5. The Parables

The narration of the evangelist Mark began with a special day in Capernaum, where the narrator showed the intense and extraordinary activity of Jesus with his disciples, with the crowd and also alone.

The entire text of Mark is organized in two important phases and both culminate in a profession of faith. The first part of the narration ends to the apostle Peter's profession of faith. This first part, in turn, can be structured in three different moments. Each of these moments ends on a controversial note of rejection and aggression. Thus, the first part of the narrative ends in chapter 3, verse 6, with the indication that the Pharisees immediately went out with the Herodians and they had a council against Jesus to put him to death.

The adversaries, from the beginning, realize that Jesus is dangerous; that his proclamation is extraordinary and departs from any traditional scheme. Immediately after, a second part begins, and Mark, usually, at the beginning of each part, introduces a summary and a narration of vocation.

This summary that we find in Chapter 3 is extensive and does not describe a particular episode, but as a summary Mark presents what was habitually the behavior of Jesus - what he did in general. Above all, it is observed that an immense multitude from all the surrounding regions came to Jesus to hear him speak, but, above all, because he healed.

The healings performed by Jesus are, from a historical reconstruction standpoint, no doubt the reason that drew the crowds. Simply, the beautiful speeches do not attract the sympathy of the people, it is necessary to pose the hypothesis, as a necessary historical fact, that Jesus has done something extraordinary in favor of simple people; and it is precisely this therapeutic intervention of Jesus what attracts people's attention.

Immediately after the summary, Mark narrates the appointment of the 12 apostles. He adopts the verb ‘create’, as if it were a creative intervention. At the beginning of the first part he has narrated the call of four disciples: Simon, his brother Andrew, James and his brother John.

Now he says that Jesus established, in a stable way, a group made up of 12 people. "He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.” He named 12 = he created 12. Let's notice the detail: Jesus went up the mountain and called those he wanted. He freely chooses with a criterion of affection and they responded, they went with him. From this large group, of those who follow him with affection, Jesus chooses a small group with a precise and determined number.

The 12 has a symbolic reference, it alludes to the new Israel; like the twelve patriarchs who had started the 12 tribes, sons of Jacob, so, now, the new Israel has 12 patriarchs beginning a new historical phase. Jesus creates this group and the evangelist specifies two important purposes. He called them first to live with him. Second, to send them. ‘Apostle’ means ‘sent’, ‘delegated’. Jesus chose them to be able to send them to do a job that he clearly indicated to them. But before sending them, the purpose that Jesus has proposed is to have them with him, chose them to stay with him.

In the Greek original, he uses the verb ‘make’ (ὦσιν = ósin), stronger than the verb ‘to be’. Jesus' objective for the elect is to be with him. Being with the Lord is the summit, it is the goal to which each disciple responds. The important thing is to be with him. From this communion of life, mission is born.

If only they are with Jesus, they could be sent by him as spokespersons of his word. What characterizes the apostles is that they have been with the Lord. This is the origin of mission, which in turn has two objectives: first, to preach; second, to cast out demons. Jesus himself had started in the synagogue preaching and releasing a demonized man. The same type of activity is now delegated to his apostles; their task is to proclaim the Gospel; and that word is an effective word, it's not just about telling a story, but to act on humanity and, for Mark, the fundamental action is to fight against the spirit of darkness. The task of the apostles is to cast out demons, overcome the enemy, and free the person. The word of the Gospel has a therapeutic, redemptive function, it frees a person from the oppression of evil.

Therefore, he gives them 12 names, according to a traditional list that it is also preserved by the other evangelists. At this point the narration of the second part of his Gospel begins, with a moment of incomprehension framed in the episode of the lack of comprehension of Jesus’ relatives. At the center of the episode is the harsh, slanderous opposition of the scribes who came from Jerusalem.

Obviously, they were sent by the great authorities of the capital to find out about this strange preacher from Galilee. The problem that draws the attention of these scribes is the fact that Jesus sets free some demonized people. The interpretation of the scribes is strange, provocative; they say Jesus is an ally of the devil, he is his envoy, he is a collaborator of Satan and in connivance with the chief of demons, he makes striking signs precisely to dominate and enslave.

It is a tragic posture because it means not accepting the light, not wanting to see things as they are; and, also, it is a violent opposition that changes the day into the night and Jesus calls this attitude "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit", that is, it is the stubborn, conscious and firm closure to the revelation brought by Jesus. Faced with a work that liberates man and gives salvation and the possibility of life, to say that it comes from the devil means not wanting to see reality; stubbornly closing in rejection.

This attitude cannot be forgiven because they do not ask for forgiveness. The only sin that cannot be forgiven is pride that denies sin, and believes that they have no sin and that they do not recognize in Jesus the one who leads to the mercy of God.

Around this very negative center, also belongs the family of Jesus; their relatives, called brothers and sisters. It was the usual way that, in that Jewish context, relatives in general were called; They were cousins, and also in--laws, uncles, grandchildren, brothers--in--law. All of these were generally called ‘brothers’. We could translate as ‘relatives’ to create fewer problems; but also, keeping the original text we understand the meaning. His relatives from Nazareth have come to Capernaum because they have also heard of these extraordinary feats performed by Jesus and do not understand.

