How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?

 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

- Mark 8:1-10

Yesterday we read that Jesus went to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, after being criticized by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem.   And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And he took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and he spat and touched His tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.  Although this feeding in the wilderness may seem like a "duplicate" of the feeding of the five thousand which we recently read about, there are distinct differences that make this second feeding separate and significant.  First of all Jesus is now in a country of mixed Gentiles and Jews.  He has gone to Tyre and Sidon, and healed the daughter of a Syro-Phoenician woman.  Yesterday's reading also told us He then came through the Decapolis, a Greek-speaking region of ten cities, to the Sea of Galilee.  It is here, in this mixed territory of populations, that the multitude follows Him and this feeding takes place.  My study bible cites the number of loaves as one of the notable differences in the stories.  In the feeding of five thousand, there were five loaves, which symbolize the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch).  Here there are seven loaves.  Seven is a number that symbolizes completeness; here it indicates spiritual perfection.  In the first feeding, in Jewish territory, Christ is revealed as fulfilling the Law.  Here, among a mixed population, He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.   The three days that this crowd had been with Him echoes the number of days He would rest in the tomb.  Perfection comes through uniting with Christ through death and rebirth (especially via baptism, see Romans 6:3-5), manifest in the New Covenant that will come.  Some scholars note the difference in the types of baskets taken up.  In the earlier feeding of five thousand, the Greek indicates a small basket, sometimes translated as "hand-basket" (Mark 6:43-44).  These were twelve, one for each apostle.  But here, they are a different type of basket, translated as large baskets.  (It is the same word for basket, in the Greek, as the one in which St. Paul was lowered through a hole in the wall in Acts 9:25).  Again, seven baskets indicates completeness.  This is the bread of life that will go out to all the world, both Jews and Gentiles.

Jesus has come through the region east of the Sea of Galilee, that of the Decapolis.  He makes His way back from Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region to which He'd withdrawn after Pharisees and scribes had come from Jerusalem, criticizing His ministry and His disciples (Saturday's reading).  The healing of the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman (yesterday's reading, above), and the healing and feeding of four thousand in the mixed population, Greek-speaking region of the Decapolis tells us a story about the growth of this ministry and its evolution.  The Syro-Phoenician woman said to Jesus, "Even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  In today's reading, we see the bread that prefigures the Eucharist going to what is likely a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles.  It is an evolution of spiritual understanding, of what is to be offered in salvation to those who may, as my study bible put it, unite with Christ through His death in baptism.  What we observe in Christ's ministry is a fascinating growth and transformation of the ministry itself, as Jesus first goes to the "children" but later will also include those who are not of this fold, and who will also be brought into His flock.  What Christ teaches us, that seems to transcend all other things that we know about Him, is that following the will of God will always be a kind of adventure.  We must prepare for the unexpected.  Even Christ marvels at the unbelief of His townspeople in Nazareth when He comes to His hometown to preach.  Although He is divine, the "Heart-Knower," Christ marvels at the response He finds.  This rejection not only assures us that human will and choices are free, but it also tells us about this ministry.  Christ will go where it is the Father's will He goes, even if that means to His own death - even where His own human will is not in agreement (Luke 22:42).  Christ knows He was sent to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," and yet we see now a new development beginning in His ministry.  As we watch and walk with Christ, think about one's own life and the many surprises we encounter when things go differently from what we had thought or planned.  Friends fail us, organizations let us down, people turn out to be something unexpected.  Through it all, there is one thing we place first, the one thing necessary that guides us even through storms and the unexpected.

Looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened"

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.   And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And he took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and he spat and touched His tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." 

- Mark 7:24-37

On Saturday, we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."     He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- '(that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.   And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  Christ travels north of Galilee, to a Gentile region.  He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, because as we read on Saturday, the Pharisees now begin to come to Him and to attack His ministry.  He is essentially withdrawing from them.  In Matthew's version of this story (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus makes it clear that the "children" are the Jews, those whom He calls "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" to whom He's been sent.  Tradition sees in this story a deliberate evocation of this woman's faith by Christ's response to her; He reveals her humility.  She accepts her place beneath the Jews (the chosen people of God), but illustrates the New Covenant ministry to come -- she still desires a share in God's grace.  My study bible says that Christ's hesitancy wasn't a lack of compassion, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman.  (In Matthew's story, that also means to the disciples, who complain to Him that she is pestering them.)  A note says her ultimate acceptance by Christ also points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of life.  It should be noted that the English reads little dogs.  In the Greek, there is a distinction between the word indicating "dogs" and this one used in the  diminutive, which more truly means puppies, house dogs -- those which would be insistently begging under a table.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And he took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and he spat and touched His tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."   Jesus' sigh, in this reading, is understood as a sigh of divine compassion for the sufferings of our "fallen human nature," says my study bible.  This passage also teaches us that we do good to others for the sake of obedience and love of God, and not to seek praise or acclaim.  One commentator, however, Theophylact, upholds those who disobey Christ in this situation, seeing them as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to.

