Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given for her to eat.

- Mark 5:21-43

On Saturday, we read that Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  We get a picture of Jesus back in the area where all know Him.  He's returned from the country of the Gadarenes, a place where Jews have forgotten or ignored their own traditions, where he's healed a man who was living among the tombs, and brought him back to his place in the world.  Here, the ruler of the synagogue comes to Him with an urgent appeal, even as Jesus is teaching again among the crowds who throng Him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  The people throng Him even as He goes with Jairus.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.   All the details included here are important to consider.  The flow of blood, her hemorrhage, makes her unclean under the Law.  Contact with blood was strictly prohibited, meaning that she was subject to exclusion in both religious and social practices (see Leviticus 15:25-31).   Not only had this woman suffered for twelve years from such an affliction, she's suffered many more things from many physicians.  To add to her woes, she's now spent all that she had, and in addition to everything, she's not only no better, but  has simply grown worse.   This is a story of multiple afflictions, all of which render her outside of normal community inclusion.

When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."   She understands her "unclean" state, but approaches Jesus secretly -- and with great faith.

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  Jesus' power is at work immediately from the touch in faith.  He knows what has happened, although no one else can be aware of this wonderful healing.  And it is a momentous occasion, for Christ is the One who makes a great commotion, even as He is on His way to Jairus' gravely ill daughter.  But this woman comes to Him and tells Him the truth.  It is important to observe Him call her "Daughter."  Christ responds to faith with love; this relationship is all there is.  We have to understand the basic issue of trust in faith (and the Greek word for faith really means "trust"), and what that has to do with love and relationship.  "Go in peace" is His word for her.

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  The notion of ridicule is, in my opinion, one not examined enough in connection with the Gospels and the work of Christ.  It is linked not only to faith, but also the voice of those who simply follow the crowd.

But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given for her to eat.  We note that Jesus puts those who ridicule outside, and establishes what is necessary for the healing environment.  Jesus heals the girl by touch, signifying another "daughter."  This girl is twelve, we may suppose just on the verge of puberty and eligibility for betrothal.  The love, care, and tenderness here, both from Jairus, and on the part of Jesus, is tangible.

We have essentially two women in today's reading as subjects, although Jesus -- importantly, to my mind -- calls Jairus' daughter, "little girl."  If we think about childbearing and the role of women particularly in this society at Jesus' time and place, we witness the tremendous value placed on women by Jesus.  There is value here on both of these for their own sake.  The one woman is past childbearing age.  She is also destitute.  She is not only in a position of social and religious restriction, she has no relative value or importance in terms of the community.  The "little girl" is just on the verge marriageable age, we may assume about to enter into puberty.  But as yet there are indications only  that she is still the little girl and dependent of Jairus, also someone without stature in the wider community.  The "touch" that is admitted here, both by the older woman and of Jesus touching the little girl by the hand, are in some way aberrations, made permissible because it is Christ who sanctions both.  The care for each "daughter" is made clear:  for their own sake, they are each beloved, valuable, worthy of restoration -- even necessary to restore in the cosmic order of the viewpoint of Christ the Son, as for each He goes out of His way to make time.  This is the Savior who loves each of us for our own sake, not just for what we contribute to the society in one form of currency or another.  Our social status, even religious status, become irrelevant in His mind's eye, His healing, restorative purview.  What matters is His love and our response to it, our trust.  It clearly doesn't matter to Christ what the crowds think, although He does seek to avoid unnecessary conflict with the religious authorities until it is the proper time for the crisis to happen that will lead to the Passion and His crucifixion.  He puts aside those who ridicule, who believe they know all there is to know about the facts.  He demands to know who touched Him in the midst of the crowd in which the disciples can have no idea who is who, or what has happened.  We yet live in a world where social order and status, "usefulness" and belonging, make a difference in how we see others, and how we relate to one another.  But Jesus teaches us about the love of God for each one of us, always pulling in and restoring those just on the "outside" for one reason or another.  It is in that love that loves us first that we always trust, that we turn to when we ourselves might be "outside" or feel that we are left out, or unclean, or unworthy.  There is where faith starts, in the knowledge that we are loved, in the trust that we are welcomed back to restoration.

My name is Legion; for we are many

 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

- Mark 5:1-20

Yesterday, we read that when evening had come (after a day of teaching in parables), Jesus said to the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

  Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.   Here is an encounter, indeed.  It almost sounds like one of the tales from the Greek mythic histories:  of Jason or Odysseus.  Jesus and the disciples have set sail in the evening across a frighteningly stormy sea, into a tempest so great that even these seasoned fishermen (whose home has always been on the Sea of Galilee) feared for their lives.  Crossing the sea into the country of the Gadarenes, they come to a place still in Galilee, an area with many Gentiles who lived among the Jews.  What greets them is another "terrible" spectacle, a man driven to the tombs by an unclean spirit.  He's been driven so far beyond human connection and communion that he must live in this place, among the rocks and tombs of the dead, held by chains which he's broken apart, in a wild and anarchic state.  He cries, and cuts himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  We see what happens in response to the presence of Jesus; at once there is a spiritual stirring.  The man's true soul and heart are reflected in his running to Christ and worshiping Him (the Greek word translated as "worshiped" means to fall prostrate in a worshipful position of prayer and supplication).  And we hear the voice that replies to Christ, speaking for the demons, who are Legion, and beg not to be sent out of this country.  A "legion" was a division of elite troops of the occupying Roman army; by Jesus' time this could consist over 5,000 highly professional and standardized units of cavalry and infantry, supported by at least an equal number of auxiliary troops.   A legion was able at this time to make or break any commander under which they served and often played a political role, securing an empire or taking it away.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.   Although Jesus and the disciples are still in Galilee, this region has great Gentile influence, and the swine being herded here are a sign of that influence.  Many infer that this is a Gentile population, but in fact the Gospel hints more likely to us that these are Jews who've taken on Gentile practices forbidden by the Law (see Deuteronomy 14:8).  In this perspective, that the demons desire to enter the swine makes some sense; they are unclean animals in the Law.  The true nature of the demonic is revealed in the mass suicide and drowning of the herd.

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.   It is more terrifying to the people of this region that the swine have died, than it is a good thing that this formerly wild, uncontrolled man is now sitting and and clothed and in his right mind.  In fact, the healing itself seems to inspire fear in them.  Jesus' presence, and its clear effect, is something they don't want:  they plead with Him to depart from their region.

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.  The Decapolis is, tellingly, a Greek-speaking region of ten cities (deca = "ten," polis = "city").   This man who is healed and restored by Christ prefigures the spread of the Gospels throughout the whole of the world.  It tells us a great deal that here, in the Decapolis, all marveled.

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus says, "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division" (Luke 12:51).  In Matthew's Gospel, the language becomes even more vivid:  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword"  (Matthew 10:34).  (See both quotations in context here.)  Today's story in a very real way gives us an illustration of the polarization and division that is an effect of Jesus' presence and His power.  When He refers to Himself as bringing a sword in Matthew's Gospel, it strikes us very strongly in the image of the "legion" that occupies this man who is so tormented by their presence.   The ones interested only in the commerce brought to them by raising swine want Him to be out of their region, they beg Him to leave.  The healing and restoration of this man to a state of sanity and functionality only fuels their fear.  It is a great insight of the Gospel that these people respond in such a way, a very telling fact.  Materialism, for its own sake, is not going to bring us much in the way of true human welfare.  It doesn't balance the intangibles, doesn't value what is of truly great value and is often so fragile and incalculable.  The world of the unclean spirits reacts in its own way to Christ, as has been seen in previous readings, but the ultimate destruction of the swine gives us another added facet to the picture:   He is here not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17); the "unclean swine" being raised by apostate Jews tells us something about this place and these people, again (as so often is the case) particularly in the context of the Old Testament and the spiritual history of Israel.  All of this picture in this forsaken place of tombs and rocks teaches us something about the spiritual reality of the world and the effects of the coming of Christ.  The great redemption possible for this man possessed even by a "legion" of demons is perhaps the most striking thing about it all:  he goes on to spread the gospel in a sense, telling all his friends about the great things the Lord has done for him.  In the context of the wider world throughout which the gospel would spread after the death of Christ, it's a most telling picture of the effect of Jesus in the world.  Glorifying the God of Israel, the "Lord" of the Old Testament (whom Christians traditionally see as Christ, the Son), he goes through the Greek-speaking region of the Decapolis, a center of Greek and Roman culture in the midst of a Semitic territory.  The gospel will spread in Greek, the international and literary language of this time, giving a lingua franca through which to go out to all the nations.   There, in this place, all marvel; there are no great disputes about "Messiah" to be had.   Christ's power, as illustrated in this story, is the same power and effect at work today through His ministry, through the work of the Spirit, within a world troubled by many things.  We live still in a world of many influences, where we remain free to turn away from the things of God, to turn our back on spiritual values, in a time when materialism has held many promises and also brought with it many human disasters.  Let us consider His effect, and think about its polarizing nature -- where we are asked to make choices, and still to rejoice in the good things the Lord has done for us.  Do you know those who have been healed from things that seemed beyond their own control?  How has your life been affected by His presence?  Are there people  or places you have had to let go from your life?   Who are the friends who marvel at and support the good things the Lord has done for you?

Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?

 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

- Mark 4:35-41

Yesterday we read that Jesus continued, after teaching the parable of the Sower, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever as, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."  And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."   Another sign of the expanding nature of Jesus' mission, the spread of the gospel:  Jesus decides that they are to cross over the Sea of Galilee, into new territory.

 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.   The natural factors of the world are encountered by Jesus in His ministry, and by Jesus as incarnate human being.   It is something we should always keep in mind as faithful, when we go through our own storms and deal with our own need for rest and care.

And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"   There are two kinds of fear addressed here; in fact, the word for fearful in Jesus' question "Why are you so fearful?" and the one used to tell us the disciples "feared exceedingly" are two different words in the original Greek text.  The first implies a kind of cowardice or timidity that inhibits our courage or resilience to follow Christ.  The second is a fear that comes from overwhelming awe in the face of incomprehensible power; they are encountering the power of Christ, something far more than was expected of the Teacher they have known until now.  Only God can command the wind and sea.

