Mark 3, 1-6 (the Gospel for today) tells of Jesus’ curing of a withered hand. In itself a noteworthy miracle, an expression of good will, of love. But Mark sets the miracle in a context of controversy: ’they’ continued to watch to see if Jesus would cure on the Sabbath, and, once he cured, the Pharisees and Herodians present started planning how they might destroy Jesus. These Pharisees could brook no one who performed on the long-venerated Sabbath any of the works Tradition had come to forbid, including healing. The Herodians, faithful to Roman rule and to Herod Antipas (this all happened in one of his territories, Galilee), feared Jesus would lead an uprising to overthrow Rome (and themselves). Mark wants to present the episode as instigated verbally by Jesus: what is it lawful to do on the Sabbath? His point can be expressed in this way. First, let us call what I did not ’cure’, but ’love of neighbor’. Second, can you really believe that God would prefer that I love my neighbor another day, and not today? Just how important, in the hierarchy of laws and traditions, is love of neighbor? Is any of the Law of Moses superior to love of neighbor? What is God’s mind in this question? As St. Paul says, "Who knows the mind of the Lord?...We have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2, 16). Christians by baptism believe that the mind of Christ is the mind of God. From what we know of Jesus, we know that he thinks that love has its supreme place, even if the price he must pay for loving his neighbor is death. Acts 3, 17 states that ’you and your leaders put Jesus to death in ignorance’. That means to diminish guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus, but ultimately implies that only one person knows the mind of God. John Kilgallen, S.J.
Mark 3, 1-6: Jesus, the Tradition, his death
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
This week on “Preach,” the Rev. Peter Wojcik, the pastor of St. Clement Church in Chicago, Ill., preaches for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B, and shares strategies for preaching to a parish of mostly young adults.
“His presence brings prestige to our nation and to the entire Group of 7. It is the first time that a pope will participate in the work of the G7,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
“Many conflicting, divergent and often contradictory views of the human person have found wide acceptance … they have led to holders of traditional theories being cancelled or even losing their jobs,” the bishops said.
Robots can give you facts. But they can’t give you faith.