Gospels of Mark

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INTRODUCTION

 

Since the end of the first century or at the beginning of the second century after Christ, texts have stated that the second Gospel was the work of Mark. Mark had accompanied Peter to Rome, where he also met Paul, and he faithfully put Peter’s teaching into writing.

Any reader comparing this Gospel with those of Matthew and Luke will see immediately Mark does not say anything about the birth of Jesus and the years he spent in Nazareth. If we look carefully at the last paragraph of the Gospel (Mk 16:9-20), we will be surprised to see that Mark’s early text concludes with the discovery of the empty tomb and does not mention the appearance of the risen Jesus. In other words, Mark’s Gospel seems stripped of its beginning and expected end.

However, this is not the case. Mark gave his work the same perimeters that the apostles had assigned to the first documents that determined the catechesis of the Church. Believers were not told everything they would have liked to know, but they were given the essence of what Jesus had said and done (Acts 1:21-22).

The Gospel of Mark consists of two parts. Each of them starts with a divine manifestation: in the first one, it is the word of God at Jesus’ baptism by John, and in the second one, it is the Transfiguration. The first part of the Gospel unfolds in Galilee, the province of Jesus, and the second one takes us to Judea and Jerusalem, the heart of the Jewish nation. These two parts are like the two sides of the same adventure. The first part shows us the power and the newness of Jesus: the impact of his teachings on the crowds. Then, disillusionment sets in, and we have the second part. The crowds no longer followas Jesus refuses to be what they want him to be. Finally, we have his death on the cross, which cancels his mission.

When Jesus died on the cross, the Roman officer admitted that the crucified one was indeed the Son of God (Mk 15:39). And this is all that Mark says. It is now up to the evangelizer to witness the resurrection and proclaim Jesus Christ as savior, beginning with the cross scandal.

 

1:1 In verses 1 to 13, Mark gives us three important insights about Jesus’ salvation in three short presentations.

Verses 1-7. John the Baptist announces the coming of the One sent by God: this Jesus about whom the Gospel will speak to us has been announced, prepared by all the great witnesses of the Old Testament. In him and by him, God’s salvation will be accomplished.

Verses 9-10. Jesus goes down into the Jordan to open the gates of the true Promised Land (see the Book of Joshua): he is the beloved Son of the Father on whom the Spirit rests. Jesus comes to reveal the mystery of God, the mystery of the love of God—Father, Son, and Spirit.

Verses 11-13. Jesus is at peace with the wild animals as he is with the angels. In him and by him, the reconciliation of all creation with its God will be accomplished. Such had to be the Messiah announced by Isaiah (Is 11).

 

1:14 Jesus calls his first disciples

 After this desert experience, Jesus returns to his home province, Galilee, and establishes himself in Capernaum. He lives in Simon's house, where he already appears to be the leader of a group of fishermen. Among them, Jesus finds his disciples. 

God becomes human, Jesus shares the life of the people of his time, and like the prophets, he teaches by what he says and does.

The time has come (v. 15). What does that mean? The time fixed by God has ended (Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10), the time of preparation has ended, and the manifestation of God announced by the prophets has already begun.

Change your ways and believe the Good News. God does not expect works on the part of human beings but calls them to faith. Avoid all that hampers you and prevents you from seeing and believing! Believe that it is he, and he alone, who can save you!

At once, they abandoned their nets and followed him (v. 18); leaving their family and work,they began to live with him. Like the masters of religion in his time, like the rabbis, Jesus instructed his first disciples, teaching them what they were to pass on to others in the Church.

Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus already knew them: he had met them where John the Baptist was preaching (Jn 1:35). The first nucleus of disciples is this natural group of lake fishermen, of which Peter seemed to be the leader. They were probably young men, ready to commit at a time, and in a culture where people were freer than we were from work constraints.

They did not know what the Reign of God meant but trusted Jesus to guide them. This, for them, was the beginning of faith.

 

1:21 Jesus teaches and drives out an evil spirit

Mark has shown us how Jesus began his public life: He became part of a movement of conversion that had shaken everyone at John the Baptist's call. It was then that Jesus began preaching and met his first disciples.

Mark will now give us a “day” in the life of Jesus. His words and actions manifest a power that impresses every witness. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus preaches in the synagogues. The synagogue is the Jewish house of prayer. People gather each Saturday to chant the Psalms and read the Scriptures. The one in charge preaches and invites others to join. This is where Jesus reveals himself. He is not like the teachers of the law who repeat, interpret, and give others’ opinions. Jesus speaks on his own, and he speaks with authority, “In truth, I tell you.”

 

1:23 With the same authority, Jesus drives out demons. This act also contains a message: Jesus delivers us from the influence of the Devil, who strives to destroy those created in the likeness of God.

This “Master of this world” (Jn 14:30) is present in all human business and culture to deceive human purposes and convert any progress into a new slavery.

In Jesus’ time, but much more rarely in the Church’s time (our time), there were some persons possessed by the Devil. Jesus freed several people from this slavery and disease. Physical possession is not the usual way of the devil’s activity in humans. The Devil operates (far more dangerously because we do not feel it) in the moral life of people. He blinds and confuses them about the truth, disguised as the angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).

Not that the Devil is the cause of every sin and evil that people do. There is also the selfishness of our “flesh” and the lure of the false promises of “the world,” but the Devil, as an enemy of God’s kingdom, is never at rest. He constantly nurtures our temptations. With holier persons who are not easy to tempt directly, he deceives them, persuading them to give more importance to their good purposes than to the advice of others and the teaching of the Church.

The Devil immediately notices those capable of weakening or destroying his empire. Then,he awakens the bad, the mediocre, the foolish, and the unfortunate against them. That is why the Devil also appears wherever Jesus goes.

 

1:29 Jesus heals many

Peter’s simple faith is manifested. Jesus enters the house, bringing with him peace and health. Jesus shows us how to visit the sick. What a natural thing to do when Mass ends—to see the sick. The care and love of our Christian sisters and brothers attract God’s favor upon them.

That evening at sundown (v. 32). Let us not forget that it is the Sabbath, the weekly day of rest. For the Jews, days are counted from the time of sunset, and night precedes day, as shown in Genesis 1:5. Everyone observes the Sabbath, just as Jesus does, and there is such haste to bring the sick to him that they begin to do so in the evening as soon as the Sabbath is over.

 

1:35 Jesus’ prayer at night

The apostles knew God since childhood through the Scripture’s teachings; perhaps they had not discovered God within their own lives but prayed to God as to a distant stranger. When they joined Jesus, they immediately understood that there was something extraordinary about him. They were especially taken by his apparent intimacy with God. The most remarkablething they noted in his manner and actions was his intimate and faithful union with his Father.

Living with Jesus, they begin to desire to know the Father more fully, something like Jesus knows him (Lk 11:1; Jn 14:8; 15:15).

 

THE MARGINALIZED

1:40 Jesus cures a leper

 Jesus leaves Capernaum to announce the Good News to the most isolated and ignored families in the whole country. There, he finds the lepers. At that time, leprosy was considereda contagious disease. Because of this, lepers had to live on the outskirts of the towns, far from the rest of the population. There was also a belief that leprosy was an affliction from God, and the Jewish religion declared lepers unclean. 

Jesus’ act cleansed the leper's flesh. As a result, he became like others, and people no longer avoided him. Both people and the law of God acknowledged his dignity.

The Good News does not remain mere words; it affects change. From then on, they would no longer be marginalized people.

Don’t tell anyone (v. 44). Very often, particularly in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus gives this order to those who have just been cured of an evil (1:25; 1:34; 1:44; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26; 8:30). We must note, however, that Jesus does not give this order when he is outside Israel territory; and that the order is not given after the transfiguration.

Jesus imposed this silence during the first part of his public life because most people expected a warlike and vengeful Messiah. Jesus did not want any ambiguity about his mission. Only when Jesus had sufficiently distanced himself from this popular image of the Messiah would he begin to reveal, first to his disciples, the mystery of his person.

For this reason, Mark, who differs from Matthew, rarely uses the expression “Son of God.” Mark reserves it for the privileged moments of Jesus’ revelation to people: his baptism and transfiguration, and after the passion on the lips of the centurion.

 

2:1 Jesus forgives and cures a paralytic

With this miracle of the paralytic being cured and forgiven, Jesus gives three answers simultaneously: to the sick man, his friends, and the Pharisees.

When Jesus saw the faith of these people (v. 5), these were the paralytic's friends, and Jesus rewarded their faith.

The paralytic did nothing more than consent to their advice. At once, Jesus tells him—your sins are forgiven. What a strange thing to say! How can Jesus forgive sins if the man is unconscious of any fault and simultaneously repentant and awaiting forgiveness? Indeed, during his prolonged infirmity, this man had asked himself why God was punishing him (the people of his time believed sickness was a punishment from God). Many texts of the Old Testament emphasize the complex connection between sin and illness. It is often illness that makes us conscious of our state of sinfulness, and for his part, Jesus does not want to heal unless there is reconciliation with God.

Jesus acts like God: he looks at the sinner, rectifies guilt complexes, and pardons before healing.

Later, the Pharisees arrive. When Jesus forgave the paralytic, the simple people did not realize how scandalous his words were. They did not have enough religious formation to realize immediately that only God could give absolution. It was the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were scandalized. Their indignation is justified because neither they, the others, nor the disciples understand that Jesus is the true Son of God. Jesus silences them: If I restore health the same way God does, should I not also forgive in the way God does?

Jesus disconcerts those who ask who he is. Better still, he shows that only he can save the whole person, body and soul.

 

FORGIVENESS OF SINS

Happy is this man who was assured of his pardon through Jesus' glance and words! God is he who lives and loves; we need to meet him so that forgiveness can be authentic—his eyes meet our eyes. Because of this, God had to become human. Jesus forgives sins because he is a Son of Man (Jn 5:27), and from him, we receive the pardon of God and of people within the Christian community.

 

TAX COLLECTORS

2:13 The call of Levi

 To enter the family of God, we must change some of our values. This conversion is not as conspicuous as participation in devotional practices but is much more valuable. First, we must liberate ourselves from prejudices by which we classify people. Let us stop dividing people into good or bad: those we can greet and those we cannot; those we can love and help and those we cannot. Let us learn that God does not hate the rich or the uneducated, those on the left or the right, for God’s merciful plan sees the salvation of all. 

The Gospel speaks about the publicans or tax collectors (v. 15) who served foreign powers. Jesus’ nation was under the domination of the Roman Empire, and the tax collectors were Jews who worked for foreigners.

Patriots considered them traitors. The people knew they had filled their pockets; even beggars refused to receive them from the tax collectors. Yet Jesus did not condemn them but chose one of them, Levi, as one of his apostles, of whom the majority were committed patriots.

The teachers of the law were like catechists or religion teachers. They were well-versed in religion and admired Jesus’ teachings. Still, they did not consider the tax collectors, other sinners (people who did not fulfill religious precepts), brothers and sisters.

Levi is probably the apostle Matthew (Mt 9:9). In this case, like Simon, whom Jesus named Peter, Levi would have been given the name Matthew; in Hebrew, Mattai means gift of God.

 

2:18 New wine, new skin

 Many religious leaders sympathized with Jesus. How they would have liked him to rekindle the nation's faith! Jesus did not feel that his primary task was reorganizing worship and bringing people to the synagogues.  

The Pharisees were fasting. As a sign of repentance, fasting supported their prayers that God come and liberate his people. God comes in the person of Jesus: joy and celebration are more appropriate than fasting. The prophets had announced the wedding feast of God with his people when he would visit us (Is 62:4-5). Because of this, in presenting himself as the bridegroom, Jesus identifies who he is.

What is the new wine? (v. 22) It is, of course, the Gospel and the enthusiasm because of the Holy Spirit that leads the disciples to every kind of madness to manifest the love of the Father and the freedom they have acquired. To understand this, let us read the Acts of the Apostlesand the lives of the saints, who have marked Church history.

Old skins: The Gospel does not fit into the molds of religion and likewise does not enter into those who hold onto them at all costs. Mark wants us to catch the Gospel’s novelty. We have just seen Jesus welcoming sinners; now we wonder why he doesn’t come like religious groups with prayers and fasting.

 

2:23 It was customary that passersby, when hungry, would pick fruit or wheat. The Pharisees were scandalized because Jesus’ disciples did this on the Sabbath when all work was prohibited.

The Sabbath was made for man. No law, no matter how holy it is, should be applied in a way that would oppress a person.

The Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath (v. 28). For the Jews, the observance of the Sabbath was the pillar of the Law established by God. Who did Jesus think he was?

