Chapter 18 - Bethany

Fr. Martin travels to Bethany, now called by its Arabic name, El-Azariyeh, “the place of Lazarus”.  It is a place he tells us “that he has long prayed about”.  The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a familiar one, but until I read this chapter, I never realized how rich in meaning it is. I can only touch on a few points here.

We see both natures of Jesus in this story. There is his humanity shown by his deep love for his friends, Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha.  He also shows his great compassion when he weeps.  Fr. Martin says, “He may be weeping both for the loss of Lazarus and for the pain that his death has caused for Mary and Martha” Jesus understands what it means to be human.

Of course, the great miracle performed in Bethany shows Jesus’ divine nature.  In the gospel of John this is the last miracle that Jesus performs before his passion. Lazarus’ death and resurrection foreshadows Jesus own coming death and resurrection.  In fact, the act of raising Lazarus from the dead has the Jewish leaders talking about putting Jesus to death, (see John 11:45-53).  Many people who were with Mary at the tomb have come to believe in him and this did not sit well with Caiphas.  There was even talk of putting Lazarus to death (John 12:10).  Jesus knew what was awaiting him, but “he sets his sights on Jerusalem”.  He knows He will die, but He will rise again and make death irrelevant.  Jesus is more powerful than death.

Fr. Martin makes another point about this story.  He wonders, “Why does Jesus shout?”  “John’s Gospel says that Jesus spoke in a phonē megalē, a great voice.” We are used to hearing that God speaks to us quietly and that we need silence to hear Him, but Jesus shouts to Lazarus to “come forth”.  Fr. Martin says, “Sometimes, however, God needs to speak more loudly” and that “God may need to get our attention… so that the dead parts of us can hear”.  For Fr. Martin, “Lazarus’s tomb became the place to leave behind whatever I no longer needed, whatever kept me from new life”. 

Jesus last words in the story of Lazarus are “unbind him and let him go”.  Jesus wants us to be unbound, and freed from our sins and our past.  Our sins bring us to a spiritual death and Jesus wants to bring us back, he wants us to be fully alive.  Fr. Martin says “Unbind him, and let him go is an invitation to all of us who are freed from old patterns and unhealthy behaviors.  Untie him and let him be who he is meant to be.”  To become the person we are meant to be we may have to overcome our “stuckness” and our fear of change.  At the end of the chapter Fr. Martin tells us “I asked God to take away everything that kept me from becoming the person God wanted me to be. And I asked God for new life.”  Then he left the tomb.

To Ponder and Discuss:

How do you view death? Do you see it as ending at the tomb or as a “coming forth” to new life?

What do you have to leave in the tomb?  What “kinds of unhealthy patterns” do you have in your life?  The ones that seem “ unendurable yet seemingly ineradicable”.

Are you afraid of change? What is keeping you from becoming the person you are meant to be, the person God wants you to be? 

How many times do we remain stuck were we are not praying, despairing and thinking that we can’t change.  Not relying on God and asking for his help?

Sharon Erkman

Chapter 17 - Jericho

Heat and Desire

One of the things I most appreciate about this book is the author’s ability to put the reader “right there” where the events of our Lord’s ministry took place.  My mouth went dry, I felt parched, as I read his description of the intense heat that he and his traveling companion experienced as they visited the area around Jericho.  Heat so strong that you feel faint.

Father Martin in Galilee

Father Martin mused as to how it must have been for Jesus and his disciples, that itinerant band, walking the dusty roads of Galilee. 

I had never considered that the intense heat may have caused Jesus and The Twelve to travel at night.  But then I remembered that some of the main roads, like the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, were populated by robbers and thieves (the Parable of the Good Samaritan takes place on that road).  So, travel by night would have been a dangerous option.  And I remembered, too, the story of the Woman at the Well who was drawing water from the well at midday—an odd time to draw water, given the intense heat of the place.  Local women would draw water much earlier in the day.

Jesus and the Twelve must have looked weather-beaten from the intense sun and the desert sand beneath their feet.  Long before they were nailed to a cross, I imagine that the feet of Jesus were bruised, callused, leathery, from the miles of walking from town to town.  And as he nears Jericho, he crosses paths with Blind Bartimaeus and later, Zacchaeus.

How wonderful it is that Bartimaeus does not beg for money.  He begs for something much deeper, more profound.  He begs for mercy.  He asks Jesus to restore his sight!

In this chapter, Father Martin encourages us to look at our longings.  He encourages us to be honest with God:

Jesus sees something liberating in identifying and naming our desires.  Once we scrape off any surface selfishness, our deepest longings and holy desires are uncovered:  the desire for friendship, the desire for love, the desire for meaningful work, and often the desire for healing. . . .People often need to be encouraged to recognize these deep longings. . . .especially if they have been told to ignore or eradicate their desires. (Page 299).Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus ask for what they most deeply desire.  They do not give in to the pressures of the crowd to “shut up.” 

  

To Ponder or Discuss:

1.  Jesus again poses a seemingly obvious question when he asks Bartimaeus, who is blind, "What do you want?"  Why does he ask this?

2.  Gerhard Lohfink notes that besides those who followed Jesus on the road, there were "resident adherents" and "occasional helpers."  How does this influence your idea of discipleship?

3.  Jesus offers to visit Zacchaeus's house even before Zacchaeus has made his promise of restitution to anyone he has defrauded.  This would have been seen as a sign of Jesus' acceptance of the "chief sinner" in the region.  Why does Jesus do this?  What implications might it have in your life?


