Sunday, March 15, 2015

Sunday, March 15, 2015

MARK 8:11-21

The Pharisees were determined to argue with Jesus and demanded that he show them a heavenly sign or miracle to prove that his teachings and leadership were approved of by God. Perhaps these demands for a heavenly demonstration were meant more to tempt and entrap Jesus than to seek any genuine truth about his ministry. Whatever the actual motivations of the Pharisees, we read that Jesus’ heavy hearted response was to refuse to be lured into seeking the acceptance of these critics. Jesus and his disciples simply departed by boat to travel to the other side of a lake. 

After a rather hasty departure, we see the disciples of Jesus become confused over Jesus’ warning to them. He declares: “Watch out - beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” They mistakenly discuss amongst themselves that Jesus warnings are probably focused upon the fact that they have not adequately planned ahead by bringing food to sustain them after their physical journey to the other side of the lake. It is here that the audience may perhaps detect a little humour in the way that the sincere disciples are essentially “bumbling around” trying to decipher the meaning of Jesus’ “veiled” message to them. This might be useful to an audience of the Gospel of Mark which may have been suffering persecution and was “groping along” for some hope and a desire to understand the symbolic meaning of Jesus’ words. Perhaps some relief could be experienced by a conflicted audience in communities that were struggling in their own times to follow Jesus’ complex messages as recorded in Mark. For in the Markan story, the well-meaning disciples are often “stumbling about” and making mistakes in discerning Jesus’ teachings. This helps us to appreciate that choosing what actions faithful discipleship of Christ requires of us in today’s challenging world requires humility; there is a need to accept that mistakes will be made from time to time. A commitment to continuous engaged and open discussions in our communities may over time help us move in a direction that follows the example of Jesus’ life. This kind of commitment equips us with the tools to overcome “missteps” that our communities may take, and to embark on a better path.

-Terry Rothwell