Traditional commentaries tell us two things about the picture of Christ with the disciples in the boat on this stormy sea.  One is that this is a picture of the Church, which has been likened to a ship.  My study bible puts it this way:  "God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see His protection more clearly."  Another way this has traditionally been interpreted is one that is highly personal:  it's an illustration of Jesus "calming the tempests in the human soul," again in the words of my study bible.  I think both of these things are true.  But it's a great illustration of life and our expectations of our faith.  Too often in our contemporary understanding of life we ask ourselves why, if we are faithful people, do things not just go better?  Why are there so many obstacles in the way?  Why do bad things happen?  Why does faith not propel us into an obstacle-free life?  But if we look at the lives of the saints, and indeed the promises of Jesus to His followers before His Passion, we see that it just hasn't ever worked that way.  Saints are among the most challenged of people, historically.  How many can we point to who have died as martyrs, even been persecuted by their own fellow members of the Church?  We may look at the great saint John Chrysostom, whose commentaries continue to enlighten us, whose preaching is still frequently quoted.  He did not die an easy or peaceful death, and suffered in being sent into exile.  Controversy surrounded his life, great challenges placed before him that he did not desire.  Indeed, there are times when it seems surely true that those whom God loves are also called to great challenges; let us be assured that Christ leads the way on that score, for all of us.  Even in the Old Testament, we can see by reading Maccabbees, for example, those Jews who suffer for their faith do so with the understanding that it is God who calls them to an even higher standard and to repentance, while those who torture them have no call to salvation but to oblivion.  When Jesus refers to Himself as the head cornerstone (quoting Psalm 118:22), and warns that "anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed" (Matthew 22:14), He is giving us a hint about something similar.  To be broken means one is still capable of repentance and healing.  Never to be challenged in our own selfishness and hard-heartedness is to go through all of life without coming to the better way of the Kingdom.  While it is Christ who teaches us that not every hardship comes as a direct result of sin, with the perspective of the Gospels, and illustrated in today's reading, we understand that even as faithful, we go through challenges in our lives.  We will face opposition and misunderstanding and obstacles, just as Christ did.  But it is faith that shows us the way through all.  We can look at the two different words used for fear in today's reading, and understand the difference between the need for courage to follow our faith, and the overwhelming awe - even a kind of natural terror - we may experience when we get a glimpse of the overwhelming reality of God as inconceivable presence to us.  He calls us to meet the challenges, not only to the necessary courage in faith, but also to its resourcefulness, imagination, creativity, perception, and discernment.  I have found through personal experience that when the world tells me there is "no way" through something, God gives me a way.  My own life experience doesn't provide me with all the answers, but time and again prayer and patience show me things I hadn't considered, an illumination, ways of thinking that help me in the struggle with a difficult world.  Humility alone, considered to be the greatest of the saintly virtues, plays a great role in helping us get through the challenges, particularly in a life of faith.  In speaking with countless people, particularly those I know whom I consider to be the most deeply faithful, I find stories of great challenges and great humility.  Let us remember that a worldly "perfect" life is not really the image of a faithful life; rather Christ has spoken about a life full of blessings, but also with persecutions (Mark 10:30).  Let us heed the realism of the Gospels, rather than a fantasy.  The storms in darkness will come; but we go through them with Him, in the courage to do it His way.

To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?

 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever as, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

- Mark 4:21-34

Yesterday, we read that once again Jesus began to teach by the sea.  He has chosen twelve disciples, and His ministry has grown tremendously.  A great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.   And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that  'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"  And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it become unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit; some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever as, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  There are two sayings here, and in some sense the gist of each is dependent upon the other.  First Jesus speaks about the revelatory nature of His parables, and in some sense, the entire nature of His mission and ministry.  Here is here to reveal everything, to shine a light.  He speaks of mystery when He says there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nothing kept secret but that it should come to light.  As God Incarnate, He is here to give us spiritual truth.  But -- as in the nature of the parables by which He preaches -- everything is dependent upon our own spiritual eyes and ears.  What we are capable of receiving we receive; what we are incapable of receiving we do not.  Thus "with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you."    And again, there is the promise and teaching that we but enter if we hear, the journey only begins, and we are promised that more will be given.  My study bible quotes Mark the Ascetic:  "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  This is a parable only found in Mark's Gospel.  It's a parable about the nature of the Kingdom, which my study bible says here  is meant to be the whole dispensation or salvation plan.  The man -- like the Sower in yesterday's reading -- is meant to be understood as Christ, and the seed is His word, the gospel.  His sleep is Christ' death, from which He will rise.  That the earth yields crops by itself is meant to teach that Christ doesn't manipulate our receptivity to His word, how we hear and what takes root in us:  each is free to receive the gospel and let it grow in his or her own heart.  The harvest is the Second Coming, the time when judgment takes place based on our capacity to receive the word, the gospel.