The evangelist says that even the mother of Jesus is present with the other relatives, only that the crowd is all around Jesus and the relatives cannot contact him. The message arrives by word of mouth and the people closest to the Master tell him: “Outside are your mother and your brothers who are looking for you.' And Jesus reacts in an apparently strange way. He questions: ‘Who is my mother and my brothers? And looking at those who were sitting in a circle around him he said: Look, these are my mother and my brothers. Because the one who does the will of my Father in heaven, that is my brother, my sister and my mother.’” The circular gaze of Jesus is a typical brushstroke of Mark. He describes that before speaking, he turns his head and looks in the eye to those who hear him. ‘My mother and my relatives are you,’ he says, ‘You who listen to my words became my family.’ To be my relative, you must do the will of God.

It is not an act of contempt for his mother, Mary; it is precisely the way in which Jesus speaks to us of the greatness of his mother. She is the one who did the will of God. She is his mother not because of particular merits but because she accepted the Word that the Lord revealed to her. And she has done what the Lord asked her to do.

Jesus' human kinship goes beyond family ties. To be part of this new family that Jesus establishes, it is not necessary to be united to him by ties of blood, it is necessary to be united to him by ties of obedience; be like him available to do the will of his Father.

"On another occasion he began to teach by the sea.” This is how chapter 4 begins. Mark, from time to time, begins his narrative by underlining 'again' or ‘in another occasion,’ to say that he had already done it, but he repeated it in other circumstances. Living in villages that were next to the Lake of Galilee, defined in a somewhat emphatic way as 'sea', Jesus often gathered people on the shore.

The coast was a wide and free environment, where the crowd could gather, bearing in mind that, on the other hand, the villages were very small, they did not have large squares or streets that could accommodate crowds; the fields were cultivated and, therefore, the waterfront was an open and free environment where it was possible to gather many people. To keep a certain distance and not be locked up, Jesus teaches from a boat in which he sits and being a few meters from the shore, he can observe the people who have gathered, and talk to them calmly.

Thus begins the chapter of the parables. It is one of the rare speeches that Mark collected anthologically; it is a collection of parables. Jesus taught in parables. The Greek word παραβολαῖς = Parabolas indicates a narration thrown to the side, that goes around reality. The parable is an animated narration of a story of life that helps to understand human life and the history of humanity in general. It seems to have nothing to do with the specific situation and, instead, thanks to the skill of the narrator, that story allows the listener to draw the consequences; to give your own opinion, make a judgment, commit oneself.

The parables of Jesus, try to dialogue with the listeners, provoke dialogue. They often start by saying, 'What do you think?' Or ‘Who among you…?’ It is a way of asking a question and waiting for an answer.

The first parable that Mark tells us is that of the sower, or better, of the various fields that receive the sown seed by the sower. This story begins with an emblematic figure: "The sower went out to sow." Not just any one but The Sower. From the beginning, it is a reference to the one who gives the seed, the one who is at the origin of the gift of life, and the seed that is sown is a figure of revelation. "A sower went out to sow.”

This verb could be useless ... do you sow inside the house? Why start the story with that underline: "went out" ... it is the image of God that comes out of Himself to meet the world. Throwing the Word that falls a little everywhere. This parable presupposes the way of working of the old Palestinian peasants that they did not plow the land, the plow is a medieval invention; they planted seed in the field as it was and then, with some tools, they moved the soil a little to cover the seeds and, therefore, it is inevitable that the seeds fall on the road, in the middle of the stones or between thorns, but there is also a lot of good land.

And Jesus says, counting the parable, that the seed that falls in the good land produces 30, 60, 100 times as much. Now we don't understand much on agriculture and grain yield, but the peasants of his time who listened this narration certainly made him understand with their head that 'no', it is not possible. about 45 kilos of wheat, if they yielded 7 times more, it was already a lot. Today, with a system much more sophisticated, we reach 15 ... And 20 is never reached. And Jesus proposes 30, 60, 100 times as much.

Here is the central point of the parable. It is provocation; there is a particular seed which is producing a huge and spectacular result, that goes beyond any human prediction. Mark has previously narrated the incomprehension of the relatives who wanted to take him home because they consider him out of his mind. Also the closed, perverse hostility of some scribes who consider him an ally of the devil; and the disciples think they are wasting time, ‘we are not getting anywhere… no results to be expected of all these.’

The parable serves as a comforting teaching. The fruit will come, the results will be exceptional, even if it doesn't seem so at first. The explanation of the four moral types is probably an addition of the first Christian community that attempted to adapt this story and morally exhort not to be superficial like the ground; not to be fickle like stony ground; not to be suffocated by worries. Let us become good ground to gather the seed of the Word and bear much fruit. The objective is to announce a seed that is growing and not to indicate a terrain that is like this and it cannot be otherwise.

The goal is to stimulate listeners to receive the Word. Those who accept the Word and do the will of God, these are the ones who bear fruit. These can become the brother, sister and mother of Jesus.