People hate change. Once we become comfortable with a situation, we are disturbed even when things are actually improved for us, unless the change is one we brought on ourselves. However, if the people facing forced changes happen to be politically powerful, their resistance to change is often fatal for the changers. Jesus brought change, yet threatened no one in any way.
Mark gives us the feeling Jesus left this unnamed town where Jairus was a chief in the synagogue, heading directly to His childhood home of Nazareth. It's hard to imagine He would not be invited to teach in the synagogue there. This was not the Jesus they remembered. A fellow's hometown tends to celebrate if he goes out into the world and becomes significant. Having him come home with a load of fame can only cast them in a positive light. Yet this town did not celebrate their home grown hero. Rather, they were offended because their hearts were hardened against the gospel message. Precious few people in Nazareth were moved in faith to seek His healing hands.
Since the Twelve were with Him, this experience was a good launch pad for the next phase of their training. Without any planning or collecting provisions, He sent them out in pairs on a preaching tour. The authority rejected at Nazareth was granted to them, and they were to rely on the famous Eastern hospitality. He was careful to admonish them they dare not respond to rejection, except in the symbolic act recognized in most of that world in those days: They were to make it plain for such hard hearted people, the very dust of their town's streets defiled the feet. It was an act of judgment which left the sentence in God's hands. Jesus also went on tour Himself, preaching in the cities of Galilee.
The message was to repent, for the Kingdom was at hand. Soon it would be too late, and the Lord would in some way visit the land. Those found in their sins would be rejected, judged and punished, indeed. This message could hardly avoid stirring a strong response one way or the other. News of this revival reached Galilee's king, Herod Antipas. His kingdom was two halves, Galilee and Perea, separated by the section of the northern Jordan Valley belonging to Decapolis. He was apparently at his palace-fortress in the far south of Perea, in the hills east of the northern Dead Sea. The news struck this Herod as a blow to his conscience. He was pretty sure this Miracle Man in Galilee was John the Baptist resurrected to haunt his kingdom.
Mark backtracks to the time not long before this preaching tour, when John the Baptist was executed for daring to preach Herod Antipas had sinned in marrying his half-niece, essentially stealing her from his half-brother, Philip. While Antipas dared not harm John, his illicit wife, Herodias, wanted his head. She got it by catching Antipas entertaining guests. In a pretense of holding to fabled Persian opulence, Antipas had food, wine and dancing girls. These latter would normally be slaves, but Herodias seized the moment and sent her daughter to dance before the men. In keeping with his Eastern extravagance, he offered her anything she asked, up to half his kingdom. She checked with her mother, and Herodias sprang the trap. Forcing Antipas to fulfill her wish lest he lose face before his guests, John was beheaded right away, because his prison was on the palace grounds. With his remains taken away for burial, Antipas was sure John's disciples had managed to resurrect him. All of this was no surprise to a Roman audience, who were used to rulers putting on airs and being caught by their own pretenses. They would have immediately understood the superstition someone returning from the dead would have incredible powers.
What the Roman readers also would see immediately was Jesus could have destroyed Antipas, or any other political ruler, with great ease. To them, it was a glaring truth, for lack of political ambition is conspicuous by its absence. All the more so with what follows. Given the attention they had garnered, Jesus wanted to let the agitation die down a bit, and give His men a chance to rest. After gathering back in Capernaum, He had them take a small boat down the coast, most likely near the northeastern corner of the sea. Yet, as their boat was visible from the shore, the crowd simply followed their craft to its landing. Lesser men would be irritated, but Jesus saw only how these common Galilean people had been so abused spiritually, they were like sheep without a shepherd. It was impossible as the Good Shepherd not to care for them, to instinctively want to pastor them.
So He did, teaching them until it was late afternoon. He cared so deeply for them. When His disciples suggested it was time to send the crowd away to find food. Most of them were poor, and buying food for so many of them would cost a fortune. They had just about enough time to walk back to a town before sunset, but Jesus had an important lesson in mind for His men. He told them they would feed this massive crowd. Then He said they should see what food was available from the crowd, and it wasn't much. Flat pita bread and smoked or dried small fish were a common meal around there, but this wasn't much more than a snack for the group themselves, never mind the huge crowd. Still, Jesus had His disciples organize the crowd in groups ranging from fifty to a hundred, a common pattern for handling large groups in ancient Semitic cultures.
Then He began passing out the food, but somehow the food never ran out. Not only did they feed the massive crowd, but had enough left over for the Twelve to pack a day's ration each for tomorrow. For Mark's Roman audience, this was an obvious signal. Roman commanders would each day issue to their troops the food rations for the next day -- giving them their "daily bread." It was a strong link, for it was clear the commander looked after the welfare of the troops, but would not give them enough to desert their post easily in remote areas. They got just enough to keep serving another day. To the Roman mind, Jesus was acting with a commander's immense authority, but clearly seeing to the details of daily life maintenance. To God, such things mattered.
Again, Jesus had no intention of disturbing the political situation. Romans would be puzzled if a man seeking to change the world didn't take advantage of this moment. Here was a crowd of some 5000 men with their families, eager to follow this man wherever He went, and He had no problem feeding them, not to mention healing them and teaching them His ways. Here was a willing army to vanquish the local Roman garrisons, and just a victory or two would swell the army to become a genuine challenge to Roman authority. Instead, He sent His lieutenants away, and dismissed the crowd. His priority of meeting their very real needs was covered; they could walk home now in comfort. Meanwhile, He had an appointment with prayer. Whatever Jesus was, He never intended to challenge any legal authority. His powers were focused on a far different kind of kingdom.
To emphasize the other-worldly nature of this kingdom, Mark tells us of Jesus' actions after that time of prayer. Seeing from afar His disciples struggling to keep the boat upright in a storm, He walked out to them on the water. Such a man had no need for armies and navies and massive forts. When the superstitious disciples cried in fear they were seeing a ghost about to welcome them to the realm of the dead, Jesus called out they should take courage, for it was not death, but life which drew near. Upon His entering their boat, the storm ceased. By now, they should hardly have been surprised. Had these men seen and experienced all this power and still not grasped what it was all about? Indeed, for the miracle of the feeding was lost in having just another afternoon of work. They themselves were no doubt wondering just when their Messiah was going to organize His realm. They wondered because they did not understand the nature of His realm.
On the opposite upper shores of Galilee, the northwestern, was a relatively flat area called Gennesaret. The people here realized who was getting out of the little boat, and rushed to bring out all their ailing and needy friends and family. A grapevine was set up to track His movements, and more diseased and demonized were brought to Him, as a sort of odd welcoming committee everywhere He went. By faith, these people claimed His authority to heal by so much as touching the blue tassels hanging from the fringe of His out garment. Romans who had seen Jews before would recognize this as part of the uniform typically worn by rabbis -- a rather fine, lightweight robe, often white with pale blue stripes, and blue tassels.
It was a subtle reminder to Mark's readers Jesus was first and foremost a teacher of righteousness. Had He intended any form of earthly rule, it would require He wear something else, something which would signal His political aspirations. Instead, He stuck with the image of a simple itinerant rabbi.
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By Ed Hurst
15 March 2008
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