Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 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, upon 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.    My study Bible comments that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading).  The first time He was with them; here He had left them alone.  In this way, my study Bible says, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated to "I Am" (in the Greek of the Septuagint and the New Testament Εγω ειμι/Ego eimi).  This is the divine Name of God (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  In this way. He reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

 

 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  The loaves refers to the feeding in the wilderness, as reported in yesterday's reading (see above).  My study Bible comments on this verse that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not merely the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it says, they are open to receive God's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."

 

 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.   Here Jesus and the disciples return back across the Sea of Galilee again, to an area near their "home base" of Capernaum, known for its abundance of fishing and agriculture.  (Gennesaret means "Garden of the Prince.") Thus, the people recognized Him.  My study Bible notes that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving.  See also Mark 5:25-29.

 

 It's interesting that Jesus and the disciples go to a place called Gennesaret, which means "Garden of the Prince" (or possibly "Princely Gardens").  As mentioned above, this area on the Sea of Galilee was well-known for its exceptional fertility in both fishing and agriculture.  Such great abundance seems present in the action of the people in receiving Jesus.  We're told that they ran through that whole surrounding region, even carrying on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  This is not Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, in which He was rejected such that even He marveled, and could do no "mighty works" because of their unbelief (see Tuesday's reading).  This is not the country of the Gadarenes, where the people beg Jesus to leave, so frightened are they at the healing of a man with a legion of demons, while their herd of swine perished running to their deaths (see Saturday's reading).  Here in this fertile "garden of the Prince" the entire region produces a tremendous harvest of faith.  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.  That "as many as touched Him were made well" is a sign that faith was strong and prevalent, because it is faith that allows Jesus to heal, that enables His power to work in human beings.  It's interesting that the Gospels unveil small secrets to us like this one hidden in the meaning of the word that is the title of this region on the Sea of Galilee.  Nothing seems to be included by accident, and, once again, like the mustard seed, the tiniest detail tells us a great part of a story.  We can contrast this response in Gennesaret with the fear of the apostles while they were on the water and in the midst of the storm.  Once again, let us remember that at least four of these men (which included those who would become leaders among them) were fishermen by trade, who grew up operating on the Sea of Galilee.  But at the fourth watch of the night (that is, approximately 3:00 AM), with the wind against them, and having a vision of Jesus walking on the water, all kinds of things may happen.  It is just the time and circumstance when our fears might be most exacerbated.  In the chaos of a storm and the darkness of the tumultuous waters raised by the wind against them, fears are going to be heightened to the extent that even Christ coming to us may seem like a frightening sight.  Jesus tells them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  "Be of good cheer" is the translation of a word that means to take heart, to be brave, to have courage.  For this is what Christ's presence radiates to us, and His strength that is necessary for us.  Clearly St. Mark, the author of the Gospel, wants to emphasize the disciples own lack of faith at work here, for he tells us they were "hard-hearted."  That is, they had not opened their hearts to the understanding of the miracle of the loaves and fishes.  Somehow the hardened heart is involved in both lacking courage and the failure of faith.  So let us take confidence in Him when we have fears, and faith that we might produce abundance of spiritual fruit; for this is the promise of the Prince, our Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 3:7-19 

 

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

 

  But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.   My study Bible notes that Jesus withdrew both because the Pharisees were planning to destroy Him (though it was not time for Him to die; see Saturday's reading, above) and also in order to preach in other places.  Once again we note Christ's urge to secrecy regarding His identity which the unclean spirits know; 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.  These men are to be His chosen disciples (that they might be with Him), and also His apostles (that He might send them out to preach).  These two terms are used interchangeably for the twelve.  Disciple means "learner," and apostle means "one sent out."  Jesus gave them power to perform miracles, my study Bible says, while He performed them by His own power.  The names of the Twelve are not the same in all lists, for many people had more than one name.  

 