Steven Olson

Chapter 16 - Bethesda

Fr. Martin takes us to the site of the ancient Pool of Bethesda, a place he discovers by accident.  He shares his excitement telling the reader that the findings in recent archaeological excavations correspond nicely with the evangelist John’s account of the pool “which has five porticoes”, the site of a miraculous healing of a cripple.  The reason for his excitement?  As Fr. declares, here is a place he knows Jesus was actually present.

Fr. Martin gives us a good narrative of the layout and physical features of the site by way of a private tour of the subterranean areas.  But more importantly he leads us through the significance of Jesus’ encounter with the crippled man.  He focuses us in on the man’s likely personal situation.  He was alone with no one to help him into the mythical healing baths at Bethesda.

On my first reading of this short chapter I was drawn more to his narrative as a tour guide and his exegesis of the Gospel story of the miracle.  However some weeks later rereading this chapter after news of a personal health issue I found myself drawn into the description of the crippled man’s plight.  He describes himself as being alone in dealing with his ailment, a condition that had likely existed for decades.  While that was not my personal situation, I have had plenty of support, I did find myself thinking, that it is still the case for countless others around us, the old, the poor, the homeless, the mentally ill or those near death.  A difficult situation which can lead to despair.

I suspect we have all felt, at some time, a moment of despair or hopelessness in the face of adversity.  A crippling thought, that our problems are too big to deal with alone.  But our faith in God supports us at these moments and we are reminded that “God seeks out those in special need of care”.  Fr. Martin tells us that “this is how God comes to us-asking if we still want his healing, if we still believe, if we still have faith”.

 In this chapter in addition to some good historical information Fr. Martin leads us into a reflection on what the presence of Jesus meant to this crippled man and by extension what our active presence, as Christians, means to the sick and broken in our midst.

Questions to Ponder

1. Reflecting on a time when illness left you feeling alone and abandoned what was your experience?  Who was there for you?  Who was not?  Where you able to experience the peace of God’s presence Fr. Martin describes?

2. When have you experienced Christian charity?  From whom?   Medical professionals? Family?, Co-workers?, Strangers?  

3. Did this chapter change your feelings toward those who are suffering from chronic illnesses?  Did it heighten your sensitivity to the feelings of sick individuals?  Motivate you to change in any way?

Deacon Mike McKenna

Chapter 15 - Tabga

On the floor in front of the altar of the ancient church in Tabgha is a brown and white mosaic depicting two fish flanking a wicker basket filled with a few loaves of bread, depicting the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish—a miracle so important that it appears in all four gospels.

In this chapter, Father Martin takes on the skeptics who prefer to water down this miracle as well as the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead—the cornerstone of our faith.

This tendency to rationalize the miraculous, he writes, reflects a modern tendency to explain away things we moderns cannot understand.

He then goes on to explain the miracle in depth and to remind the reader that God takes our small gifts and through the power of the Spirit makes our gifts great.  “All we need to do,” he writes, “is bring what little we have, generously and unashamedly. . . .Jesus knew that wherever there is, God can make more of it.  But first we are asked to offer our loaves and fishes, no matter inadequate they may seem.  Only then can God accomplish the kind of true miracle that occurred at Tabgha” (page 272).

To Ponder and Discuss:


1.  Have you ever heard the "nice thought" interpretation of this Gospel story, which explains Jesus' miracle as one in which the crowd shares what they have?  Have you heard similar interpretations of the miracles?  What is your response to them?

2.  This is the only miracle--outside of the Resurrection--that appears in all four Gospels.  Why do you think the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes was so important for early Christian communities?

3.  In what ways has God "multiplied" the offerings you make in life?



Steven Olson

Chapter 14 - Gerasa

I have always been drawn to the story of the story of the Gerasene Demoniac.  It’s a rich story, at once eerie, bizarre and powerful.

These aspects of the story strike me the most:

1. It is the first time Jesus sets foot in pagan territory.  He draws the circle of healing wider and wider.  This serves to remind us that Jesus tends to include those whom others would seek to exclude.  His love and mission know no boundaries.
2. As a prelude to his healing of this man, Jesus engages the demon and asks its name.  Naming the demon gives Jesus power over the demon.  Sometimes, one of the most difficult steps in our own healing process is when we admit and name our demons.  It reminds me of the people who attend 12 Step Groups.  As they rise to share their stories, they give their first name and then they name their demon:  “. . . .I’m an alcoholic.”  Naming our demons does not ensure a cure, but it is an important first step.  Naming our demons breaks the cycle of denial.
3. As is the case with the demon in the synagog in Nazareth, these demons--who are Legion-- attest to the identity of Jesus.  Unlike the disciples, who struggle to come to terms with our Lord’s identity, the demons clearly confess “Jesus, the Son of the Most High God.”   There’s a certain twisted brilliance to the Evil One.
4. Jesus doesn’t just cast out the man’s demons.  He also, importantly, finds a way to restore this isolated person to community.  Which is why, when Jesus later heals the leper, he has the leper visit a priest, as a way to restore the man to the faith community.  
5. Having restored the man to community, he sends him on a mission to tell others about the love and mercy of the Father.  In this Year of Mercy, we Catholics, who have been saved and healed by our Lord, need to be about the business of telling others about the mercy of our God.

The Tombs at Kursi

To ponder and discuss:


1.  Is the Gerasene demoniac a terrifying figure, a pitiful figure, or both?  Why?

2.  After his exorcism, the former demoniac does not follow Jesus but instead is sent to tell his people what has happened to him.  How is this a form of discipleship?

3.  Do you see parallels in your life, or in  the lives of your family and friends, to the self-destructive behaviors of the demoniac?  What does the image of the man "bruising himself" say to you?


Steven Olson