 

3:1 HUMAN ADVANCEMENT AND THE SABBATH

Here, Mark wants to emphasize not the miracle Jesus performs but his attitude vis-à-vis the Sabbath. This miracle confirms what he has just said in 2:28.

The Pharisees considered it lawful to work on the Sabbath if it was a question of saving someone in danger of death. Jesus is about to enlarge this ruling: for him, not to do good is to do evil, not to cure is to kill.

Some ask if Jesus was interested in people's material advancement (well-being) or only their spiritual progress. It is impossible to separate the two.

Jesus did not speak of the economy nor the social order, but he did denounce the prejudices that prevent us from giving the world a true and just order.

People, then, have the capacity and the means to better their condition. Still, they use them poorly because they remain prisoners of principles or institutions that are considered sacred, and to preserve them; they allow half the world to die.

 

3:13 THE TWELVE

Moses and Elijah met God on the mountain, and it was there that God gave them their mission (Exodus 19; 1 K 19). On the mountain, Jesus called those who would be associated with his mission in a unique way: they would be with him, proclaim the word, and drive out demons.

Mark tells us here what the Church is: a community assembled by Jesus close to him, where people hear the word of God and are freed from the slavery of the demon.

On the one hand, there are the countless afflicted who seek relief; on the other, there is the group of the Twelve whom Jesus asks to be his co-builders in the kingdom of God.

What do we know of these Twelve who would become Jesus’ messengers, the Church's foundations, and the faith's teachers? The nucleus of the group were fishermen, and with them were a tax collector, Matthew; a teacher of the law, Bartholomew; and some others of whom we only know that Jesus chose them from among the people.

He came to save all, but his work began with the poor. Jesus did not belong more to the poor than the rich, but like all humans, he had to locate himself within a specific environment and social class.

Being a son of an artisan, he grew up among simple, humble people. In addition, Jesus made an important decision when he was eighteen or twenty. He chose to remain a manual worker rather than to enter a school for teachers of the law. These religious schools were open to all.

Jesus could have begun his preaching as a qualified teacher and would undoubtedly have found his helpers among the sincere teachers of the law, priests, or Pharisees. But no, he preferred to educate himself through the worker’s life with no other religious instruction than the teachings of the synagogue, with no other book than the book of life. Because of this, when the time came, he found his apostles among the ordinary people, young men who were simple but reliable.

 

3:20 The sin against the Spirit

 He is in the power of Beelzebub (v. 22). More than the healings, the exorcisms unsettled the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. The religious authorities traveled from Jerusalem to see this Jesus for themselves. The Jews of Jesus’ time were obsessed with the belief that illness was a form of possession. Jesus does not concern himself with distinguishing between illness and possession. The Devil is behind all human misery. Beelzebub, the name of an ancient idol, was a Jewish term for the Devil. 

No one can break into a strong man's house (v. 27). That Strong one is the Devil, and his house is the possessed person. “To plunder the house” removes the Devil’s power over his victim.

Every sin will be forgiven humankind (v. 28), even insults to God, however numerous, and Matthew adds: “And the one who speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven” (Mt 12:32).

Whereas the Old Testament punished blasphemous words with death to save God’s honor and avoid his anger towards the community, the God whom Jesus knows is aware of how far human stupidity can go and does not feel offended by the many ridiculous or blasphemous words habitually used in our society: he does not defend himself as do the important people of this world.

Jesus allows himself to be criticized by those who do not understand him. Many Pharisees of good faith did not understand Jesus and were scandalized by him. This was excusable, but calling evil that which is good is different.

To slander (or to blaspheme) the Holy Spirit (v. 29) is to attribute a manifestly good work to an evil spirit. Those who systematically attribute bad intentions to good work done by others, the Church, and other parties sin against the Holy Spirit. The one who recognizes the truth but not God is better off than the one who says he believes in God but does not recognize the truth.

About the exorcisms, Jesus concludes: “The kingdom of God has come.” In reality, the victory over Satan is reinforced daily. Our prayer, the insistent prayer of Christian communities, the witness of life, and the courageous action of Christians are effective in repulsing the sinister presence of money, the exploitation of others, drugs, or the frenzy for sex.

 

3:31 Jesus’ true family

See Mark 3:20. 

Jesus lost his relatives but found his true brothers and sisters. When we commit ourselves to God’s work, we discover new brothers and sisters and a mother, Mary, of whom the Gospel says, “Happy are you for believing that God’s promises would be fulfilled.” Jesus does not say, “He is my father,” for the Father is one, and he is in Heaven.

 

THE BROTHERS OF JESUS

The Church never doubted that Mary was a virgin and that Jesus was her only Son, as he is the only Son of the Father (see commentary on Lk 1:26). Why, then, does it speak of Jesus’ brothers and sisters?

First, in Hebrew, any relative is called “brother” or “sister.” The Scriptures provide over five hundred examples of the word “brother,” indicating a reasonably close relationship.

To avoid confusion, the Jews used more precise forms. If the Gospel meant brothers—sons of Mary—on mentioning them together with her, it should have said, “Your mother and the sons of your mother are here.” This was the only acceptable way of expressing it at that time.

Some people say: “If the word ‘brother’ often denotes distant cousins, it may also mean brothers in the strict sense of the word.” Let us look more closely to see who the “brothers” of Jesus are. They are mentioned when Jesus visits Nazareth: James and Joset (Matthew says Joseph), Jude and Simon.

Among the women at the foot of the cross, Mark mentions a certain “mother of James the Less and of Joset.” If it were Mary, mother of Jesus, it would be very strange that precisely at this hour, she is spoken of as the mother of James and Joset rather than as the mother of the victim. It would also be strange that she is mentioned only after Mary of Magdala. John says that this Mary, wife of Cleophas, was the “sister,” which means probably a close relative of Mary (Jn 19:25).

We must then admit that James and Joset are the sons of this “other Mary” (Mt 28:1), who was part of the group of women who came from Galilee with Jesus (Lk 23:55). They are, at most, first cousins of Jesus, while Simon and Jude were more distant cousins. James and Joset would not have been mentioned before Simon and Jude if they had been more distant relatives of Jesus.

Also, in the first Christian community, when the Gospels were written, there was a very influential group composed of Jesus’ relatives and townmates of Nazareth. These were called “brothers of the Lord,” and one of them, James, became bishop of the Jerusalem community. Little is said of this group other than that they were late in believing in Jesus even though he had lived with them for several years (Mk 3:21; Jn 7:3-5). In referring to them, the Gospel gives them the name the Christian community had given them, “brothers of the Lord” or “so and so, brother of Jesus.”

 

4:1 The sower

 See commentary on Matthew 13:1 and Luke 8:9.

Mark will now give us a few parables relating to the kingdom of God, for this proclamation of the beginning of a kingdom of God, was the great highlight of Jesus’ message. The Jews of the time occasionally spoke of a reign of God, but what they envisaged was the liberty of his people in the land of Israel and the punishment of their oppressors. Jesus instead affirmed that God reigns in our midst: the kingdom is already here, at our door.

The sower went out to sow (v. 3). There was impatience to harvest the fruits of such terrible suffering and so much bloodshed under Roman occupation, and for Jesus, it was still sowing time! Here, we have the great paradox of the Gospel, which often causes us to stumble: the kingdom is there, and with it, we have all God can give us. However, we all have hope (Rom 9:24). After twenty centuries of Christianity, the kingdom resembles a field that has just been sown. Some grains bear fruit and multiply (v. 8). Those with eyes cannot fail to see how many things are born of the Gospel and continue to be born where it is received. The kingdom manifests in the life and example of the saints, known and unknown. The fact that Western culture may deny the Gospel does not prevent its being born of its dynamism. The Gospel is behind everything undertaken to give the world unity and peace.

All this is born of the word, but it must mature and take shape in the heart of righteous persons.

 

4:10 The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you (v. 11). Jesus reminds the disciples who are there with him, receiving from him the word of God, that they owe it to God’s grace. God has chosen them to receive and transmit the proclamation of the kingdom. Instead of pausing to ponder such generosity, we might take the phrase in its opposite sense and ask: Has God then wished that others neither see nor understand?

This verse 12 quotes an important text of Isaiah (6:9), which will be recalled in John 12:40 and Acts 28:26. To understand, we must remember that the prophet used a grammatical form proper to Hebrew and difficult to translate into English. More or less, this is what God says to the prophet: “Harden their heart, speak so that listening they do not hear.” This way should be understood: “You will only succeed in hardening their heart; you will speak, but they will listen without wanting to understand.” God does not wish anyone to be mistaken or remain in ignorance.

Everything comes in parables. Those who have not been called to meet Christ, or who once called have refused, live in a world “outside,” where they are not without the light of God, but such comes to them in “parables,” which means through many intermediaries and human limitations. The Gospel brings light even to one who has not taken the step but is adapted to its capacity since such a person lives in a world of half-truths.

 

4:13 See commentary on Matthew 13:18.

How will you then understand any of the parables? The apostles themselves were incapable of understanding very simple things. Jesus guards us against an overly simplistic vision: on one side, the “disciples,” on the other, those who are not! We have never fully understood the mystery of the kingdom, and still less are we mastering it: the frontier between “disciples” and “outsiders” passes in the midst of us all. Jesus will remind us in the parable of the weeds.

Many Christian communities never grasp the real meaning of Jesus's words. Some do so because they always choose the same Gospel verses to justify their ideas and do not want to listen. Others do so because they look for practical advice to be more generous, patient, etc., and they do not see that Jesus wants to show them a vision of the world and Church much broader than their own.

The parable of the sower leads the other parables. Here, Jesus tells us the purpose of his mission: he has come to initiate a new age in the human story: the kingdom of God is now among us.

Sometimes, it seems that the Gospel does not have much power to transform life. Maybe this is because we have trampled on many seeds that the wind brought us. It all depends on us.

Jesus speaks of thirty and one hundredfold. The word heeded transforms our lives and strengthens our attempts to save the world. Who can tell what is possible for a free and liberated person?

 

4:21 Parable of the lamp

  Listen then, if you have ears (v. 23). Jesus warns us, “You waste your time if you only listen to me, yet do not allow what you hear to bear fruit. The measure that you measure out will be the measure you receive. That is to say, if you begin to act according to what you have learned, you will receive new strength and knowledge from God. If you do nothing, even your religious beliefs will be of no value to you, not even when you present yourself before God. You read my Gospel, but now challenge yourselves before you further follow.”

Whatever is hidden (v. 22). The word works secretly within the heart, but when we discover the transformation that is at work in our life, we readily proclaim Christ and make known to others the secret that has made us happy (Eph 2:4; Col 3:3; Phil 2:10).

 

4:26 The seed growing by itself

People become impatient at every moment. When will the kingdom of justice be realized? Will violence and corruption soon end? Jesus answers: invisible forces are already at work; the world matures, and the kingdom grows.

 

SEEDS

How many seeds are cast to the wind? A new style, a new song, a new device, a radio program. Some seeds have grown and taken root, producing fruits that mobilize people. Let us recognize the humble beginnings of the work of God: good-willed people meeting together to solve a community problem, a gesture of kindness in a closed, unfriendly environment, a first attempt to smile at life after a great disappointment. The seed grows, and the person who has welcomed the word walks more confidently on the path where God leads.

 

4:30 The mustard seed

 See commentary on Matthew 13:31.

 

4:35 Jesus calms the storm

 In the last two parables, Jesus has shown the irresistible growth of the kingdom. To give a visible sign of it, he will go to the other side of the lake, that is, on the pagan side of Lake Galilee. The two miracles he is about to perform will show that his victory over the demon goes beyond the frontiers of Israel.

In Jewish mentality, the sea is a daily reminder of primitive chaos; it is where the marine monsters move around, monsters which only God, for he is all-powerful, can challengeLeviathan and Rahab. In commanding the sea: Quiet now! Be still! (v. 39). Just as he does with the demons (Mk 1:25), Jesus affirms his divine power over the forces of evil.

Confronted with all the forms of evil that attack them amid storms that arise, peoplesometimes wonder if God “does not sleep.” Jesus is there. He is not surprised by the disciples’ fear of the disruption but by their lack of faith; only trust in the victory of Jesus, Son of God, over the forces of evil will allow them to overcome this fear.

At the very instant when they discover this divine power in Jesus, the apostles are terrified, as was Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3:1) and Isaiah at the time of his vision in the temple (Is 6:5), as all those to whom God especially shows himself: more than a friend, more than a master, Jesus revealed himself to them in the truth of his being. This fear of discovering God so close to them was greater than the fear they had felt during the storm a few moments earlier.