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."   This beautiful parable teaches us about the word, how it becomes an entire kingdom, and what its nature is like.  Jesus gives us "pieces" of the Kingdom in His word, like a tiny mustard seed, smallest of the seeds.  But its growth is exponential, surprising -- an herb like no other herb, in whose branches may nest birds of the air, reminding us of angels (who are messengers bearing truth), the fullness of the presence of the kingdom of God.  It teaches us about ourselves, what we are capable of becoming within this Kingdom, shade and support for the goodness of God to grow in the world.  Our communities in His word become like that as well.

 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.  My study bible says, "To unbelievers, the parables remain bewildering.  To those with simple faith, these stories using common images reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able."  We note that in private, He explained all things to His disciples.  As His followers, we too can learn through prayer and communion, and of course we have the testimony of the saints in the Church.

I always love to read the parable of the mustard seed, particularly as it is presented in Mark's Gospel.  There's something so kind and tender about the "birds of the air who may nest under its shade."  In this image I see all the seemingly fragile worthiness of goodness and grace, so easily and thoughtlessly destroyed by the violence and selfishness of our world.  That is, the goodness of love and truth and beauty, worth everything, and easily dashed by what passes too often as "progress" in the mindless pursuit of power.  Perhaps what I mean to say by that is illustrated in the death of Christ on the Cross; it's so easy, seemingly, for us to destroy the good, for the most base of reasons.  In some sense, it is Christ Himself we can see in this mustard tree, this image of the Kingdom.  He came to the world as a single, vulnerable human being, born as a babe to parents who had no place, and who would be sought after right from the time He was born.  And yet it is He who still holds each of us in the branches of the Kingdom that lives with us and among us, He whose grace and love we know and in which we trust and find comfort and guidance in a world enamored with its violence and ignorance at times overwhelming in its disregard for what it is that makes human life "good."  We may tenderly hold and support those "birds of the air" and nurture the goodness of a life in Christ.  We cherish His truth and beauty, and cling to grace through all things.  The mustard seed, for me, is the great parable that teaches us about what it means to nurture, to build, to grow.  In a world that wants overnight results, Christ teaches us about what is truly natural to us, and how things work.  He couples this parable, in Mark, with a parable unique to Mark -- about the seed that grows in the earth while the man sleeps.  Once again, we're given to understand about the natural processes of growth, of grace:  things take place mysteriously, within us, and all of sudden we see results.  Shoots and branches, glimmerings of understanding, until everything is ready for a harvest.  But most of all I can never quite get out of my mind those gracious, sturdy, sheltering branches that make a home for what is good, the messengers who bring us news of grace.  Those branches reflect to us even an image of Mary, the Mother of God, who made a home for the true seed, the Child, in herself, so that His word, and His Church -- His kingdom -- could grow among us.  We are each called to be like this, to protect what is precious, to be a home with protective branches, giving shade to what needs to be nurtured in our world.  Can we remember the fragility of life, the priceless quality of grace, our need to pursue our faith with patience and growth?  Everything depends upon it.

Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.   And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that

'Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.'"

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it become unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit; some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

- Mark 4:1-20

Yesterday, we read that after Jesus went on the mountain and chose His twelve disciples, they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.  "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."   Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables . . .   An important turning point has happened in Jesus' ministry.  We have read and observed as His fame has become widespread, so that He's swamped by people who just want to touch Him to be healed, even as He teaches by the seashore, outside of the cities and towns.  The religious leadership has taken a side against Him, and seeks ways to discredit Him and do away with Him, as He's taken a stand regarding the Sabbath when they criticized Him.   In yesterday's reading, we saw that "His own people" think He's beside Himself, and the scribes accused Him of working by the power of demons.  Finally, He made a declaration about family and relationship.  He said, "Whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  We can see the evolution of the ministry, and what develops because of it.  In response to the great crowds He has chosen His Twelve, and now a new development:  He begins to preach in parables.

. . . and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"   Jesus begins with a parable, and it is essentially about Himself, what He is doing -- what His ministry is all about.  It is the parable of the Sower.

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.   And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that  'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"   Why parables?  Why this new development?  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10.  The emphasis becomes about gathering a people to Him who want to know, who thirst for what the Sower is offering.  We've seen the developments begin through His ministry, the types of division among all the people in their response to His word.  Parables take that action one step further:  those who want what He offers must be those who truly desire the faith connection with Him, who thirst after the word, in whom it takes root.  He responds to divisions and opposition not by greater persuasion, but rather the opposite -- a firm acknowledgement that His ministry works through a voluntary love and faith, a true desire of the heart.  This is how real healing takes place.

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it become unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit; some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  Jesus gives the explanation in private to the disciples, to those who are already voluntarily with Him, who seek the depth of His word.  It's all about how His word takes root in us, throughout our lives, and how we manage to cling to it, and it grows in us.

