Healing and Repentance

The fifth kind [of worship] is the worship of contrition and confession. As sinners we worship God and prostrate ourselves before Him, needing His forgiveness, as it becomes servants. This happens in three ways. A man may be sorry out of love, or lest he should lose God's benefits, or for fear of chastisement. The first is prompted by goodness and desire for God himself, and the condition of a son: the second is interested, the third is slavish.  — St. John of Damascus: 

Apologia Against Those Who Decry Holy Images

1. Yes, let it sink in, friends: The first bishop of Rome, St. Peter, was married. He had a mother in law, something only issued to those who marry. It seems natural and normal for us that his mother in law might live with him as that is not unusual in our time. But it was not such in Jesus’ time. She should be living with her husband. Is she a widow? Probably, but then she should be living with one of her sons. No sons? She should return to her father’s family as Naomi urged Ruth to do and as was customary. None of that has happened. She has come under the care of her son in law. Perhaps that is a comment on how far her fortunes in life have slipped. She is one or two fortunes lost away from being a beggar at the gate.
2. What purpose does she serve, what status does she hold in Peter’s house and in life? Our answer in 2015 is different from the 1st century. In her time maybe her purpose was used up. Perhaps, though we avoid saying so, that is how our old are seen and maybe they see themselves that way as well. 
3. That fever: Was it unto death? Was she hoping that maybe it was? Have we not seen the old being jealous of one another when one of them dies peacefully and suddenly after little or no sickness? An elderly Gent sat down on the couch, coat and hat put on, waiting for his daughter to pick him up and that is how she found him. “The lucky duck,” were my father’s words, himself suffering from cancer and the nagging thought: “Why am I still here?” 
4. The allocation of medical resources is a relatively new branch of Philosophical/Medical Ethics. Would it not ask: “Is this miracle really of any worth? If Jesus’ time is limited, should he not have found a subject with a brighter future to heal? What, after all, are her prospects?”
5. But she seems to have taken to the healing quite well. She seems to have found new purpose to her existence. She now, in thankfulness, serves Jesus. I know, I planted the idea of thankfulness into this story. The text merely states that she got up and served them. In Peter’s house it was Peter’s responsibility to do that. Hospitality to those outside the family — like Jesus and the disciples not of Peter’s family —  was men’s work. Yet, she has taken on the job and her work seems to have been received by the rest. She seems to have been freed in many ways.
6. The healing was about the fever to be sure, but it was about much more than that, and maybe that other subtext is more important than the prime picture. We can be sick without any physical anatomical symptoms or ailments. Just to be useless and to know it is a sickness that is to death. The leper who will come to Jesus in the verses that follow our pericope knows this as he is an outcast with no status or purpose in his society. The lame man and his friends, who will tear up a roof to get him before Jesus (Mk 2:1-12), know this as well. 
7. The lives that Jesus “touches” in these chapters are changed. He has preached at the beginning of his ministry: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.” These folks “auto-repent” if you will, just because their situation and place in life has just changed utterly. They can be repented now that Jesus has given them a life to begin with. There is little repenting a leper can do and he will certainly not repent his way out of leprosy. They now have a life and the fact that the kingdom of heaven is near has become manifest in them as they are taken out of their sick situation.
8. In a way we need that as well. Repentance, new life, is not a work of the human will. Bo Giertz put this little admonishment into Hammer of God. It is a conversation between the Lutheran Bishop and a little lay preacher who had fallen into the traps of Arminianism and Decision Theology.
1. If you believe that you are saved because you gave Jesus your heart then you are not. It is one thing to choose Jesus as your lord, to gift him your heart, and to make a decision for him so he might thank us and be happy to count us as one of his small, elect flock. It is quite another thing to believe in him as the one who takes away our sin and is our savior. One does not chose a savior and one does not make a gift to him of ones heart which is merely a rusty sardine can on the rubbish heap. Verily, a fine birthday present that would be indeed! No, there comes a peculiar Lord who has mercy on the dented little can and picks it up from the mud with the sharp point of his walking stick and he takes it with him. That is how it happens. 
9. It is peculiar to me how Jesus preaches repentance but the Gospel of Mark reports none. Instead, the Gospel of Mark reports healings. Lots of them. He preaches the good news, for this is why he came and he works new lives, repentance, as exemplified by Peter’s mother in law and the leper and the paralyzed man brought to him through a hole in the roof. 
10. I ask with John of Damascus: In our prayers and in our worship are asking for foreignness, do we confess our sins, because we desire God or are we doing so out of fear of punishment or because we sense, selfishly, that a good deal for eternal life might be in the offering? It is a sick life that does not desire God or sees no life in itself. It is  redeemed one that does long for the revelation of all that God has done, but only good can heal the sick life.

