When the people in the airport begin to recognize you, you might be travelling too much.
It is good to come home—well sometimes.
Jesus has come home. Let’s recap what he has been off doing since he was last with his family in chapter 3.
He began teaching by the sea in parables, the theme of which was to trust God. The God whose very seed grows everywhere.
Beyond words, he found himself in situations that he did not seek out. Nonetheless they provided powerful moments for him to again invite trust, to invite faith—in God—in Him.
He calmed a storm, delivered a man so possessed by demons that chains could not hold him, healed a woman who suffered years at the hands of doctors and spent all her money, and he raised the dead to life. The point of all these episodes is—trust Him.
He now is in his hometown synagogue teaching. The reports about all he has done have reached them. The text says people are indeed amazed. This guy Jesus is good.
He experiences a hometown heroes welcome. They pick him up, throw him on their shoulders and carry him down the street. Oops, no wait that is not what happened. The text says they took offense at him. Sigh.
By now we should not be surprised. Reports about Jesus are not enough.
From the beginning of his ministry he has been met with opposition from the religious, and doubt from his family. Oh, the crowds do flock to him, but for what reason? Curiosity? Perhaps.
Those in the spiritual realm, the demons, can’t help but encounter and therefore recognize him. Only those who truly desire his presence, the desperate, meet him.
We have been reading about this over and over as Mark has laid out the events of Jesus’ road trip. Jesus has been progressively demonstrating command over nature, evil spirits, disease, even death!
But to what point? Mark has made the case, no strike that, Jesus has made the case for what is the nature of true faith.
Don English in The Message of Mark writes, “Parables, miracles and exorcisms do not ensure it. Religious education and background does not automatically discover it. Family ties are not enough to create it. Demons, in a curious way, know its basis and oppose it. People in deepest need and desperation seem to find it.”
Said differently:
Only people who personally encounter Jesus find him.
Which begs the question, what of the disciples? We really don’t fully know. Treating them as a group perhaps masks their individual journeys.
We can say they are with him. They are learning that his presence is enough. Before I become too critical of them, I must remind myself of how their lives will end. They will need to have faith into the very marrow of their bones.
In the coming chapters the focus will be on Jesus and his disciples. The crowds, the religious will all still be present, but the focus will shift.
For now, I return to this situation of home. Perhaps in your earthly home you too are rejected. I am sorry. It can happen. I expect if you are following Jesus you will suffer rejection at work, or school, or home—it is going to happen somewhere.
What then must you do? Answer: Seek his presence. We live on the other side of the Resurrection and Ascension. Which means we have, by God’s grace, the Holy Spirit. Sit with God, invite him to be present. Here is a method you might consider.
How are you doing being in the presence of Jesus?