It's interesting to consider the actions of "impediment" that we see in today's reading.  Jesus Himself acts as an impediment to the Syro-Phoenician woman seeking a healing for her daughter.  He tells her in Matthew's Gospel that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Here in Mark, as in Matthew, He says that the children should be filled first.  He says that the children's bread should not be thrown to the little dogs.  Historically, this impediment thrown by Christ to this woman has been seen as a way of pushing her faith and her persistence in faith.  When she replies to Him, assertively and cleverly, that even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs, He rewards her specifically for doing so, and tells her as much when He says, "For this saying..."  It is a sign, first of all, that like the historical figures of Israel, specifically Jacob, who struggled with God, and who was renamed Israel, meaning "struggles with God" (see Genesis 12:22-32), this woman also struggles with God.  It reminds us of the struggle with faith on the Sea of Galilee undergone by the disciples on two different occasions (see this reading, and also Friday's), when Jesus had set them out on a path with a fearfully stormy sea as "impediment."   In the earlier reading, my study bible stated that God allows challenges to our faith in order to build and perfect it.  We can see Christ's words to this woman in the same light.  She is forced to redouble her faith and persistence, using her heart, mind, and soul in replying to Christ.  Involved also is the love she has for her daughter.  When our faith is challenged, we are similarly engaged in a full-fledged struggle of heart, mind, and soul -- our energies, intelligence, persistence, and heart will be fully needed to meet such challenges.  In the second story in today's reading, the whole story is couched in language of impediment.  The man's mute condition is called an impediment to his tongue, and Jesus' command for hearing is a way of "unstopping" his ears:  "Be opened," Jesus says.  It's almost as if the things that impede are here in today's reading specifically in order to challenge and test our faith -- and so that Jesus can remove the impediments.  There is a sense that the energies that Jesus'
 brings into the world are those things that "flow" -- that get things moving, that bring healing and movement and opening.  The deaf and mute cry for impediments to wholeness be removed, the woman cries for impediments to the healing of her daughter (possessed by a demon that must be "removed" by one with the power to do so) be removed.  In the language of Greek theology, mercy itself is seen as the "energies" of God.  Grace is this energy.  This concept is understood as that which allows God's action in the world, and even in us, although we cannot know God in God's essence.  Christ's entire ministry is one of bringing God's energies into the world, merging them into our worldly lives, allowing us to participate in God's energy as volunteers who wish to follow His way and be a part of this Kingdom.  The energy of God is compared to a fire in a famous traditional explanation.  A metal object may be put into a fire and rendered hot and purified in it, taking on properties of heat and light, but it does not become the fire itself.  So are we in these energies of God.  This Greek word "energy" appears many times in the New Testament, but was not translated using the word in English.  In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, St. Paul writes that "the word of God . . . works in you who believe" (that is, by faith).  The word translated as works is the Greek word for energizes, indicating the action of the energies of God which are activated in us through faith.   In Galatians 3:5, St. Paul asks, "Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"  The phrase works miracles can be understood as "energizing power" in the Greek and in the original uses again this root word, energy.  Once again, we note that this energy works through faith.  In the Greek original text, as we can see, there is a strong sense that God's activities, or energies in the world, manifest through interaction with our faith.  If we begin to understand impediments in life as those things we encounter in our struggle for faith which allow the energies of God to be at work in us, purifying and rendering us closer to God, then we will take on a very different attitude toward struggle itself.  We have to understand this struggle for faith as a positive opportunity for growth, stretching us, and helping us to grow in the energies that make us whole, healed, more fully what we are meant to become as beings created with the potential to be "God-like."  Let us remember the refining fire of God's energies of love.  They are at work in us, engaged through the struggle of faith.

