Chill Pill

Mark 2:19-20

      The expression “rain on my parade” is one that brings a visual picture to someone who is killing a happy mood or occasion. Sometimes we tell someone to “take a chill pill” when they seem to hyper about something. We often want to change the mood of others to match our own mood. We are not willing to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

      But there are emotions that are appropriate for certain situations, and we should match our emotions for those occasions. If we are grieving, we put our grieving on hold during the wedding reception. Otherwise we become the center of attention. And we aren’t supposed to be the center. The bride and groom are supposed to be the center.

      In the Jewish religious calendar, the Day of Atonement only required day for fasting in Jewish year. Other fast days were allowed, but only one was required. But the Pharisees and other Jewish groups added required fast days to their own religious requirements. It was almost as if there was a competition to see who could be the most religious through meeting certain requirements like fasting.

      In Jesus’ day wedding feasts lasted seven days, and signs of mourning, including fasting, were not allowed at the feast. It was a time of celebration; nothing was allowed to interrupt that joy. It was a time to solidify family relationships, creating ties that would carry people through difficult times ahead. New members were welcomed into the family. Stories were exchanged. Food was shared. Laughter and celebration was the theme of the week.

      Jesus’ presence was to be just as joyous as a wedding feast. Fasting just doesn’t fit with joyous celebration. Jesus was only going to be with the disciples for a limited period of time and that time was one of celebration, not of mourning.

      Jesus gives us the first hint of His upcoming death and resurrection, and the changes that will take place after that. Fasting does become part of the New Testament experience, but it is not one that is required, as the fasting for the Day of Atonement was. It is more in line with Isaiah 61. It is an outward identification with the downtrodden.

      Fast if you feel called to, but don’t demand that others follow your lead.

Why Go Through with This?

Mark 1:9

      Do you remember when you were a kid, how waiting for the presents to be opened seemed to take forever? At least it did in my house. We would get to open our stockings as soon as we woke up, but we had to wait until after breakfast before we sat down as a family and opened the presents one at a time, taking turns. That waiting was at times almost too much to bear. You could see the bundles wrapped just a few feet away, but you couldn’t open them up. The anticipation would build until the appointed time.

      In Mark’s gospel, we don’t have much anticipation. In the previous verse, John contrasted his ministry with that of Jesus. He said that he would use water to baptize people and that Jesus would use the Holy Spirit to baptize people. These two elements that Mark includes in his quick version of the events show up in our text over the next couple of days.

      Mark now begins to write about John the Baptists ministry with Jesus coming to John for the purpose of being baptized. This seems very odd, because John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. People came and confessed their sins and then were baptized. But for Jesus, there was nothing to confess. So why would Jesus go through this ritual? What did he gain? Why travel for something you don’t need?

      Our text Jesus came from Nazareth, his hometown. It was a small town, isolated from its neighboring towns by the geography. The only way to get to the town, which is situated on a hill, was to climb a winding footpath. For Jesus to get to the Jordan River to be baptized, it would have taken him several days to travel. Although the trade route comes close to the town, there is no direct road to the Jordan. We also don’t know exactly where John was baptizing. How did Jesus know where John would be? The Jordan is a winding, usually shallow stream. Which pool of water did Jesus visit with John? Mark doesn’t tell us.

      What I find interesting is that Mark doesn’t include the question by John to Jesus. He doesn’t include his objection to the baptism. If we read Matthew 3:14, we find that John objects to Jesus submission as he knows that Jesus has the upper spiritual hand. John sees that his baptism doesn’t fit with Jesus’ position in salvation history.

      Have you ever participated in a ceremony of honor and recognized your own unworthiness to be honored, but you went through the ceremony anyway, allowing others to render you honor? In a few weeks I will go through a retirement ceremony, one in which there will be others also honored. Some of those with whom I will be honored are heroes. They have been wounded. They gave parts of their body to ensure our freedom. I haven’t been wounded in this way. I feel humbled to be in their company. I feel like the ceremony is too much for me. There are others who deserve honor much more than I do. But, I will allow the ceremony to go forward with my active participation. For me the ceremony marks the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another.

      I think Jesus goes through baptism to provide the opportunity for John to complete the connection between the promise as the forerunner to the Messiah and the Messiah Himself. Sometimes the ceremony is for people other than the participants. Sometimes it just isn’t about us!