What is the voluntary nature of a faith in Christ?  Why does He work now in parables -- now that the crowds have grown so great that all and sundry want to know about Him?  It's one thing for people to come in response to His demonstrated healing power.  It's another for people to gather to Him because His word, His teachings, take root within them, so that they hunger for more.  To understand the power and value of the word is to understand that Jesus the Sower is the Messiah (foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13).  And, of course, John's Gospel teaches us that He is the Word.  But there is an important aspect to parables that gives us a particular understanding of just how we are drawn, and that is the essence and importance of mystery.  Parables were already widely in use and traditionally told in Jesus' time to reveal knowledge or tease out wisdom, but it is Jesus who becomes the user par excellence, revealing aspects of the Kingdom that continue to reveal for us 2,000 years later.   The Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable, says my study bible, also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb."  But Jesus' use of the parables goes far beyond simple answers and understandings; rather, they reveal the working of the Kingdom, they reveal the nature of  Christ the Word Himself, and they reveal our way more deeply into His Kingdom.  Such simplicity in teaching, concise revelation through every day things, is a mark of extraordinary capacity for communication:  the perfection of the use of parables.  My study bible calls them "images drawn from daily life in the world to represent and communicate the deep things of God."  They give us "glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways"  (see Isaiah 55:8-9).  The most important thing, perhaps, that we today can understand from the telling of the parables is the essence of mystery that permeates our faith.  Jesus is not here in His mission to the world simply to proclaim a reality and force people to choose "yes" or "no."  He's not here to declare something at once obvious and plain, and complete in our immediate grasp of it.  He's here to lead us into something -- that is, those who really want to follow, in whom His word takes root.  The parables are meant to open the door, but what is beyond the door, His Way for us, is an infinite kind of learning, a deepening understanding, an endless horizon.  It is the way to participation in the Kingdom itself, even to intimate communication in a life with Him.  But the key to the parable is mystery:  He wishes to draw those who desire to be drawn, or more truly, those in whom the word takes root.  Thus "he who has ears to hear, let him hear."  The real power of the parables is that they work for each of us, wherever we are and however we are prepared to hear them.  The stages of the word or seed in the parable of the Sower, and each different type of adversity that seems to fight the word in us seems to me to be a picture not just of different types of situations for different individuals, but things we may all go through at some point in our lives: challenges to our faith.  Parables also give us someplace to latch onto in the struggle of faith, a promise of a process at work, an entry into understanding, whoever we are, whatever we are experiencing.  He leaves it to each of us to choose and to hear as we may, or not.  And He leaves us with a message He will repeat later on to the disciples:   this journey is all about endurance.

Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

- Mark 3:19b-35

Yesterday we read that Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, after disagreement with the Pharisees over healing a man on the Sabbath.  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 sickness 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 same Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."   Jesus' "own people" are extended family.  While the crowds surround Him, as if He's a contemporary rock star, His family is upset.   It is so out of context, so inappropriate in their understanding, that they think He is out of His mind.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.   Jesus' own people have said that He is out of His mind.  Here, the religious leadership from Jerusalem pronounces Him as one working in conjunction with demons, like a person possessed.   Jesus has disrupted the social order, on both a personal and a public level.  But He is the One who brings order, not destroys it, and He sets out the logic that defeats the claims of the scribes.  "How can Satan cast out Satan?" is asking us for logic, ultimate logic.  Why would the ruler of demons cast out his own, work against his own kingdom.  They know how worldly kings fight.  In fact in the centuries leading to Christ's birth, the entire Near East was one great battle ground, with kingdom battling against kingdom, one after the other, and a constant switching of alliances and powers.  Jesus' illustration comes as one people know very well.  Why would a man on the throne fight against his own house, his own army, his own kingdom?  To plunder a strong man's goods, one would have to first defeat him, bind him, imprison and capture him.  This is what Jesus is doing with the "house" of Satan; therefore He is the enemy of Satan.   Beelzebub, also called Baal, was "the prince of the dung heap" or lord of "the flies" in the pejorative title given by the Jews -- a god worshiped by the Philistines, but here referred to as the ruler of the demons by the scribes.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  The characterization by the scribes of Jesus' work as demonic isn't only a vain product of pride and envy, it's a far more serious problem.  Jesus works by the Holy Spirit, and to call this work demonic is something far more grave than an accusation against a man.  It is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, an accusation against the divine activity of God.  It is calling the essentially good "evil."  He separates their hostility to Him from their qualification of the work of the Holy Spirit as evil or demonic, something they should understand and know as experts in the Scripture.  Indeed, exorcism was practiced by the Jews.  My study bible is quick to point out that Jesus does not say repentance and forgiveness are not possible even for this sin.   Jesus stresses the great gravity of the sin.

 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  Jesus' brothers are again extended family, not necessarily blood brothers (even today in the Middle East, cousins are commonly called brothers).  Jesus is not insulting His family when He teaches about the union in the will of God, the family created by God.  In some way, it is similar to His teaching about the union of marriage made by God.  My study bible suggests that Jesus points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God.