This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

'This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."     He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- '(that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

- Mark 7:1-23

Yesterday we read that, when evening came, the boat in which the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus was alone on the land (where He had stayed on the mountain to pray).  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me,  Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."     He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- '(that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  Jesus does not prohibit Jewish customs or traditions, and that is not the issue here, says my study bible (see Matthew 5:17-19; 23:23).  The real issue here is setting human tradition which is contrary to the tradition of God.  The tradition of the elders is a body of interpretations of the Law.  For the Pharisees and scribes, this was as authoritative as the Law, often superseding it.  Under that tradition, offerings (called Corban) could be promised to God in a way that property or earnings could still be used by an individual, but not anybody else.  That, in effect, excluded parents.  These secondary traditions, says my study bible, obscure the primary tradition of the Law, which is contained in God's commandments.  The whole structure of the Law was aimed at creating a community with God at the center, ensuring "right-relatedness" among the members of that community.  Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees and scribes is that their tradition enables derailment of that aim; in this case the neglect of dependent parents.

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  My study bible tells us that food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure.  Evil things are not from God -- these are what defile a person. 

Jesus teaches us what is truly evil:  "evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness."  A focus on these things takes us out of a legalistic framework based on particular action, and the seemingly "detail oriented" legalism of the traditions that were built up around the Law.  Jesus speaks about the things that we harbor within ourselves, within the heart.  Elsewhere He speaks about what we nurture and dwell upon within ourselves that is as harmful to our souls as acts of violation of the Law.  Harboring and nurturing lust, or covetousness (another form of lust, if one thinks about it), or anger and hatred fall into Jesus' condemnation of what is evil (Matthew 5:21-30).  These things, Jesus teaches, put us in danger of the Judgment.  If we look closely, they are things that do harm to relationship, to community.  They are ways in which we treat people not as persons but as objects.  Jesus shifts us into an entirely different way of thinking about sin. Sin is not just about breaking a rule, it is about being in violation of the love of God that extends to love of neighbor.  Elsewhere He teaches that all the Law and the Prophets hang on two commandments:   "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Deuteronomy 6:5).   Jesus calls this the first and greatest commandment.  And the second, He says, is similar: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).  "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments," says Jesus (see Matthew 22:36-40).  At this point in His ministry, Jesus is inviting us into a new perspective on sinfulness, even on what it is that we call evil.  He affirms the basic goodness of the world: there are not objects created by God that are evil in and of themselves.  Everything depends on our orientation.  Do we face life within a relationship with God, of forward movement into a greater understanding of the two great commandments of love -- or do we face the "other way," a life in which everything is merely objectified and driven down into things that are either useful or not?  If we look closely at Jesus' healing ministry, all kinds of people considered "unclean" and therefore cast out of the community are brought in through His healing, even His touch when it is forbidden.  This includes the healing of a leper earlier in Mark's Gospel, or the woman with the blood flow, who touched His hem when it was forbidden to her by the Law.  Jesus takes as disciples those hated by the community:  tax collectors.  And He dares to spend time with them, "eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners."  In response to the criticism for this by the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus replies, "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."   This is the doctrine of the New Covenant, with an entirely new orientation toward what sin is, how it works, how it is overcome.  What is essential is our own orientation toward God, our capacity for repentance, and perhaps most of all, our willingness for healing.  Healing always involves reconciliation with God and with community.  In Christ we find hope, and a new kind of understanding that gives us depth and insight into the Law.  How does our love for God as Person create a charitable love for one another as persons?  When you argue with someone, for instance, what is the temptation to call them names (as in Jesus' example of what puts us in danger of hell fire - Matthew 5:22)?   Do we simply exclude those who are not on "our side" from our capacity for compassion and treatment of them as persons?   Jesus calls us always to the awareness of the basic laws of love and relationship, and what it means that we, like God, are persons.  How do you work today to expand your understanding of that teaching?  How can we accept this ever-expanding doctrine of the New Covenant?

They had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

- Mark 6:47-56

Yesterday, we read that, after returning from their first mission, the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  The fourth watch of the night is about three o'clock in the morning.  In another recent reading, as they were on a stormy sea, Jesus asked the disciples, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  This time He's left them alone to cross the night sea by themselves, and they struggle against wind.  His assurance gives us to understand His presence with us, and the message that is there, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   Among the other astonishing things in today's reading, it may be perplexing to readers how the disciples fail to understand the divinity of Christ in the sign of the loaves in yesterday's reading, above.  My study bible tells us that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart -- and not merely the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it says, then they are open to receive His presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."  It is the center of who we are, where all comes together in our power of comprehension.  A hardened heart is one that is both unfeeling and uncomprehending;  compassion, for example, is also a form of understanding.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.  My study bible says that Christ permits miracles through touch in order to show that His very body is life-giving (see also the healing of the woman with the twelve-years blood flow, in this reading).

