Breaking the Word

2^nd Week in Ord. Time, Friday – 21^st January 2022 — Gospel: Mark 3,13-19

Name Significance

In this narrative of the names of the twelve disciples, the number twelve makes this group as representative of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, Jesus would be seen as one who has come to restore Israel. In the choice of the twelve, Mark the evangelist makes three points in his narration. Firstly, their primary responsibility is “to be with him”, which means to accompany Jesus in his journey to the Father. Secondly, they are also sent out with authority to preach and heal, to say and to do, word and action. The kingdom of God is not merely a spiritual enterprise, rather connected intimately with the whole life, i.e., a practical enterprise as well. Thirdly, some of the twelve are given nicknames. Simon is named “Peter”, which means “rock” and James and John are named “Boanerges”, which means “sons of thunder.” These signified their function. Judas Iscariot is not renamed, but given an indication already here of what he will do in the future.

2^nd Week in Ord. Time, Thursday – 20^th January 2022 — Gospel: Mark 3,7-12

Not to Make Him Known

When Jesus cured the people of unclean spirits, He commanded the demons not to make Him known, although the demons knew who He was and fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Mark once again has the command to silence. Some interpret this command as belonging to the rite of exorcism, others see it as Mark’s desire to reject the testimony of the demons as evidence for Jesus’ identity. One of the reasons is this. In history, God prepared the people and culture for thousands of years, to announce the arrival of His Son. During Jesus’ ministry, God worked strategically to reveal who Jesus is and what He has come to do. But the demon’s apparent compulsion to declare Jesus as God’s Son works against God’s plans. It would affect the spread of the kingdom, so Jesus silenced them.  Another reason is tied to Satan’s title as the “father of lies” (Jn 8:44). And so, the demons have no good motive for sharing about what Jesus was trying to do. If Jesus validated the demons as witnesses to His identity, they’ll assume the authority to tell people more about Jesus, i.e., lie about Him. This would make God’s message more dangerous like that of the Pharisees who knew Jesus as Messiah, yet were blind to the truth.