Texts for Sunday, February 1st, 2015

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15–20

¹⁵The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.  ¹⁶This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die."  ¹⁷Then the LORD replied to me: "They are right in what they have said.  ¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.  ¹⁹Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.  ²⁰But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak — that prophet shall die."

Psalm 111

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1–13

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  ²Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge;  ³but anyone who loves God is known by him.

⁴Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but one."  ⁵Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are many gods and many lords —  ⁶yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

⁷It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.  ⁸Food will not bring us close to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.  ⁹But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.  ¹⁰For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols?  ¹¹So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed.  ¹²But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.  ¹³Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

Gospel: Mark 1:21–28

²¹They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.  ²²They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  ²³Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit,  ²⁴and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."  ²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!"  ²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.  ²⁷They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."  ²⁸At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Mark 1:21-28 Greek Text

Greek Study Mark 1:21-28

v21 εισπορευονται (εισπορευομαι) pres. "they went" - historical present.

τοις σαββασιν (ον ου) dat. "when the Sabbath came" - dative of time, the plural form is a reflection of the Aramaic and does not mean Jesus is attending synagogue on successive Sabbaths so "On the next Sabbath".

εισελθων (εισερχομαι) aor. part. "went into" - attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the verb "teach"; "he entered .... and taught."

την συναγωγην (η) "the synagogue" - Capernaum was a substantial town with a population around 10,000, the synagogue would have been THE synagogue or the main synagogue.

εδιδασκεν (διδασκω) imperf. "he began to teach" - the imperfect is inceptive, i.e.  the emphasis is placed on the beginning of the action. Given synagogue protocol, Jesus would have been invited to preach, which means he was known to the elders as a rabbi. Mark is underlining the prime function of Jesus' mission, preaching.

v22 εξεπλησσοντο (εκπλησσω) imperf. "the people were amazed" – a complex word that also communicates astonished, overwhelmed, filled with fear and wonder. The imperfect tense is durative and links to Jesus' act of teaching in v21, so from the very moment he began teaching people were astonished. Remember Mark also ends with the women overcome by εκπλησσω amazement and fear (16:8). This response to Jesus is well short of faith and it seems clear that Mark wants to underline the need to move from wonder to faith.

τη διδαχη (η) dat. "teaching" - Are the people amazed at how he taught, or at the content of his teaching? Commentators are divided. 

γαρ "because" - for. Expressing cause/reason; introducing a causal clause explaining why the people were amazed.

ην ... διδασκων (διδασκω) verb to-be + pres. part. "he taught" - a true periphrastic construction, ie. it is used for stylistic flair. It is possible that Mark is using the periphrastic to underline ongoing action or for emphasis.

εχων (εχω) pres. part. εξουσιαν (α) "having authority" (power/ability) these three possible meanings indicate the difficultly in identifying what it was about Jesus' teaching/presentation that prompted amazement. Was it his use of "I say unto you", rather than "thus says the Lord" or his knowledge and debating skill? The first option seems most likekly.

οι γραμματεις (υς εως) "the teachers of the law" – i.e. recognized theological authorities.

  
v23 ευθυς "just then" - immediately. 

εν + dat. "in" - in. Expressing space/sphere. "came into / appeared in" - so "When Jesus had finished teaching, a person possessed by an evil spirit entered the synagogue and began screaming."

αυτων gen. pro. "their [synagogue]" – the genitive is possessive, is Mark saying this was the synagogue usually attended by Jesus and his disciples?

ανθρωπος (ος) "a man" an idiom; "someone."

εν + dat. "who was possessed by" - reflecting the Aramaic, expressing association, so "under the influence of".

