MORE POWER! MORE GLORY!! MORE SPIRIT!!!
SURVEYING THE SITE—Mark 5:21-43
After teaching in Chapter Four, Jesus tells his disciples to
go over to the “other side”. There the disciples learn some things about themselves—whether
they are ready to commit to Jesus’ teaching and whether they can fully trust
Jesus in a world of impending death.
Gerasa is one of the cities of the Decapolis, an area of status and privilege where elite and ranking Roman soldiers are billeted. There Jesus encounters a man who lives among the dead, who is part of the Roman world, suffering from the violence of Rome.
A Roman legion was comprised of 4,000 to 6,000 soldiers. So, the number of unclean spirits is sizeable when they claim the name of Legion. The mascot or emblem of some Roman legions was the boar, an unclean animal for Jews. This symbol of strength for the Romans was the sacred animal of Mars, the god of war. It is thus ironic that the legion of unclean spirits enters the swine, and they rush to the sea and drown.
This is but one of several allusions to Rome and its deathlike oppression in this passage. Confronting these images of chaos, violence, oppression and death, Jesus brings new life, “right-mindedness”, compassion, and order—resurrection. Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirits frightens the people of Gerasa, and they beg him to leave. He then crosses over again “to the other side” encountering more death.
With each crossing over to the “other side”, we are challenged to consider what life is like without the resurrected Jesus’ presence in our lives: perishing in the storm, howling and bruising ourselves among the dead, illness leading to death, and social shunning (an isolating death). We are reminded to let go of fear, to trust—easier said than done.
READING THE BLUEPRINT
Rather than translate the passage this week, I would like to
explore two ideas. First is the purpose and the function of the crowd both in
this passage as well as throughout Mark’s Gospel. In Mark 3:27, we heard the
parable of Binding the Strong Man. Until this year, I had never thought of the
fact that the crowd constantly tries to bind Jesus, and Jesus is constantly
breaking the fetters of their binding.
Yes, the crowd “binds” Jesus; it leaves him without space in the house (2:2) and on the shore (3:9). It prevents him from being able to eat bread (3:20) and from being able to stay (5:17). The crowd impedes his progress (5:24b) and laughs at him (5:40). They take offense at him (6:3), arrest him (14:43ff), and ultimately demand his crucifixion (15:14).
The other concept is crossing to “the other side.” It is easily understood to describe the geographical crossing of the Sea of Galilee, but when looking at the “other side” passages (4:35, 5:1, 5:21, 6:45, 8:13), it appears that Jesus ends these passages on the “other side” one too many times unless these “other side” journeys are spiritual rather than physical. If Jesus is the place of life, resurrection, and hope, then the “other side” is that which opposes that life, and we, with the disciples, explore those places of death, or non-life, with Jesus, discovering the breadth and scope of his authority, compassion, and mercy.
In the activity of the crowd and the “other side” passages, we witness that, despite the crowd’s attempt to bind, the resurrected Jesus continues to expand the community of new resurrection living, reaching out to those on the “other side”. In the coming chapters, Jesus will exercise extreme mercy on the crowds by having compassion for them and feeding them.
ROUGHING IN THE HOUSE
Leaving the Gerasenes, Jesus and his disciples cross over to
the “other side” where a great crowd awaits him beside the sea. It is as if
they would prevent him from coming ashore. In this crowd, Jairus comes begging for
Jesus to come to his daughter.
When the crowds would impede Jesus’ progress, a woman finds the opportunity to touch his robe and receive wholeness.
When the slaves of Jairus’ house come and say that his daughter is dead, Jesus is not stopped. He continues to the house, saying that Jairus need not fear, only have faith, the very thing the disciples were not able to do in the storm on the sea. Jesus takes the little girl’s hand and says “Talitha cumi,” words of resurrection and prophetic calling. She gets up and he commands them to give her something to eat.
Colossians 1:18 claims Jesus the first-born of the dead. Therefore, the events in this passage must occur after Jesus’ resurrection. Thus, it is the resurrected Jesus who continues to make the reign of God known by raising people up. He claims the woman with hemorrhages as “daughter”, and, Jairus’ daughter, Jesus calls as “prophet”.
PUTTING UP THE WALLS
When I was young, I had a Tommy-Tippy cup. It was supposed
to keep me from spilling. It was not successful at doing that, but on the side
of the cup was a picture of Tommy-Tippy holding a Tommy-Tippy cup with a
picture of Tommy-Tippy holding a Tommy-Tippy cup. It was my first experience of
infinity. Just how many Tommy-Tippys could there possibly be?
For me, the mystery of infinity and the relationship between the here-and-now and the there-and-there have always been tied to that reddish-bottomed cup with the cream-colored sides and the reddish cap with the bear and cup picture on the side.
In the same way, we see the bodily resurrected Jesus holding the people needing resurrection who are holding onto the bodily resurrected Jesus who continues to raise up those who need to be resurrected. It is this bodily resurrected Jesus who continues to proclaim and reveal the good news for all people.
This good news cannot be bound, hidden under a bushel, or meted out by measures. Instead, it is like seeds that produce with abundance, brings order on the seas of chaos, and brings life to those who rave among the dead, suffer illness and death, or find themselves with chronic conditions that result in shunning and isolation. Jesus is the one who the crowd would bind but then find that the shackles of this world are incapable of binding.
Instead, Jesus’ resurrection limits/binds the power of sin and death. Since the threat of death is no longer a threat, Jesus is able to stand against the forces of death. He is able to be fearless, and he invites us into that place of infinite, eternal life, trusting new life, resurrection living.
HANGING THE TRIM
“Rise up, O Saints of God! From vain ambitions turn;
Christ rose triumphant that your hearts with nobler zeal
might burn.
Speak out, O Saints of God! Despair engulfs earth’s frame;
As heirs of God’s baptismal grace, the word of hope proclaim.
Give heed, O Saints of God! Creation cries in pain;
Stretch forth your hand of healing now, with love the weak
sustain.
Commit your hearts to seek the paths which Christ has trod;
And, quickened by the Spirit’s power, rise up, O Saints of
God!”
(Norman O. Forness)
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