July 21, 2024 - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - Where and When Healing Happens

In today's Gospel passage Jesus performed miracles and taught the crowds at Gennesaret. It depicts Gennesaret as a significant location in Jesus' ministry, and describes how many people were healed. Large followings came, due to those teachings and miracles.

The account begins just after following last week's account of the death of John the Baptist.  The opening verses of the reading tell of the return of the apostolic mission begun in 6:7-13.

The gap in the middle of the reading is Mark's account of the feeding of the 5,000.  That story will appear next week, though the text will be from John and not Mark.  Unfortunately, this means we miss Mark's rich theology expressed in his two feeding stories.  The first one (Mark 6), in a Jewish region, reconciles Jews.  The second one (Mark 8), on gentile territory, reconciles gentiles.

This focuses on the healings that occurred in Gennesaret (primarily Jewish), is described in the Gospels mentioned. The power and the compassion of Jesus' ministry is underscored. In both Gospels, the people of Gennesaret immediately recognized Jesus and responded by bringing the sick to him. This indicates their faith in Jesus' ability to heal and their eagerness to seek his help. Their immediate recognition and proactive approach suggest a high level of awareness and belief in Jesus' miraculous powers.

How people were healed in Gennesaret is interesting. The passages mention that people implored Jesus to let them touch even the fringe of his garment. This act of touching the fringe of his garment, driven by faith, resulted in healing for many. This detail emphasizes the power emanating from Jesus and the importance of faith in the process of healing. 

The accounts highlight the extensive impact of Jesus' presence in Gennesaret. People regionally brought their sick to him, and the healings were not limited to one location but occurred in villages, cities, and the countryside. This widespread activity demonstrates the far-reaching influence of Jesus' ministry and the desperation of the people to seek his healing touch.

Jesus and the disciples initially head for a "deserted place." The people "knew" Jesus, and huge numbers "from all the towns" come to the "deserted place" where they anticipate he will be.  A "large crowd" assembles.  The Jesus movement swells and hits its stride.

Seeing the large crowd, Jesus is "moved with compassion"--splagchnizomai, "moved in the bowels," or "having one's 'guts' torn apart."  He is moved because the people were "like sheep without a shepherd," This is a line of great portent with potential political implications. 

"Sheep without a shepherd" references Number 27: 16-17,  "Let the Lord...appoint someone over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep without a shepherd."  

The healings in Gennesaret are described as immediate and complete. As many as touched the fringe of Jesus' garment were made well. This immediacy and totality of healing underscore the miraculous nature of Jesus' power and the effectiveness of even the slightest contact with him when combined with faith.

These elements collectively highlight the extraordinary nature of the healings that occurred in Gennesaret, reflecting the profound faith of the people as opposed to the faithlessness of Jesus' hometown and what we heard about Herod's court.

Pastor Emillie started her sermon preaching about the Trump assassination attempt that happened before the Republican National Convention. The reason was this statement in today's Gospel Number 27: 16-17 reference and that political implication.

She preached particularly about young people needing leadership. She spoke about what had happened that led to this. As the social hierarchies continue to dissolve in unanticipated ways the idea of what to have faith in continues to evolve.