 

5:1 The Gerasene demoniac

Jesus overcame the raging sea and disembarked on the pagan shore of the lake; he confronts the demon. The text says three times that the possessed lived among the tombs and mentions three times the chains with which people had tried to bind him in vain. For a Jew to repeat something three times is to use the superlative: it is to say that the possessed has a partnership with death and with impurity to which it is attached (Num 19:11), but no one, absolutely no one, can master him. Finally, the possessed, like the servants of idols (1 K 18:28), slashed himself with stones till the blood flowed. This adversary, however, bows low, recognizing the superiority of Jesus, Son of God the Most High, who forces him to reveal his name. Again, the name symbolizes a legion, a regiment of demons possessing this man. Jesus will free this possessed man: the demon, author of every “impurity,” is sent to his kingdom. Pigs are, in Jewish tradition, a type of impure animal, and the sea into which they cast themselves symbolizes the evil empire (see the calmed tempest).

The herd rushed down (v. 13) (see Mt 8:32 and Lk 8:33). The actual text of Mark says, “Two thousand pigs rushed.” This is an incredible number, for such large herds of pigs were never seen. In Hebrew, the word for herds is only distinguished from the word for 2,000 by an accent mark. A mistake was probably made when Mark’s Gospel was written in Greek.

Jesus would not let him (v. 19). He is the one who chooses those who will be with him (Mk 3:13). That does not mean that the others, all those who met Jesus and recognized him as the Son of God, have nothing to do; they will witness in the midst of those they know how he had compassion on them. In this way, Jesus reminds us of the diversity of vocations.

 

5:21 Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus

  The Jews considered this woman unclean because of her illness (Lev 15:19). She would also make “unclean” anyone who touched her. Because of this, the law prohibited her from mingling with others, but she dared enter the crowd and touch Jesus’ cloak.

Faith drove her to break the "purification" law and risk scandal. This woman did not know who Jesus was but believed God would cure her through him.

The religiosity of this woman is akin to what we call today “popular Catholicism.” As seen in this woman, popular Catholicism is ill-instructed, yet shows a strong religious sense and trust in God. It is superficial and naive, expecting great results from touching images and religious things—Christ’s garment. Like Jesus, we should respect the religious expressions of popular Catholicism while at the same time trying, like him, to help people discover more profound dimensions of their faith.

 

5:34 FAITH AND MIRACLES

Who is responsible for a miracle? Does it come from the faith of the one who asks or from Christ, who works the miracle? If the miracle depends solely on a person's faith, what is the difference between the faithful one who asks God for a cure and the one who goes to any faith healer? In the latter, it would be enough to convince oneself that the one doing the healing would matter little.

Of course, these people coming to Jesus were very far from recognizing him as the Son of God, but they were convinced that God would give them some blessing through this prophet and holy man. This faith prepared them to receive healing in both body and spirit. How can God heal those who refuse to hope?

What stands out on this page is the power of Christ: Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone out from him (v. 30).

Your faith has saved you (v. 34). This can also be translated: Your faith has made you well. Both meanings fit (like in 10:52). This woman risked everything and finally saw God's love for her.

 

5:38 Here, Jesus is confronted with the death of a girl who is called to live. Jairus was an official of the synagogue (v. 22), that is to say, one of those holding responsibility in the local Jewish community.

We, too, ask God to be healed, but we dare not ask for the resurrection of the dead because we consider death as something irreversible. Jesus wishes to show us that no “law of destiny” or nature can be an obstacle to God’s love.

People wailed loudly (v. 38). During Jesus’ time, hiring professional mourners and musicians at a funeral was customary. Today, at funerals, we also have long discourses and ceremonies to mask death because it shakes and discomforts us and shatters our apparent peace. Jesus does not allow himself to be taken in by our illusions.

The child is not dead but asleep (v. 39). Of course, she is dead, and that is why the people mock him, but Jesus sends the noisy crowd outside and takes with him the child’s father and mother. They can understand, for they have come to him in a spirit of faith (v. 22).

Get up! (v. 41). From the first hour, the disciples of Jesus used the words “sleep” and “rise” to speak of death and resurrection. They believed that Jesus, the Son of God, had, with his resurrection, definitively defeated death (1 Cor 15). Polls reveal that today, a significant number of Christians no longer believe in the resurrection. One may ask if it is not the result of a religious education based on moral considerations rather than listening to the word of God.

 

6:1 THE WISDOM OF JESUS

The brothers and sisters of Jesus are his relatives and acquaintances of Nazareth; see commentary on Mark 3:31.

How did this come to him? (v. 2). Does this mean Jesus traveled to other countries to get magic powers? See the answer in the commentary on Matthew 2:23.

Because he had always lived among them and never done anything extraordinary, they were astonished that he had become famous throughout Galilee in such a short time. They do not know him: most people mistakenly believe they know their neighbors.

Prophets are despised only in their own country (v. 4). After living with him for so long and treating him like anyone else, how could they suddenly show respect and have faith in him?

Who is he but the carpenter? (v. 3). The Gospel uses the term craftsman; there is no further specification. Yet the first Christians of Palestine asserted that Jesus was a carpenter.

What kind of wisdom has been given to him? (v. 2). Many people say that because Christ was God, he knew everything, but divine knowledge is nothing less than God himself. He knows all at once in an instant that never ends—this is eternity. On the other hand, humans think of ideas and do not embrace them simultaneously. That is why, from birth, Jesus had to learn from experience and discover. Yet he was aware that he was the Son, although, at the beginning, he did not have the words to think or express this.

Jesus received his human learning from Mary, Joseph, and his neighbors in Nazareth. He acquired his wisdom from the Scriptures and the culture of his people. Yet the Father gave him his Spirit to judge as God does and to recognize God in all things. For him (as for us now), what was important was not accumulating data and experiences but appreciating all that occurred. Jesus, inspired by the Spirit, felt all the realities of life differently: this was Wisdom.

 

6:6 THE MISSION

See commentary on Matthew 10:5, Luke 10:1, and Matthew 28:16. Jesus begins a third stage of his ministry by organizing a mission throughout the province. Before, the apostles accompanied Jesus, but now he sends them ahead of him.

Jesus is an educator. He not only teaches his followers, but he also has them share in his mission. His apostles must also proclaim their faith and perform healings as the Master does. By doing this, they practice what they have discovered of the kingdom of God. The disciples should first believe what they proclaim: God makes himself present. Because of this, they must live daily, trusting in the Father’s Providence, not frightened but always conscious of God’s mission and power.

Oil was used at the time as a remedy, but Jesus gives it a new meaning: the healings bring more than just well-being; they are also the sign of spiritual healing, the reconciliation of people with God.

Jesus’ concern to form communities of believers is already present. He sends his disciples out two by two so that the message will not be from one person only but the expression of a group united in one mission. Jesus tells them to stay under one roof with one family so that this may be a center-radiating faith.

 

6:14 John the Baptist beheaded

King Herod. This refers to Herod Antipas, son of the other Herod who reigned when Jesus was born.

King Herod respected John (v. 20), but he was a prisoner of his milieu and his vices. As king of Galilee, his misconduct constituted a public counter-witness.

Throughout the Scriptures, prophets stress the particular responsibility of those who wield power. If they have to lead the people, they must be an example by the righteousness of their lives; John the Baptist could not speak of justice without reproaching Herod for his infidelity.

People said that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead (v. 14). They considered John a martyr and believed he would rise to punish Herod. Some associated Jesus with John—Jesus performed miracles that John had not done. Others, less informed, thought Jesus was an apparition of John.

 

6:30 Jesus, shepherd, and prophet

 The apostles are exhausted. At the end of this journey, they need to rest and examine their experiences more deeply. Jesus teaches and helps them reflect upon what they have seen and done.

Many people coming and going (v. 31). After the disciples had gone through the villages of Galilee, many people wanted to know who had sent them, and the crowd approached Jesus.

He had compassion on them (v. 34). The Old Testament showed God's compassion as a Father, but now Jesus reveals it differently. No one could fully understand God’s mercy until the Son came to share everything with us, making himself poor among the poor, able to feel with them instead of giving them his words and deeds of mercy from above.

This compassion of Jesus helps us understand that Christian commitment to the poor is not complete as long as the Church is not itself deeply rooted in society's lower class.

They were like sheep without a shepherd (Num 27:17; Is 40:11; Ezk 34; Zec 11:4-17; 12:8). This refers to people who had not yet found a true community, and Jesus pitied them. The prophet Ezekiel reproached the leaders of Israel for being bad pastors, but today, he might reproach us for failing to be pastors and prophets in our world. Why should we often wait for priests, religious, or a few handpicked lay people to assemble new communities? Why are we so timid in proposing to “those outside” the light of faith that we have gratuitously received and allowed them to discover this richness in the group or community?

And he began to teach them many things. What did he tell them? All that makes up the Gospel. Penetrating everyone’s conscience with a prophetic gaze, Jesus showed each one where the real problem lay. Like the prophets, Jesus never enclosed and isolated the people within their problems: their progress had to be attained with the renewal of their environment.

Jesus saw they were burdened with difficulties but would lift them up by giving them “signs of hope.” In any situation, there is something that we can do immediately to uplift ourselves,and even before any attempt of ours, God already gives us signs that he does not abandon us and that we must trust totally in him.

 

6:35 Bread and fish for all

 Scripture says that from the mouth of God comes bread and the word that we need (Dt 8:3). By giving bread, Jesus demonstrates that his words are God’s words. God gives bread to his people (Ex 16; Ps 72:16; Ps 81:17; Ps 132:15; 147:14). 

What comes from the mouth of God (Dt 8:3; Wis 16:26; Mt 4:4). Seen in the light of the Old Testament, this narration identifies Jesus as the Shepherd foretold by the prophets.

They sat in fresh pastures (Ps 23) and ate until they were satisfied (Ps 78:29). The crowd seated for a meal is the image of the Reign when Jesus will unite all of humanity in the fraternal banquet of God (Lk 14:15).

Raising his eyes to heaven (v. 41). By using this gesture, rather than a prayer that saints or prophets might have said on this occasion, Jesus expresses his relationship with the Father.

Jesus is the bread needed by humanity (Jn 6). God has set on this earth all that humanity needs for food and development, but if we do not know how to listen to the word, we will not know how to solve the world’s most urgent problem: the distribution of the earth's riches. Faith in God’s promises is the only force with which to fight against egoism and unequal privileges, and it will eventually obtain food, peace, and freedom for all.

Because of this, Jesus had compassion for this crowd whose leaders had little concern for them. This crowd sat listening to him without bothering about food while he conveyed the word of God that liberates people from blindness and emptiness. Then, being the Shepherd and the True Bread of Life, he gave them food and distributed it.

 

6:45 Jesus walks on the water

 Jesus obliged them to get into the boat. Why? John’s Gospel explains this (Jn 6:15). Because the people, enthused by the miracle, wanted to make him a king and liberator sent by God. Even the apostles were eager for this to happen. 

 

7:1 THE TRADITION AND TRADITIONS

No group, not even the Church, can sustain itself without traditions and customs. Yet even when they are good traditions, humans still make them. For example, the way the mass is celebrated, celebrations, novenas, etc. All that past popes, bishops, and Christian communities have done can be changed by another pope, bishop, or Christian community, and because these can be changed, we understand that they are not essential.

God's teaching does not change. It can be found in the Scriptures and Jesus’ teachings. Yet,there is a way of understanding Jesus as the apostles did. This is called the Tradition of the Apostles, and the Church, founded by the apostles, guards this Tradition, which is their spirit. Let us not confuse the traditions of Catholics with the Tradition of the Church.

We often make little effort to enter into the spirit and tradition of the Church; however, we cling to old-fashioned and mediocre traditions instead. Why are so many Christians today scandalized when the Church frees itself from these antiquated rites? Jesus gives us the reason: they cling to these rites because they are incapable of believing. External religion replaces the authentic faith they do not possess. They hang onto these things because these are all they have, and if they lose that, God no longer has any meaning for them.

 

7:14 CLEAN AND UNCLEAN

An important practice of Judaism was to keep oneself clean: one could not participate in worship without being in a state of ritual purity. The word “purity” did not have the same meaning we give it today. The clean person was not contaminated even inadvertently by things prohibited by law. For example, pork and rabbit were considered unclean; they could not be eaten. A menstruating woman, or a person with hemorrhoids, was considered unclean for a certain number of days: no one could even touch the person. A leper was considered unclean until cured. If a bug fell in oil, the oil was considered impure and would have to be thrown away.

If contaminated even by no fault, the person had to purify himself, usually with water, sometimes paying for sacrifices.

At one time, these laws helped encourage a hygienic lifestyle. They also protected the faith of the Jews who lived among people who did not know God. How could they guard their faith in the one God if they were to live with other nations, befriend them, and even imitate their ways? With so many religious practices to observe, the Jews had to live apart from those who did not share their faith and lifestyle.

