Comments on: Mark for Lent 27 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/03/28/mark-for-lent-27/ musings from those on the journey Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:14:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: just_nigel http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/03/28/mark-for-lent-27/#comment-131536 just_nigel Tue, 28 Mar 2006 03:35:09 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/03/28/mark-for-lent-27/#comment-131536 Jericho. The disciples were afraid of going to Jerusalem but here we are getting closer in Jericho the site of one of the most famous stories of non-armed direct action bringing down great walls of division (Joshua anyone?). Someone by the road, not yet on the road following Jesus, hears of Jesus and wants to see. He wants pity or mercy and he wants to see. Not just half see, not just shut his eyes because he doesn't like what Jesus is showing him. He wants to see and he wont be shut up. There is some irony in the crowd (or is it the disciples?) telling him not to be afraid beacuase there is no indication he was afraid in the first place unlike some others we could name. *cough* disciples*cough* The man threw off his coat - something the rich man was unable to do but this blind man can. Jesus heals him, or at least names and celelbrates the healing that has taken place “Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” and the seeing man follows Jesus. The staple of the first act (YesI do like to think of it as an opera) was Jesus' interaction with the crowds, the people at large who wanted to be fed, but were too busy swallowing the rotten diet dished out by those people or structures or spirits who held some sort of sovereignty over them - pharisees, the herodians, the Roman millitary and 'teachers of the law of moses' etc. Jesus crossed all sorts of geographic, cultural, language religious, gender, family, ecconomic, age and ability boundaries to see that people were fed a different diet - one about the good news of the soverignty of God. The second act has focussed more on the smaller group who travelled with Jesus on the road towards Jerusalem. At issue has been seeing who Jesus is, seeing him as 'Son of Man', and the cost of heralding or bearing or enacting the reign of God in the midst of other corrupt rulers of our lives (be they Herod's household or our riches) The act ends with someone who is prepared to leave everything behind, has faith, sees and follows Jesus to Jerusalem - here finally is an 'ideal' disciple. Act three opens with Jesus entering Jerusalem. Well kind of. He deffinatley enters in a wonderful piece of street theatre parodying a military parade. "Hooray, God bless the coming kingdom!" indeed. But its late, so he turns around leaves again for Bethany to come back another day. It looks like I will have to be patient and let the Jerusalem action doesn't start tomorrow. Jericho. The disciples were afraid of going to Jerusalem but here we are getting closer in Jericho the site of one of the most famous stories of non-armed direct action bringing down great walls of division (Joshua anyone?).

Someone by the road, not yet on the road following Jesus, hears of Jesus and wants to see. He wants pity or mercy and he wants to see. Not just half see, not just shut his eyes because he doesn’t like what Jesus is showing him. He wants to see and he wont be shut up.

There is some irony in the crowd (or is it the disciples?) telling him not to be afraid beacuase there is no indication he was afraid in the first place unlike some others we could name. *cough* disciples*cough*

The man threw off his coat - something the rich man was unable to do but this blind man can.

Jesus heals him, or at least names and celelbrates the healing that has taken place “Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” and the seeing man follows Jesus.

The staple of the first act (YesI do like to think of it as an opera) was Jesus’ interaction with the crowds, the people at large who wanted to be fed, but were too busy swallowing the rotten diet dished out by those people or structures or spirits who held some sort of sovereignty over them - pharisees, the herodians, the Roman millitary and ‘teachers of the law of moses’ etc.
Jesus crossed all sorts of geographic, cultural, language religious, gender, family, ecconomic, age and ability boundaries to see that people were fed a different diet - one about the good news of the soverignty of God.

The second act has focussed more on the smaller group who travelled with Jesus on the road towards Jerusalem. At issue has been seeing who Jesus is, seeing him as ‘Son of Man’, and the cost of heralding or bearing or enacting the reign of God in the midst of other corrupt rulers of our lives (be they Herod’s household or our riches) The act ends with someone who is prepared to leave everything behind, has faith, sees and follows Jesus to Jerusalem - here finally is an ‘ideal’ disciple.

Act three opens with Jesus entering Jerusalem. Well kind of.
He deffinatley enters in a wonderful piece of street theatre parodying a military parade. “Hooray, God bless the coming kingdom!” indeed.
But its late, so he turns around leaves again for Bethany to come back another day. It looks like I will have to be patient and let the Jerusalem action doesn’t start tomorrow.

]]>