judas as betrayer in John 6:70-71. Jesus says, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" While we are getting indications now of opposition from the religious leadership, we also are told that one whom Jesus chooses is going to betray Him. It has to make us wonder: Did Jesus know this? If Jesus is God, how could He not know this when He chose Judas? Another aspect of the lists of the twelve disciples is the variance in names. Earlier we learned of Levi's being called at the tax office (see Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick). But here, Levi is named as Matthew, indicating a change in life and in character. The same is true for Simon, who is renamed Peter ("rock") by Jesus. If we look at the names, we're given something deeper to understand -- that it is the memory of a person that is meaningful in the life in Christ. St. John Chrysostom says that these new names and their meanings are those of memory eternal. Matthew means "Gift of God," while Levi is "taken up" or "added" -- as in one who is taken up by the Lord. Levi as tax collector and sinner, and hence outsider, is "taken up" and "added" by Christ and becomes Matthew. He is "healed" -- as one who was "sick"-- by the grace of God and given a rightful place. Simon will become "rock" -- based on his great faith. James and John Zebedee are called by Jesus Boanerges, meaning "the sons of thunder," indicating the power of their preaching and teaching that will come from the transformation of their personalities in the power of the Lord. St. Basil has commented, "The eloquent teaching which leads from baptism to sanctification is like thunder to the soul. That the gospel is like thunder is made evident by the disciples who were given a new name by the Lord: sons of thunder." John, of course, is the Evangelist and author of three Epistles and Revelation. His brother James is the first of the Twelve to die a martyr's death. And what do we make of Judas? Somehow, he is the one who fails to fully "repent" of what needs healing inside of himself. He cannot fully accept this great power (like thunder to the soul, in St. Basil's words) that he's been called to follow as disciple. He's the one who, rather than changing himself, will betray His master. He's the one who, somehow, can't fully accept the grace of God, the gift of discipleship. He "turns" the other way, he betrays. He gives Jesus into the hands of the leadership who seek to destroy Him. Did Jesus know this from the beginning? Perhaps He did. That may remain a mystery. But it does tell us something important: that it is up to each of us to accept the work of God in ourselves. Each of us has free will. Each of us must accept the difficult cross we've been given to carry, and the particular kinds of changes we may need to make in our own ways of thinking and being in the world. It all comes down to the question of who we serve, where our ultimate loyalty lies. Judas, in the end, collaborated with the authority he knew, rather than following the Master all the way. We may each be called to make the same difficult choices in the course of our own salvation, our true healing as persons into the wellness of God. In John's Gospel, we remember, Jesus calls His betrayer "a devil." Whom do you serve?