Jesus removes from these rites their sacred value: nothing is unclean in all God’s creation; touching the sick, a corpse, or a bloodstained object does not offend God. God is not bothered if we eat this or that. Sin always comes from the heart and is not something we do unintentionally.

Scripture teaches these concepts of purity and impurity, but these laws were written many centuries ago, and not everything Scripture says is always valid. Through the teachings of the Scriptures, God educated his nation. Still, the laws he gave them from the beginning when they were barbaric and uneducated, are no longer necessary for a community that has a solid religious foundation.

It is entirely legitimate for Christians to adopt a vegetarian way of life. Christian communities consider abstinence from alcohol and tobacco as a witness to help addicts. But let us not say that this is part of our faith, nor let us judge those who disagree with us. That would otherwise undermine the transcendence of Christian salvation that goes beyond any question of “eating and drinking” (Rom 14:17).

 

7:24 THE PAGANS

The authorities clash with Jesus. He must depart and wander along the border of Galilee, where he is less watched and can quickly flee. This incident occurred near Tyre, a province occupied by the Syrians and Phoenicians.

The Jews were never able to understand their election by God as his chosen people without looking down on other nations. Being bearers of the true faith obliged them to avoid contamination with different religions, but this increased their inability to understand all that was foreign.

For them, the world was divided in two: there were “the people” (Jewish) and “the nations”: all the others. God ignored these others unless it was to let them feel the weight of his justice. Their minds were closed to the question we ask ourselves today: how does God deal with and save all those who have not heard his word? So it was that the Phoenicians (also called Greeks because they spoke Greek rather than Hebrew) (v. 26) who lived near but were very distant from the Jews.

Although Jesus came to save all, his Father desired that he not go beyond his own country. Nevertheless, on certain occasions, he encountered pagans and more than once admired their simplicity and faith.

The Gospel does not keep all that Jesus said and did, but we see nothing there that could be a call to “change one’s religion” or a threat to those who take a road other than that of Christianity. Jesus leaves them on the path the Father leads them, invites them to thank the one and only God, and shows them how near the Father is to them through his Son.

The Jews usually looked down on pagans with marked contempt: they were the sons, and the pagans were the dogs. Jesus answered the afflicted woman, repeating this well-known scornful saying. He said this to test the woman’s faith: Would she insist when it appeared that even God would reject her?

 

7:31 Healing a deaf and dumb man

They asked Jesus to lay his hand upon him (v. 32). This was a way of invoking divine power, but Jesus did not have to ask. By his gesture, he showed that he had all the health and welfare that we need within himself, within his human person, and he communicated this to the sick.

Jesus groaned (see 8:12). Why? The man before him is an impressive symbol of those witheyes and ears but neither see nor hear. The people bring him the deaf-mute and ask him to heal him, but they remain deaf.

Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone (v. 36). How far Jesus is from the organizers of a “Miracle Crusade”! An unexpected miracle may help us discover the loving presence of God, but as soon as we begin to wait for them, we turn away from the Gospel. The Devil knows this and so tempted Jesus in the desert (Mt 4:6): See the warnings of Deuteronomy to people anxious to see miracles (Dt 13). Faith leans on the word of God, not on miracles (Jn 4:48).

 

8:1 The second miracle of the loaves

 This second account of the multiplication of loaves is not a repetition of the first account. Evidently, oral transmission of these two events leads to shaping them according to the same pattern, but they have different meanings.

The first time, between Tiberias and Capernaum (right at the center of Jesus’ work in Galilee), the people, more numerous and urgent, approach Jesus to make him their liberator (Jn 6). Jesus refuses, but later that afternoon, he multiplies the loaves, which is a clear sign that he is the Messiah, as foretold by the prophets. The next day, Jesus, in his turn, demands that they take him for what he is, and this produces the rejection (Jn 6:60).

Later, Jesus journeys to the boundaries of Galilee, where most of the population are pagans. They also want to hear Jesus. On the other side of the shore, the eastern part, Jesus offers them bread as a farewell meal after they follow him for two days through the desert land.

The two accounts of the multiplication of loaves differ in several points, such as the number of loaves and the number of participants. The baskets, for example, mentioned in Mark 6:43,refer to the stiff osier basket of the Jews, and in 8:8, to the wicker basket or the Greek’s folding bag.

The number 12 records the twelve tribes of Israel and the Twelve apostles, while the number 7 records the “seven pagan nations” that occupied Canaan and the seven deacons of the early Church.

These differences underline Mark's will to consider the actual situation of the Church at the time he wrote; having been born in a Jewish milieu, it was developing among Greek nations. This is why, for the first multiplication, the evangelists say, “Jesus pronounced a blessing,” and in the second, “Jesus gave thanks.” Because the first was the word used for Eucharist among Jewish Christian communities, and the latter was used in Greek-speaking churches.

Some feel that the same event has been recorded with those differences in Jewish and Greek-speaking communities before the Gospels present them as two different events. However, the sequence that contains both is very ancient (see the commentary of Mt 14:13) and does not come from later times in which contact with the original events would have been lost. This duality is stressed in Matthew 16:5 and still more in Mark 8:9.

The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves (or the two multiplications of loaves) holds an important place in the synoptic Gospels because it points out Jesus as the Messiah: see commentary on Matthew 15:29; Luke 9:12; John 6.

 

8:11 Why do they demand a sign?

 See commentary on Matthew 16:1.

 

THE PHARISEES

The Pharisees do not see the fruits of Jesus’ teaching. They do not see the thousands of anonymous disciples rediscovering hope and gradually transforming. They do not see that God has visited the poor. Jesus is going to clash more and more with this influential group, the most respected in Jewish society, and a question comes to our mind: if Jesus came today, wouldn’t he shock many people who think they are the pillars of the Church?

Jesus' reproach to the Pharisees is often found in those who turn to respected religious institutions. First, we start with a desire for moral perfection that is unconsciously linked to our need to be acknowledged by society. We are aware of our responsibility. This is a good thing, and it was at the heart of Pharisaism. This may be a starting point. But as time goes by, we fail to realize that we have become more attached to our virtues than to God: love would have steeped us in humility.

Fully convinced of their own merits (their “righteousness,” Lk 18:9), the Pharisees seek a sanctity based on rules, alms, and services, and in return for their merits, they expect God to treat them specially. We are a long way from grace and the Gospel since we can only encounter God if we accept our weaknesses and God’s forgiveness. Then, we honestly and humbly love God and feel we are the brothers and sisters of the poorest and sinners.

Our belonging to an actual or alleged elite brings us to cultivate our image, therefore appearances, as we are more removed from the world of “sinners” and ordinary people (as if by chance, Pharisee means separated). This more “select” milieu offers an opportunity to every ambition, and from then on, as Jesus says, hypocrisy rules.

 

8:14 Jesus tells his apostles to beware of the Pharisee’s spirit (of becoming like the Pharisees), but they do not listen, being more concerned about the food.

Jesus says: Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees (v. 15), meaning their teaching (Mt 16:12). The Pharisees saw Jesus as a popular wonderworker who threatened their authority as a religious and popular leader of the people. Since the disciples had forgotten to bring more bread, they missed Jesus’ point about the leaven of the Pharisees. Jesus fears that his disciples, because of being ordinary people, would let themselves be impressed by the knowledge and fame of the Pharisees, and he warns them that these people build religion on the wrong basis.

Jesus agreed with the Pharisees on the general understanding of the Scriptures but not the spirit of many among them. As “master,” he chose a way opposed to theirs. Instead of teaching from above, he became part of a natural group of simple people and formed them through action. He made them reflect on what they saw and did and what God was doing among them as they worked with him.

 

8:22 Cure of the blind man at Bethsaida

  When a person, blind from birth, regains his sight, it takes time to focus on objects gradually and understand what his new eyes see. Jesus again laid his hands on this blind man’s eyes.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. Jesus does not let us see everything at once, but conversion is realized gradually.

Do not return to the village (v. 26). If so, all the people would look for Jesus to see him, touch him, and clamor for a miracle. Jesus came instead for an authentic encounter with people.

 

8:27 CHRIST—THE SON OF MAN

The Gospel already foretells the tragic end here. For the first time, the apostles take account of who their Master is.

You are the Messiah (v. 29). Christ is a Greek word that means the “Messiah” in Hebrew. They both mean the anointed or consecrated one. This term is designated the long-awaited Savior. The apostles discover that Jesus is the Messiah, the Liberator, but he teaches them that the Son of Man (the Human One) has to suffer many things (v. 31).

Why does Jesus call himself the Son of Man? First, one page in Scripture speaks of the Son of Man who gloriously comes from God to judge all people and rule all the nations (Dn 7:13). Second, Jesus is the perfect Human and bears the destiny of humanity.

Jesus had to suffer (v. 31) because this is the fate of sinners. He had to suffer and be rejected by the authorities because this is the destiny of those who proclaim the truth. He had to freely go to his death because self-sacrifice is the only means for the salvation of the world.

 

8:34 Take up your cross

 It is necessary to lose oneself: 

– to lose oneself like Abraham, who went to strange lands in his old age.

– to lose oneself like Moses, who agreed to be the leader of an irresponsible people.

– to lose oneself like Mary, who entered a path wherein no one could understand or help her.

– to rid oneself of this temporary existence to be reborn of God, like Ignatius, the martyr. Condemned to be eaten by lions, he said, “I am the wheat of God; may I be ground by the teeth of wild animals to be converted into the pure bread of Christ. My passions are crucified in me; no carnal fire can burn me; a fountain has sprouted in me that murmurs and speaks from within come to the Father.”

Take up your cross (v. 34). Jesus tells us that to follow him is the same path that took him to the cross. To reach maturity, it is necessary to renounce our life; in other words, we must risk ourselves for something noble instead of being concerned about our future; we must find a lifestyle that will help us excel in the way of love; and we must accept that our life may be a failure according to others’ way of thinking (Lk 17:33; Jn 12:23-25).

Taking up our cross by freely accepting the sacrifices that the Father sends each day, we receive something even more marvelous than what was sacrificed: inner freedom and more profound happiness (Mk 10:30).

Think of what Jesus says: from me, for me, and not: from God, for God. For God has come in the person of Jesus to knock on our door and to propose to us concrete commitments.

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words (v. 38), she follows Christ's words without fear of what may be asked of her. Many who call themselves Christians attack the believer without mercy. For we live amid an adulterous people, in other words, people who, without verbally denying God, serve other gods (Mt 6:24; Jn 8:42).

 

9:1 The Transfiguration of Jesus

 The transfiguration of Jesus is the midpoint of Mark’s Gospel.

This manifestation is, in fact, one of the most important in the New Testament. In the liturgy of oriental Churches, the feast of the Transfiguration holds supreme importance.

Though not the summit, it is, in fact, the summary of all revelation. Moses and Elijah, the spokesmen of the Law and the Prophets (in a word, of all the Old Testament), present the Christ of the Gospel to the apostles Peter, James, and John, who will be responsible for preaching the Gospel.

As God led Moses and Elijah to the Holy Mountain to witness his glory (Exodus 33:18; 1 K 19:9), so are the apostles led apart by Jesus; they, too, climb the mountain, and Jesus manifests his glory there.

Jesus had just announced his passion and death: the day had come when the Father confirmed his very near end (Lk 9:31) and gave him a foretaste of his resurrection. Moses and Elijah were the witnesses who, in a certain way, escaped the corruption of death (Dt 34:6; 2 K 2:11).

A cloud formed, covering them in a shadow (v. 7). The cloud mentioned here is that which, in several episodes of the Scriptures, both indicates and hides the mysterious presence of God (Ex 19 and 1 K 8:10).

Listen to him! (v. 7). The apostles have been accompanying Jesus for more than a year, and misunderstandings have increased between him and the religious authorities of the people of God. For them, a question could arise: Is not Jesus mistaken? Are not the certitudes of God’s people on the side of the priests and scribes?

The Father himself intervenes, just as he had done in the past for John the Baptist: Listen to him! “Listen to him for he is the Word made flesh” (Jn 1:14; Heb 1:1). He is the Prophet, and all the others speak only for him (Dt 18:17).

When Jesus worked miracles for the sick and over the forces of nature, he showed that the present order of the world is not permanent. Now the curtains are partially opened: would the apostles understand that the Son of Man, as Jesus calls himself, is close to his resurrection?His fellow citizens will hang him on a cross in a little while. The Father will give him the glory that awaits him in a little while. The shining cloud and the dazzling white clothes are external signs that indicate something of the mystery of Jesus: the day he rises from among the dead, his human nature will be transformed and extended by divine Energies so that he may fill everything in everyone.

