Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"

 

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house.

 

- Mark 3:7–19a 

 

On Saturday, we read that it happened that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  My study Bible comments that Jesus withdrew both because the Pharisees were planning to destroy Him (see yesterday's reading, above) -- although it was not time for Him to die -- and also in order to preach in other places.  

And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  Note Christ's popularity at this point in His ministry, already so great that He's in danger of being crushed by the multitude.  Surely His growing popularity was not lost on the Pharisees who already plot against Him.  

And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  Once again, St. Mark emphasizes that the demons know who Christ is, the Son of God (see also Mark 1:25).  Once again, my study Bible notes that Christ's desire to keep His identity hidden as Messiah is foreseen by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  Among the reasons for secrecy are the growing hostility of the religious leaders (the Pharisees already have begun to plot against Him with the Herodians), the people's misunderstanding and expectations of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader, and finally in the midst of their clamor for healing, He wishes to evoke faith among the people not based solely on marvelous signs.  

 

 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house.  My study Bible comments that terms "disciples" and "apostles" are frequently used interchangeably for these twelve who are called by Christ, and appointed by Him.  Disciple means "learner," and apostle means "one sent out" as these will be.  Jesus also appoints them to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.  While Christ casts out demons, heals, and performs miracles by His own power, He gives to the disciples this power.  My study Bible comments that the names of these Twelve are not the same in all lists, because many people had more than one name.  At Mark 6:7 we read that they were sent out two by two, while in Matthew's Gospel the names are given in pairs, suggesting who may have traveled with whom (Matthew 10:1-4).

 

The commentary on the different names for the Twelve is quite interesting.  It becomes even more intriguing to think about what we might call nicknames or second, special names given by Christ to those who are closest to Him.  The one who will become known for his faith (and also for his failures) is Simon, whom we know as St. Peter.  The text tells us that Simon is the one to whom He gave the name Peter.  Our English name Peter comes from the Greek word Πετρος/Petros, which means a "stone."  This name has both a serious and perhaps is also a fond play on words, because from our Gospel stories we also know Peter as the one who, at the Last Supper, swore he would go to prison and even die with Christ before betraying Him (Luke 22:31-34), but following Christ's arrest, was so terrified of being identified as a follower that he denied Christ three times (Luke 22:54-62).  Yet, Peter nonetheless had the faith to return to Christ, and was clearly forgiven.  Such was his faith that we know he fulfilled Christ's prophecy for him, dying for Christ as a martyr to the faith following the period of his leadership among the apostles (see John 21:15-19).  James and John Zebedee here are said to have been given the name "Sons of Thunder" by Jesus.  Once again, we might note a possible double meaning in this name, perhaps affectionately given by Christ to His good friends.  In St. Luke's Gospel, we're told that at one point Jesus and the disciples pass through a village of Samaritans who refuse to receive them, because Jesus at that time is set to go toward Jerusalem.  These brothers, the "Sons of Thunder," upon seeing this, ask Jesus, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  Jesus must turn and rebuke them in turn, saying, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them" (see Luke 9:51-55).  But as the early Church unfolded under the leadership of these apostles, James became the first bishop of Jerusalem, and was then the first to be martyred among the Twelve, executed by sword by King Herod (Acts 12:1-2).  John would go on to live a long life of struggle and exile, but producing five books of the New Testament:  the Gospel of John, three Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation.  This is indeed another fulfillment of their name, "Sons of Thunder," both in preaching and boldness, in their courage and the profound contribution of the written word by John.  Moreover, John would become the one to whom Christ entrusted the care of His mother, calling him her son in His stead (John 19:26).  These three given the special names reported here in Mark's Gospel are also significant in the sense that they would form Christ's inner circle during His ministry, called to accompany Him at particular moments, perhaps due to the fact that their faith was the strongest (see Mark 5:36-37, 9:2, 14:32-34).  Together, the three of them form what is called His "inner circle."  What we see in these special names tells us things which are significant for our faith.  First of all, they give us a sense that in Christ's sight, each one of us has an identity that is particular, and to which we are called, within which we are seen fully with both our contradictions and potentials for growth in His light.  Each of these three would fulfill the prophecy inherent in the name given to them, and yet each also would notably fail at times to do so, as recorded for us in the Gospels.  These names teach us that Christ knows us personally and intimately, and that while we may be called to become an integral part of a community of His followers, learners, and even perhaps apostles, we are each also known within that community as individuals.  Christ sees with the eyes of love, and so these names also reflect that love and care, and perhaps even His deep and affectionate humor and correction for our flaws.  One thing is certain, that they give us a sense of how well we are known, and that we are loved despite our failures and need to learn and to grow.  Let us remember this gift of the personal that teaches us so much about who we are in Christ's sight and how we are loved.  Let us know how and by Whom we are called.  For our saints exemplify in each one how we are called to identity, uniquely and specifically, and yet serving the One.