ακαθαρτω adj. "an evil [spirit]".

ανεκραξεν (ανακραζω) aor. "cried out" – (the man or the unclean spirit?) In demon possession, the personality of the demon is distinct from the host. So, it is probably the demon enraged at the presence of Jesus, rather than the man crying out for help.

  
v24 λεγων (λεγω) pres. part. saying

τι ημιν και σοι "what do you want with u?" - the dative personal pronoun  υμιν and σοι serve as datives of respect; "what is there with reference to “us”?" So this is an idiom with several possible meanings: "What have we and you in common", or in Classical Greek; "why do you interfere with us", or commonly "mind your own business!" Note the plural "us" meaning spirit has numerous possessing spirits with one speaking for the rest.

ηλθες (ερχομαι) aor. "have you come" - possibly a question, but the clause may also be a statement; "you have come....."

απολεσαι (απολυμι) aor. inf. "to destroy" - infinitive is expressing purpose.

οιδα ..... οιδαμεν "I know" - variant reading is "we know".

σε τις ει "who you are" -. It was believed that by knowing a person, power is gained over them. The demons knew Jesus: his name, his business, his judgment; and his nature. SO this is a taunt, "We know who you are and so you have no power over us."

ο αγιος του θεου "the Holy One of God" - Mark probably intends the phrase as a messianic title.

  
v25 φιμωθητι (φιμοω) aor. pas. imp. "be quiet" - be muzzled.

επετιμησεν (επιτιμαω) aor "said [Jesus] sternly" - [the sense is of an authoritative silencing: "Jesus told him to shut up." Jesus is possibly just cutting short the unclean spirit's self defense, but he may also be wanting to maintain the messianic secret.

εξελθε (εξερχομαι) aor. imp. "come out" - Jesus teaches with authority and demonstrates that authority in his command over demons.

v26 σπαραξαν (σπαρασσω) aor. part. "shook [the man] violently" - adverbial, best treated as temporal; "after throwing the man into convulsions ..." expressing action accompanying the main verb "came".

εξ + gen. "of [him]" - [expressing source; "out from him."

φωνη μελαλη dat. "with a loud voice. dative is modal, expressing manner.

φωνησαν (φωνεω) aor. part. "a shriek" (idiom) literally “a voice, a loud voice!”. The aorist tense links the verbs. The shaking and shouting illustrates resistance although ineffectual.

  
v27 εθαμβηθησαν (θαμβεω) aor. pas. "were all so amazed" - because Jesus cast out the demon(s) without the usual incantations and actions, with a word of command. Of course it is also quite possible exorcisms were not commonplace, at least successful ones!

συζητειν (συζητεω) pres. inf. "they asked" – (discuss, question, disputed)  so the action engendered lively debate among them.  

λεγοντας (λεγω) pres. part. saying. kainh adj. "a new [teaching]" - "in respect of quality.

και "even" - and. emphasizing that the authoritative word exercised over the demons is more amazing than Jesus' authoritative word in teaching, which is also amazing.

τοις πνευμασι τοις ακαθαρτοις dat. "[he even gives order to] evil spirits" – a dative of direct object after the epi prefix verb "to command."

  
v28 αυτου gen. pro. "[news] about him" - genitive is verbal, objective; so "the story of what Jesus had done".

της Γαλιλαιας gen. "[the region] of Galilee" - genitive is partitive; so “the news got out” 

ευθυς, "immediately" and 

πανταχου "everywhere" - so much for a Messianic secret!

Have you Come to Destroy us?