How do we understand things?  Why is it that the disciples still fail to understand about the loaves?  "Hard-heartedness" is a phrase that teaches us about what it means to truly comprehend, and it also teaches us about how we look at life.  There are a number of ways  in which we are capable of understanding things.  There is the intellect, but there is also compassion.  There is empathy.  There is a kind of emotional understanding.  Above, beyond, and in addition to these, there is a kind of perception of spiritual truth that gives us insight and discernment.  A part of the understanding of the heart involves our capacity to see and dignify the "personhood" of others.  Jesus tells the Pharisees, when they ask about easy divorce available to men under Mosaic Law, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept" (Mark 10:5).  In today's reading, this term is used to describe the disciples' unawareness of the evidence of Jesus' divinity in the sign of the multiplication of the loaves (see yesterday's reading).  There is a level at which faith and the heart intertwine.  Faith is an action of the heart, not only the intellect.  Faith is a key component to comprehension of certain kinds.  Jesus will frequently echo Isaiah (and numerous other Old Testament references) when He says, "For the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15).   In ascetic writings on prayer, the Orthodox tradition teaches that one should pray "with the mind in the heart."  Even modern psychology increasingly tells us that the intellect alone is not enough involvement of the whole person for healing from trauma of many kinds, and the development of new techniques for addressing various types of trauma is an unstoppable trend, with many components and directions evolving from it.   In today's reading, we're told that even Jesus' very body is life-giving; again, even the body stores intelligence and experience, and is a component in psychological healing.  From its inception, the Church has taught that our bodies are inseparable from soul and spirit; the great evil of a "fleshly" perception is precisely that separation, a root of "hard-heartedness."  The heart pulls all of this together, and becomes the place where God's love dwells, where grace is at work.  Those whose faith has given them any form of healing can testify to the depths at which God's love works to reach us when nothing else can.   That Twelve Step programs invoke reliance on a Higher Power is evidence of that.  What all of this signals to us is that the depths at which our faith is at work will open up our understanding of ourselves as human beings -- more importantly, as persons.  We are not merely intellectual beings propelling a body around as a kind of vehicle in the world.  Rather, all of the varied aspects of how we are created, the gifts with which we are endowed, intelligence that works in myriad ways, gives us capacity for perception that teaches us how much more to our own lives and persons there is than a "worldly" perspective may allow for. This center of a person that pulls all of those things together is what is called the heart in Scripture.  It is, perhaps most tellingly, the place where relationship and relatedness is truly centered -- which is why the heart is a place of prayer and desire.  The heart is also a place where we may nurture evil things that ally us with what is not good.  Jesus also teaches that "out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" (Matthew 15:19).  John's Gospel tells us that Jesus had many followers in response to particular signs in His ministry, but that "Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people" (John 2:24).  In fact, Jesus perceives what is in the heart without having to be told about it.  He is called the "heart-knower" in Acts 15:8, which uses a particular Greek word that encapsulates the concept (καρδιογνώστης).  All of this is to teach us that if we fail to involve the whole of ourselves in our faith, we are missing out on perception and intelligence.  If we fail to nurture our heart or to guard it properly, or to be aware of what we can hold onto that is not good for us, then we aren't guarding our true spiritual, emotional, mental, and intellectual health.  We might be blindsided in life by our attachments and prejudices, or the things we dwell upon which skew our proper perception and thinking, and take us away from good direction in life.  Let us think about the heart, and what it means to know the true center of ourselves.  The journey of faith is always right there as we move forward into its depths.

Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while

 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

- Mark 6:30-46

Yesterday, our reading began by reminding us of the first apostolic mission:  they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Now King Herod heard of Jesus, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.   Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  It is very interesting to me how often Mark's Gospel presents us with the successive events of a particular day, like little vignettes that give us glimpses into the lives of Christ and the disciples.  Here, Christ gives rest to His disciples.  My study bible says that He does so to show those engaged in preaching and teaching that they must not labor continuously, but that they must also take rest.  It reminds us that it's also in Mark's Gospel that Jesus teaches that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  Once again, Jesus' great popularity is made evident.  We note that here Jesus is moved with compassion.  His effort to find rest for Himself and the disciples is interrupted not by an attitude of ascetic labor or duty, but rather sincere compassion.  This beautiful description of the people who seek Him out, they were like sheep not having a shepherd, tells us everything about the need that Christ is responding to.  He responds as a good shepherd, by teaching them many things, for this is their true need.  My study bible says that Jesus is often moved with compassion (see also Matthew 14:14, 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13) teaches us that His power and authority are extended to those who suffer.

When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Tradition sees this miracle of feeding a great multitude of His people as an echo of the Lord's feeding of the Israelites in the desert (see Exodus 16).  It is also an image of the Eucharist introduced here in the middle of Christ's ministry, an idea we find expressed in John 6.  One interpretation of this passage teaches that the five loaves indicate the books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which are broken open in Christ and thereby feed the universe.  The two fish represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  My study bible adds a beautiful concept:  the gathering of the leftovers by the apostles shows that the teachings that the faithful are unable to grasp are nevertheless held in the consciousness of the Church.

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.   This particular event began with Jesus drawing the disciples aside for rest and for regrouping, to hear about their first mission on which they'd been sent out.  Here, He resumes His consistent return for rest in depth of prayer with our heavenly Father.  His example is for all of us -- as beginning and ending and punctuation of all our "works."

It's interesting to think about Christ's withdrawal to the mountain.  After all, He's in the world to bring His gospel message of salvation to all.  His work is healing, teaching, preparing His disciples to be apostles and to spread the mission of His Church in the world.  Some might wonder why He would even need to pray.  He's divine, after all, the only begotten Son of God.   Why, in the midst of this public ministry, would He need to withdraw alone to a mountain?  And why would He need to make such strong choices for seclusion and solitude in prayer?  Certainly this part of His ministry (as recorded for us in the Gospels) is a teaching for all of us.  If Jesus needs prayer, can you even imagine how much all of the rest of us need it?  What does Jesus get from this prayer?  Could it be a deeper relationship with the Father?  Does He get more firm in His purpose?  One thing we can remember is His struggle with temptation in the wilderness, a hallmark a the very first action of His ministry, right after His baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist, and the pronunciation by the Father that this is His beloved Son.  Mark tells us, "Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness" (see this reading). There, Jesus struggles with worldly temptations for the use of power, for glory, and for bypassing the Father's way, before embarking into the public for His ministry.  In all things, He responds by relying on the Father.  His solitude on the mountain teaches us that all the practices we can use to shore up our faith, to reinforce this ultimate reliance on God, are good for us.  If they are good for Christ, how much more do we need to do them?  Prayer is the way to re-orient ourselves to our faith, to purpose, to bring the rest of our troubles and conflicts for guidance and resolution.  Prayer roots us in the place where we draw the energies of mercy into our lives.  It builds up the pool of life we need to draw from.  Whatever we do, like Christ who has just performed one of the most spectacular signs of His divinity, we should begin and end with prayer.  Even if we need to put off the time when events are too pressing, we make time for this whenever possible. 

This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!

 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

- Mark 6:13-29

Yesterday, we read that Jesus went to His own country, Nazareth, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Today's reading includes this verse from yesterday's.  It sets the scene, and tells us about the spread of Jesus' ministry.  Not only has He become widely known and followed, but now even His disciples go out and are evidently sharing His power.  That is something for Herod to take notice of.

Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  My study bible says that the fact that Herod, with his wealth and soldiers, feared John, a man who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair, is a testament to both the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's perception of John.  John was held in highest esteem (Mark 11:32).   This is Herod Antipas, who will later play a role in the Passion of Christ.  His marriage to his still-living brother's wife was seen as a violation of Jewish Law.  It was widely perceived by the Jews, over whom Herod rules as king of Galilee for Rome, as a disparaging of their law and customs.  John the Baptist, in his role as prophet, has publicly criticized Herod for the marriage, and thus is in prison.

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.  The text gives us an image of the death of the prophet that tells us all about the kind of power wielded in this court, and the characters involved.  It's told in a kind of flashback, so that we understand Herod's disposition as he fears that John has returned in the person of Jesus.

