We are coming to the end of Cycle B in the Church’s Sunday Lectionary: the Year of Mark’s Gospel. In spite of the activity (marked by the word “immediately”), and in spite of the bits of teaching, there is one fundamental issue in the 2nd (and shortest, and probably the earliest) Gospel: Who is Jesus, really?
We see this question early on. When the paralyzed man is lowered down in front of Jesus by his friends, Jesus’ first words are “Your sins are forgiven.” And the scribes there think, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Who, indeed?
When Jesus calms the storm that so frightened the disciples, they ask, “Who is this, that even winds and waves obey?” Who, indeed!
“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asks. He recognizes Peter’s reply (“You are the Christ/Messiah”) but must reprove Peter when he thinks the idea of a suffering Servant is beneath Jesus. This is who I am and who I am destined to be, Jesus says.
Jesus is a healer. Look at the paralyzed man, the leper, the Syrophoenician’s daughter, the daughter of Jairus, the woman with the hemorrhage, blind Bartimaeus: they are all acts of love, as are the multiplications of bread/fish.
Jesus challenges the wealthy who think that by making a large contribution from their largesse that they should be regarded as top-notch. Jesus has a different view, based on the widow.
Jesus is brilliant in debate: “Love God/neighbor; render to Caesar; even Moses recognized resurrection…” How often have we left arguments thinking, “I should have said…”??? Jesus stumps the elders: “How is the Messiah David’s son?” They have no answer for the question Jesus poses. He embarrassed them. No wonder they wanted to get rid of the Lord.
Today is the beginning of the End, so to speak. But really, it’s just the end of the Beginning…
Let’s let Mark’s question resonate within us: who do WE say that Jesus is? And what difference does it make in our lives, however we respond?