Hearing Mark: chapters 6 & 7

This week's section held a lot of information which is resonant with what we've heard before, but there is a lot which is a bit shocking. What new did we learn about the Kingdom of Heaven? Nothing that I heard stood out as completely new, but perhaps it qualified things. What about these bits?

First, the city is losing ground to the wilderness as the 'sweet spot' for revelation. In his hometown, Jesus 'marveled at their unbelief.' Jesus has led folks to 'a desert place' to teach them and heal them - and feed them miraculously - several times now, and he seems ever more comfortable in the wilderness and less and less comfortable around 'civilized' folk.

Jesus also seems increasingly to prefer the company of gentiles over his own kith and kin. Again, his hometown was marvelous for the people's lack of faith, but in the borders of Tyre and Sidon a woman works a miracle by her response to Jesus.

This leads to one of the biggest shocks of these two chapters: the exchange with the Syro-Phoenician woman. I cannot help but connect this episode with the early healing when Jesus forgave a man's sins because of the faith of his companions who had lowered him through a roof. Jesus has given her the familiar blow off of not feeding the dogs with the children's food, but she seems unphased by his judgement (he has just called her a dog, after all). She offers the equally memorable retort about even dogs eating crumbs that fall from the table. Then - here's the striking part - he says:
For this saying ... the devil has gone out of your daughter.
Has Jesus healed her daughter? It doesn't sound like it.

This miracle worked by mother for daughter brings to mind other episodes in these two chapters: the dysfunctional relationship between Herod Antipas and his family (and death of John the Baptist); the too-familiar relationship between Jesus and his family and neighbors. I can't help but wonder if we should also think of the miracle of feeding the 5,000 we've just heard. Let me explain.

This is one of what I think of as man-made miracles. Jesus has turned to the disciples to feed the people in the wilderness, but they prove unable (not surprisingly). So Jesus has the people sit down, he holds all the food he has in the air and blesses it in front of them all.

Remember that we said people then are not so different from us. When you're among strangers, where do you sit? With friends, companions? Would you go into the wilderness alone? I don't think so. Would you have run off into the wilderness with nothing to eat? Certainly not.

So, these folks have sat down, probably surrounded by people that they shared some personal connection (not familial, I wouldn't think, but maybe a shared interest in things spiritual). They had a little something tucked away, but not enough to share, and what if their friends hadn't brought enough to share? Now, here is this man that they followed into the desert offering all he and his companions had to share with anyone and everyone. How would you respond?

I would have been just a little ashamed of myself about trying to keep all the food I had for myself. I'm in pretty good health and I could do with a little less food if others had come out with nothing, or maybe had nothing to come out with at all. I can see folks slowly, sheepishly pulling food out of pockets and purses, the atmosphere going from sheepish to festive as everyone begins to experience this miracle of the heart. And finally, finding that - when they all came together and shared as a selfless community - there was plenty to share and much left over...even in this desert place.

I'm not suggesting that we should minimize the miracle of feeding the 5,000. In fact, I find it all the more compelling for being so understandable.

Plus, what else have we seen? Companions and concerned family can help to make miracles, and community is where these miracles take place. Here, we have an amazing miracle wrought in the midst of a newly formed community. Here is the Kingdom of Heaven realized.

And, it has sprung from a secret place. The disciples didn't know that there was anything but the few fish and loaves they had for themselves. Like the grain springing forth from unseen places, food seemed to sprout forth people embraced - and were embraced by - the miracle Jesus set into motion.

I can hardly wait to hear the next two chapters, Monday @ 7! Read more on 'Hearing Mark: chapters 6 & 7'