We notice how Christ's ministry unfolds.  A great multitude now follows Christ from all over the territories where Jews live in the region: from Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon.  These are Jewish territories such as Judea and Jerusalem, places of mixed populations like Galilee, and also Gentile territories of Tyre and Sidon.   These come to Him and have all heard of Him and the things He does; His reputation now means His very life is threatened with all those who crowd in simply to touch Him.  It also seems to be getting harder to keep His messianic identity secret, as the demons reveal who He is when they cry out.  All of this is happening at the same time the religious authorities grow more hostile to Him and plan to destroy Him, together with the Herodians (see yesterday's reading, above).  The Herodians are the supporters of Herod's regime, which is nominally Jewish but rules for Rome.  So the state power now also has taken notice of Him.  Amidst this mixed bag of responses to Christ's ministry, Jesus takes a bold step forward.  He goes up on a high mountain, indicating an encounter with God, and a signal that nothing Jesus does is without the close and prayerful collaboration with God the Father, and He unfolds a new movement within His ministry.  His growing popularity seemingly becomes a signal that it is time to spread, or perhaps more significantly, to share His power and distribute it (as eventually the Eucharist will be distributed).  From among His disciples He chooses twelve.  Significantly, of course, this is the number of the tribes or patriarchs of Israel.  These twelve will live with Him (and thereby be His disciples, learning everything from Him at close quarters), and eventually be sent out on missions by Him, carrying His word and -- again significantly -- His power out into the world.  It would seem at this point to go without saying that wherever Christ power extends, wherever His name and His reputation become known, there also opposition will spring up as well.  This remains true today as it was then, and we should take it as a given as a part of the Church.  For, as we can see, despite the opposition, Jesus presses on, and so this is His mission.  He continues to expand.  It's notable to understand, as my study Bible remarks, that Jesus shares His power with His chosen disciples (who become also apostles).  That is, my study Bible noted that Jesus used His power to perform His miracles, and whatever the disciples will do, it is through Christ sharing or distributing His power through them.  Also included in today's lectionary reading is a passage from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians.  St. Paul speaks of his coming to Corinth, and writes, "But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?" (1 Corinthians 4:19-21).  Here St. Paul's letter seems to affirm for us this property of power -- shared by Christ -- as being the true marker of the kingdom of God.  In the case of what Christ distributes to the disciples who will become apostles, the emphasis is more on the authority He conveys to them to have power to command the demons to be cast out of those whom they afflict, but the effect of the two statements is the same.  There is a power to the word that St. Paul alludes to, and it is not merely in the repetition of words or the statements people make.  It is something -- just like the authority Christ gives to the apostles -- which carries the Kingdom with it.  Let us ponder this authority and power -- and the palpable presence of the Kingdom -- as we continue through Lent, and prepare for Easter and Resurrection ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He who has ears, let him hear!

 

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued speaking with the scribes and Pharisees who demanded a sign from Him.  He said,  "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."   But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

 

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear!"  My study Bible comments here that, in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5; Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14), because this was part of daily life.  These are things with which all people were familiar.  Here, Jesus is revealing Himself as the promised Messiah, who is the sower in the earth, the One foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

 

Here is a turning point in Christ's ministry, and we can see that it comes as He now speaks to great multitudes.   What is the direction of this "turning point?"  It's quite interesting that He begins speaking in parables.  That is, He's telling a story about His story, about His ministry, but it's up to those who hear to understand and receive what they can from this story, this parable.  Jesus says, "He who has ears, let him hear!" echoing warnings known to the people from the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 6:9-10; Ezekiel 3:27; Jeremiah 5:21; Deuteronomy 29:4).  If we follow closely the events of Christ's ministry, Jesus has just been responding to a demand from the scribes and Pharisees that He produce a miracle on demand, in order to prove His identity.  They have demanded a "sign" from Him (see Saturday's reading).  Before that, they accused Him of casting out demons (performing exorcism) by the power of the ruler of the demons (see Friday's reading).  So, after Jesus condemned this request, saying, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks  after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah," and claiming that others who come from outside Israel will rise in judgment against them, Jesus has responded not with trying to appease these religious rulers who now seek to destroy Him, but by doing the opposite.  He now expands His ministry to the great multitudes who come to listen, and He does so not through explicit signs or even teachings, but through the introduction of preaching in parables.  It is perhaps hint, in hindsight, that Christ already senses that His message, His gospel of the Kingdom, will be taken to peoples far and wide, and not simply to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Parables are described as "word-pictures" by my study Bible, stories which reveal spiritual truth.  But they do this in a way that is hidden, not obvious.  The Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb," my study Bible says.  So, in listening to parables, people must be receptive to the hidden truths or mysteries that are revealed in them, in order to perceive what Christ is offering.  Hence, His command, "He who has ears, let him hear!"  Christ's seemingly paradoxical response to the demand for a sign by the scribes and Pharisees comes to us as an affirmation of our own need to truly desire what He offers, for He is not simply in the world to compel anyone to love Him, but to put out a call of love and faith, seeking those who can hear and respond.  We are used to being spoon-fed truths, so to speak, through platforms and international media.  But in a world of constantly competing information vying for our attention, Jesus still calls.  He remains the Sower, sowing the seeds of His gospel, and longs for those who will respond, and produce the fruits of the good harvest He desires. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my Father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  

 

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 

- Matthew 8:18-27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had come down from the mountain (where He preached the Sermon on the Mount) great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." 