The stage is set for the growing conflict between worldly power and authority and the ministry of Jesus Christ.  We know that the leadership of the temple is already hostile to Jesus.  Here we are given some insight about Herod Antipas, and his fear that Christ is John the Baptist returned from the dead.  It's interesting to notice how psychological the Gospels really are.  We're given to understand the growing envy and hostility of the religious leadership.  They think Christ is flaunting their rules and traditions.  Not only that, but He has publicly healed on a Sabbath knowing how closely they watched Him, and as a rebuke to their public positions.  Herod's character is rather childlike in certain aspects.  He makes a lavish oath in front of all his invited guests, which included the nobility, high officers, and socially high ranking people of Galilee.   For fear of the oath, and those present who witness, he does what Herodias' daughter asks -- a grave sin for which he is exceedingly sorry, but nevertheless complies.  He knows that John is a just and holy man, and so far he has protected him.  He also loves to listen to John, and heard him gladly.   Luke's Gospel tells us that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod when he learned Jesus was a Galilean, and that when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him (Luke 23:8).  But of course, Jesus doesn't answer Herod.  Herod in turn mocks and treats Christ with contempt when no miracle is produced.  A form of twisted guilt results in Herod's fears, and later his fast friendship with Pilate over the death of Christ.  We can see in Herod's character a fascination with the holy, but it is a sort of child's curiosity and one that seeks marvels.  It's not a deep desire for wisdom or holiness.  In a sense, these holy men seem for Herod to be an unusual entertainment, or perhaps a very rare sort of guest in his court.    In an overall view of the Gospels, we should see these hints of psychological makeup of various characters to be signs for us all, that our own psychology is going to be instrumental in how we approach the things of God, the holiness of Christ, the things that are sacred.  Are we just curious?  Are they intriguing because they are otherworldly?  Do we want to see signs and miracles?  This is not enough for faith, and we will eventually surely be disappointed unless there is a deeper and more mature capacity present in us for receiving Christ.  What the story illustrates is the wisdom in knowing our own flaws and weaknesses.   This is what repentance is all about.  It's about knowing yourself.  Confession in its earliest forms was for the same aim.  There is an ancient Greek aphorism, γνῶθι σεαυτόν/gnothi seauton, meaning "know thyself." It was one of the Delphic maxims and taught by Socrates.  But it retains its sense of spiritual importance in the tradition of Christian monasticism, the life of devotion to Christ.  We are first of all aware of our reliance on God, and our own imperfection.  We are all on a journey that teaches us about wakefulness, mindfulness and the call toward a deeper faith, taking steps closer to God in our own growth.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house

 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

- Mark 6:1-13

Yesterday, we read that after the encounter with the Gadarene demoniac, and when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, back to Capernaum, 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 her to eat.

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  Jesus goes to Nazareth in Galilee, the town where He was raised.  My study bible says that the double response of being both astonished and offended occurs frequently with the people who encounter Christ (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  The rejection of Christ in his own country, says my study bible, foreshadows His rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Jesus' brothers and sisters are His extended family, cousins and possibly children from an earlier marriage of Joseph.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  These twelve are His closest disciples (see this reading), who are now being sent out as apostles.  Disciple means "learner."  An apostle is "one sent out."  Jesus sends them out two by two, bestowing on them His power over unclean spirits.  We note the great humility in which they are instructed to carry out their journey, echoing a sense of the prophets of Israel (which we also have seen in John the Baptist):  they take no baggage for the journey, no supplies nor food, no coins.  They have the clothes on their backs and not much else.  This is a clear reliance on God.  Jesus' instruction not to change lodgings from the first house in which they've been welcomed is designed to avoid "trading up" to richer accommodations.   This is about who will receive and hear them, and who will not.  And for those who will not, their response is a simple one:  to shake off the dust under their feet as a testimony against them.  Judgment, we note quite clearly and strongly in Jesus' language, is God's purview, not theirs.