We see a great division created by Jesus, and by the work of the Spirit.  It's something that is reflected in Jesus' words later on in His ministry (see Matthew 10:35), about what is to come in the world and to His followers after He is gone, the purpose and effect of His mission.  Controversy surrounds Him, even as He gains more and more fame and is in such demand that no one can even eat a meal in the house He stays in.  Jesus now faces divisions in both His personal and His public life.  Those who have known Him best, His extended family and kin, His own people, think that He must be out of His mind.  The person of the public ministry is very different from the person they've known, the One who had lived the life of a simple Galilean in Nazareth.  Now He's causing an unseemly furor.  The religious authorities accuse Him of working healings and exorcisms by the power of the ruler of demons.  This is an accusation raised out of envy, and pride of their own places, as His popularity and fame extend ever more greatly.  They feel challenged in their role as authorities, particularly after He healed on the Sabbath in their presence, after He'd already been challenged about Sabbath work.  Jesus is causing an extraordinary sort of scene.  Nothing is "normal" --  rather, it is all extraordinary.  Extraordinary is the important qualification here, because this isn't just the work of a preacher; the centerpiece here is the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, at work through His ministry.  It is God at work in the world, and this is what gathers the great central place of Jesus' mission.  Everything is done to serve the will of the Father.  At work is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- and the effects of this ministry come in the wake of that central fact, that central work.  Everything else gathers around that pole, that central reality.  And it will continue to cause its own disruption of the fabric of the world and our social structures.  This seems to be particularly so when things become highly rigid.  The Spirit works through all circumstances, and takes on particular effects within systems that do not allow for the freedom of truth.  We see this in the Old Testament, in the holy prophets who shake up the worldly powerful, who will not go along with the kings who hire others to prophesy for money.  In Eastern Orthodoxy, it can be seen in the person of the holy fool, who somewhat resembles many of the prophets -- living outside of the social structures and norms of his or her time, seemingly out of their minds, but speaking the truth to the powerful, saying the things no one else will dare say.  John the Baptist is a similar sort of figure -- one outside of the social structures, living in the wilderness in strict asceticism.  But with the saints and the holy, it is just as Jesus will say: "Wisdom is justified by all her children" (Luke 7:35).   Jesus Himself is truly our central figure.  He's one who's come from Galilee, from a family established in His small town, but who tangles with the religious establishment, answering with authority all those in authority, whose work and effects are so challenging to what has become rigid and in some sense stagnant that the challenge will go right up to the Roman authorities.  He is our central figure, and His words teach us everything about where we stand, where our first loyalty must be, what truth is, and even the price we may pay for His kind of freedom.  Let us remember His truth in our daily lives, through all that we do, and all the challenges we may find.

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

 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 sickness 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 same Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

- Mark 3:7-19a

On Saturday, we read that it happened that Jesus and the disciples 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 to 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.  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.  The Gospel makes it clear how famous Jesus now is.  Although He is Galilean, and we've read that His ministry so far has been focused within Galilee, people are now coming from everywhere in Jewish territory -- not just Galilee, but also south in Judea and Jerusalem, from east beyond the Jordan, from far north beyond Galilee in Tyre and Sidon.  Everybody comes to Him.  He's so pressed by the crowds He's in danger of being crushed.  All want to touch Him because of the healings He's done; there is a sense of the power that comes from Him.  They have to keep a boat ready in case they need to flee the crowd.  And there are some among these great crowds who know exactly who He is:  the unclean spirits.  They understand His power even more directly than do the people.  But it's not time for this revelation; He commands them to be quiet.  At this point, He's preaching far and wide -- and staying far away from the authorities who plot against Him.

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 sickness 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 same Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.   "On the mountain" is an important landmark experience in the ministry of Jesus.  This time it is the appointment of the Twelve.  They are called alternatively disciples or apostles:  a disciple is a "learner," an apostle is "one who is sent out."  They are with Him to learn, He will send them out to preach.   As part of their purpose He's given them power to heal sickness and to cast out demons, thus spreading His ministry.  In all the lists of the Twelve, Judas Iscariot is noted as the one who also betrayed Him.

As Jesus' ministry has "exploded" into a kind of wild popularity, we see various elements competing for our attention.  It's not just a one-sided story, so to speak.  The crowds seek Him out to such an extent that He cannot even preach by the sea, away from the cities, without being thronged by the mob -- so much so, that a boat has to be kept ready in case He's in danger of being crushed by the people.  This is due to His healing ministry; so many want to touch Him that they crowd around Him.  At the same time, there are other factors that are seemingly out of His control.  The unclean spirits know who He is, and they openly call Him the Son of God.  The religious authorities have decided He's problematic to Him; they would like to put an end to His ministry and they plot against Him as a result of their confrontations with Him.  An open understanding that He is Messiah would really set things into motion with them, and it's not time for that.  It's not time for His "exodus" -- His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  Jesus' advent into the world isn't a simple mission; it's very complex.  Our world is complex.  There are so many influences in it, so many things can "go wrong."  And this the great thing that we have to recognize, that it's not a simple story; it's a very complex and kind of messy story.  Our freedom guarantees that we have the capacity to make all kinds of choices; even the unclean spirits, who must obey His commands, still are "acting out," so to speak.  There is a kind of chaos involved here, and perhaps chaos characterizes what it is to be "without God" better than anything else.  It's a kind of disorder that we encounter without the principle of Logos to set it straight, to put things in order.  The unclean spirits play havoc with people's health, mental and physical.  The leadership, in their own desire to enforce their own kind of order, see Jesus' healing as something that disrupts their system, their places.  And all the expectations for Messiah in all the people, the envy of the leadership, the nature of worldly power, all make for chaos indeed; all this means it is not time for His identity to be revealed.  But God Incarnate does not simply order and command everything and everyone to be exactly as He wants them to be; He doesn't compel life into order.  Jesus' currency is love; it is faith.  This is the way His ministry works.  He's not here to turn us into slaves, nor to command and impel like an emperor would.  This is a mission of love.  It's an invitation to a wedding feast, and it's up to us how we are going to respond.  This is the world in which we live and in which we find ourselves, a world created by a God who loves us, who offers us freedom, choice, and the capacity to love.  What do we do with it?  How are we "rational sheep," the ones who will choose for Him?  Today Jesus chooses His twelve, and even one of them will betray Him.  Into this very confusing, messy world comes the Savior:  but it's up to us how we respond to Him, learn from Him, and participate in His mission.  Jesus was not born into a perfect world as God Incarnate.   Instead, He offers us a choice while in this world, to be like Him, to share in His mission, to follow Him.   The world remains imperfect, complicated, with betrayals and misunderstandings, envies and rivalries, problems we don't control, inconvenient stumbling blocks, and difficult choices to make -- but through it all, we have Him.  We have everything He's given and all that He offers.  He is the light of the world, the Son of God, the Way.