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  My study Bible comments that, since the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it expresses both His humanity and His divinity.  Here it's a reference to Christ's human condition, but in Matthew 25:31-33 it describes Christ's divine authority.  

 

 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my Father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  My study Bible tells us that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but rather is teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as the highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead.  

 

 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  Christ's mastery over creation is yet another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  My study Bible explains that commands to the sea and waves can only be given by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 65:5-6; 107:29).  That He was asleep shows His humanity, for as a human being, he needed rest.  In His Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, of which sleep is one.  My study Bible adds that this image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  It says that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul. 

 

 We would all like to be in that boat with Christ when we are in a storm, or in a tempest of trouble.  When calamity strikes in our lives, it would be wonderful to think of Jesus asleep in the boat, or in our boat, so to speak.  But we have Christ with us through our prayers, and the Holy Spirit who will testify of Christ, not speaking "on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" and will "take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 15:26; 16:13-15).  So, even though it may feel like Christ is sleeping in terms of His awareness of what we go through, and that we are like the disciples who want to shout, "We are perishing!" He is nevertheless with us.  While Christ's miracles are extraordinary and instantaneous, it seems that often we must have patience in dealing with our own difficulties.  It seems that prayer allows us to call upon help, to shore up strength, but when it accompanies difficulties we are in a place where we can't see the next step ahead of us.  Then is the time we put confidence in God, so to speak.  We do all that we can, explore all the ways we might solve or understand what we're going through, and with forbearance find that we simply await the next step that might come to us.  Often it seems that prayer works through time, that the help we don't see today will unfold without our being in control or even aware of it.  We always have Christ's admonition to the disciples to recall, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Over and over again in the Gospels, Jesus reminds us, "Do not fear."  We have recently finished reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus counsels us not to magnify our anxieties, fears, and worries (see this reading).  Perhaps our greatest anxieties come from the feeling and the knowledge that we are not in control of everything in our lives, and that extends of course to the lives of others whom we care about.  It's possible that modern life gives us much more of a sense of control than our forbears had, with new technologies, medicines, and development that seems to remind us of our power to build solutions to problems.  It may give us a sense that human life can be perfected in material terms.  But when we put our confidence in Christ, we have another kind of assurance, which comes from our orientation and communion with Him.  The Gospels teach us of His love, and of the transcendent reality of God with us.  God does not ask us to choose between the material things that are helpful to us and our faith, but rather asks us to put our faith first and let that define and shape how we live our lives in the world and relate to the world, how we use our resources and for what.  Seek first the kingdom of God, as Christ taught when He preached against excess anxiety and worry, as those don't do a lot to help us when we need it.  It's perhaps ironic that modern developments seek to help control and solve problems in ways that weren't possible in the past, and yet anxieties and stresses may be the most common problems of the developed world.  For whatever era or place we live, let us think of Christ on the boat.  Even led by His presence, He does not lead the disciples away from problems and difficulties.  He leads them through them.  As my study Bible tells us, it is to teach us to call upon God in our own storms, not to promise a life without struggles.  We won't be judged by how "perfect" our lives are, but how we live with imperfection.  For this is what our faith is for.  In the first part of our reading, we learn that even the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.   In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul contrasts the state of the apostles with others, "And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now" (1 Corinthians 4:12-13).  "We live in a world in which we are caught in a type of wilderness where there is good and bad, beauty and heartbreak, difficulties and grace.  Let us pursue God's grace, and rest in our faith, learning more deeply what that means for us and how to live it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?

 

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

 

- Mark 4:35-41 

 

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

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  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!"  My study Bible explains that the Lord's mastery over creation is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  Commands to the sea can only be given by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 65:5-6, 107:29).  It notes that Jesus was asleep because, as a man, he needed rest.  In Christ's Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, including sleep.  Additionally, this image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is a traditional one used to illustrate the Church.  My study Bible remarks that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Jesus' rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of Christ's calming the tempests in the human soul.  