When the apostles are taught to shake the dust from their feet as a testimony, we are faced with a kind of curious reality that Christ gives us.  It has to give us pause.  It's so far out of what we consider to be "reality," or the ways that life works.  There is no confrontation here, and no argument.  They are not to resort to any form of coercion.  But rather, Judgment belongs to God.  They are to preach the good word, the gospel message.  They preached repentance, they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  It is, in fact, a mission of healing, this bringing near the kingdom of God.  But for those who reject, who do not receive, the message is simple:  a rebuke made in silence, by the gesture of shaking the dust from under their feet.  How do we understand this kind of message?  So much is on offer:  there is a whole world here, a universe, a cosmos -- the kingdom of heaven.  And yet, rejection is not met with insistence upon what they are losing.  Neither is it met with a kind of condemnation that brings its own punishment.  St. Paul reminds us of this instruction by Jesus, when he writes:  "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."  (Romans 12:19, Deuteronomy 32:35).  Jesus also gives us the perfect example of this teaching when He marvels at His hometown because of their unbelief.  We're told, "He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them."  Rejection is missing out, failing to reap the rewards of this Kingdom on offer.  But vengeance is part of Judgment, which belongs only to God.  This is the way that we have to understand life in the Kingdom and as a part of the world.  The prophetic message has always gone out, calling all back to God.  Through the Old Testament, the prophets speak, and are rejected, harmed, and killed.  They seek no vengeance; but the resulting effects of rejection are clear.  They reveal the mysterious power of the truth in the prophets words.  Where the Spirit is present, so is the Kingdom.  Christ brings salvation for all, and marvels at the unbelief He finds.  He will go to His Passion and Resurrection.  The Cross will always offer us a choice.  But we who live the Kingdom also seek to give our testimony.  There will be those who reject, whose unbelief remains solid.  Let us remember where God places us in this project of the good news.  We are to rely solely on Him, in the communion of saints in which He places us, the life of the Spirit, the love of Christ, the community of His Church.  This Kingdom is thereby with us wherever we go, even when we are rejected for its truths.  In one form or another, the saying that a prophet is not without honor except among His own is found in all four Gospels.  Let us take the message to heart, and follow His way as His faithful.  Let us remember that Christ brings the power of a mystical reality into the world.  It transcends all dimensions, and includes all of them.  Its rules are those we learn and live by in order to participate in His Kingdom.   Its power and healing are also what may be lost by those who cannot receive it.  Christ calls us outside of the box of our own worldly reality, just as prophets stand "outside" and call all back to God -- and are rejected by their own, even without honor.  We will always need to stretch to embrace our faith, both to repent of the old and to receive the new.

Do not be afraid; only believe

 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 her to eat.

- Mark 5:21-43

Yesterday, we read that after crossing a stormy Sea of Galilee, 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 all 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 see the faith put into Christ, even by someone well-known and respected, the ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum.  He makes a desperate plea for Christ to save his daughter's life.  This is a very public event, with a great multitude following Jesus which 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."  My study bible says that the healing of this woman demonstrates Christ's power to cleanse and heal.  In the Old Testament, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which meant impositions of religious and social restrictions.  Contact with blood was strictly forbidden (Leviticus 15:25).  But this woman, who accounted herself unclean, approached Christ in secret but with tremendous faith.  Jesus tells her, "Your faith has made you well."  We note that she comes before Him and confesses the whole truth.  This is the fullness of a person who, in faith, comes to the light.  She neither is able to hide her touch from Him, nor is excluded from Him because of her illness.  He also blesses her with peace -- and she is brought before all as a way of teaching others to imitate 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.  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 her to eat.  The power of life and death belongs to God alone; here is another sign of the divinity of Jesus Christ.  But more than that, it is a lesson in faith.  We note how carefully Jesus puts out those who ridicule His leadership in the situation -- and how carefully He creates and builds the faith of those for whom the situation is so dire, before the child is healed.

Today's reading gives us great lessons about faith.  It's important to know that the woman with the blood flow first approaches Christ with great faith.  Although she tries simply to touch His clothes, and to do so without His awareness, her faith is such that it makes the connection with Christ.  She is healed of the affliction, and He is aware that power has gone out of Him.  No matter what the circumstances, this result is a true fruit of her faith, a kind of testimony to the sort of faith she has.  And indeed, Jesus declares it:  "Your faith has made you well."  In a recent reading and commentary, we discussed the nature of betrayal or evil.  John's Gospel tells us, "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:20-21).  This woman is an example of one who comes to the light, that her deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  She makes a full confession to Him, before everyone else in that crowd, of what she's done.  We can think about faith, in addition, by the actions that surround Jairus and his family.  It's interesting that he's the ruler of the synagogue, and we contrast that with the women who, for an incredible twelve years, has been a kind of outcast and rendered as unclean.  (Just imagine her shame.)  And yet her faith is greater than his -- he needs to be buoyed and helped by Christ.  He needs to be shielded from the ridicule of those who surround him in his own home, including those who've come to wail and mourn.  Christ also brings those closest to Him among the disciples, the three of His closest inner circle, those whose faith is the strongest.  It teaches us the power of our own efforts at discipline and self-care in the pursuit of our own faith.  We needn't put ourselves in temptation's way by surrounding ourselves or engaging those who are going to tear it down or ridicule it.  Rather, faith needs nurturing, shoring up, our utmost capacity to seek out and accept help.  These are messages to us from the Gospel today, and we need to take them seriously, and determine exactly what our goals are, and why faith is important to our lives and the outcomes in life.  Let us know the rock we stand on, with eyes wide open and discerning.