 

9:11 The question about Elijah

 Going down the mountain, the apostles feel uneasy, “Why did Moses and Elijah speak of the imminent death of Jesus?” They cling to their illusions, finding support in the Scriptures, which said that Elijah had to return to earth to prepare the way before the Messiah would come so that he should not encounter any opposition (Mal 3:1 and 4:23).

Jesus repeatedly asserts what he has said: He has to be rejected. Not all that is written in Scripture is to be understood literally. Elijah was not to return personally from heaven; instead, John the Baptist had already come as the new Elijah (Lk 1:16).

 

9:14 The boy with an evil spirit

 All things are possible for one who believes (v. 23). Jesus has returned to the crowd, and again, he meets with human unbelief. The prayer of the child’s father would be a model for all Christian prayer. If we turn to God in prayer, it is because we have faith, yet in doing this, we discover our faith's poverty and fragility. 

Why couldn’t we drive out the spirit? (v. 28). The apostles wonder: did Jesus not give them power over the demons? They are unaware of their lack of faith and quickly forget how far they are from their Master. To them are directed the sharp words of Jesus: You, faithless people! How many people think they are great believers when, in fact, their faith has still not moved anything!

Only prayer can drive out this kind (v. 29). Various people mentioned in the Gospels as being possessed may have been mentally sick and could have been cured by magnetic force or by the laying on of hands (Mk 6:5). Not this lad. Sometimes, we find ourselves like Jesus,close to the power of Evil, and prayer is needed to overcome it.

In the Gospel of Mark, we find only four references to prayer in only a few words. It is because prayer was not a novelty for the Jews.

What is prayer? It is to direct our spirit to God. There are thousands of ways of praying, keeping our spirit oriented toward God, striving towards him, and listening to him: praying the Psalms and other prayers of the Church, meditating on the rosary, singing, Scripture reading, etc. The purpose of all these prayers is that the Lord may give us the spirit of prayer so that we can communicate with God in the depth of our spirit, even while working and minding our tasks.

In these pages, Jesus shows us how to expel the demon because the evil spirit multiplies obstacles to discourage us as soon as he knows we have decided to follow Christ (Mt 12:43; 13:19).

 

9:30 Jesus again speaks of his passion

  Time is running out for Jesus. He now dedicates himself chiefly to preparing the group of apostles with the tremendous responsibility of continuing his work. They did not understand his death and resurrection: these things cannot be understood until they have happened. They prefer not to question or know, leaving Jesus very isolated.

 

SERVANTS

9:33 Who is the greatest?

 The apostles return to Capernaum, the center of their missionary expeditions, and probablystay in Simon Peter's house. 

They have preached the kingdom of God, performed miraculous cures, and expelled demons. However, they still lack the most important quality: humility.

We also follow Christ, make sacrifices for him, and look like good Christians, and God performs through us some miracles, great or small… Can we compare ourselves with our neighbors? Do we have the right to impose ourselves on others when they prefer the services of another person? Should we consider ourselves superior to those who do not reach our level?

 

9:35 The last sentence of Jesus is as important as the first: Whoever welcomes a child such as this in my name (v. 27) … The dignity of the human person stems from this identification with Christ.

 

THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

God does not wait for us to be baptized before he recognizes his Son in us. He created us “in Christ.” This means that he created each of us so that we bear the likeness of his Son: see what Paul says in Ephesians.

Of course, it is much greater when God calls us to believe and chooses us to share in the mission and life of his Church.

The Church has always taught the surpassing dignity of the human person and, in the end, convinced the world. More than anyone else, the martyrs taught us the superior value of the human person over any interest or collective bonds. It is impossible to separate this dignity of the human person from our relationship with the Father. Those who do not share this belief cannot easily explain their commitment to human rights.

God's greatest gift to humans is not that we can think and love but that we can say to God, “You are my Father,” and that God looks at us and thinks, “You are my son/daughter.”

 

9:38 SEPARATE CHURCHES

While Jesus prepares his apostles, whom he wants to leave in charge of his Church, others preach the Gospel and expel demons. In the same way nowadays, outside the Catholic Church, the Church of the Apostles and others of diverse Christian denominations do apostolic work.

This evangelization outside the Church, sometimes against the Church, offers a challenge. If others evangelize, it is perhaps because the Church does not reach many people: God wants others to do what we do not. The proliferation of separate churches is a call to reform for the Catholic Church.

The Church finds itself paralyzed because it lacks a true spirit of poverty and because its massive structures no longer allow simple people to experience the fresh, life-giving air of the Gospel.

In addition, a missionary sense is often wholly absent: too many Catholics are not ready to leave their practices and small groups, resulting in the Church seemingly absent in many places, especially among the urban masses and immigrants.

With that, how can we condemn those who, through their missionary action, allow manypeople to meet Jesus Christ in vibrant and welcoming communities, even if not everything there is authentic?

In saying this, we do not forget the many riches of Christian tradition that have often been lost by those who left the Church, especially the certainty that everything human must be redeemed and saved and the joyful and humble way of believing and doing the will of the Father, of which Mary is the finest symbol.

Several things seem to us out of place in these churches: the miracle used as an instrument of propaganda, the pressures on the sick, the threatening of punishments from God… Many enclose themselves in their cults, far from the “world,” making ecumenism impossible, that is, the dialogue and every day seeking with other Christians.

There is, however, no room for envy or hatred: who can harm us if we do the work of God?

 

9:42 If your eye causes you to sin

 See commentary on Matthew 18:6.

To be thrown into Gehenna, says Jesus (v. 45). This word was used to designate hell.

To enter life… to enter the kingdom are the same thing. The kingdom of God is not a place where God will put us; it is a life that invades us. It is a person’s meeting with self, the total realization of a person’s potential, the perfect union with God through which the sons and daughters are transformed into the likeness of the Father.

Have salt in yourselves (v. 50). This concludes the speech after the discussion with the apostles (v. 34). Of course, we should make ourselves servants of others (v. 35). That does not mean that we should be oppressed people. Salt signifies each person's creativity and talents. Let us be fully alive, even if it includes disagreements, but always concerned about maintaining loving relations and mutual respect.

 

10:1 Divorce

MATRIMONY. See notes on Matthew 19:6.

Is it right for a husband…? (v. 2) Matthew is surely more exact when he adds “for any reason he wants,” for everyone agreed that a wife could be sent away, but reasons justifying a divorce were discussed. Mark goes straight to the point: marriage is an irreversible commitment.

Jesus takes his stand; it is one of those clashes when he shocks everyone, including his disciples—going against general practice sanctioned by the Scriptures.

Jesus invokes another law of God in the beginning. In the beginning, that is in the narrative of the Earthly Paradise. We must not forget that in ancient culture, the beginning was a golden age in which God established ideal institutions. It is clear then that if the authors of the Old Testament authorized divorce, it was because the laws of society, even those of God’s people, reflect the level of the moral conscience of an era.

Jesus compares the ideal and the practice. However, this ideal is not something one admires without taking it seriously. Where Genesis says: the two shall become one body, Jesus adds: they are no longer two but one body (v. 8). Over and above any discussion, the unity of the couple is “the” reality in the eyes of God.

Doubtless, it would be the wrong way to look at marriage and human love as the human and social features of the first fundamental fact: sexuality. What is first in God’s plan for the universe is the couple of the Son of God made man and humanity that he saves. It is the supreme example of complementarity and the alliance of tenderness and fidelity. It is there we have the model couple. All the biological past that prepared the sexes, all the human evolution that brought about the couple only come later: they are reflections of God’s eternal project in creation and history.

The words of Jesus cannot be jeopardized. They have been spoken in a practice of marriage universally accepted; they have the same value today in the widely spread practice of “non-marriage.” Throughout the Scriptures, love and fidelity are linked, and when the Gospel speaks of losing oneself as a condition of finding oneself, it also applies to the couple.

What if one of the two betrays the other? Here, we are in the domain of human decisions where each one must solve their case and solve it according to the consciousness they already have of their Christian vocation. Others must not condemn them, but Jesus takes all authority away from those who pretend to ease the conscience of divorcees as if they had not failed in some way in their Christian vocation.

 

10:13 Let the children come to me

  Jesus, despite having no children of his own, opens to everyone the richness of his heart. He marvels at the mystery of life that begins full of hope and discovers the likeness of the Father in every unknown child. How could Jesus, who asks us to have hope, forget that the children are also our hope?

Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child. We must be like children to enter the kingdom of God. We must forget our wisdom, self-sufficiency, and the bitterness of past experiences to receive God’s gifts and words in wonder and simplicity.

 

10:17 Jesus and the rich man

 He who comes to Jesus is a young man, according to Matthew (19:16). Luke calls him an important man (18:18).

With deliberation, Jesus asks him: Why do you call me good? (v. 18). As if Jesus says: “Do you not see that you are thirsty for God and that you will find him if you live with me?” See commentary on Matthew 19:16.

This man asks Jesus the way to eternal life, but Jesus does not have any new commandments to teach. In the Old Testament, everything has been said about what a person should do to win eternal life: observe the commandments of justice and compassion. Now, Jesus proposes to him a new way and experience of liberty through becoming his follower and imitator.

Sell what you have (v. 21). Happiness does not consist in leaving all one has but in being free of it all to submit oneself to Christ.

 

10:23 How hard for the rich to discover the kingdom! 

 Jesus does not say that the rich person will not be saved, but that he will not enter the kingdom of God, which consists of sharing Christ's uncertainties, happiness, and liberty from then on.

In the Old Testament, wealth was never condemned, provided it was shared. Moreover, it was considered a sign that a person knew how to direct his life well and that God had blessed him. As long as a person does not know how to be free of urgent material problems and to master in some way the goods of this world, something is lacking in his human existence.

However, Jesus proposes that those who already enjoy “being” and “having” leave all and follow him as a condition for entering the kingdom: this means already experiencing the presence of God the Father in this life.

Who are the rich ones? Those who have money or those who do not take the risk of sharing what they have? Here, Jesus does not condemn some evil ones; he does not distinguish between good and bad. Jesus speaks of the rich in the ordinary sense of this word (those who have riches) and asserts that their situation prevents them from experiencing the kingdom of God from the inside. In speaking thus, Jesus discredits those who would want to bless the rich provided they are “spiritually poor.”

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (v. 25). People have imagined all kinds of other interpretations: the camel may only mean a filament of camel hair, or the eye of the needle might signify a relatively low door of Jerusalem (which, in fact, never existed…). The primary purpose is to correct the categorical words of Jesus. They would like to make him say that it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God, but not impossible. Let us leave aside all these interpretations: the apostles clearly understood the comparison, and Jesus said: “Yes, it is impossible.”

Immediately, Jesus addresses both the rich and those who judge them; he reminds us of the infinite distance that separates the sinner from the holiness of God and of the endless love of the Father that does the impossible for us. The question, “Who can be saved?” allows Jesus to affirm once more that no one is saved by his own merits. God saves people, the rich included, by taking away the benefits and false security provided by their riches. We who await an answer from him, whether we are rich or not, are indeed judging others or evaluating our life in terms of merits or demerits. Jesus reminds us that our salvation is the work of God and him alone.

 

10:28 The reward for those who follow Jesus

 There is no one who has left house … (v. 29). These words of Jesus that we find again in Matthew 19:29 and Luke 18:29 have been given here a notable addition: with persecution. Once the Gospel had been preached, the Church began to suffer persecution: From Year 34, then again in 41 and 62 in Jerusalem, and 64 in Rome, with the great persecution ordered by the emperor Nero. During these persecutions, Christians experienced the bonds that united them, often stronger than family relationships. Hunted, obliged to hide, they found hundreds of brothers and sisters ready with houses to give them refuge. Jesus does not only speak of reward in the next life. In this world, amid persecution, those who sacrifice for the kingdom will find friendship, joy, and human fulfillment far greater than anything they could have hoped for.

 

10:35 James and John ask for the first places

  Jesus feels full of courage and confidence as he walks ahead of them to Jerusalem, where his punishment awaits him. Prompted by James’ and John’s request, he tries to convince his followers that success in his kingdom does not consist in prestige and power but in following the way of Jesus, their leader.

 

LEADERS—TO SERVE

What makes a leader? How should a leader be? How do leaders act, the head of a team or a family? The heads of state smile at crowds and embrace a child who renders them homage, but who serves and who is to be served? Jesus has come to serve, and his service to humanity will be his voluntary death: “He made himself obedient, took the condition of a slave, and died on the cross” (Phil 2:8).

To drink the cup and to be baptized (v. 38) are symbolic ways of describing the suffering and death of Jesus.

About this topic, we cite a short poem by Lao-Tzu, an ancient wise Chinese:

“What have the river and sea done

to be kings of the hundred valleys?

