Word to the Wise
Saturday, February 3, 2024 - Saturday in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 3:4-13 and Mark 6:30-34]The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the town and arrived at the place before them. [Mark]
Anyone who has attended a Wednesday public audience of the kind that occurs at the Vatican can understand today's gospel passage! The pope arrives in the little white jeep "popemobile" and there can be a lot of enthusiastic jostling and elbowing among those who are close to the path. To those toward the back, the pope is a distant white figure! Similar experiences are reported by those who make the effort to line the streets when the pope comes to visit the USA or elsewhere.
One of the constant themes in the Gospel According to Mark is the popular response to Jesus. The crowds are frequently mentioned and often become a problem. On one occasion, Jesus has to get in a boat and the crowds stay on the shore! There are incidents like the sick woman in the crowd who just tries to touch his garment or the paralytic who is carried up on a roof to get him lowered in front of Jesus! Today we have the almost comical scene where the crowds on the shore figure out where the boat is headed and run around to get there ahead of Jesus. Fame comes with a price.
In the Gospel According to Mark, the crowds serve as a counterpoint to the scribes and Pharisees. But the crowds, like the apostles, will still not know who Jesus truly is until his death and resurrection. His significance is not in the miracles and wonders that he works, even though it is these things that draw the crowds! This can point to a question in popular faith. Do we need miracles in order to believe in Jesus? Is his loving sacrifice on the cross insufficient? How many miracles does it take before faith is firm? AMEN