What I Think of Jesus: Part III

In lecture today, Father Jeff suggested we look at themes repeated throughout the gospel of Mark, like "house" and "synagogue." Of course, this got my gears turning. Events that go one when "house" and "synagogue" is the location of the story...

House
1:29-34 Jesus cures Simon's mother-in-law of a fever. Then, swarms of people come, and he heals a bunch of people and exorcises a bunch of demons.

2:1-12 Jesus is at his own house, stuffed with people trying to be healed. He's talking to them when someone tears apart his roof and throws in a paralyzed guy. Jesus heals him, and the man can walk.

2:15 Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors.

3:20-35 People think Jesus is possessed by Beelzebub, but Jesus says that's impossible. Says anyone who does the will of God is his family.

5:38-43 Jesus raises a ruler of the synagogue's daughter from the dead.

7:17-23 Jesus pretty much calls his disciples dense and tells them that the external (i.e. "unclean" foods) does not defile, but the evil that comes out of people defile the soul.

7:24-30 Jesus has a match of wits with a gentile. He's happy with her and her understanding of what he's saying, so he heals her daughter that she had to leave at her home.

9:28-29 Jesus tells the disciples they were exorcising incorrectly, and that's why they couldn't get the demos out of a person.

9:33-50 Jesus tells his disciples to stop trying to say they're better than the rest. He says kids are better than adults. Goes on his spiel about cutting of your foot, hand, and eye if they cause you to sin. Better to enter Heaven maimed than Hell perfectly intact.

10:10-16 Jesus talks about people remarrying committing adultery. Then says children are like the Kingdom of God.

14:2-9 Jesus is anointed by a poor woman who spent a year's wages on a jar of perfume. The disciples are appalled, thinking the money could be spent on helping others, but Jesus says she did the right thing. There will always be poor to attend to, but he won't be around for much longer.

14:18-31 The last supper, where Jesus gives his flesh and blood to his followers. Also calls one of them out as a traitor.


Synagogue
1:21-28 Jesus teaches to the amazement of the crowd, then exorcises an unclean spirit that is the first to call him "son of God."

1:39 Casts out more devils

2:26-28 (as "house of God") Jesus eats bread that was reserved for the priests. Says the sabbath was made for man, not vice versa.

3:1-5 Jesus heals a man with a withered hand.

6:2-5 Jesus tries to teach in his hometown, but people won't learn. He can't do anything but heal. The people won't listen, and he is in disbelief.





The pattern that I see is that in homes, Jesus heals people of ailments that cause them to stay in place and/or not be able to go into spiritual matters. Demons, paralysis, severe fever, death. He's trying to get people to leave the comfort of their homes so that they can go out and grow spiritually.

In the synagogues, Jesus is constantly met with opposition. Unclean spirits call him the "son of God," which he refutes. The priests and scribes try to tear Jesus' reputation apart. The people are harder to get to if he can at all. The synagogues are almost a sludge between people and God. People like the man with the withered hand finally seek out God instead of priests, and he is healed, and he goes off to a happier life (quite possibly being able to grow spiritually, finally).

Out in the open, Jesus heals two people differently than all of his other healings...he rubs his spit on them. To the deaf and mute man, Jesus sticks his fingers in the guy's ears and puts his spit in the man's mouth. Jesus rubs his spit into the blind man's eyes. This is symbolic of what is repeated all throughout the Bible, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Listen to God, not the people that stand between you and God. God heals and tries to get attention of the people, but so many just run off to the churches. God pays attention to you. You don't have to communicate through a middle man. In a sense, a priest is the same position as a medium. One is supposedly communicating between customers and God, while the other is communication between customers and the dead.












Hang on, prepare yourself for the rubber band man.