My study Bible comments that Christ's  rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in our souls.  Such a commentary makes it clear that "tempests" are the stuff of life within all of our collective experiences, and thus we should think about how we bring them to the Church, to Christ.  If we all experience these upheavals, times when we're afraid, when we don't know what is going to happen next or what the outcome will be, then we all have times when our faith is tested and our trust in Christ becomes, at least in some sense, challenged.  The disciples ask Jesus (who is asleep on a pillow), "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  This is clearly a time of the testing of their faith, as their challenge to Jesus expresses.  Doesn't He care?  Doesn't our Lord care if we perish?   But this question phrased in this way in the Gospel indicates something much deeper than human physical death, for this word is quite often used for a deeper, eternal death, a spiritual death.  It's also translated as to destroy or to annihilate, a certain death.  So, if we hear this question posed to Christ on those terms, we can most certainly say with confidence that Christ cares indeed about whether or not we will perish in an eternal or spiritual sense, because it is for this reason that He has come into the world, to save us all in this sense.  And perhaps, this is what we should think about when we think of perishing, and the tempests of life.  For the times of the testing of our faith don't really rest so much upon the outcome to our physical life conditions in this world, but the spiritual ones.  Do we come out of harrowing times with resentment toward God, or a detachment, or with a lack of faith?  These are the questions that seem more pertinent than whether or not we suffer in some sense that is physical, for all of us have expectations that we one day will die in the human, mortal sense.  While life in this world is indeed precious, and is given to us and created by God for us to cherish and cultivate, there's a deeper death implied in the word to "perish," and that's particularly true of the Greek word from which it's translated (ἀπόλλυμι/apollymi).  It's also the root word used to name "the Destroyer" or the angel of the bottomless pit in Revelation 9:11.   So, we may ask, does Christ care if we are perishing?  And most certainly and emphatically the answer to that question is "yes."  He will die on the Cross to save us from that permanent, eternal spiritual death.  But in the reading, Jesus asks the disciples, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  In some sense, we can also understand that there are times in life we're given this experience of some sort of "storm" so that we strengthen our faith through it.  Relying on Christ, on prayer, on help from other faithful in the Church, becomes a way of learning and growing in dependence upon Christ through our fear, teaching us more about resilience and endurance, and even how our faith works through difficult circumstances.  So, in this context, the disciples will learn about facing the tempests which are yet to come to them, when they will go out into the world and preach the gospel, and brave persecutions of all kinds.  Oftentimes we may find that it is through difficult circumstances that our faith becomes deeper, teaching us not only about resiliency under duress, but even the creative potentials hidden to us that become revealed through persistent faith, to see a light in the tunnel, a path forward, a way to resolve something which remains a blessed sense of life and its continuity.  Frequently, outcomes may not be what we hoped for or expected, but faith leads to a different path that turns out to be one filled with light, one we had not expected nor understood before the storm and testing.  A persistent faith in facing a difficult situation may frequently produce unforeseen solutions and new ways of thinking to learn.  So Christ's faith works in us, and His powerful care remains active, even when He seems to be asleep or missing to us.  As human beings, these form our common experiences, for we are so often weak and at the mercy of forces beyond our personal control.  We can either put faith in the power of control, or faith in Christ who teaches us what is possible for us.  So often our choices seem to come down to that, a basic dichotomy that poses to us the very question of the reality of our existence and what foundation life is based on.  Where will you put your trust?

And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop

 

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

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

'Seeing they may see and not perceive,

And hearing they may hear and not understand;

Lest they should turn,

And their sins be forgiven them.'"

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

 

- Mark 4:1–20 

 

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

 

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

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that  'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand;  Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"  My study Bible comments that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Isaiah's prophecy does not mean God causes spiritual blindness in those who otherwise would be faithful.  This is a figure of speech, it says, common to Scripture, which reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24-26).  Jesus is quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10).  

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  Here Jesus explains to His disciples that in the parable of the Sower, He reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.  My study Bible asks us to note that contrary to the belief some hold that a person is permanently saved at the moment one professes faith (a view never held by the historic Church), Jesus' teaching is clear in the parable that it's possible to receive the word in gladness, but to endure only for a time in that faith.

