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“By the Seaside”Monday Meditation. 5/4/20. Alan Neale.
Trinity Church, Newport, RI
7 Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; 8 hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. 9 He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; 10 for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
I learnt a new word as I read the second volume of Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Chronicle which is a seething yet urbane description of clergy and their games. The word… cacoethes. It means an irresistible urge to do something inadvisable. Sometimes we succumb to the power of cacoethes… we entertain a belief that we are invincible, infallible… that from no situation should we withdraw and to no enemy should we surrender. Not so with Jesus (though he be the Lord of life with myriads of angels at his command), not so with Jesus (who in all things was tempted as we are), not so with Jesus and so the passage begins with a strategic withdrawal. The pathetic word departed (v.7) does little justice to the original word… it suggests taking refuge from danger, a measured and temporary retreat from those who would hurt or harm ourselves or our mission. I am reminded of the Magi/wise men who, same word, decided to withdraw “another way” lest they suffer Herod’s mean and cruel wrath. I have observed that the ordained ministry carries with it, at times, a sense of insecurity and lack of identity. Here, instead of finding solace in our vocation, we justify ourselves with “busyness” attempting to prove our necessity. Jesus knew when to retreat and when to advance; he saw no dishonor of withdrawal if it provided opportunity to regroup, renew and re-energize. We need embrace that same calling!
And this self-care continues in v.9 when Jesus bids his disciples, “Have a boat ready for me by the sea”. Here the sea, the water, offers safe haven; not an altogether common view in Jewish writing.
He asks, suggests the word, that the boat be constantly in readiness even though this may involve intense effort and involve much difficulty.
You see… Jesus leads the way not only in spiritual self-care but also the care for our bodies. In early days of recovery, the alcoholic is advised always have an exit plan when attending parties and the like… our final, eternal exit plan is ensured… meanwhile we need play our part.
We read, v.7, the crowd followed him… and the same word is used for the disciples when they heard and accepted the call to follow Jesus. I think this is significant… it reminds us that in our lives, and in our churches, we all are following but on different paths, with different hopes, with different experiences… but we have this in common… “we follow…”
The word “diseases” in v. 10 has an interesting and contemporary origin; it comes from the word that means stripe, scourge or even… plague. It speaks of oppressive, debilitating pain and long-lasting crippling effects. COVID-19… truly a scourge, a plague; oppressive and debilitating leading to what we can only imagine will be long-lasting crippling effects leading, please God, to a new normal.
“A new normal” – the challenge of these simple words together is nigh exhausting. We do our best on this little Aquidneck Island to imagine the new normal affecting large scale events, weddings and tourists; we do our best to imagine the awful anticipated effects on the already poor, homeless, hungry. Let “new normal” not be a cry to soothe consciences and pacify action; let “new normal” be a confident statement that, for us who believe, God remains constant, creative and concerned.
I had hoped to talk about the final verse and its strange call (often repeated in Mark) to “keep this a secret”. But time here is the master and I’ll postpone discussion of the so-called “Messianic Secret” until tomorrow, Tuesday.