:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

As the popularity of Jesus increased, so did the opposition of the Pharisees who set out to trap him and discredit his ministry. By resorting to a conflict over the observance of sacred traditions they thought they had a legitimate way to attack him.

Jesus disregarded the traditional practices of the Pharisees, opting instead to focus on the inner person and the problems that only God can fix. Anyone can wash a pot. God is not needed for that kind of religion.

For followers of Jesus there is an emphasis on the internally rooted sins such as pride, envy, lust, immorality, slander, and some of the more serious crimes such as murder. Physical regulations cannot stop these sins at their source in the heart, even if external rules can certainly do something to dam them up. In fact, the more the Pharisees moved away from the internal goals of the law, the more they missed out on the heart of God and the real power that can heal sin.

The Pharisees neglected the laws of God because they made their own doctrines on par with the law of God. Perhaps these laws began as well-meaning guides on the path to obedience, but over time they took on a power of their own and even threatened the greater commands from God. This passage is a reminder that we can associate our own traditions and practices too closely with real obedience to and love for God.

After so frustrating a confrontation, Jesus traveled to the Gentile region of Tyre and the Decapolis, respectively west and east of Jewish Galilee. While in Tyre Jesus tried to keep a low profile, but the news about him spread and a woman boldly sought him out in the home where he was staying.

We don’t know much about this woman. Did she have a husband or was she a widow? Did she come alone because no one else she knew believed in Jesus or wanted anything to do with this Jew? In addition, she didn’t bring her daughter with her, and we only read that she begged Jesus to drive out the demon, not that he should go with her to heal her daughter. What does this tell us about her faith?   

In one of the only times Jesus denied someone who wasn’t a religious leader testing him, Jesus told her that now was not the time for the Gentiles to enjoy God’s favor. That wasn’t to say that it couldn’t happen some day, but he told her that at the moment she was on the outside of God’s work.

The woman’s faith only grew stronger in the midst of this let down. She believed that the one who could feed thousands with bread surely had some crumbs to spare for her daughter. Unlike those who begged in other situations, this woman humbled herself and reasserted her belief that Jesus was not only willing but able to grant her request. When Jesus healed her daughter he showed that God honors faith wherever it may be found.

After leaving the Gentile region of Tyre, Jesus visited the Decapolis where people begged him to heal a deaf and mute man. People are still begging Jesus to heal. Evan after witnessing his miracles they struggle with doubt that he can do the same things for them.

Rather than show his miracle to the masses, Jesus pulled the man away to a private space and even commanded the healed man and the crowd to keep it a secret. However, they only spoke of him all the more because of their amazement at his mighty works.

Throughout the Gospels those starting from scratch, without religious expectations for Jesus, had a much easier time in accepting Jesus, while those with preconceived notions of a Messiah, religious practice, or theological perfection in  mind couldn’t see the big picture because of their obsession with the minor points of the law that had become inflated in importance. Perhaps the place to begin with Jesus is to first figure out his terms and to then sort out what matters from there.

Much like my previous series on the book of Romans, I’ll be starting a series of devotions and reflections on the Gospel of Mark. While I’m at it I’ll also stick up the occasional post on theology or Christian living.

I like Mark because he begins with a bang, jumping right into his declaration that his work covers the Good News about the Messiah and then wastes little time in introducing us to John and Jesus. Jesus emerges as a miracle worker and preacher who immediately runs afoul of the religious authorities, and isn’t afraid to use complex imagery that alienates some listeners while conveying his deeper truths to those who wrestle with his words.

Throughout the Gospel of Mark Jesus follows a course that his followers and opponents generally don’t expect or can’t quite explain. If we step back from our familiarity with Jesus and his ministry and try to insert ourselves into the world Mark describes we will find in Jesus a challenging and unexpected Savior.

If the people who witnessed Jesus’ miracles found him puzzling, with many rejecting him outright, then any reading of the Gospels should be uncomfortable at some levels, stirring up some tough issues, confusing us, and leaving us with difficult choices to make. Jesus offers us salvation, communion with God, and the freedom of discipleship, but that path has a cost and will become quite difficult at times.

As we enter into this brief Gospel that dives right into the ministry of Jesus and shows his various actions and teachings receiving a variety of responses, let us pray that this account of Jesus will push us and pull us in good ways, showing what we must leave behind, and how we can take active steps toward greater intimacy with Christ in our daily lives.