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Bearing Good News for the Poor
by William Loader, Murdoch University, Australia
Mark 6:1-13
This is a very rich passage. It forms a new beginning after Mark's three
episodes which symbolise Jesus' power to change the world (stilling the storm,
4;35-41; the exorcism at Gerasa, 5:1-20; and the healing of the two women,
bringing them back to life, 5:21-43). Before those three we had the parables of
4:1-34, which reflected on the responses to Jesus, seen in the first three
chapters. The second half of chapter 3 wove together the responses of Jesus'
family, thinking he was mad, and those of the Jerusalem scribes, who declared
that he was empowered by Beelzebul (another was of saying he was mad). 6:1-6 is
returning us to the theme of Jesus' family. In 3:20-21 and 31-35 they are
portrayed as failing to understand Jesus. 6:1-6 rather pointedly emphasises
again that they, along with the rest of his kin and the synagogue gathering, do
not accept him (see especially 6:4).
Both Matthew and Luke modify the direct statement about Jesus' kin refusing to
honour him for who he is (Matt 13:57; Luke 4:24; compare Mark 6:4), as they
remove the note in Mark 3:30-21, which is best read as the family thinking he
was mad, as the literary context shows. Such stories do not fit easily into
their narratives which begin with miraculous stories about Mary and her piety.
Mark is probably unaware of those stories. Some think Mark's rather negative
portrayal of Jesus' family reflects conflict with the Christianity which came to
be fostered and led by Jesus' brother, James. This is speculation. Mark is
straight forward: Jesus' family had trouble accepting him.
Certainly Mark is telling us something about Jesus which was also part of his
instruction to others: there is a higher priority than family power and
obligation. Family power, meant to empower one to independent adulthood,
frequently aborts the process, and becomes a source of oppression. There are
many people who can identify with the experience of being reduced to 'junior',
someone's child and therefore no one in particular, whether by family systems or
extended family or local communities and whether in outward reality or in the
inward reality of the mind and memory. Some people's salvation, liberation,
therapy needs to consist in being set free from such shackles. Many will be
listening to our sermons this Sunday. Preach on this aspect and you will need to
ensure there is pastoral counselling available. It is major.
6:1-6 belongs closely with its twin in 3:31-35. 'Whoever does the will of God,
that person is my brother and sister and mother' (3:35) as much here as there.
That may well mean leaving the natural family behind, a revolutionary thought -
and a healthy one.
6:1-6 raises lots of questions: were James, Joses, Jude, Simon and the sisters
(alas, unnamed, - a male world) really Jesus' siblings? Mark would wonder why we
ask? I'm sure he thought so. Where is Joseph? Dead? If Jesus was a tekton, which
could mean carpenter, mason, would he have worked at nearby Sepphoris, which was
being rebuilt during his young adult life? Possibly. The narrative tantalises us
with such questions, but its focus is on the appropriate response to Jesus, so
that the patronising comments which make him just 'the kid from down the road'
enhance the irony. Mark wants to us to be shouting the answers to the bigger
questions: 'Where did he get all this from? What is the source of his wisdom and
the miracles?' From Mark's first five chapters 1-5 we should know enough to
know!
Mark leads us to believe that the disciples were present in the synagogue crowd
(6:1). They saw what happened to Jesus. When Mark proceeds immediately to report
how Jesus sent them out (6:7-13), we can hardly miss the point that they should
expect a similar reception. Mark 3:13-19 reports how Jesus appointed 12
apostles. He then immediately begins his report of the family's response. Here
the order is reversed; 6:7-13 reports the sending of the disciples. The same
point is being made: expect rejection! In 6:30 they return from their labours.
In between Mark narrates the murder of John the Baptist (6:14-29). Mark is
underlining the message: expect rejection!
The choice of 12 was doubtless symbolic and reflected a claim to represent
Israel's interests as God's people. They were the primary focus of Jesus'
ministry (so Mark 7:27; also Matt 10:5; 15:24). The Q tradition preserves a
saying according to which these 12 were to sit on thrones and rule beside Jesus
in the future kingdom (Matt 19:28: Luke 22:30). They are all male, reflecting
expectations of male leadership prevalent at the time. They were by no means
Jesus' only disciples. Many followed him, women and men, and many of these would
assume leadership responsibilities in the emerging church. The 12 are called
apostles ('envoys'), but this was a term used more widely in the early
communities of others as well. Later, Luke appears to reflect a view that only
the 12 were apostles, but also preserves the view that the term was not so
narrow (see Acts 14:4,14). Paul offers us evidence that the 12 were an
identifiable group (1 Cor 15:3-5), but, despite Acts 1, nothing indicates they
had any exclusive claims to leadership in the early Christian communities.
Q also has an account of Jesus sending out apostles, but probably with mention
of the 12. Matthew gets around this by merging both traditions into one in
Matthew 10. Luke does so, by using Mark in Luke 9 and then having a sending out
of 70 in Luke 10. We are looking at the beginnings of ordered ministry. Some
people who responded positively to Jesus' message stayed in their communities
and lived out their radical faith. A few others joined the group around Jesus
and travelled with him. Such behaviour is thinkable in a pre-industrial, poor,
economy. You were on the bread line, whether at home or travelling.
Jesus' fellow travellers included the 12. He appears also to have asked his
fellow travellers to share his ministry. He sent them to live as he lived, being
hosted by sympathetic locals, living very simply (Mark says, with a staff and
sandals; Q says with none). They were to do as Jesus did: proclaiming the reign
of God and living it by healings and exorcisms, setting the oppressed free. They
were to be bearers of that kind of good news in word and deed.
Their lifestyle was also a statement in itself. It challenged the sedentary
bases of power founded on land and family/kin. Jesus promoted a radically
alternative set of values. The social dislocation which he challenged some to
take upon themselves was a social and a political statement, because it called
into question the dominant values of society which kept the poor poor. Whether
among the travellers or among those who stayed in their community, Jesus called
people to be and bear good news for the poor. No wonder the established power
structures of family and land and religion saw only madness and did their best
to tame him and his followers. The judgement of history is probably that they
have at least succeeded with most of his followers to this day.
See Also:
Sermons and Bible Commentaries for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost
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