Looking at Christ's explanation of the parable, we read among other things what my study Bible notes, that it's possible for people to believe for a while, and then fall away (Luke 8:13).  But perhaps at this time for modern audiences and the world we live in today, it's important to examine the next category in Jesus' explanation of the parable.  That is, the ones who are sown among thorns.  These thorns may easily represent the state of our world for so many today.  As Jesus puts it, the thorns form all kinds of temptations and distractions that take us away from the course of faith, and challenge us to put so many other things first in terms of what we devote ourselves to, and where we focus.  If we note the first two places on which the seeds fall, the first belongs to those fallen by the wayside, who are easily affected by Satan and have the word taken from their hearts.  The second (stony ground) belongs to those for whom Christ's word is not deep-rooted, and so in tribulation or persecution fall away.  We should note that this was a very real threat and presence for the early Christians, as they lived in places where Christianity was persecuted or outlawed, and where simply trying to be a faithful Christian was difficult as it easily conflicted with the practices of the community and the state power which was officially aligned with pagan practices and loyalties.  There are still many places in the world where Christians suffer persecution and tribulation for their faith.  But for today for most in the West, we are beset by the things which Jesus calls thorns.  Jesus says, "Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."  Perhaps we could say that in a world where we are all interconnected through social media, and so advertisement and consumer culture permeates so much of what pervades our lives all the time, these thorns are ever-present to us.  They constantly present themselves as things in which everyone else is participating, and so we need to keep up and participate as well.  Social media magnifies our images of ourselves and of one another, inviting constant comparison and competition.  Whether that be for "Likes" on any media platform, or followers, or any set of those whom we might call friends by the frequency and type of their association, these thorns become the "cares of this world" that are seemingly always with us wherever we turn.  What house do we live in? What do we look like?  What clothes are we wearing?  What social engagement are we going to, where have we been seen and with whom -- these things become the stuff of constant consumption on social media.  It's likely that many of us never consider how far outside the norm of historical human society it is to live in such a constant bubble of comparison and evaluation on such social terms, but this is yet another sign of Christ's perception about human life and the things which distract us from the real place we need to be in His sight.  Social media invites us easily to be precisely what Jesus criticized the most:  hypocrites who pose as one thing which is virtuous on Christian terms, but while the contradictions we live never make it to that picture on social media, we easily delude ourselves and others about what we're doing, and lose the place where our focus should be.  We also easily lose our humility, and can get caught up in our image in the sight of others instead, even unwittingly, for the pull of such life is strong upon us.  We fall victim to the hypocrisy and cowardice of the religious rulers of Christ's time, described in John's Gospel as an error produced in those "who loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  Jesus describes the thorns as the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things, and we can concern ourselves forever with all the things we think we need, with false promises seemingly held by acquiring wealth and more "things," and with our envy of others who always seemingly have what's "more" and what's "better" than we do.  All of these things have clearly always been with us, for Jesus says them to His contemporary audience.  But with modern communications and social media, they become even more magnified for us.  Let us learn to focus on His word, and to label these things the thorny distractions that they are, for the word "deceitfulness" that Jesus uses here is important.  Such distractions turn our values upside down from where they need to be, and they take away our humility before God, making other things so much more important than our inner lives, our prayer before God, the place of the heart that knows God's love and grace and mercy.  Let us remember that we easily make anything commodified, an idol, turning even virtue into something we sell or declare to others, tempting us to repeat what pass for popular "truths" that are no such thing at all, tempting us to lie about who we are simply to avoid popular censure.  All of these things are deceitful as well, and they become one more aspect of a sense of progress that is all about what we can acquire, what wealth produces, how the cares of this world work within us and flood even our most important relationships.  Let us remain valiant in our prayer, hearing the word and accepting it, and bearing the fruit such a life can bear, if we endure in our faith and its practice, despite the thorns. 

 

 

 

And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you

 

 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful.  

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"   Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

 

- Matthew 17:22–27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus, together with James, John, and Peter, had returned from the Mount of Transfiguration, they came to the multitude, and a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

 

  Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful.  This is the second time that Jesus has predicted His death and Resurrection to the disciples.  (See this reading for the first, which immediately followed Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is Christ the Son.)  My study Bible says that Christ's repeated predictions of what is to come show that He is going to His Passion freely and is not being taken against His will.  

 

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."  My study Bible explains here that the temple tax was an annual head tax (meaning on individuals) for all male Jews over twelve years of age for the maintenance of the temple; only the priests were exempt from this tax.  See Numbers 3:43-51.  Since Jesus is the Son of God, it noes, He is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple, and is therefore exempt from the tax.  Nonetheless Jesus pays it anyway -- both to avoid unnecessary offense, and also to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind.  

Several patristic commentaries on the passage regarding the temple tax comment on the coin as a symbol.  Roman coins bore the image of Caesar on them, together with an inscription naming Caesar as divine.  The tax itself is a kind of redemption, paid for individual salvation.  These commentaries note that Christ, having established to Peter that He is exempt from such a tax, does not take the coin from His own treasury of His ministry, nor from His own spending money.  Rather, we have this mysterious, seemingly "magical" story of the fish taken by the fisherman Peter.  In this miracle Christ tells Peter to go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first; in it he will find the money for the temple tax.  We look first at the specific direction here from Jesus; each detail makes us assured that this indeed is a powerful miracle which we must not overlook.  As Jesus has already shown that He is master over the sea (symbolic of the world) on two occasions when the disciples were struggling with storm and waves (see Matthew 8:23-27; 14:22-33), here He demonstrates the same again.  But in so doing, Peter takes from the sea an element of the world through the power of the Lord in order to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:14-16).  We may also remember Christ's words to the fishermen Simon Peter and Andrew, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:18-20).  Christ will work through His apostles to redeem human beings who will exchange a worldly image for the image of Christ, a true identity as a "son" or adopted child and heir of God.  Christ is the first, but there will be many more to follow (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  Out of this world, the Lord will redeem human beings made in the image and likeness of God, through those who will become the fishers of men.  We remember also that the fish would become a symbol for Christology.  The ancient Greek word, which is the one used in the Gospels to mean fish, is ιχθυς (ixthys).  Used as an acronym, taking each letter as the beginning of a word, this came to stand for Ιησους Χριστος, θεου Υιος, Σωτηρ (Iesous Christos, Theou Yios, Sotir) meaning "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."  In His Incarnation, and through His Passion which He predicts for the second time in today's reading, He brings us salvation, the true manifestation of what it is to be "redeemed."  In His Passion, He pays the price for all of us, as He pays the temple tax today for Peter.  All of it through the power of the Lord, which turns the things which belong to our world into the things that work for God (Romans 8:28), allowing us all to become "sons of God."