They put themselves below them,

so they reign in the hundred valleys.

If the saint wants to be at the top of his people,

he must first learn to talk humbly.

If he wants to lead his people,

he should be last.

That is how the saint is at the top of his people

and he doesn’t make them suffer.

Willingly, they place him at the top

and do not get tired of him.

Since he doesn’t compete with anybody,

nobody can compete with him.”

 

10:46 The blind man of Jericho

  God is the one who moves us to ask something of him. The blind man understands that if he lets this opportunity go by, there will not be another chance, so he shouts all the more while the rest try to silence him.

Son of David! was a way of designating the Messiah.

 

11:1 The triumphant entry into Jerusalem

 See notes on Matthew 21:1.

 

THE SAVIOR

From Jericho to Jerusalem, Jesus “goes up” with the people who will celebrate the Feast. Many are from Galilee, Jesus's province, and, seeing him among the pilgrims, think he is about to proclaim himself as the Messiah.

Until then, Jesus refused to be proclaimed because many people expected from their Messiah a liberation very different from that which Jesus brought them. At this moment, when he is finishing his mission, the time has come for Jesus to define himself publicly. He is the Anointed of God, and there will be no other after him.

God sent Jesus to all people, but, above all, he came as Savior of the Jewish people. He came precisely when these people needed to be saved because things were not working well for them. The prophets had announced a conciliatory king who would visit the people on a donkey, as peaceful people did, not on a horse as the generals of that time did. That was why Jesus wanted to enter Jerusalem this way. Jerusalem was a big city. Though the enthusiasm of the Galileans shook the city, it did not conquer it.

The Jews did not expect their Savior to be so meek. Throughout their history, God had saved them from oppression, hunger, and the irresponsibility of their famous leaders. This time, he came in person to show them the real path to salvation through pardon and non-violence, but they did not recognize him. The people of Galilee, who spontaneously mounted a triumphant entrance for Jesus and hoped for his political announcement, would later deny him.

 

11:12 Jesus curses the barren fig tree

  See notes on Matthew 21:18.

 

THE TEMPLE

11:15 Jesus clears the temple

  The temple of Jerusalem was, for the Jews, the only temple of the only God. In each town, they assembled in the synagogue to read the Scriptures and sing psalms, but only in the temple did the priests sacrifice animals and celebrate true worship. A regular-sized building was at the center of the temple. Only the priests in charge of offering incense entered this building while the multitude crowded together in the courtyards. In these courtyards stood vendors and exchange brokers who supplied animals and birds for the offerings.

While John stresses the prophetic character of Jesus' action: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it” (Jn 2:19), Mark makes more of the purification of the temple. These sellers were installed in the yards of the temple, and many people who walked aroundwere scarcely interested in the prayer and cult of Israel. The priests were used to this, and the High Priest Caiaphas made money by allowing vendors to stand in the courtyards dedicated to prayer.

Jesus was not a priest or a temple guard, but this temple was the house of his Father. That was why he made a whip from ropes and cast them all out.

My house will be called a House of Prayer for all the nations (v. 17). The courtyards where the vendors stood were precisely those intended for foreigners. “Purify the temple” for Jesus is to give it back its true identity and also to allow the pagans to find in these courts a privileged place for meeting God.

See also John 2:14.

 

11:20 THE POWER OF FAITH

 If you have no doubt in your heart but believe (v. 23). See the same in James 1:6. Jesus refers in a more precise way to “the faith that performs miracles” (see 1 Cor 13:2). Jesus does not say that this faith will be given to everybody and at every moment. It is a charism or gift of God that he gives to whomever he wishes (1 Cor 12:9). It is an interior certainty that God wants to perform a miracle so that one dares act and command in his name.

At the same time, this promise of Jesus applies to all our prayers. Of course, we should not think that God will always work the miracles we ask of him. When a sick person tries to convince himself that he will be cured, it is possible that, consequently, he does get better more quickly, but this mental exercise or hope does not necessarily mean faith. If I convince myself that God will make me the winner of a lottery, he is under no obligation to think that my becoming richer will make me a better person.

He who humbly loves God understands that God wants to lift him up amid his trials. He asks with faith, knowing that God wants to listen to him.

It is hard for us to ask big things because if God refuses to give them to us, how will we still believe in him? Indeed, it is very fine to ask of God only “his grace,” his inner strength, but many do so not because of their esteem for the interior life but because they fear they will see nothing coming as an answer to their prayer. Who dares to ask for rain or drought as Elijah did and, as the poor still do, those whose prayers God hears?

Whatever you ask in prayer (v. 24), Jesus invites us to ask with faith and perseverance until God assures us that our prayer has been heard or helps us understand that what we asked for was not good for us or the will of God.

 

11:27 THE OPPORTUNIST PRIESTS

Jesus did not request authorization to teach in the temple or drive out the vendors. He acted freely as prophets do. Since the priests were in charge of maintaining the true faith, it was normal for them to check whether Jesus was a real prophet. But were they concerned about the truth? Were they ready to recognize that Jesus had come from God? They only thought to defend what was acceptable to them and, before even listening to Jesus, held him to be subversive.

That is why Jesus asked them about John the Baptist. Because John the Baptist’s preaching had been the most important event in the previous two years, the priests should have taken a stand regarding John. They had not done so, nor were they ready for that. How could they make demands of Jesus if they spoke out only when it suited them?

Jesus’ attitude obliges religious leaders of all times to see if they deserve to have others respect their declarations and condemnations.

 

12:1 THE CHOSEN ONES OF GOD

In this comparison, the vine represents the kingdom of God. The Jews were God’s people,and they came to consider that their interests were those of God. He had to help them against others. They had confidence that they would be saved and were not concerned about the fate of others who did not recognize God.

God entrusted his kingdom to them; in other words, he guided them throughout their historyso that they would be an example to others. They were to communicate their experience to others so that all would develop justice, a spirit of responsibility, and a sense of community; these were the fruits God wanted to harvest.

God sent prophets to remind them of their debt, but they were scarcely heard. Finally, the only Son of God who has become human appears, and the same thing will happen. In other words, he will be thrown out of the vineyard and rejected by his people. This is why the kingdom of God will be given to others, to those believers converted from other nations and gathered in the Church of Christ.

Here ends the parable. It could be applied to the Church today if it becomes a religion of one social class or similar to the other religions, or if we do not find in the Church more obedience to God, more commitment to values that will save the world. What would happen to Christian groups and their leaders if they began to feel they were the owners of the kingdom and its promises?

 

12:13 POLITICS AND RELIGION—CAESAR

The trap is as follows: they ask about the tax that the Jews are obliged to pay to Caesar, emperor of Rome, for the Jews have been colonized by the Romans and are under their rule.

The Pharisees and partisans of Herod, who are political enemies, join together. The Pharisees oppose Roman domination; the partisans of Herod, on the other hand, accept it. If Jesus says they are to pay, the Pharisees will discredit him before the people. If he says no, the partisans of Herod will have him arrested by the Romans.

Jesus does not condemn Roman imperialism, nor does he justify it. Is it because the problems of justice and peace are not “spiritual things” and do not concern him?

Of course, these problems are important, and biblical history reveals that God wants liberty for every person and nation, as well as the possibility to develop culture and national life.That is enough to justify Christians' political commitment.

But Jesus also knows people’s liberation goes beyond partisan quarrels and rivalries. In his time, the Jewish people were torn apart and divided into irreconcilable factions, which were to be one of the causes of the national disaster during the great revolt of A.D. 66-71. Jesus will invite his adversaries to give political life its proper place and not to confuse faith and religious fanaticism.

For the Pharisees, to pay taxes to Caesar, a foreign ruler and pagan, was like denying God, the true Lord of Israel. They identified the Jewish National Party with the cause of God. This carried grave consequences since they thought that to serve God, they had to crush those of the opposition party. Since faith asks of us total obedience, people who confuse political militancy with faith begin to justify, little by little, everything their party does, even its lies and crimes.

The Caesar of Rome was not God, although he pretended to be. He had imposed his authority on them and the use of Roman coins but could not demand the conscience's obedience that was due only to God. Neither was he “the enemy of God,” as the Pharisees thought, and to serve the kingdom of God, it was not necessary to refuse taxes and civil obedience.

What is Caesar’s can be understood: “What belongs to Caesar.” Instead, it means: “the kind of things which fall under his rule.” With his answer, “To Caesar what belongs to him, to God…” Jesus separates religion and politics in cultures—Jewish and Roman alike—where politics always looked for religious justification. From now on, religion should not be manipulated for political purposes, nor should religion confuse its political opponents with the enemies of the kingdom.

 

12:18 Mark intended to put Jesus' confrontations with the two most important parties of the Jewish people side by side: the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Sadducees—the chief priests—are the managers of God’s people. They do not believe in the spiritual or the resurrection. According to them, these are disastrous innovations that weaken the national spirit and the power of the central system. The Hebrew Bible is limited to the Pentateuch,where much is said of priests and nothing at all about the resurrection.

 

THE RESURRECTION

What is “resurrection”? When Jesus called the daughter of Jairus (Mk 5:21) and Lazarus (Jn 11:1) back to life, they only recovered their previous lives. The daughter went back to her dreams, Lazarus went to work in his garden, and after this, both had to die again. This was not a resurrection.

Many people think there is “something” after death and that something in us called the “soul,” survives. This belief is partly true but is not the most crucial aspect. The resurrection points not to the survival of “something of us” but the transformation and raising up of our whole person. This will be through grace and the work of God: we will be reborn of God himself.

We would like to know what we shall be once we have risen, but that is impossible. If we think back on what Paul tried to make us understand in 1 Corinthians 15:35-57, we must admit: as long as we are in the present world. In this world, material things and time are our natural lot, and it is impossible to imagine “the new heavens and the new earth” as announced by the prophets and Jesus (Is 65:17; Rev 21:1-4).

Let us come back to Paul’s comparisons: if someone has never seen more than the seeds of plants or trees, how could she imagine the plant covered with flowers or the tree fully grown? What common feature exists between the colorless, lifeless tiny seed and the plant with its flowers swaying in the wind? Whoever looks at the tree or plant knows the source of this life that she admires. It is impossible today to imagine what we shall become, in the totality of our human being, after this transfiguration to which God calls us. When it has taken place, we shall understand the vital link between what we shall be then and what we are today.

With this, we understand the double reproach of Jesus to the Sadducees:

You do not understand the power of God (v. 24). They only imagine a caricature of the resurrection.

You do not understand the Scriptures. Very few books of the Hebrew Bible speak of the Resurrection, but all of them refer to a living God who makes us his friends.

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (v. 26). If God committed himself to them, could he be indifferent to their death and let them disappear forever while he enjoys himself in his glory?

 

12:28 TO LOVE GOD

You shall love the Lord, your God (v. 30). This first commandment is not among Moses's Ten Commandments, which only speak of “serving God.” We do read it in Deuteronomy 6:4.

Loving God is not a commandment like others because the commandments specify specific actions that should be undertaken or avoided, e.g., you shall rest on the day of the Lord, or you shall not commit adultery. On the other hand, when it comes to loving God, there is no limit.

The commandments of the Scriptures (especially the Ten Commandments of Moses) merely clearly express the demands of our conscience. It should not be necessary to tell us not to steal or slander others. Nevertheless, it is necessary to teach this to children and unscrupulous persons. Paul says, “The law was not intended for the good, but for those who do evil” (1 Tim 1:9).

It is why the love of God is not presented in the New Testament as a commandment but as the fruit of the Spirit that God gives to his sons and daughters: Romans 8, 15, and 22. God is the first to be loved (Mt 6:9-10; 1 Jn 4:17), especially in the person of his Son: 2 Corinthians 5:16; 1 Peter 1:8. There is no authentic love of neighbor without the love of God: 1 John 5:2.

You shall love the Lord, with all your heart (v. 30). You shall love him more than you love your loved ones. You shall long for him; you shall forget yourself so that, in everything, you search for what he wants most from you.

You shall love the Lord with all your mind. You shall devote the best of your intelligence to knowing him. Looking into your life, you shall understand how much he has guided you. You shall try to understand how the kingdom of God is coming through the world and daily events. Praying and reading the Scriptures regularly, you shall ask God to give you his Spirit to understand him better.

You shall love the Lord, with all your strength. Since you are very weak in this, you shall ask for his help and strive to unite with the faithful servants of God, using the means that the Church makes available to you.

The commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself comes second because it cannot be understood or fulfilled without the love of God, for God asks for more than solidarity with one’s neighbor or concern for those suffering. We should try to look at our brothers and sisters in the same way that the Father does. We should give them what the Father wants for them. Among so many good things we could do for our neighbor, we should select those the Holy Spirit inspires us to do. All this requires that we first know and love God.

