03-01-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 1, 2020
Scripture: Mark 2:16
When some of the legal experts from among the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why is he eating with sinners and tax collectors?”

Thought for the Day: On Ash Wednesday, we focused on these words from Mark. The real focus was on a single word, Why. In the Greek it is Tis, a simple word that can also be translated as Who or What. This is the premise I introduced on Ash Wednesday and will continue to be the focal point throughout Lent, specifically the questions Jesus asked or the questions people ask of Jesus. These questions, in the context of Mark’s Gospel, begin to strip away (or prune) what might be a hindrance for those who followed Jesus. So often we read these questions as having a very simple answer, as rhetorical or even as a way of demonstrating some disdain. But in the narrative, they force us to explore our own motivations, attitudes and expectations. Why do they do that? For that answer, we’ll need to focus on the Why.

Prayer: Lord God, continue to invite the questions. Give us the freedom to ask what needs to be asked, while also listening to the search of others. Encourage us to go beyond quick and poorly researched answers. Instead, let us sit and feel the tug within us as questions begin to bring to light what might need to change. Amen.

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