If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine

 

 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. 

 

- Matthew 8:28–34 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another if His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 

  When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.  My study Bible comments that the demons, who recognize Jesus as the Son of God, are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Although the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God.  So, therefore, they can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  The immediate destruction of the herd is evidence that these men had been protected by God's care.  Otherwise, they surely would have perished under this hostile demonic influence.  Also, my study Bible adds, this reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for Jews, and it shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  

This story (and the similar stories in Mark and Luke) remind me of the ancient myths found in the Odyssey or the stories of Jason.  The disciples were told by Jesus to set sail across the Sea of Galilee, which immediately plunges them into a kind of frightening adventure, in which they fear they are perishing (see yesterday's reading, above).  All this takes place while Jesus is asleep in the boat, and let us keep in mind that several of these men are seasoned fishermen, whose livelihoods were pursued on the Sea of Galilee.  But then once they arrive at this strange place on the other side of the sea (considered to be east of the Sea of Galilee, and in Gentile territory), they encounter an even stranger and perhaps terrifying sight.  In the Gospels of Saints Mark and Luke, the demon-possessed is a single man, but he is possessed by a legion of demons, and therefore gives his name as Legion.  Here, we are told these are two demon-possessed men who are rendered so exceedingly fierce that no one could pass that way.  Like the stories in Mark and Luke, they live among the tombs in this seemingly forsaken place, as they are out of control and disordered, and so unable to live in community with the living.  This is also Gentile territory, in a place of mixed Gentile and Jewish populations.  So while it might be common to assume the swineherders are Gentiles, it's suggested that possibly it is more likely they are Jews engaged in what for them is a sinful pursuit of raising swine in order to sell to the Gentile market.  Thus, when they beg Christ to leave their territory, they continue in such choices, as their preference is for their swine to the men who are now freed from demonic possession and influence.  In this sense, this story can be viewed as an illustration of the choice between God and mammon; their longing is for the material gain they've lost over the miraculous healing Jesus has effected.  For their focus on the loss of their swine, they are unable to receive Christ and what He offers.  In the stories in Mark and Luke, the healed man seeks to come and follow Jesus and enter into the boat with the disciples.  But Christ sends him back to his home, to tell his friends what great things the Lord has done for him.  Perhaps one important thing we can take away from this story today is noticing the lack of gratitude in these townspeople for the miraculous healing they've witnessed.  It's as if they prefer the demonic influence, which is what they are used to -- even such an influence of violence and destruction that would cause the swine to crash down a cliff into the sea, as well as one that kept these men from being able to dwell among the living and fit only to live among the tombs.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached that we cannot serve God and mammon (riches): "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon" (see this reading).  The Sermon on the Mount was a full teaching on what are the blessings of the Kingdom.  Perhaps in light of this story and that Sermon we have so recently read through, we should consider for ourselves the things for which we're grateful.  Do we value the blessings of the Kingdom?  Or has life taken on for us a supreme importance of material things which we think will make us happy, or give us some kind of status among others that we value?  Is it blessed to please God, do we find joy in that?  Let us consider the choices we have before us, and what real healing and "life" might look like, even when that is contrary to expectations or desires. Sometimes healing means going away from what we know, separating from what we're used to but is not good for us.   We might pause to consider that the word "swine" has often been used as an epithet for a very coarse, brutish, and cruel person.  Such may be fitting company for the demonic, but not for those who love Christ.  Let us also note that in a world permeated with sin and evil, Christ finds us where we are, and works with us where we are.  This is most exemplified in today's reading in the demon-possessed men, for whom Jesus has apparently crossed the Sea of Galilee with His disciples in a threatening storm.  In the other Synoptic Gospels, Jesus gave the now demon-free man a particular job to do, and a place to go (home among his own people).  Let us be assured that even when we need to separate from what we've known, He will find a place among "our" people for us as well (Mark 10:29-30). 