Our ancestors in the faith believed that spirits were more powerful than human beings but less powerful than God. — John Pilch

1. When we read this part of the Gospel of Mark we see it as a miraculous faith healing and begin to wonder why these type of things no longer happen. In turn then, we struggle to explain why it is no longer happening, this faith healing thing. Yes, I know, there is Benny Hinn, but he is booked into auditoriums, not scheduled at cancer wards. We also ask if we are either insufficient as church because we can no longer do this type of thing or we have an explanation why miracles have ceased. The former can be seen in quotes like this “If people can’t be healed today then people can’t be saved today.” Jerry Savelle, also booked into auditoriums, not hospitals, said that one. 
2. Many of us mainline people would quickly point out that we do still heal. We merely chose to express it through the daily ministry of doctors and nurses. We all see the man possessed as a sick man whose “possession” has a perfectly rational explanation that Jesus healed. On the other end of the spectrum, some might say that the man was not sick at all. He was merely objecting to Jesus as a teacher in his synagogue and Jesus shut him up by superior teaching that had power. It is hard to argue with the presence of a great preacher that has somehow touched and enlightened everyone else in the room. 
3. So what do we do with this episode today, ever so many years after in such a different land? Many spirits contend for our allegiance even today. Let us for a while move away from the guy being “sick” sick or “insane” sick or even “possessed” sick. Let us entertain that he is merely of a spirit opposed to God and the Gospel. That would make him by definition an “evil” spirit. But even less than that, maybe he is of spirit that is merely bored, unconcerned, uninvolved, uncaring, uninterested, the picture of apathy toward the God of heaven and earth in human flesh. That would count as “evil” as well if he is indeed willing to shriek about his distance from God and invite others to it. In a way he is saying: “What does it matter? What has God done for us lately? It don’t work for me, it won’t work for you.” He would be a picture of no-faith. Maybe he is a spirit that is clouded and asleep like the more typical C and E church attender. 
4. Why would it make sense to look at it this way, from a technical standpoint? The possessed one is in a synagogue, a place that is to be full of the word of God and therefore the Spirit of God. Yet, there he is, full of a spirit that that is contrary to what the faith the synagogue stands for and that needs driving out. This interaction is supposed to happen there. It is meant to be going on. The place is meant to be doing it. Leaving aside speculation on why the place has not been able to get it done, it is clear that Jesus by his presence and authority can, does, and will do so. Maybe an organization that hopes to be the continued presence of Jesus needs to be radical enough to be able to do likewise.
5. On the level of the individual, maybe we can compare this to the parable of the seeds of Mark 4. Since we are speaking of spirits maybe the healing here is about healing the faith of the man, birds, scorching sun, and weeds having taken their toll on him. It is not easy to be challenged as being one whose heart has not been “good soil.” Yes, there is a song — let us not call it a hymn — that begs that our heart be good soil. I am thinking that song misses the simple fact that the birds don’t care that the path wants to be field. It also tragically overlooks the fact that the weeds love good soil just as much as the grain. By their growth rates versus that of wheat maybe the weeds show they love it more and know better how to use it. Speaking as a contemplative, if the path can ask to be field then it already has faith, it is merely in a state of desolation right now. When the path does not care that nothing will grow on it then it is in unfaith. Unclean spirit does then apply.  
6. The man, really the spirit within the man, may just be in that latter state. Somehow Jesus’ presence has set him off. He is angry enough to challenge Jesus: “What do you want from me? Why do you interrupt my comfort? I have life worked out without the Kingdom of God in my world. You are challenging me and I hate it.” John would say: “He came to his own and his own did not receive him.” Mark writes: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” It is the same sentiment. 
7. To be in the synagogue in that spirit must have required a large number of compromises, by man and synagogue, and God don’t do compromise. Jesus’ presence seems to make that clear both in John and in Mark. In the places that do preach the Good News of the Kingdom, there is to be no compromise in Faith. Will he destroy now that he is here? That is a question that hangs in the air unanswered. If you know that you are standing in front of God the Son and you are saying: “mind your own business,” then the answer might be harsh. Unfaith is like a path that does not desire to be converted into field. It does not want to be plowed. To be field it will be plowed and that will destroy it as a path. Hard clay will break in the hand of the potter and good for it that it does. Sometimes destruction is the Good News. That is a hard saying but any path that longs to be a field longs for its destruction. Any heart that longs for God is like that path. God’s claiming it will break and rebuild it in due time and broke this man’s world, faith, and heart as well, only to mold it aright. Resurrections require a death, there is no way of getting around it.

Texts for Sunday January 25th, 2015

First Reading: Jonah 3:1–5, 10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying,  ²Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.  ³So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across.  ⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"  ⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

¹⁰When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29–31

²⁹I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none,  ³⁰and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions,  ³¹and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

Gospel: Mark 1:14–20

¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,  ¹⁵and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news."

