Day 12: Preaching parables, stilling storms, and healing

The first thing I noticed when I started reading today is that Jesus is preaching these parables from a boat.  Why have I never noticed this before?  And why do I think it's sort of cool?  So here Jesus is, telling the story of the sower and the seeds, and he's speaking from a boat, to all the people gathered on shore.

I know that there's a parable and then there's Jesus secret allegorical explanation of it, but may I say that I think the original parable is way more interesting?  The focus in the original is on the sower and the fantastic yield at the end, despite all of the obstacles in the way.  In the later explanation, all of a sudden the focus becomes on the different types of soil.  That's okay, but for good endings, an 100-fold yield can't be beat.  (and is impossible to believe, by the way....)

Though I am liking Jesus in Mark, mostly, there's a little verse I'm going to have to wrestle with a bit more, in Mark 4:24  "Those who have will receive more, but as for those who don't have, even what they don't have will be taken away from them."  This seems to be extremely harsh, and I'm not quite sure what the point of it is.  I'll let you know after I've wrestled a bit more.

There are two storms stilled next:  the first, the storm on the sea, the chaos that threatens the disciples, and the second, the storm inside the Geresene demoniac.  The storms are Legion, inside and outside, then and now, and Jesus kicks them out.  So, Jesus is Lord over the storms, the chaos, the demons, whatever you care to call it.  But, how does it matter to us now? 

Finally, the stories of the bleeding woman and the twelve year old girl intertwine in Mark.  The woman has been suffering for twelve years, the whole time this girl has been alive.  In Mark (who is known for spare language, but also for the telling detail) the woman has spent everything trying to get relief from many doctors, and instead of getting better, she has gotten worse.  I can imagine the second, the third, the fourth opinions, and the money taken from her by people who didn't help her.

By the way, Mark employs a "sandwich" approach to storytelling often.  Here the story begins with Jairus' asking Jesus to heal his daughter.  The bleeding woman is the middle of the sandwich.  After that story is resolved, Jesus goes on to raise the 12 year old girl from the dead.  But, always pay attention to the middle of the sandwich.  That's where the meat is.