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 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 the apostles, returning from their first mission, 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.   My study Bible comments that this is the second time that Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see also this reading from a week ago).  The first time, He was with them.  But this time, He had sent them across the sea alone, while He stayed behind on the mountain for solitary prayer.  In this way, my study Bible says, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life. "It is I" translates literally to "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  In this way, Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.   To know Christ is a matter of the heart and not simply the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, my study Bible says, they are open to receive Christ's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, it adds, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."  Interestingly, When Christ tells the disciples to "be of good cheer" in the previous verses, this is a word that means to "take courage" or "be emboldened."   It might be rendered by the common expression to "take heart."  But it means to be warmed from within.  So, in this sense, Christ's call to "be of good cheer" is also a matter of the heart.

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 states that Christ permits miracles though touch in order to show that His very body is life-giving (see also Mark 5:25-29).  

Jesus shows up to the disciples, walking across the water, on the sea, and tells them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  We must always note that it is about the fourth watch of the night, meaning this takes place at approximately three o'clock in the morning.  If we think about our own times of panic and fear, we can associate the time of "about" three o'clock in the morning with the stuff of nightmares, bad dreams, sudden fears, panic attacks.  F. Scott Fitzgerald has famously written, "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day" (The Crack Up, 1936).  It's a time when we're seen to be vulnerable, and our sleep can be disturbed.  Sometimes these fears are attributable to influences that steer us away from Christ, from our faith.  After all, as we have read so often across our recent readings from the lectionary, Christ is constantly contrasting faith with fear.  He has repeatedly reminded those in His care to substitute faith for fear.  He told Jairus who sought help for his daughter, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  The previous time the disciples were desperately afraid crossing the sea while Jesus slept, He told them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  The woman with the twelve year blood flow "took heart" and courage, facing all of her fears in her deep need for help, because of her faith in Christ, and touched His hem and was healed (in the same reading as the story of Jairus and his daughter).  Repeatedly we observe this call from Christ, and as He calls to us today, we must observe the same dichotomy and contrast between fear and faith.  When He makes His appearance before the apostles in today's reading, even walking across the water, there is another sort of "spooky" element to the story; they fear that they are seeing a ghost.  Even this adds to the contrast of fear and faith.  For ghosts were then and remain a part of the lore of fearfulness, of things that make us afraid, and it is once again Christ who banishes the tyranny of fear.  His command, to "be of good cheer!" is rooted in a verb that means to "warm."  It's a call to be warmed up and thus emboldened from the inside, from the heart.  So even this is in contrast to the fearful time in the dark on the sea at 3:00 A.M., in what was no doubt a cold wind blowing against them as they strained at rowing.  Christ the true Light is the One who brings the lamp of His fire to us, so that we might see in the dark, but maybe more importantly, so that we are warmed up, emboldened, and take good cheer from within.  We take heart in His light, we can trust in Him, and He can show us the way.  He is the one who banishes the ghosts of our fears and guides us forward, but we must take heart in Him and trust.  Perhaps it is for this reason that the Church teaches historically that we need to guard our hearts, banishing fear, but also being willing to pray into our pain and uncertainty, to reach for Him and His words of eternal life.  Our deepest fears may be confronted in Him, if we but have the courage to meet them His way.  And this is the journey for us of faith through Lent when we are reminded that we are to place all things in His hands and cast off the things we're to leave behind.  Let us not allow our hearts to be hardened.  The ghosts of the past cannot haunt us if we allow ourselves to be led by the light of His lamp.

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

 

 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. 

 

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  

 

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  

 

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

 

- Mark 5:1–20 

 

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

 

 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  The country of the Gadarenes, my study Bible explains, is in a region in Galilee with a mixed population of Gentiles and Jews.  Let us note this detailed and fairly careful description of this man whose life we can clearly say is in utter disorder.  He dwells among the tombs with the dead and not with the living.  He cannot be controlled, neither by himself nor by others who have sought to bind him often with shackles and chains.  But even these chains had been pulled apart and the shackles broken.  At the same time, no one could tame him; he is a state of chaos.  Moreover, he is self-destructive:   he is always 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.  This Legion of demons occupying this man and making his life miserable, recognize Jesus.  They know He is the Son of the Most High God. They fear the time of judgment, and they also fear torment.  We note that the text seems to indicate that Jesus immediately sought to exorcise this man.  Moreover, even under the severe yoke of the demonic influence, the text says that this man ran and worshiped Jesus when he saw Him from afar.  The Greek word translated as worshiped literally means to fall on one's knees, to kiss the ground before another as in prostration.  But this word is often used for "worship."   In whatever sense this is used, the text seems to indicate that the man reaches to Christ, although the demons fear Him.