¹⁶As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen.  ¹⁷And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people."  ¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him.  ¹⁹As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.  ²⁰Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Mark 1, Greek - Pr. Fourman

Greek Study Mark 1:14-20

v14 μετα .. το παραδοθηναι (παραδιδωμι) aor. inf. "after [John] was delivered/turned over” a temporal clause. Mark clearly has Jesus' public ministry following John's. 

εις την Γαλιλαιαν "into Galilee" - Not only does Jesus commence his public ministry in his home province, but it also becomes the center for his ministry.

κηρυσσων (κηρυσσω) pres. part. "proclaiming" - Jesus went...and preached", better treated as modal, i.e. expressing the manner of Christ's coming; "he came preaching". 

το ευαγγελιον (ον) "the good news" – a word used of an important message, such as news reported from a battlefront. The news may be good or bad either way, but it is always important, so "God's important message."

της βασιλειας (α) "of the kingdom" του θεου "of God" (a glass?) the genitive is ablative expressing source/origin, "so God’s important message about His own Kingdom."

v15 ο καιρος (ος) "the time" πεπληρωται (πληροω) perf. "has come" - the sense "completed" is best, this is an idiomatic phrase that serves as a redundancy.

η βασιλεια (α) "the kingdom" (actually reign) του θεου "of God" ηγγικεν (εγγιζω) perf. "is near" - expresses motion toward, so the perfect tense is expressing the idea that the motion in time is toward the realization of the kingdom and has reached virtual completion in Jesus.

μετανοιετε (μετανοεω) imp. "repent" – to change the direction of… the word carries the sense of, "turn around", so the imperative is to "turn from opposition to God", or "turn toward God". Of course, the word "repent" means something quite different in our modern sense so perhaps we are best not to use it at all?

πιστευετε (πιστευω) pres. imp. "believe" – the sense of the word is " put one's weight on", or "rely on” rather than to give intellectual ascent to.

It strikes me that verse 15 contains just about every important Greek word in the New Testament where the content of the Christian Faith is concerned.  

v16 παραγων (παραγω) pres. part. "As he [Jesus] walked" - gives the same sense as "passing by" παρα + acc. "along" - την θαλασσαν (α) "sea". Jesus ministry is in the Jewish towns around the lake, Capernaum was his headquarters της Γαλιλαιας (α) gen. "of Galilee" literally the sea which is located in the region of Galilee – this serves as a geographic clarification for non-Jews.  

αμφιβαλλοντας (αμφιβαλλω) pres. part. "casting a net" – the participle forms a dependent statement of perception; "he saw that Simon and his brother Andrew were casting a net into the lake." 

αλιεις (υς εως) "fisherman" – actually meaning commoners but note that Zebedee employs "hired men", which indicates that James and John at least were not form the bottom of the social scale.

v17 δευτε "come" - come here- an imperatival interjection.

οπισω + gen. "follow [me]" - an invitation to take up apprenticeship with a rabbi.

ποιησω (ποιεω) fut. "I will make" - in the sense of "cause someone to do something".

γενεσθαι (γινομαι) aor. inf. I will make of you- [I will make you become fishers of men]. An infinitival phrase, object of the verb "make" is in the form of a double accusative construction, with the personal pronoun "you” serving as the subject of the infinitive, and "fishers of men" as the object; so, "follow me and I will see to it that you become fishermen ανθρωπων (ος) gen. "[fishers] of men" - the genitive is adjectival, attributive, limiting "fishermen"; so "fishermen who fish for men." 

v18 ευθυς "at once" – immediately- expressing a speedy response to Jesus' authority.

αφεντες (αφιημι) aor. part. "they abandoned” attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the verb "followed". The act of leaving their nets may serve to illustrate a renunciation of the world but we know they retained their property, so it is more likely they packed up their gear for the time being in order to go on a mission with their rabbi.

τα δικτυα (ον) "their nets" - the word can mean any net, although probably "casting net" is intended.

