1 Samuel 3.1-20 Mark 2.23-3.6
So we have finished the Easter Season, had Trinity Sunday and now start the season known as Ordinary Time. For this month our readings will be from Mark’s gospel. So let’s have some background firstly of the 1st century Palestine and then of Mark’s gospel.
First century Palestine was not for the faint hearted. Dominated by the Roman Empire with its mantra of Pax Romana, don’t rock the boat, it was a diverse society with aristocracy, slaves, artisans, rural workers, whose work was really hard, and Roman soldiers. Some people are Roman citizens with special perks associated with that. Marriage was mainly for procreation, divorce was simple, prostitution and adultery commonplace. In Jewish circles, the woman’s place was in the home, although further away in Macedonia and Rome, women were also in business.
It was a world of diverse religions, with plenty of different gods, both Roman and Greek in origin, but also mystery religions for example, Isis and Osiris. There was also some household religions - most Roman houses had an altar. However, there was very little concern for ethics or morality, for most religions were about pleasing God, or using it for political or public influence including emperor worship. Philosophical schools for example Stoics, Platonism were in abundance.
The Romans put various locals in control of the land and four different King Herods appear in the gospels as rulers - e.g. Herod the Great over Judea.
The Jews, 60% of whom lived outside Palestine, were split into Greek speaking Hellenistic Jews, and Palestinian Jews who spoke Aramaic, some Greek and maybe a little Hebrew. Despite the Roman and Herodian presence, The High Priests, mostly Sadducees, were the power brokers. They control the Temple which is the dominant focus for Jews. Then there are the Pharisees, seeking to live pure lives and Israel’s restoration and YHWH’s rule; the ascetic Essenes who miss Jesus; and the Zealots who are prepared to push the Romans out using violence. Quite a mix.
Israel’s story - their world view and what they believe is key to our understanding of the gospels. There are three things which are important. 1. YHWH alone is the creator of the world. He alone is King and Lord. Creation is good.
- YHWH has made a covenant with Israel. They are currently suffering because of their sin but YHWH will redeem them and restore them in the world.
- There is a future hope that YHWH will restore creation with the emerging expectation of a future resurrection - corporate rather than individual. Israel is the beginning of true redeemed humanity, who would rule over the nations. But it is not clear how YHWH will deal with Israel’s sin.
Israel’s symbols also play into the dynamics of the society.
- The Temple is where YHWH dwells, the place where He rules. It is the centre of the sacrificial system and also the economic and social centre. It is the focal point of Israel’s existence. But Herod the Great has extended the temple, it is his temple and because he is not a Jew, for some the temple is tainted, has lost its holiness.
- The Land belongs to YHWH and he gave this land to Israel. Idealistically it is a new Eden, a source of covenant blessing, but it is now ruled over by gentile Romans.
So a complex mix of conflicting life choices, attitudes and hopes.
To turn to our gospel passage. Mark wrote his gospel in narrative form, telling the events like a story and yet never saying who Jesus is. Instead the identity of Jesus is implied by what he does and says. For comparison relate this to the “I am” sayings in John’s gospel - John explicitly declares who Jesus is. Mark does it obliquely.
So what do we learn about the identity of Jesus from this passage?
It is the sabbath and Jesus and his disciples are walking through a cornfield and the disciples pluck heads of grain, something that they could have done habitually all their lives. However to the Pharisees this is a form of work which was not allowed on the sabbath. Mark does not write whether the disciples ate the grain, the focus is on their disobedience and that their Jewish Rabbi did not reprimand them and stop them. Jesus in allowing them to pick the grain on the sabbath is not keeping to the law. When the Pharisees challenge him he quotes a story of David before he was king, fleeing from King Saul and eating food that was set aside for the priests. David was considered to be a model of piety, despite some wrong doings, and his actions in eating bread set aside for the priests, definitely contravened the Torah. However Rabbis tended to overlook this stating that it was a matter of life and death and that preserving life was more important than keeping to the rules. Mark in using this illustration is emphasising that Jesus is bringing a new situation in which rules are set aside.
Jesus then points out that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. We need to have rest and making the sabbath a day of exhausting restrictions means that the sabbath becomes our master not our rest day. It is God’s gift to the nation Israel and to all humanity. We ignore it at our peril. I am strict at taking Fridays as my day off. Only rarely will I allow something to cut across that. I find that my body clock is tuned into that. I relax when we come to Fridays, I switch off from the emails and varied demands. I rest and recuperate. I know from experience that periodically changing days does not work for me. It may work for others but not for me. My body clock is not tuned into it. I wonder whether you have a weekly pattern that makes one day your sabbath, your rest day, your day of being still and knowing God? A day that is different from other days? If you do not then I encourage you to think how you can.
Mark then takes this further with the statement, “the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath.” The phrase, Son of Man, is one that Jesus used to refer to himself. It is not a Christological title like “Christ” or “Son of God”. It has connotations to Ezekiel but particularly Daniel (see Daniel 7.13 - one like a Son of Man is presented to the Ancient One and given dominion, glory and kingship and all peoples worshipped him). Mark quotes Jesus using this phrase about himself a number of times in the context of suffering, and it could be that Jesus is aligning himself with saints who must suffer and are promised final vindication. He is accepting his future obedient walk to the cross.
The story that follows of healing the withered hand on the sabbath, exemplifies the opposition, rejection and incomprehension by the Pharisees of who Jesus was and later in the gospel, the scribes and even his own family reject him. So many did not understand who he was and were frightened by him, for he challenged the status quo especially where there was injustice and misunderstanding of God and his purposes.
When we look around at people today we can see those who likewise have misunderstood who Jesus is, we need to pray that their hearts will be softened and their minds opened to the wonder of Christ.
In this short passage Mark is revealing Jesus as lord of the Sabbath, pointing to his divinity - for God had ordained the sabbath and only God can be lord of it. Jesus is bringing in something new which will be beyond rules, pointing to a new relationship with God, a relationship of love and without fear. Bit by bit Mark is opening up the fullness of Jesus’s identity, dismantling the scaffolding that people had constructed their lives around.
Maybe we need to think about our own relationship with Jesus and ask have we put up scaffolding that we hold on to rather than trusting in Jesus? It would be surprising if we have not, our whole society, education, the adverts we are exposed to push us to independence from God, away from God. And just as the society that Jesus lived in was complex so ours is becoming more complex. We are exposed through the internet and media to far more difference than 25 years ago. How do we cope with that? Do we make our lives complex? Do we struggle with difference? to counter this do we need to root ourselves more deeply in Christ? To know more fully who He is?
Let us pray.
Jesus we thank you that you came into this world to redeem us, to rescue us from sin and death. We thank you that you show us the way to our heavenly Father. We thank you for the gift of sabbath, help us to honour it as a day of rest in you. We ask for more of you and Holy Spirit to lead us deeper into the wonder of your love, the mystery of your salvation. Guide us, hold us, keep us we pray. Amen.