 

 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.  The swine give us an indication that Jesus and the disciples are in a place with a great deal of Gentile population.   My study Bible comments that this extremely violent and self-destructive death of about two thousand swine indicates that this man had been protected by God's care.  Otherwise, he would have perished under the demonic influence.  It also reinforces the understanding that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.

So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  This part of the text emphasizes for us that these people are likely to be Jews who are engaged in what was (for Jews) a sinful occupation:  raising swine to sell to the large Gentile population in that region.  These people make a clear choice:  they fear Jesus.  Rather than marveling at the transformational change in the man under the influence of the Legion of demons and his astonishing healing (they saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind), the only thing that makes an impact on them is the loss of their swine.  Rather than welcoming the good news and the power of Christ manifest in their midst, they 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.  Here is the response of the man who, while under the severe influence of a Legion of demons, ran toward Christ and worshiped Him.  He does not want to stay in this place where the status quo of his affliction was preferable to those who beg Jesus to leave.  He begs to get into the boat and become a disciple of Jesus.  But Jesus has another plan for him, another way to share the gospel of Jesus Christ:  "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."

 

 What we need to marvel at in today's story is the thing that is completely overlooked by the people who own the swine, and that is the great transformation that takes place in the former demoniac.  This tormented man goes from being utterly disordered and impossibly unregulated, to peacefully sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  How does someone go from being so entirely out of sorts to sitting quietly and clothed and in his right mind?  This is a great transformation, an effective change made possible entirely by Christ.  In our modern world, many people -- perhaps particularly city dwellers -- are familiar with sights of homeless populations and individuals.  Many of these seem to be striking images of disordered conduct such as we read here:  clothing in tatters, rambling speech, shouting, and all manner of inability to live in what one might call conventional community, such as it is today.  But the picture we get of this man beset by a legion of demons seems to indicate one thing very clearly:  all of this disorder within him and in his life is precipitated by the influence of the demons.  While the demons plead with Christ not to torment them, what we can see is how they are indeed tormenting this man.  Why is he cutting himself on the rocks?  Why does he go about incessantly shouting?  Why is he living among the tombs -- and why can he not be clothed or even tamed so that when he is, by contrast, simply "sitting" it is a revelation of good order?  This clear contrast between the chaos of his demoniac life and his finally peaceful state through the power of Christ teaches us about the demons and what they do.  They respect no boundaries whatsoever, neither those that one considers "should" be proper to them, nor the boundaries of this poor, unfortunate man who must live in the midst of a legion of them.  He is their victim, a sort of scapegoat upon which they all parasitically rest and derive whatever it is that the demonic receives from people they afflict.  The demons are bullies; this man is in a sense swamped by them and unable to fend them off alone.  In short, Christ comes into this picture as Liberator, and He is a Liberator and Deliverer of a particular kind.  Only He makes it possible for these demons, trespassing where they don't belong, and creating misery for the man, to be evacuated and routed out.  As my study Bible points out, we can see how terrifyingly destructive they are in this almost savage scene of the swine rushing down the steep place to their deaths in the sea.  It might help here to remember that in Scripture, cliffs can symbolize the perilous nature of sin.  But all of this is lost on the people who simply respond with fear to Jesus.  There is no faith in them.  They care only for the swine which they have lost, and Jesus the Son of the Most High God is not welcome in their world.  Christ's effect is too frighteningly "other" for them, outside of their norm, and beyond their entirely worldly set of values, where even this man who was lost and is healed seems to mean nothing to them.  Let us also look at the bigger picture, and recall that Jesus has set sail with the disciples across a frighteningly stormy Sea of Galilee, seemingly just to come to this place.  Here, He has found one man desperately in need of His saving power, and Jesus in turn sends the healed man home to the Decapolis (meaning "ten cities" in Greek, a region of great Roman and Greek cultural influence), to proclaim great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.  Note that in contrast to the vicious world of the demons, Christ's powerful victory is not one of conquest and suffering, but one in which the demons are allowed to go where they want to into the herd of swine, and this man is liberated from his captivity -- especially through the compassion of Christ.  On the one hand, modern readers may feel sorry for the swine.  But on the other hand, they are simply the property of those for whom their sale and slaughter will bring profit, and who care absolutely nothing for the welfare of an afflicted human being.  In this reading, then, we have the contrast of what we might call two kingdoms, one of the demons, and the other the kingdom of God, which Jesus bears into the world, as will the apostles (Luke 10:9).  Let us remember the great good news of the healed man, and the message of the Lord's compassion.