16th Sunday, YR B, 21 July, 2024: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-28; Mark 6: 30-34
The apostles return to Jesus excited by their accomplishments, surprised by what they could do. Can you remember the rush of your first adult success that turned out better than you had hoped? The exhilaration of discovering your capabilities?
Despite the crowd demanding his attention, Jesus is a prudent pastor: he will not increase his following by exploiting the apostles’ energy and excitement. They need to withdraw, reflect, unpack what they’ve done. And eat a good meal. If they are to really hear the people, they must get outside of themselves and their accomplishments; they need to recognize their limitations as well as their strengths. They need Jesus’ nourishing company.
The fact that the crowd sees the departure of Jesus and the apostles by boat but arrives on foot ahead of them, suggests that that the boat is slowed by the unpredictable headwinds of Lake Gennesaret. And this gives the apostles and Jesus the time and space to quiet down, to maneuver the boat and refocus.
The result? When they arrive, confronted by the crowd, Jesus, who has been as busy as the apostles, sees not a crowd but people. He feels compassion.
The Greek is literally visceral: he is shaken to his entrails by their neediness. “Entrails” was a euphemism used by Greek-speaking Jews as an equivalent to the Hebrew word for mercy—”womb.” Jesus is moved by that life-giving, creative, overwhelming feeling, as uncontrollable as labor. Even a male can find that capacity in his God-given depths.
There’s nothing calculated, nothing programmatic in Jesus’ ministry. What he manifests is organic and responsive, person-to-person.
What do I need to act like that?