Mark 3:1-6

In which Jesus heals a man, on the sabbath, in the synagogue.

One of the things we have been noticing is that in the Bible, when it talks about ‘saving’ it usually refers to a physical deliverance or liberation. In the New Testament, the Greek word for save is sozo, (translated by a range of different words in English). Here in Mark 3, it is clear that Jesus is saving the man from disease by healing him. This is first a physical thing.

As in the UK, there is still something of a tension here between those who see salvation as ‘getting right with God’ or ‘having your sins forgiven’ (i.e. essentially something personal and private between me and God) … and those who see salvation as primarily God’s rescue plan for the world. This vision is a holistic one. It is something that is for the whole of creation first, and for us as individuals as part of that salvation. Salvation in the Bible has its roots in the Exodus, which was about a physical liberation from oppression. Salvation has primarily a physical meaning … that means that it is observable in changed lives, in changed situations, in changed structures in society.

Christians who have tried to teach and live this way of seeing salvation have sometimes been seen as heretics in the Evangelical world.

Going back to Mark 3 – We revisit here the conflict between the law as taught by the religious leaders, and Jesus’ own interpetation of the law, which is always based in God’s justice and righteousness, and in God’s actions to save. In doing so, Jesus puts himself (for the third time) in the firing line.

He asks the Pharisees “Is it lawful to do good or to harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill ?” They do not have an answer. Maybe because deep down they have no answer. Their lack of an answer says very loudly that they have not thought deeply enough about salvation.

The end of the passage shows a deep division between Jesus and his own religious leaders. He is angry, and grieves at their hardness of heart.

Here in EMU I have met people from all over the world. David is a pastor here in the USA and was telling me about one of his experiences as an assistant pastor years ago. One weekend, he took some of the older teenagers in the church to the city to visit a homeless shelter. David and the young people spent a Friday evening at the shelter, serving food and spending time with the clients, and slept on the floor in the church basement. It was a good learning experience, and an opportunity to serve those less fortunate. On his return to the church on Sunday morning, one of the lay leaders in the church asked David how it had gone, and how many had been saved. When David explained what they had done (an act of service) the man said ‘Well that was a total waste of time.’ For David, that weekend would prove to be one of the turning points in his own journey of faith.

This third Sabbath encounter was also something of a turning point, but for the Pharisees. It is at this point that they start to make plans to get rid of Jesus. His willingness to engage with them by being faithful to God’s mission of salvation takes him into danger.

Mark 2:18-22

Finally, I’m back with St Mark!

In which a paralysed man is brought to Jesus. Jesus pronounces that his sins are forgiven, and then seeing the stir that this causes, he heals the man, to demonstrate his authority.

Brian Stoffregen writes notes on Bible Passages that I find very helpful. crossmarks.com

In his notes on Mark Chapter 2, he writes that what is offensive about Jesus, as far as the Pharisees are concerned, is not just that Jesus forgives sin, but who it is that receives the forgiveness here – a paralytic. The paralysed man would have been considered unclean, possibly suffering his fate through sins that he, or his parents had committed. What right has Jesus got to pronounce forgiveness on THIS MAN. He is beyond the pale.

The healing takes place after the healing of a leper (another outcast) and is followed by the calling of Levi, a tax collector, and another outcast. Jesus then parties with Levi and his friends – described as ‘tax collectors and sinners’ – more outcasts.

This apporach of Jesus just does not fit in with the way that the Pharisees do things. The two are incompatible – Jesus’ way and their way. Hence Jesus responds to their criticism by giving pictures of what happens when two incompatible things come together: new wine and old skins; new patches and old cloth.

They are so incompatible that there is bound to be a problem when the two worlds collide. Jesus hints at what he sees to be the inevitable result for him. (When the bridegroom is taken away … is the time for fasting)

How often in an intense conflict or disagreement do the warring factions demonise the other, or regard them as beyond the pale ? We sometimes (often ?) have difficulty relating to others who are so different to ourselves. Their whole value system and way of operating seems at odds with our way. This is how the Pharisees must have viewed Jesus. He is just TOO different.

