Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 6:53-56

So, Jesus reaches a point where he is widely recognised. Was this an unwanted celebrity status or was it an opportunity to make the kind of impact that allowed him to fulfil his mission? Whatever the answer to that, it must have been stressful. The description here suggests relentless activity. The big task of the moment was that of healing but that was central to Jesus’ ministry and a clear demonstration of his core message about the Kingdom of God.

The people of Genneserat recognised Jesus and, more importantly, recognised the healing contribution that he could bring to their community. There is the impression of a lot of people coming to Jesus in a short space of time as they rush to bring the sick to him. This is an opportunity not to miss. Jesus, too, is not static. This is a mission that stretches across the region and this bringing of those who are unwell to Jesus takes place in the different towns and villages to which he goes. It is even said that he sometimes goes to farms. Jesus went where he could meet people, and I am sure that he would often be in the centre of the community, which is why there is mention of folk coming to look for him in the marketplaces.

I wonder what kind of reputation we are building for God’s work and for the Kingdom. It is interesting that, as Bonnie Bowman Thurston (Preaching Mark) points out – “Mark depicts Jesus as the one who appears in the drama and storms of life and also in the midst of ordinary people in their daily lives and practical needs. It is more than a little sobering to me to note that what the disciples, those who were supposedly closest to Jesus, miss (6:47-52) seems manifestly clear to common people and peasants (6:54-56).”

I wonder if there are things of God’s work in the world that we are missing, and that might be for all sorts of reasons. An important element in this story is to note that an encounter with Jesus is a healing experience. We are told that the sick people only had to touch the fringe of his cloak in order to be healed. That seems almost magical, but suggesting that omits the faith element that, though not specifically mentioned here, surely remained important, as in stories like that of Jairus and his daughter and the woman with the flow of blood who may have been the one who set the trend of touching just the hem of his cloak.

The people who came were desperate for help, or so it would seem. They begged him for healing, but what they asked was given. (Of course, life is not always like that, but the promise of the presence of God walking the way with us remains constant.)