Breaking the Word

GOSPEL READING: Mk 11:11-26

Mark has given this story in a ‘sandwich’ form. The outer part concerns the fig tree, the inner part concerns the temple. The story of the fig tree helps us to understand the temple-event. The episode at the temple helps us to understand the story of the fig tree. The fig tree incident by itself looks peculiar (it was not the season for figs). The story of the fig tree is an acted out parable.

Cleansing of the temple is Jesus’ way of protesting to the commercialization religion, worship. So he wanted all the non-religious activities to be stopped so that the temple becomes a place of prayer and worship. This incident seems to be so at the appearance. But there seems to be a deeper meaning behind it. There is a tone of judgement passed on.

God had promised to bless Israel through the Temple. If Israel took this promise for granted then God would punish them and pass judgment on them. The temple was to symbolize God’s presence in Israel for the sack of the world. But the Jews had organized the religion in such a nationalistic (narrow minded) view that it excluded the other people. So the temple itself is under judgment (no stone will be left on top of the other). Jesus asks for Faith in God and forgiveness of one another as the means to establish the kingdom.

GOSPEL READING: Mk 10:46-52

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. Surely he did not want to continue this life of begging. As soon as he was called he ran to meet Jesus and also he wanted to be a follower of Jesus. Bartimaeus wanted the situation to be corrected. He was also a man of faith. He believed that Jesus who was son of David could heal him and help him out of this situation.

In this case the people who were travelling with Jesus were not helpful to Bartimaeus. In most of the miracle stories the crowd always assisted the one in need. There was a situation in which the people opened the roof of the house and helped the sick to come near Jesus. There were situation in which the people ran through the villages and towns and carried the sick to bring them close to Jesus. This is one of the few situations in which they tried to prevent the man to come close to Jesus.

Jesus always went towards the needy and the suffering. At times he was taken by the people to the needy. But even if they prevented him, he would not be contained by the people. For Jesus the suffering and the needy are important and he would go to them whatever happens. He always assisted the suffering and the needy.