Today we visited Manassas Battlefield and learned something of one of the very early conflicts in the American Civil War. After the conflict, which was eventually ‘won’ by the North, the federal government made provision for the cost of burials and memorials for the Union dead, but it would be many years before those on the Confederate side had the same treatment. Not surprisingly, for many years, the bitterness and mistrust remained, and the cost of burying the Confederate dead had to be borne by private funds.

Tomorrow I begin my Biblical Foundations for Peacemaking, and if I have learned one thing in the last 10 days in Virginia, it is that conflict is all around us, and the world desperately needs the insights and skills of those working for peace with justice.

No, not the bird, but Eastern Mennonite University. I dropped off my wife and son at Washington Airport earlier today after our 10 days tour of Virginia, and now I have arrived at EMU for a course in ‘Biblical Foundations for Peacemaking’

It feels very different being on my own now, having had the company of my wife and son for the first part of the trip. I’m adrift in new waters, looking for familiar landmarks. Driving down the freeway on my own in a rented car thousands of miles from home felt uncomfortable.

However I arrive here and within minutes I find some of those landmarks that I was looking for – that is the welcome of Christian people here at the SPI (Summer Peacebuilding Institute).

The SPI is in its third week now and I am greeted by a group preparing a barbeque. I have no food to bring to the picnic, but am made so welcome. Within minutes I am talking with Micah, who works here all year round looking after the student accommodation; and with David, and Samuel, and Ben. I soon feel more relaxed, and with a burger inside me, ready for anything.

After an hour or so, I have met people from all over the world who have come to the Centre for Justice and Peace here at EMU. From Syria, Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Galilee, India … and many other countries, they have come, and I am excited at the prospect of all that we will learn together.

There’s another Englishman here, someone says. His name is Steve. I remember a Steve from some traning days I have done, and wonder if is him. Shortly afterwards, Steve arrives to claim his chicken leg from the barbeque, and sure enough, it is the same Steve. How strange and wonderful. Steve has been here two weeks already, as part of a sabbatical!

It’s now nearly 9 pm, and I am typing this on one of the computers in the lounge, as I cannot get access on to the wireless network with my trusty G4. Tomorrow hopefully.

Over the last 10 days, I haven’t got to grips with Mark’s Gospel very much, as I have been full of the sights that we have seen all around Virginia. I’m hoping t0 get back to mark very soon, as well as putting down some thoughts about the last few days, when we learnt something of American history – particularly the War of Independence, and the American Civil War.

A couple of days ago, driving a 20 mile journey from Luray to Elktown (just to the west of the Shenandoah national park), we noticed rather a lot of churches.  This is a country road, going through small farming communities of just a few houses, but no shops or other amenities (apart from the Page County High School, which is out in the countryside).

Jack Skeleton from Nightmare before Christmas sculpted by Joel from Chocolate ice cream on the Appalachian Trail.

I’m re reading Bill Bryson’s book ‘A Walk in the Woods’ – his account of walking the AT (Appalachian Trail).  It’s a great laugh out loud read.  We walked a bit of the AT today as part of a 6 mile ‘Big Run Loop’ hike.  It started out with about 2 miles gently sloping down the hillside.  As you know, what goes down, must come up, and so we then had about a mile and a half of fairly steep climb.  You then get a feel for what Bill Bryson talks about.  After a while, you don’t care about the view, you can’t talk to your comrades on the trail, you just look at the ground to make sure you don’t trip over any roots or rocks.

This is a view looking east from the Skyline Drive, in the Shenandoah National Forest.  The Shenandoah National Forest was established in the 1930’s as the first National Park in eastern USA.  At a time of high unemployment, the CCC – the Civilian Conservation Corps – was started to give young unemployed men from poor families a job making the roads, and the trails in the park. They got $30 a week, of which $25 went straight home to their families.

No, not the Walls one, this one’s a Dodge.  But pretty tasty!  It was supposed to be a Chevrolet compact, but …

Today just an update on our travels.  Having had three fantastic, entertaining and informative days in D.C. we are now in Luray, small town in the Appalachian mountains.  Today we went white water rafting, and shot the rapids down the Shenandoah River!  saw an eagle, a couple of otters, a crane, a kingfisher, loads of turtles, a buzzard, and some unidentified jumping fish.  Tomorrow we plan to hike in part of the Shenandoah National Forest … the weather is great – around 80 degrees,  but will be a bit cooler up in the mountains tomorrow.