 

12:38 The teachers of the law were not bad people. They became teachers of religion because they were interested in religion, but as soon as the teacher stopped trying to be a saint, he was only weak. The very respect people show teachers leads them to overlook many wrongs in themselves, and anybody else would be severely criticized.

 

12:41 The widow’s offering

 The poor widow was the only one among so many worshipers who made retribution to God as he deserved. She was the personification of those uncountable poor who have practically nothing but somehow find a way to give part of the little they have. The humble person can sacrifice part of his paid time to study or participate in everyday activities to help his companions. The small salary he loses is worth much more than the big salary wealthy people are unwilling to lose. God calls on the poor before anybody else because only the poor give all they have to live on. 

 

13:1 THE END OF THE WORLD

The prophets of the Scriptures spoke relatively obscurely about the end of history that would initiate God’s universal kingdom. According to them, all nations of the world would join forces to destroy the Holy City of Jerusalem. However, right at the moment of greatest despair, God would triumphantly intervene to establish his kingdom (Is 66:18; Ezk 38; Jl 4; Zec 14).

That is why, when Jesus speaks of the temple's destruction, the apostles think of the end of time. Jesus's answer is clear: the tragedy that will end with the destruction of Jerusalem is near, but that would not be the end of the world.

This discourse contains Jesus’ warnings about the destruction of the Jewish nation that would occur 30 years later, but what he said regarding these agents clarifies the meaning of the conflicts that arise at present in the whole world.

When you hear of wars (v. 7), this does not mean that God leaves the world in the hands of evil. It is more of a delivery than a failure because humanity is maturing, and nations encounter more complex problems in their lives and development. The crisis suffered by the Jewish nation in the time of Jesus was similar to that experienced by other civilizations: something dies, and something is born.

People, confused, are easily fooled by propaganda and ideologies. Fear blinds them, and they persecute those not sharing their fanaticism. That is why they hate the true believers. At the same time, Jesus asks his followers to bear witness to him (v. 9) as the only Savior and to proclaim what the Gospel demands of the individual and society.

Thirty years after Jesus’ death, the Jews rebelled against their Roman oppressors. The Roman army reorganized after its first defeats, and its flags adorned with the image of their idols approached the Holy City. Then many messiahs (v. 22) appeared, that is, those who claimed to be the saviors of the Jewish nation, and they had many followers.

The more fanatic Jews locked themselves in the city of Jerusalem, waiting for God’s intervention, but they were so divided that they fought among themselves. Those who fled from the city because of hunger were arrested by the Romans and crucified in front of the walls. In the end, when the Romans entered, burning the temple and the palaces, all those whowere not killed—men, women, and children—were brought to Rome as slaves.

 

13:24 The coming of the Son of Man

 Later on… (v. 24). After announcing the end of the Jewish world, Jesus speaks of an even more important event: the end of the world or, better still, its transformation. 

The sun will grow dark, and the moon will not give its light (v. 24). These images from Isaiah 13:10 and 34:4 express the confusion, surprise, and disintegration of the people and the universe before the majesty of the Supreme Judge.

He will send the angels (v. 27), a familiar image in Jewish books that speaks of God’s judgment. Likewise, the trumpet referred to in Matthew 24:31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 should not be understood literally.

Learn a lesson (v. 28). Jesus comes back to the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

13:32 In this paragraph, we return to the end of the world. The Day mentioned is the day of the Judgment, called the “Day of Yahweh” in the Prophets (Amos 5:18; Zep 1:15).

No one knows when… Jesus states it clearly. Nevertheless, there have always been people who believe they know what the angels do not. People in every century have foretold the world's impending end (2 Thes 2).

Not even the angels, not even the Son, but only the Father. Some are confused by this. Does this not mean that Jesus is not God as the Father is? They must remember that when Jesus speaks of the Father and the Son, he speaks of himself with his human consciousness aboutthe Father. The human mind of Jesus cannot encompass God’s infinite knowledge. See notes on Luke 3:21 and Mark 6:1.

God the Father can communicate specific prophecies to Jesus but cannot tell him, for example, " The end of the world will take place on the 12th of July of the year 2049” because the date is not fixed; it depends on how we mature the kingdom of God through our efforts and prayers (2 P 3:14).

Modern science shows that time does not pass at the same speed for two persons if one is moving and the other is still; the pace of time between God and us is much less equal. God knows the time as it can be known in eternity, but this does not mean it corresponds with a specific date in our calendar.

 

13:33 This is like a summary of the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30) and that of the ten young women (Mt 25:1-13). It warns us that we should wait for the Lord at work. The doorman symbolizes those with positions of responsibility in the Church, who are not the owners of the Church but only hold the keys of the Church.

 

HOW CHRIST COMES, CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT

In several parts of the Gospel, Jesus invites us to be vigilant while waiting for his arrival. How will he come? How can he come to us if we are meant to die before his coming in glory?

We will indeed meet the Lord when we die. Nevertheless, Jesus comes to us in several ways while we await him, doing our work and living our lives.

Our work (v. 34). One aspect of our commitment to Christ is our commitment to the Christian community, to our Church. This means participating in common prayer, the Eucharist, catechesis, and other similar events. As we join in these commitments, we see not only one but several “comings” of Christ. We see his coming in those of our converted brothers and sisters; he comes to us, giving us strength and wisdom and, through prayer, giving us the inner certainty of his presence.

He also comes into our day-to-day living. The prophets have repeatedly said that the events that bring renewal and growth in values also bring the Lord. He sometimes comes in his resurrection through happy events that bring the poor life, joy, justice, and hope. At other times, he comes through his passion and death.

Because Jesus comes into our daily history, we commit to him to serve our contemporary world.

Be alert; many begin with generosity, but then they lose sight of the goal and become mere administrators and activists.

They are committed to works and movements but not to the Lord himself. That is why their lives are full of contradictions. For a time, they perform marvels, and suddenly, they fail. They do helpful things but are unaware of the moment they should stop and follow another path. They do their work but not let the Lord take over their mind, heart, or whole life.

This does not happen to those who are alert: Christ comes to people through them.

 

14:1 EASTER, THE PASSOVER

The Jews would celebrate the 1480th anniversary of their departure from Egypt. Easter, the Passover of the Lord, was the feast of national independence and the most important holiday on the religious calendar.

However, for the preceding 40 years, they had lost their independence. That is why the Passover revived their desire for freedom and often caused disturbances. From all parts of Palestine, the Jews went up to Jerusalem on pilgrimage because the Passover lamb would be sacrificed in the temple and eaten in Jerusalem.

Each family was to eat the roasted lamb with lettuce and unleavened bread, alternating the singing of psalms with the blessing of several cups according to an old and precise ritual. The head of the family would recall the departure from Egypt, and when recalling the past, everyone would ask the Lord to free his humiliated people.

The vast majority, ordinary people and authorities, could not take a new look at the future. The salvation of Israel, the people of God, did not consist of first breaking their political chains but in discovering the secret of universal fellowship, which transcends all races and parties.

The Gospel was the ferment capable of liberating humanity, making good triumph over evil. Salvation was in the person of Jesus, but they could not see it. Moreover, they distrusted him because his doctrine seemed too idealistic to them, and Judas was one of those who regretted having followed him.

Jesus had done very little in the two years following John's baptism, but it was enough to raise fears among the authorities. No society can bear the presence of a person, free and without sin.

 

14:3 Jesus anointed at Bethany

 See John 12:1 and the notes on Luke 7:36. 

A few days before the Passover, while Jesus was at dinner in Bethany (Jn 12:1), Mary Magdalene publicly demonstrated her genuine love for him. Others present also loved Jesus, although they were unable to express it. Still others, prompted by Judas’ remark, were scandalized that Mary should show more concern for Jesus than for the poor.

What she has just done for me is a very charitable work (v. 6). The Jews numbered burying the dead among the “charitable works.” Jesus sees in Mary's gesture a sign, an announcement of his imminent death. Nothing should be lost of Jesus’ numbered hours among us. It was far more important to pay attention to and accompany him in these last moments than to be performing charitable deeds for the poor (something similar in Mark 2:19-20 regarding those who are prisoners to their structured fasts and prayers).

You always have them with you (v. 7). It would be inexact to translate this with: “There will always be poor,” even if that is a reality, and still more inexact to conclude that for Jesus, we are wasting our time striving for a more just society.

Then Judas Iscariot (v. 10). The Gospel stresses only the contrast between the attitude of Mary and that of Judas. Mary’s true love leads her to behave in a way that appears stupid to the apostles, while Judas criticizes Mary’s good deed for the sake of thrift.

 

14:12 THE NEW COVENANT

During the Passover supper, Jesus wanted to clarify the meaning of his imminent Passion. He was headed toward a death, which he freely accepted, a death that would save the world. What would “his” salvation be? It would bring human history to its fulfillment: people and races needed to mature, confront one another, and finally be united in one body. The world would pass through a thousand crises and deaths to come to the resurrection. Within such a history, God could spread and distribute the riches of his Spirit and bring to holiness his elect. Jesus had presented a message that should guide humanity, but a people of God was also needed, a yeast, a minority who would feel committed to God’s work and to whom God would commit himself.

Twelve centuries before Jesus’ birth, God made a Covenant with the people of Israel on Mount Sinai: they and their children would be, among all races, God's chosen people. As time passed and the infidelities of God’s people became more evident, the prophets understood that something more was needed: a Covenant whose prime effect would be the forgiveness of sins (Jer 31:31). The family of God could no longer be identified with a particular race but would be a family of believers pardoned of their sins.

On the eve of his death, Jesus remembered the first Covenant on Sinai, when the blood of sacrificial animals was spilled (Ex 24:8). He would soon spill his blood for many, that is, for a multitude (Is 53:11). These many were first the “remnant” of Israel, these are those who would recognize the Savior and believe in him, entering the Church, and with them all those who would be integrated coming from other nations. So, Jesus purifies those who will be his people through his death.

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist (or Mass), we renew this Covenant. Jesus is among us as we remember his sacrifice. He becomes our spiritual bread and consecrates us to his Father so that we may participate more and more in his work of salvation.

Jesus’ Last Supper was the first Christian liturgy. Unlike the solemn temple ceremonies, the liturgical service of primary importance in the life of the Church was a communal meal in which Jesus offered himself as the bread of life.

I will not taste the fruit of the vine again (v. 25). The Eucharist reenacts Jesus’ death andannounces the day Christ, with all humanity reunited in him, would celebrate at the Banquet in the kingdom.

To understand the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, it is necessary to read Jesus’ farewell speeches to his apostles, which John situates on this very night of Holy Thursday (Jn 14–17). Jesus came not only to preach but also to spread his Spirit among his believers. In the future, he would be present and specially empower them whenever they gather to celebrate the Holy Supper. John explains this in John 6 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:17.

See notes on Matthew 26:26.

 

14:32 THE SILENCE OF GOD

Jesus is alone as he confronts death to overcome it, carrying on his shoulders the destiny of all humanity. He sees the wickedness of people who will maltreat him or let him be abused. He also sees behind it all the power of Darkness.

At this moment, Jesus is the man of sorrows, aware of all afflictions, who was made one with sin. All the wickedness on earth burdens him. For this, his death will be the price, the atonement. Face to face in prayer with his beloved and just Father, Jesus experiences anguish as great as death itself.

Jesus continually repeats one phrase which expresses the perfect prayer: “Father, your will be done.” There are moments and places in which the persecuted church is in agony and cannot do anything other than pray that the will of God be done. During these times, her prayer was more effective than ever.

How mysterious is the agony of the Son of God (agony means struggle): he who will give countless martyrs the inner strength to face their tortures fearlessly allows himself to experience the extreme of human weakness. This sacrifice is for us. We shall not doubt that he will make us firm even if filled with fear or a sense of weakness.

Let us look at Jesus, our Savior, who had no faults or needed to be purified. Yet he came to know humiliations, sufferings, and even God's silence to reach maturity. However, he could not still become a human being, the head of humanity (Heb 2:10).

 

14:43 JUDAS

Judas was one of the Twelve. After a night of prayer (Lk 6:12), how could Jesus have chosen the one who would betray him? When Judas followed Jesus, he waited, like the rest of the apostles, for a liberator in the ordinary sense. The others gradually changed their ambitions as they came to know Jesus better, but Judas did not. Judas betrayed Jesus to take revenge against a Master who had disappointed him. Though Judas was among Jesus’ closest group, he could not return the Master’s affection for him and finally returned hatred for love, falling into an abyss of evil.

Perhaps the other apostles contributed to Judas’ failure as well. Judas, like Levi-Matthew, joined a team in which most were fishermen from Galilee. Had they tried hard enough to integrate him into their group?