New wine must be put into new wineskins

 

 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

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

 

- Mark 2:13–22 

 

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

 

Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Let us note that at this stage, Jesus is well-enough known so that He teaches by the sea, where a multitude can gather to Him and be taught.  Levi is also called Matthew, and is the author of the Gospel that bears his name.  My study Bible explains that Roman overlords assigned specific areas to Jewish tax collectors, who were then free to collect extra revenues for their own profit.  Their collaboration with the occupying Romans, their fraud, and their corruption, my study Bible says, caused other Jews to hate them and to consider them to be unclean (Matthew 11:19).  Here Jesus was dining with them, and also had accepted a tax collector, Levi/Matthew, as His disciple ("Follow Me").  This is offensive to the Pharisees.  But Jesus' defense is simple:  He goes where the need of a physician is the greatest.  In Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 9:13), Jesus quotes from Hosea 6:6 in His reply, telling them,  "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."  My study Bible tells us that this is not a rejection of sacrifice per se, but it shows that mercy is a higher priority (see Psalm 51).

 

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."  Jews would typically fast twice a week, my study Bible notes (Luke 18:12), on Monday and Thursday.  Additionally, there were public fasts which were regularly observed or occasionally proclaimed (2 Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 8:21; Esther 4:16; Joel 2:15), especially on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31-34) and in times of mourning (Zechariah 7:5, 8:19).  But, in contrast to this, the day of the Messiah was seen as a wedding feast; that is, as a time of joy and gladness.  Jesus here is proclaiming that day, and declaring Himself to be the Messiah/Bridegroom.  The Church continued with its own fasting practices, but this fasting is not seen as gloomy but desirable, a "bright sadness" in the words of my study Bible, because by fasting Christian gain self-control and prepare themselves for the Wedding Feast to come.  The old garment and old wineskins stand for the Old Covenant and the Law, viewed as imperfect and temporary; the new wineskins are the New Covenant and those in Christ.  The new wine is the Holy Spirit dwelling within renewed people, my study Bible says, who cannot be constrained by the old precepts of the Law.

 

 It's interesting that Jesus makes a more or less open declaration that He is the Messiah, or the Bridegroom, in today's reading.  This is the second confrontation with religious leaders in Mark's Gospel; the first occurred in yesterday's reading, when Jesus confronted some scribes regarding His ability to forgive sins -- which is also a priority belonging only to God.  What Jesus is essentially saying to them, couched within disagreement and confrontation, is that the fullness of time has come (just as He said at the beginning of His public ministry, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel" - Mark 1:15).  This is the opportune time, what we view as the "center" of history, in which the Bridegroom is present with His people.  But today's reading also tells us something very important, which has already been established in Mark's Gospel and is reinforced here:  the Bridegroom comes as Physician, as Healer -- and this is His expression of compassion.  It enforces the words quoted from Hosea and noted in Matthew's Gospel:  "I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."  Jesus brings a distinct shift into the picture, as mercy becomes more strongly paired with what it is to counter sin and the corruption of the world.  Let us note that in the Old Testament perspective, the constant sacrifices in the temple were meant to be a way to counter the problem of sin in the world, and of its effects on communities as a constant presence.  But Jesus brings a distinctive understanding of healing as part of this correction for what is wrong in the world, and the component of compassion as righteousness.  This is also the announcement of a new day, the time of the Messiah, and the fullness or completeness of the time in which this manifests in the world.   The symbolism of the new wine and new wineskins is a promise of the Holy Spirit which will be poured out upon the world, God's presence available to all as indwelling.  It is this sense in which St. Paul writes that we are each a temple of God, and quotes from the prophecy of Ezekiel:  "I will dwell in them and walk among them.  I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).  And all of this is in a context of mercy and of healing, of setting aright a world that has been corrupted by sin, in which humankind suffers.  In the Old Testament, we find references in the Prophets to the New Covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-34,Ezekiel 36:24-28, Joel 2:28-32).  So the notion of the New Covenant would not be something strange to the ears of the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus addresses.  But possibly they are not prepared for what that looks like, as Jesus sits at table with tax collectors and other sinners, as well as other "friends of the bridegroom" who do not fast while the Bridegroom is with them.  The secret key to unlocking this understanding is in Christ as Physician and Healer, the One who sets aright, who calls all to repentance, and makes His covenant with those who accept His gospel.  For those new wineskins must be able to make room for expansion, for those who will continue to come to Him.  Let us keep in mind that both stories in today's reading involve hospitality, sitting at table, a very important notion throughout the Old Testament, but also in Christianity.  Jesus will give us parables about hospitality, about the importance of inviting those who cannot pay us back (see, for instance, Luke 14:7-24).   In this setting it is who sits at the same table with Him, and why, that really matters.