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 Now it happened that He 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 to 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.

- Mark 2:23-3:6

In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

Now it happened that He 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."  In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus and His disciples were eating and drinking at table with tax collectors and sinners, at the home of Levi (Matthew), who had also been a tax collector when he was called by Christ.   We also read that Jesus' disciples did not fast like John the Baptist's did.  All this is cause for concern, questioning, and criticism.  Today we have another incident in which Jesus' disciples are raising criticism because they eat -- or rather they "work" to eat -- they pluck the heads of grain.  Jesus cites David's act of sharing the showbread with his tired and hungry men, something that was reserved for the priests.  In a commentary on this story in Luke's Gospel, St. Ambrose writes that the Son of Man shares with everyone the food that was once reserved for only the priests, the food of the Lord of the Sabbath.  This is the new covenant alluded to in yesterday's reading, when Jesus spoke of "new wineskins."  We note also the healing quality and emphasis here yet again as has so consistently been the case of Mark's Gospel.  The grain on the Sabbath is part of God's gracious care of man, out of which the Sabbath itself was given.

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?"  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.  To modern ears, it's hard to understand why healing a man's hand would be unlawful on the Sabbath.  But to understand what happens here, there are several factors at play to take into consideration.   In addition to the Law given by Moses, there were traditions built up by the scribes and Pharisees around the Law.   In such tradition, healing was considered work, and therefore not permissible on the Sabbath.  My study bible says, "They believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but this legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy."  What we have to understand also is the zealousness by which they seek to guard their places;  if we look at Mark's Gospel carefully, Jesus' fame and popularity is widespread and is happening very quickly.  To heal on the Sabbath is another extension of Jesus' saying above:  "The Sabbath was made for man."  It is also in keeping with everything about Christ's ministry, and the Eucharist to come.

Food and mercy are intertwined somehow in our readings.  It's a good thing to think about during Lent (although, for much of the Eastern Church, Lent will not begin for another few weeks).  What does it mean to be fed?  We must think of Christ's work as healing and, in particular, nurturing to everything that we are and can be.  The image of the showbread as prefiguring the giving of the Eucharist tells us so much that we need to understand about His mission into the world -- even, indeed, its sacramental quality of giving our lives back to us in the fullness of His Incarnation.  The nurturing of healing, the nurturing of feeding, the nurturing of the wedding banquet:  all of these things are "made for man."  God's gracious love and care is something we can never forget.  So, in the light of Jesus' words about the Sabbath, what can we think about that puts us on the right track here?  Even fasting as religious practice is meant to be done in service to mankind:  the capacity to say "no" teaches us about our own capacity for transcendence, self-discipline, choice.  To learn that "man does not live by bread alone" is perhaps one of the best things that we can learn in life, if we are truly to learn what is of greatest value in life, and to focus on that.   When we pray for our "daily bread" in the Lord's Prayer, it's important to note that this isn't only about ordinary meals, but the bread of the Lord, the Eucharist.  In the Greek, the word for daily can be more literally translated as "super-substantial," a kind of bread that is more than ordinary bread.  So, in this context, the Sabbath is made for feeding, for nourishing, for giving us all the things we need for a truly healthy life on every level:  physical, mental, spiritual.  In the ministry of Christ, none of this is separable from one another.  Indeed, the statement that man does not live by bread alone is meant to say that to separate the material from the rest is a false misunderstanding of what we truly need for a healthy life.  If a human being has imperfect health, a birth defect, a disfigurement or loss of limb through accident, is afflicted with illness such as depression, through any sort of personal imperfection, they are not exempt from this wholeness.  That sort of thinking is materialistic to the exclusion of what the fullness of life really holds, to the potentials for life in Christ.  St. Paul teaches, in fact, that in our weakness God's strength is made perfect.  Jesus' Sabbath is meant for wholeness and healing; the Sabbath made for man is part of God's care of us.  In the understanding of sacrament, all this gift of the world that God gives us is returned with thanks and blessings to God -- who in turn, and through Christ's mission and ministry to the world, His life, death, and Resurrection, returns it to us in the fullness of what life truly is.  That is nourishment indeed, something to think about, the gift of real wholeness, completeness.  It is the fullness of His joy. 

