Thursday of 2nd week , even numbered year
“Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, and great crowds from Galilee followed him.From Judaea and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea and Transjordan and the region of Tyre and Sidon, great numbers who had heard of all he was doing came to him.”
In the first Covenant, the crowds sang of the glory of David, they were so enthusiastic about his exploits. He had saved the nation, and had finally conquered the invincible Philistine. Yet Saul made plans to get rid of this cumbersome rival. Jonathon tried to protect him. One took the side of the elected one, the other rejected him. In the gospel, it is the same dynamic. It is always the same thing, nothing changes under the sun. Always a question of adhesion or rejection, enthusiasm and condemnation, agreement and misunderstanding, acceptation and refusal forming the fabric of the history of our life. Everything within us and around us seems to be situated between choices that bring up tension and relaxation, jubilation and anguish.
The decision had just been taken to kill Jesus, and yet it was out of Love that Jesus came to dwell amongst us. He announces an immense Love from the Father. He announces the Good News of this Love for all peoples! The poor know how to recognise their Good Shepherd : ’From Jerusalem to Idumea, from the Transjordan, from the surroundings of Tyr and Sidon,a great multitude, having heard all that he was doing, came to him“However the ’Adversary’ slips into the crowd, the enemy of human nature. This enemy recognises him, he would like to foil God’s plan of Love. In his pride, he is provocative, : ’.. and the impure spirits, when they saw him, threw himself at his feet saying ’You are the Son of God!’”Jesus asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, to keep him from being crushed. For he had cured so many that all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch him."
Jesus’s word is striking, it reaches hearts despite all the opposition that is going on. In Jesus’ personality there is a power of salvation, a completely new force of Love coming out of Him and which testifies to where He comes from. His
Presence forces the Evil to leave his victims. The panicky cry of the possessed people unveil the mystery that breaks out beyond the threat of death. The liar, the enemy of human nature at the origin of this human misery cannot bear Jesus’ action any longer. Jesus makes his way in and out of adhesion and rejection, enthusiasm and condemnation, agreement and misunderstanding. ’If a kingdom is divided this kingdom will not be able to hold out.’ he had said. Jesus withdraws in the direction of the sea with his disciples and a great multitude followed him from Galilee and Judea. Jesus had pity upon this crowd who is looking for him in order to be free. He puts himself at peoples’ level with such great tenderness.There is communion of Love with a trust in God that is established between them.
“And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and shout, ’You are the Son of God!’ But he warned them strongly not to make him known.”
The Kingdom of God draws close to us with Jesus. It is the time of newness and the eruption of this newness in the world. The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Light and Love. The action of the Evil One is nothing but violence and lies. Jesus strongly exhorts the evil spirits not to have him known. The weeds must not be mixed with the good seed of the Word of God! The Word of Truth is clarity, without any ambiguity. Right from the beginning, the liar introduced confusion into the heart of man and woman. Mary’s heart is without any ambivalence, her yes to the Word is a yes to the image of the Yes of Jesus. Little by little, the gap grows wider between the leaders of the people and the crowd that remains, but despite it having a passion for Jesus, it is slow to grasp the real range of Jesus’ action. Jesus feels alone amongst his own people and is getting ready to cross the mountain of giving twelve apostles the responsibility of announcing the Good News with Him.
Today as yesterday, our heart is divided between adhering to Jesus and misunderstanding when faced with suffering. However we are sent by Jesus, to look further and higher, to build up men and women such as God desires in the secret of his fascinating person who speaks with authority.