ηκολουθησαν (ακολουθεω) aor. "followed" – a literal "following" is intended, although a derived sense may be present, i.e. "follow as a disciple".

v19 προβας (προβαινω) pres. part. "when he had gone [a little further]" του Ζεεδαιου (ος) gen. "son of Zebedee".

εν τω πλοιω "in a boat" - the definite article need not be translated, in fact it may serve as a possessive pronoun, "their", the last place a person works on a net is in the confined space of a boat.

καταριζοντας (καταρτιζω) part. "preparing" - mending, restoring, strengthening a dependent statement of perception - possibly adverbial, temporal, "while they were preparing their nets their nets for the next day's fishing - mending, cleaning, folding, etc.

v20 ευθυς "without delay" - immediately - also in v18 and possibly wanting to convey an instantaneous call and response, but probably just expressing a sense of haste - best not translated.

εκαλεσεν (καλεω) aor. "he called" – actually "summoned” as before a court of law.  There is a certain coercive nature to this word.

αφεντες (αφιημι) aor. part. "they left" – ουτων "their [father Zebedee]" Genitive of relationship εν + dat. "in [the boat]" – μετα + gen. "with" των μισθωτων (ος) "the hired laborers.

οπισω + gen. "and followed".

Open Eyes - Pr. Kruse

Comfort, O comfort my people  says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. — Isaiah, prophet 

1. I cannot get past the first couple of verse of this week’s text: “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.” Yes, I know there is a beautiful text on calling going on but Jesus is not just calling these people. He is calling with a purpose. 
2. Think about this for a moment: When do you go out and ask people to help you or support your cause or work? Just imagine if someone came to you and asked for your help and support, even your time but really could not state if there was a cause or what its ends where or why it was important. You would assume that he was selling Amway and was, rightly, embarrassed about it. 
3. No, all this calling disciples and building a circle of disciples and supporters, hangers-on and curiosity seekers had an actual purpose. Jesus actually has a cause. Not just an idea or a really neat blog post or web site and is not a life coach with a new book of holistic exercises for your brain and your body, complete with appendix on diet. 
4. More important, he is not “missional” in these verses. He is not trying to bring people to himself. He is looking for allies to enact a plan. The kingdom of God, God, is close in every respect of the word. Come to your feet. Dust yourself off. Call out strong for the Son of David is passing by, the lamb of God, the Son. (Mk 10:46-52)
5. I am captivated by the story of Bartimaeus in Mark 10. Yes, that is at the other end of the story, right before the trial and crucifixion. Bart is a true contemplative, waiting, maybe desperately, for the presence of God. Longing deep inside to see the face of God, a sign or symbol of God’s gracious presence. 
6. If we are honest we all long for God to be revealed. If we are further honest, we are happy and quick to dismiss any claims or experiences that suggest that God was indeed meddling and moving in everyday life somehow. Epiphany makes questions of these two sentences. Do we look for God to reveal himself? Is not the incarnation a hint that God just might still meddle in the affairs of humans? He did it in the past in Jesus, he did it in pillar of cloud and fire, he did it in tongues of fire, are you so sure God does not still work in significant ways?
7. If you cannot assume or accept the latter, can you ever be Peter, or James, or John? Either God does not act for his people or you follow Jesus and confess him as the Christ, Son of God who came to earth and walked upon it. We can only have it one way here.
8. If we chose the latter, then are we listening for the traces of his passing? If the kingdom of God is near then we indeed need to turn and look around. Maybe that is why repentance is called for here. Turn around, look about with new eyes (Bartimaeus), the kingdom is near. Dare to look and dare to believe that things are happening. More-so, dare to believe that it is good news and not to your doom.
9. Why does this require the assembly of a posse? Because it is too easy to believe that God prefers to be far away. It is easy to make faith an intellectual matter and thereby confine God to heaven to be seen and experienced at death or second coming, or resurrection, argue the reality and efficacy of each at your leisure. There have to be those who dare to look and then tell and point to the new reality: It is here, yes, here that you will meet God. How will you recognize that? The church, the continued memory of the experience presence of God from the disciples on, is charged with being the curators of that wisdom. Is she and her members looking for the presence of God and the passing of the Son of David? Is she using the eyes that Jesus gave to Bartimaeus?