 

14:53 THE TRIAL OF JESUS

Jesus appeared before two courts. First, before the Sanhedrin, or the Supreme Council of the Jews, where he was accused of blasphemy. Later, he was brought before the Roman governor Pilate and accused of being a political agitator.

The reason for this double process was that the Jews, under Roman rule, had lost the power to issue the death sentence. So, after judging Jesus according to their law, the laws of the Scriptures, they asked Pontius Pilate to implement the death penalty. To impress and convince Pilate, they fabricated new charges.

It is very difficult to say whether Jesus’ trial was legal. It was similar to many other trials in which the authorities could twist the law and condemn their opponents without resorting to blatant fraud.

 

14:60 THE SENTENCE OF JESUS

The priests could not sentence Jesus to death for minor violations of the law. That is why they had to find something more important; it occupies the central place in the Gospel: Are you the Son of God?

Jesus answered by combining two Biblical texts that reflect the divine personality of the Savior. Son of Man (the Human One), who comes from God himself (Dn 7:13), who is seated at the right hand of God as an equal (Ps 110). With this assertion, Jesus affirmed that he is not only a Son of God as a saint or an envoy of God but the Only One who shares the divinity of the Father.

The priests were not mistaken in their understanding of Jesus's claim to be the Son of God. They condemned him not just because he used a dangerous word but also because, in all his actions, Jesus put himself in a place fitting only to God. They could soothe their conscience, for they were upholding the honor due to the Only One.

So, they forgot that they hated him because he had denounced their hypocrisy, lack of faith, and love of money. Jesus felt free about religious rules they defended and had caused them to fall from their pedestals. God had come in the person of Jesus to demand from them the fruits of the vineyard (Mk 12:2), calling them to account, and they opposed him.

Jesus was condemned in God's name. He did not rebel against the unjust sentence imposed by the religious leaders of his people, who were the legal, though unworthy, representatives of God. This was his perfect obedience to the Father.

 

14:66 Peter disowns Jesus

 The apostles did not lack character or courage; if so, Jesus would not have chosen them. Peter was sincere when saying, “Although all abandon you, I will not.” They were ready to die for Jesus, as people were enthusiastic about a battle, but what happened was different. When Jesus was arrested, the apostles became confused because he did not use his divine power and showed no resistance to his enemies. It would be wrong to say that the apostles were cowards until they received the Holy Spirit.

It was an understandable reaction for them to flee from the scene of Jesus’ arrest. Their fleeing, however, shook the foundations of all the faith they had after living day by day with Jesus for the past two years. More than fear caused Peter to deny Jesus; he did not yet know who Jesus was.

The denial of Peter is a real and serious fall, although God forgives the sin the instant Peter’s gaze meets Jesus, and Peter repents (Lk 22:61). This failure, however, will compel him to the end of his life not to rely on himself alone. Peter, Rock and responsible for the Universal Church, would remain conscious of his weakness and never find peace until he followed Jesus by giving up his life for him (Jn 21:19).

 

15:6 Jesus before Pilate

Why did the crowd choose Barabbas? Jesus proposes a way to liberation that requires time, a sense of responsibility, and sacrifice. On the contrary, Barabbas is an example of irresponsible violence that satisfies our desire for vengeance.

Here, the Gospel does not claim to make all the Jews of Jesus’ time responsible for his death. The Gospel bears witness to one fact: the entire people, not just their leaders, had already rejected Jesus as they were soon to reject Christian preaching (Rom 10:19).

One of the first things that the Spirit taught the apostles was that this rejection, so scandalous for Jewish believers, was part of God’s plan (Acts 4:18; Rom 11:25-32). It was already prefigured in the story of Joseph: “Don’t grieve and reproach yourselves for selling me, because God has sent me before you to save your lives” (Gen 45:5).

Jesus is the victim of the world's sin (1 Jn 4:10). For him, there were a thousand ways of being a victim and giving his life for those he loved, but his people's rejection of the Messiah gave a new meaning to his sacrifice. The rejection of Jesus by his people continued the history of this people of God who had refused so many times to follow the way of salvation that God was offering them. God had said: “They have rejected me as their king” (1 S 8:8). Now God sends his own Son, and the community delivers him to pagans.

John is inviting us to ask ourselves if God could come into our midst without being rejected by us (Jn 1:15). And Paul shows us that the death on the cross of the God-Man was part of God’s paradoxical wisdom that we have such a hard time to accept (1 Cor 1:17-24).

 

15:15 Jesus crowned with thorns

 Jesus was subjected to torture and mockery, and everything that befalls the condemned anywhere in the world when police and military no longer consider them as persons and brothers and sisters. To comply with Roman law, Jesus was scourged, but this was not done out of cruelty; the loss of blood and exhaustion caused by such a scourging would hasten the death of the crucified man, thus shortening his agony. 

A convicted man with his arms nailed to the cross would suffocate. To make breathing possible, he would shift his weight from his feet to his arms, thus increasing the unbearable pain caused by the nails in the feet and the wrists. As soon as he no longer had enough strength to do this, he would suffocate and die. The bitter wine offered was a drink commonly used by Roman soldiers. Although myrrh lessens pain, Jesus rejected what would have reduced his pain.

 

15:33 RECONCILIATION

Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabachthani? (v. 34). These are the opening words of Psalm 22, which begins with a cry of anguish and ends with the certainty of victory. This psalm constantly references Jesus's passion.

Jesus’ shout at the moment of death presents a mystery, for a crucified man ordinarily would die from exhaustion and suffocation and be unable to cry out in this manner. No one could take life away from Jesus; it was in his power, and he surrendered his life when he chose to do so. Those near him were taken aback: was it a shout of defeat or victory?

The death of a person sometimes causes division in a family. At other times, it leads to reconciliation. The cross Jesus died on was made of two wooden beams, one vertical, pointed towards the skies, and the other horizontal, stretched out between heaven and earth. Jesus reconciled all people with God and with each other.

Those who see in Jesus’ death God’s greatest manifestation of love for humanity become reconciled with God. Their fear of God no longer controls them, and they understand that we are not subject to blind fate but are always in God’s loving care (Rom 5).

The curtain which enclosed the temple Sanctuary was torn in two (v. 38). God no longer remains in that place where no mortal could enter. God left the awe-inspiring temple shrine and is now present to all of us through his wounded Son—wounded not only by sin but also by the compassion he feels for us.

Reconciliation among persons and nations. Before Jesus entered our world, God had not begun to lift the barriers that divided people but limited himself to relating with just one people, the Jewish people. From Jesus’ birth, all were called to enter the kingdom (Eph 2:11-16). The knowledge of Jesus crucified would be the basis of faith and unity. Knowing and believing in him, persons and nations would reconcile despite their differences.

Truly, this man was the Son of God (v. 39). Assuredly, the Roman captain proclaimed that Jesus was a just man (Lk 23:47), that is, an outstanding man. Mark intentionally places on the lips of the captain the words “Son of God” because this pagan officer represents the pagan nations who would recognize the Son of God in this crucified man.

On several occasions, Jesus insisted that he not be proclaimed Son of God (Mk 1:44). He did this because no one could know who God was or what being Son of God meant (Mt 11:27) until he had known how Jesus died and come to believe in his resurrection. See Romans 3:24.

 

15:42 The burial

 Joseph of Arimathea hastened to claim and bury the body of Jesus because the Jewish law demanded burial before nightfall of the bodies of convicted people (Dt 21:22) and even more so on a day that preceded an important feast. The tomb selected had been cut from a rock on a hillside. The entrance was very low and sealed with a big round stone, similar to a mill's. See commentary on John 19:41. 

Like the seed that is buried in the soil, the body of Jesus was buried so that new life could flourish (Rom 6:3-5). See commentary on Matthew 27:52.

 

16:1 JESUS HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Jesus’ history ends with the discovery of the empty tomb. In the last pages of the Gospel, we find a brief account of the most important apparitions of Jesus after his death. He is no longer the earthly Jesus but the resurrected one, born again of the Father and never to die again, as Psalm 2 says: “You are my son. This day, I have begotten you.”

Jesus has risen. The Gospel narrates events after his death and mentions the names of those who saw Jesus resurrected. Can we believe them? We would like more details to support our faith, but if even thousands of interviews with eyewitnesses were published, with full-color pictures to support the statements, there would always be room for doubt. We do not see him, and we cannot find him. Where is he?

It is not important whether there are few or many witnesses. This is a matter of faith, and faith is personal.

We doubt, not because there is insufficient evidence, but because the event overwhelms us. How can we believe in a resurrection? The evidence, nevertheless, is there and has withstood recurring criticisms and even modern studies.

Finally, who will believe? Those whose own experience has prepared them to accept the most fundamental truth: the living God loves people and restores them to life. Some people are predisposed to believe because they have experienced God walking with them in their trials and giving them hope when everything seems lost. Because of this, they recognize Christ as the ideal human being and understand that he had to suffer before reaching his glory. They have learned the ways of God, which is why they believe the witnesses of the resurrected Christ.

It is not more difficult to believe in Christ’s resurrection than in his words, for both go together. “Those who believe have overcome the world,” John the apostle says (1 Jn 5:5). This means overcoming the false meaning that most people give to their existence due to their ignorance of God. Whoever believes has overcome our fears when we must pass through uncharted paths, set reason aside, and entrust ourselves to God’s hands.

 

16:9 Another conclusion of Mark’s gospel

 In verse 8, Mark’s Gospel is abruptly ended. We looked forward to the meeting between Jesus and the apostles in Galilee, but it did not occur. Why? We do not know. We find only brief references to Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection. 

 

16:15  Proclaim the Good News to all creation. The Good News is the seed that will be planted in the world and will flourish, in its proper time, in every field of human endeavor. Salvation is not a matter of saving isolated souls or individual beings. The Gospel is to be proclaimed to all creation in all activities and acts of those renewed by baptism. They are to be the yeast that transforms human history.

The one who refuses to believe will be condemned (v. 16). There seems to be a threat, and its erroneous interpretation will have countless consequences. Even if, in the past, we have read into this a condemnation to hell, this is not the meaning of the text.

The one who refuses to believe is one of those to whom the message has been presented, someone who has also seen and received signs that are eloquent enough for that person to recognize the hand of God. People in these situations will be condemned; that is to say, when they give an account of their good and bad deeds, they will receive “a” condemnation even if they have been victims of many influences. On that day, they must admit they have been at fault, perhaps even seriously. On the other hand, those who believe and are baptized are saved; that is to say, they enjoy the gifts God gives us through his Son Jesus: they have been profoundly renewed, and their lives have taken another direction. They will participate in the mission of God’s people in history, a mysterious and magnificent work without which human beings would be condemned to lose themselves in every sense of the word.

 

THE NAME OF JESUS

On the day of his resurrection, Jesus’ human nature begins to participate fully in divine glory (Rom 1:4). Jesus now asks us to believe in his name, that is, in the divine power he has just received and that works through him.

The name is a word that has little or no meaning for us. For the Jews, it meant the active presence of God. This term allowed them to speak of God’s mysterious presence in the world without disregarding his greatness. Scripture does not say that God walked with the Hebrews toward the promised land (for God does not walk); instead, it says that his name or Face (Ex 33:14) was among them. God’s presence could not be confined within his temple, but Scripture says that his name dwelt in this temple, from whence he blessed all the activities of his people (1 K 8:27).

The name, thus, means divine presence or power. Paul says that the resurrected Jesus has received this name that outshines any other (Phil 2:9). God the Father has given it to him, and Jesus, who has received it, is not less than him since whatever belongs to his Father is now his. Jesus does not receive glory as one gets a title or an honor (as already proclaimed in Is 9:5), for divine glory can be granted only to God. If he receives a divine title, it is because he initially received divinity from the Father—divinity is his very being.

Thus, Jesus is as much God as the Father, but he is so different by receiving everything from God, who possesses all. That is why it is written that his name is the Son (Heb 1:4). When we speak to the Father in the name of Jesus, this means much more than bolstering ourselves with his merits (Heb 5:9) or making use of his valuable intercession (Heb 7:25). We present ourselves as sons and daughters, knowing that God embraces us with the same paternal love he has for his own Beloved One (Eph 1:6).

From then on, our Lord Jesus Christ, with divine power, began gradually to direct human history and each of us personal path to himself. The apostles were sent into the world to heal and sanctify it. Miracles and healings are not ends in themselves; they are only signs and means. The goal of evangelization is that all creation may be gathered around the person of the Son of God, who has become human through the power of his Spirit.

Signs like these will accompany those who have believed. The Acts of the Apostles report these signs and miracles. Even today, they can be seen wherever Christians fulfill their mission of evangelizing the world.