V: At The Creek by David Romtvedt
September 1, 2024 • Christine V. Hides • Mark 6:30–33
Today’s scripture is just a snippet from Mark chapter 6, a couple sentences of introduction to the feeding of five thousand. Jesus has been traveling all around Galilee, calling disciples, healing people, and offending his hometown on a visit to the synagogue. By this chapter he has already taught six of the nine parables in Mark’s Gospel. Patches, wineskins, lamps, and seeds are the tangible, ordinary objects Jesus used to describe the indescribable life with God.
Life with God is a present possibility even in anxious times. The verses just before this reading recall the death of Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist, who was beheaded by Herod; a stark reminder that Jesus’ life is set in the context of the violent and oppressive first century Roman Empire. This little bit of text is sandwiched between a funeral and a miraculous feast.