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance

 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

- Mark 2:13-22

 Yesterday we read that Jesus after Jesus had departed to preach in various Galilean towns, He returned and entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.  Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."  And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power of earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Levi is also Matthew, and is considered to be author of the Gospel bearing that name.   It's important, essential, that we understand what a tax collector was and what that meant in Jesus' time and place.  Tax collectors were essentially Jews who worked for Roman overlords.  They were assigned to specific areas to collect taxes and were free to collect extra revenues for their own profit.  Not only were they collecting taxes for a hated foreign power, but practices of fraud and corruption caused other Jews to consider them unclean.    With that understanding, Jesus' calling of a tax collector to discipleship is nearly outrageous in social context.   But like the earlier calling of Simon Peter and Andrew, and John and James Zebedee (see Tuesday's reading), Levi is ready.  He immediately leaves the tax office and follows Jesus.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."   Jesus doesn't just call Levi/Matthew to discipleship.  Here He sits dining in Levi's house, with many tax collectors and sinners sitting together with Him and His disciples.  It would seem that this ministry is opening up a kind of way for many who are now following Him.  Again, we see the rapidity of Jesus' popularity.  The scribes cannot understand how this is possible.  But Jesus' response opens us up to the purpose of His ministry and the actions of God.  It is the same healing message we have read with each reading since He began His public ministry:  God's work is to heal, on all levels:  "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."    He is our Physician, and His Church is meant to be a hospital.  Repentance is a form of cure, a process of crisis to healing, a liberation from what ails and afflicts.

The disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"   And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days."  The customary fasting practice of the Jews at this time was twice a week, on Monday and Thursday.  And fasts were also observed regularly or they were occasionally proclaimed -- especially on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, see Leviticus 16:31-34) and in times of mourning.  But the day of the Messiah is another thing altogether:  the coming of the Messiah is the Bridegroom arriving to a wedding feast, a time of joy and gladness.  In John's Gospel, the wedding at Cana gives us an image of this wedding feast; the first sign of Jesus producing wine from water is the great image of Messiah as Bridegroom and bringer of the new covenant.  Jesus alludes to the time when He will no longer be with them, and fasting will be an accepted spiritual practice and tradition of His Church, especially in awareness of awaiting His return.

"No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."  Here we have an image of "new covenant," the new "people of God."  It will need a "new garment," and the wine of this covenant (and wine symbolizes covenant) will need "new wineskins" to grow, expand, and stretch to contain what is brought into the world here in this wedding banquet, in the gospel of the kingdom.   In this perspective, the Law was viewed as imperfect and temporary, a preparation.  The new wine, says my study bible, is the Holy Spirit dwelling within renewed people, who cannot be constrained by the old precepts of the Law.

The expanding wineskins pictured by Christ are not a "one time only" sort of image.  They are for all time.  The Kingdom that Jesus brings into the world is one of an infinite fullness; it keeps on expanding.  Our reception of its teachings to us must keep on expanding.  That is the nature of the Kingdom, because it is the nature of God and of the Holy Spirit to be infinitely creative and constantly opening up to us new horizons, goals, and light.  As saints are made in the world, so the Church expands its understanding, and thus the "wineskins" also continue to expand.  The fullness of this revelation simply can't be contained by anything we know or expect.  Furthermore, the image of the wineskin, particularly in specific illustration of the newness of this covenant as tax collectors and sinners sit at table with Christ, the Physician, means that we as individual believers must also be prepared to be constantly expanded by the work of God in the world and particularly in us.  What does it mean to be healed?  How can we know the picture of perfection in God's sight?  We are given identity in this expanding action, this constant revelation of ways in which God works in us and changes us.  In Revelation 21:5, the One seated on the throne can be literally understood to be saying, "I am always making all things new."  In Ephesians 4, St. Paul teaches that we are to put off the old man, and to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."   The Old Testament also gives us the nature of God as revelatory, and promises of the renewing, surprising, transcending nature of the One who is to come and the Kingdom that comes.  In Isaiah 43, the Redeemer of Israel says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?  I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."  He later says, "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind"  (Isaiah 65:17).   What we have, then, is an ever-expanding wineskin, and an image given to us of what we are to be, and the impact of Christ the Physician, the Healer constantly working and renewing.  This is an image of our faith, something we can't contain without constant expansion in order to keep up.  It is a picture of the work of the Spirit not just in the world, but maybe more importantly in us, in each of us.  It is the experience of this stretching and expansion that gives us understanding of the workings of our faith:  it can't really be learned with theories and predictions.  Let the Healer do His work, and all of life becomes about expansion, the world a hospital, our lives a journey of constant renewal and learning.   Redemption is undoing barriers and obstructions and afflictions, and opening new territory in the truth that makes us free.  And I believe we will always be surprised by how that happens, no matter what the expectation.   We all need healing; repentance ("change of mind") means there will always be something old to let go, something new to learn -- and a new way to expand.