Pentecost 18 (year B proper 20)- Mark 9:30-37

 On this Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Gospel is from Mark 9:30-37. Jesus speaks to His followers about His upcoming suffering and death. He reminds them that His ministry is not obviously great in worldly terms. Rather, Jesus is humble and His goals are spiritual. He is like a lamb led to the slaughter (Jeremiah 11:19), and He will soon give Himself to redeem His people. He will die and rise again to offer salvation. His self-sacrifice is the core of His ministry and mission, but the disciples are slow to understand it or accept it.

The disciples need to accept the truth of Christ's cross and learn to follow Him. Unfortunately, they are concerned about their own greatness, but Jesus keeps trying to point them toward humility, faith, and service. To illustrate this point, He uses the example of a child who follows Him. Childlike humble faith and service are more important in the kingdom of God than superficial worldly accomplishments and honors.

As Christians, we are reminded repeatedly to hear this central message of the Gospel. Our Lord wants to save us from our own sins, weaknesses, and misunderstandings.  He calls us to see that worldly honors are empty. True greatness is being a child of the divine kingdom. Our continual calling is to follow Jesus Christ in humble faith and service, and He provides the grace we need to persevere in this calling.

Pentecost 17 (year B proper 19)- Mark 9:14-29

In Mark 9:14-29, Jesus and His three closest disciples have returned from the mount of Transfiguration into the challenges of ministry in the world. In this account, Jesus is asked to heal a boy with a powerful evil spirit. As always, Jesus shows compassion, wisdom, and divine power in dealing with the situation. Among the themes in the passage, one key issue is faith.

The father of the afflicted child comes to Jesus with mixed feelings. The man brings his son in the hope that Jesus or His disciples can do something to help. The initial efforts of the disciples have not been productive, and the man is hesitant when he talks to Jesus. Therefore, Jesus exhorts him to have a stronger faith. The man replies, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24). 

Of course, Christ often encourages people to have stronger faith, and even believing Christians are often weak in faith. Human beings can be weak in two aspects of faith: belief and trust. In our passage, however, we see that even a struggling faith is an important beginning. The weak faith of the afflicted child's father serves as an opening for Jesus to work and to overcome evil. Human faith does not deliver the child; only the power, grace, and mercy of God in Christ can overcome evil and deliver the man's son. Yet, even a weak faith is a key response because it opens the way for God's work. So, let us be thankful that God in His perfect grace can use our imperfect faith in Christ and bring healing and redemption!

Pentecost 16 (year B proper 18)- Mark 7:31-37

The shorter version of the Gospel for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost is from St. Mark 7:31-37. This selection is the story of the healing of a deaf-mute in the Decapolis. The Greek name Decapolis means "Ten Towns." In the first century, this region east of the Jordan had both Jewish and Greek-speaking pagan inhabitants. The man who was healed might have been either Jewish or Gentile; so, the healing can be a reminder that Christ's ministry was for all people. The healing of a deaf-mute is also a fulfillment of Messianic prophecies (Isaiah 35:5 and Ezekiel 24:27). 

This Gospel passage teaches us two important points. 1) In Jesus, the Messianic kingdom has come into the world. God's redeeming work has entered a new phase. 2) The divine mercy and grace present in Christ are available to all people regardless of their background or circumstances. The long-awaited redemption goes beyond the bounds of Israel.