Mark 3:1-6: Watching Jesus
Saturday, September 3, 2022
Today we see clearly that the Gospel can either divide us or unite us – all depends on our ability to receive the message Jesus tries to convey . . . that “healing and controversy are entwined”. (Meeks 1921) Or as the old saying goes: No good deed goes unpunished.
The psalm antiphon (Psalm 145) at Mass today is: Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom. In Mark 3:1-6 we have the opportunity to watch how Jesus’ friends and enemies react to his healing on the holy day. According to the Mosaic Law, work is prohibited on the day we are to rest and commune with God. According to the New Law, a restorative and healing act of love can and should take place at any time. Jesus’ followers understand that. Jesus’ enemies – jealous of his authority and fearful of his ability to perceive deceit – do not. They watch him in order to condemn him, not to follow him.
In the Biblia de América the translation of the word watch is acechar which is: to watch in the form of spying. These observers are not interested in observing how to be like Jesus; rather, they are interested in detracting from him and condemning them. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
From the MAGNIFICAT Mini-reflection before yesterday’s Evening Prayer: To dwell in God’s presence, we must be filled with love alone. The word we receive through Jesus Christ cleanses us, heals us, and makes us dwelling places for the God who heals us. As we watch Jesus in the Gospel story today, what do we learn? What lesson do we take away? And how do we hope to be a dwelling place for God?
Image from: http://www.tm.org/blog/enlightenment/kingdom-of-god-is-within-you/
Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Evening.” MAGNIFICAT. 5.23 (2011). Print.
LA BIBLIA DE LA AMÉRICA. 8th. Madrid: La Casa de la Biblia, 1994. Print.
Meeks, Wayne A., Gen. Ed. HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE (NRSV). New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989. Print. (Meeks)
A favorite from May 24, 2011.
The Noontimes 
[…] In a previous post, we reflected on how and why we watch Jesus – on what and when we learn from him – on where we encounter him. Today we reflect on the fact that The Word is not ambiguous. The words of Jesus tell us how we are to act, and what we are to do. Paul tells the Romans – and us – that we are to conform to the world of Jesus rather than the world we see around us. This is as concrete as can be. There is no doubt that we are born to be transformed in and by the Spirit. […]
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