The Gospel of Mark
Jesus in his village: Mk,6,1-6a
In verse 1, we are told that Jesus is returning to his "home town". The importance of the home town is perhaps stronger in other cultures than the British (though the Welsh have "hiraeth".) Throughout his life and afterwards, Jesus was always known as the Nazarene. This was despite the obscurity of the place (Jn 1,46).
This is not though a private vist; his disciples were following him, as the Greek says. "Follow" here has overtones (1,18.20) which are not clear in the alternative translation "accompany". The locals must have wondered at Jesus appearing amongst them like a rabbi with his disciples
Verse 2: It would have been customary to invite the visitor to speak at the synagogue. However, social mobility of the sort we are used to would not have been part of Jewish society then. Once a carpenter (v3) then always a carpenter. The astonishment of the crowd is not misplaced therefore. As readers of the Gospel, we have already been told by the evangelist who Jesus is (Mk 1,1) and we know the answers to their questions. The characters in the story however do not have our information.
Verse 3: This verse just underlines the point. It is certainly unusual to name a man after his mother (and this Gospel of Mark does not emphasise Mary in the way that Luke does). The family of Jesus (see also Mk 3,21 as already mentioned) could refer to his extended family (cousins), which fits the constant tradition of the Church that Mary was always a virgin. It is also possible that the traditions of Mary's virginity were not fully developed at the time Mark wrote his Gospel.
Verse 4: Jesus' response is challenging and reflects the way in which prophets of the Old Testament were constantly being rejected. That applies to Elijah (1 Kings 19,2) and Micaiah (1 Kings 22,26-27). It also applies in a special way to Jeremiah for whom I gave just two references (Jer 18,18; 26,11). Rejection of Jesus even by his own family is an important theme in this Gospel and this enables Jesus to establish a new family (Mk 3,31-35).
Verses 5-6: The result is that Jesus is left powerless. His touch by laying on of hands may itself be a healing touch as we saw in chapter 5. However, the mighty deeds of Jesus (verse 2) can only be done if there is faith, as we have seen in the previous chapter.
The story really ends in the middle of verse 6. The second part of the verse introduces the next incident.
This incident at Nazareth concludes a part of the Gospel where the evangelist has explored what it means to belong to the family of Jesus. He is rejected by his natural family but accepted by those who are open to God's will. As understood by the evangelist, Jesus has been rejected by the Jews, but his good news is wide open to Gentiles.
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The Mission of the Twelve: Mk 6b-13
Jesus speaks only in verses 10 and 11. This is preceeded by the commission (verses 7-9) and followed by the evangelist's report on the mission (verses 12-13)
The immediate setting for this incident is the second half of verse 6 where we are told that Jesus is continuing his mission despite his rejection at Nazareth. There are echoes here of 1,38 where Jesus proclaims the message to neighbouring towns.
verse 7: "summoned" recalls 3,13. The commission given there is now being fulfilled. The use of the third person "he" for this commission gives a note of formality to the commissioning.
Sending out in pairs seems to have been normal Christian missionary practice as we see in the Acts of the Apostles. The Old Testament (Dt 17,6; 19,15) stresses the importance of two witnesses for evidence to be valid. Jesus sends the Twelve out with his own authority (1,27, where only the unclean spirits are mentioned).
Verses 8-9: "Travelling light" would be my way of expressing these verses. The importance of travelling light is strongly stressed. Taking staff and sandals shows that like Jesus the missionary is always on the move. Part of the witness of the Twelve is their complete dependence on God's providence
Verse 10-11: the change to direct speech brings out the importance of these instructions in a more formal way. To "welcome" is added "listen" in verse 11. In this verse, the evangelist has just spoken of the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth, those who failed to listen to him.
In verses 12 and 13: the evangelist describes the mission in a way mostly special to this Gospel. Luke (Lk 9,6) just mentions preaching and healing.
Here, the Twelve preached repentence, like John the Baptist (1,4) and Jesus himself (1,15) but without the extra mission of Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of God.
Verse 13: the use of oil in healing would be typical of a Mediterranean culture though this is the only such reference in the Gospels. This anointing is done with the authority of Jesus and clearly became part of the ministry of the early Church (See James 5,14).
The evangelist's comment shows the success of the mission. The mission though is left open while verse 14 begins a new topic with a new character.
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The Sunday Gospels
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mk 6,1-6
The short reading from Ezekiel (Ezk 2,2-6) highlights the theme of the rejection of the prophet (Ezk 2,6 & Mk 6,4). This is helpful because Jesus is portrayed as a prophet in the Gospels, but we have seen in our reading that Jesus is more than a prophet. The obstinacy of the people in Ezekiel's time is just like that of the people of Nazareth.
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mk 6,7-13
We have in this Sunday's Gospel the sending out of the twelve while their return will be the beginning of the Gospel for the following Sunday. For these Sundays, we must bear in mind that the fate of John the Baptist will not be heard.
The Old Testament reading from Amos continues the theme of the rejection of the prophet from the previous week. Ezekiel and Amos are very different prophets acting in very different circumstances, but the message of both is not welcome. A dresser of sycamores is low in society and Amos had no official standing. Yet God has commissioned him.
The sending out of the twelve in the Gospel seems to be rather more positive than this, as will be their return (6,30). There is a hint of mission at the end of the Amos reading with "Go, prophesy..."
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