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 all 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 after a day spent teaching in parables, when evening had come, Jesus said to 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.  Jesus and the disciples have come across a stormy Sea of Galilee, to the "other side."  This is an area in Galilee with many Gentiles who live among the Jews.  The Gentile influence in this story (the raising of the swine) is clear.  These are Jews who have taken on Gentile practices.  The raising of swine was forbidden by the Law (Deuteronomy 14:8).

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.   We're always struck by the extreme isolation of this man.  He lives in the tombs, among the dead -- not in community among the living.  He's wild and uncivilized, frequently bound with shackles and chains which can't hold him.  He pulls apart the chains and breaks the shackles in pieces.  He is untamable, according to the text.  But the soul of the man knows Jesus, and falls down before Him (the word translated as worshiped means to prostrate oneself, as in a position of worship).  But the unclean spirit speaks; the spirit's name is Legion, for they are many who are tormenting this man.

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 all 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.  In the Jewish perspective, the swine are unclean animals.   Some commentators see these swine-herders as Gentiles, but tradition generally sees them as apostate Jews.  Their own response to Jesus affirms a sense of a broken spirituality:  they care more about the lost income from the swine than the restoration and healing of the man who was possessed by the legion.  They beg Christ 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 was a Greek-speaking region of ten cities, of mixed populations of Gentiles and Jews.  The restored man is no longer isolated, wild, and abandoned to the tombs.  He becomes, in effect, a type of evangelist, witnessing to the great things the Lord has done for him. 

 The extreme isolation of this man tells us about his tremendous loneliness.  He's "occupied" by a legion of demons, an invading army, so to speak, of a hostile power.  The violence with which he's afflicted, and his out of control life, teach us about the destructiveness of this demonic influence (as does the mass suicide of the 2,000 swine).  But when Christ appears, the man immediately prostrates himself before Him, an act of adoration, of worship, and of obedience and loyalty.  His Savior has found him.  It's an awe-inducing thought to consider that Christ has led the disciples on this mission across the stormy night sea to come here to this man deserted by community and besieged by a host of demons.  In Tuesday's reading, Jesus taught, "Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother."  This man abandoned to the tombs finds community, even family, in Christ.  Christ is not only Liberator and Redeemer, freeing him from a legion of demons, but He's also the true Leader, the One who can bring this man back into community with a purpose and with belonging.  The formerly demon-possessed man doesn't just return to his friends, as Christ told him to do, but he returns with a mission, a part of something, a witness to the great things the Lord has done for him.  In that sense he's been "sent out," like the apostles will be.  The people marvel in response to his testimony, and through him more are brought to Christ.  If we think about this story in a modern context, we can find great parallels to mental illness.  Perhaps above all, we may come to understand the extreme isolation that comes with such affliction or with the pain of abandonment in many forms.  Christ as Lord, in His healing ministry, becomes a center that draws all into community and relationship.  The power of His love is the overriding energy that no other force can match.  My study bible tells us that this story demonstrates several things.  First, people are protected under God's providence -- otherwise, the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine.   It teaches us the great value of human beings to God.  It also shows us that demons have no power over creation, but are subject to the will of God, as they could only enter the swine at Christ's command.  But the restoration of this man is the great story of Christ as the One who comes to save, and to build His Church -- to establish a depth of relationship through faith.  There is no more profound call to wholeness than one of belonging and community.   In God's love is the capacity for restoration, whether we speak of abandonment or trauma or any other kind of desolation.   There is no more powerful remedy to isolation, because grace reaches deep into the places that need healing in ways that nothing else -- no other force, human or otherwise -- can go.  It is our Creator who gives to us a greater and deeper sense of community than the one that was lost to begin with (see Psalm 27:10).