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

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 not 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

In yesterday's reading, we that when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side (after healing a demoniac in the country of the Gadarenes), 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.  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."    My study bible points out the double response of being both astonished and offended, and that this occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ (Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).   Jesus' rejection in his own country foreshadows His rejection by the nation at His trial before Pilate, my study bible adds (John 19:14-15).  Let us recall also that "brothers" even still today across the Middle East, can be used to refer to stepbrothers or cousins, extended family.  Jesus' statement that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country . . ." is so significant that it is found in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).

Now He could do not 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.  We note the significance of unbelief of all but a few people in Nazareth.  This is not a statement about Jesus' lack of power, but rather about the role faith plays in the use of that power.  My study bible comments that while grace is always offered to all, only those who receive it in faith obtain its benefits.

 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.   We note that Jesus began to send them out two by two; this information is found here in Mark's Gospel, but is reflected Matthew's Gospel, where their names are listed in pairs (Matthew 10:1-4), perhaps indicating who traveled with whom.   We note Jesus' instructions:  their mission is like His.  They must travel in humility, without many possessions or ostentatious appearance.  They must stay with whomever first welcomes them, and not "trade up" for better accommodations after they are more well-known.  Jesus invests His own power in these men, and it is a power that works against the effects of evil, the force of the evil one.  We also note the effects of bringing the kingdom and its power close by:  they will shake off the dust under their feet as a testimony against those who will not receive nor hear them, for the day of judgment.   We also note that they have been sent to preach that people should repent.  This is a preaching of the practice of reorientation toward the kingdom of heaven.

And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.   To cast out demons is a sign of rejection of that which is against the kingdom of heaven.  My study bible adds that anointing the sick with oil hasn't simply medicinal value but sacramental value.  It notes that as God's healing power is bestowed through creation (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9, 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15, 19:11-12), so oil is a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).  

One thing important to note is the sharing of Christ's power with His creation.  Not only is His power shared with His disciples/apostles, but my study bible also points out how that power may also be conveyed through other elements of creation, such as holy oil for anointing and chrismation.  From the earliest years of the Church, as reported in the Acts of the Apostles, we observe this faith.  The citations in the paragraph above, from both Old and New Testaments, also attest to the long history of this belief (such as in the story of the effects of the bones of Elisha in 2 Kings 13:21).  So what are we in the modern world of science and technological development to make of this long history of faith in this effective power made manifest through elements of creation?   Either we are going to accept that we also consist of spirit and not simply matter, or decide to ignore the existence of spirit altogether.  From a wholistic perspective, there are many layers of substance to a human being.  Body, soul, and spirit are inseparable.  We know from human experience what personal illness can mean in our lives, that it is so often not just a matter of battling illness of the flesh, but also the corresponding psychological and spiritual ailments that may accompany that struggle and be part and parcel of it.  The psychological or spiritual aspects occur not simply as reaction to the possibilities of physical suffering, but quite often psychological, spiritual, and physical illness are inseparable and may co-occur at many varying degrees of seriousness.  In fact, any one of these aspects may affect another:  it is not necessarily clear which comes first.  What we do understand -- even in a modern scientific perspective -- is the interaction and inseparability of all of these parts of ourselves.  Modern scientific studies frequently cite the influence of the physical upon the psychological (such as the effect of deficiencies of nutrients or chemicals made by the body, or the study of genetic differences and mutations that may contribute even to psychological or physical diseases).  We also know well the influence of psychological ailments upon the body, such as how depression may affect the immune system (see this article).  But where does the spiritual come into it?  If science can tell us of the interaction of psychology and the material body, then why not assume that a corresponding spiritual reality -- which science simply cannot and does not study -- also interacts with us on all these levels, and also may do so with elements of creation such as we read about in Scripture?  There are studies about the efficacy of prayer on disease, showing positive results, but science cannot presume spiritual cause, simply because "it just doesn't go there."  That said, it would be a poor scientist indeed, and very poor science, that assumes that what has seemingly been proven is all that exists, and that there is nothing more to life.  Through the lives of saints and mystics, and the testimony of Scripture compiled literally through thousands of years of human experience, we know the interaction of the spiritual life within ourselves and in our world.  Through prayer and other experience, we come to understand the role that faith plays in our lives.  We also know fully that in this spiritual realm we have the freedom to reject that faith.  The casting out of demons, and the role of the demonic as reflected so far in nearly every incident of Mark's Gospel, tell us an important part of the story of the spiritual:  that as far as our faith is concerned, even beings that are purely spiritual may reject the faith in Christ that is preached here.  And so, as human beings -- and even for every element of this created world -- we are somehow caught in the middle of such a spiritual choice.  We either choose to be connected to this faith, or not.  The question is really what role that plays in our lives, and how it interacts with us, with our decisions and influences.  Even the recognition of evil plays an important role in what our lives are like.  Far from the simplistic assumption that "blaming the devil" results in a lack of responsibility and true seeking of causes of ailments that plague our world on every level (such as injustice, for example), a recognition of this free will choice and the presence of evil does the opposite:  it makes it more clear what role our own choices and responsibilities play at our deepest root level of consciousness.  Why is humility so important for these disciples?  Why does holy power work best through those willing to give up a materialistic perspective on the things of this world, self-aggrandization, and self-centeredness?  How does a life consecrated to service to God work not only to bring this power of the kingdom of heaven close by, but also create effective help for human beings?   Moreover, how does the power of repentance, a simple reconsideration of our outlook or attitude or habit, constitute an opening up to what is better, and transcendent realities of love and mercy that may manifest through our own capacity for spiritual change?  These are mysteries that can only open up through our positive capacity for receptiveness to faith "that moves mountains" (Mark 11:23).  This is not about magic, but rather about the capacity for the holy to manifest itself in creation.  It is about the kingdom of heaven and where it belongs, and about our choices to receive that kingdom within ourselves.  Let us consider what it means to be wholly and truly healthy -- body, soul, and spirit -- and what that takes and means for our lives.  It may conflict with a certain modern point of view, but it cannot be denied by science, only affirmed through studies of the lives of the faithful.