Discipleship

 Mark 13:1-8

When will it be? What are the signs? We ask Jesus for these time and again. We also latch onto anything which might be a sign to clue us in. When we look into the whole of Mark more deeply we begin to see a theme of discipleship which follows us all the way through and understanding it all is just as confusing for us as it was for the disciples.

The people of that time yearned for the oppression of Rome to be gone. Gone from their temple, their way of life, their belief in one God instead of many gods. Taxes, which placed the most vulnerable at risk of losing everything while the ones in control profited from it. Road tax, trade tax, the best fish tax, the regular everyday tax and then you had barely enough left to survive, or you got the worst of the catch. 

Knowing when the end of all this would be was a promise, a hope for the future. Hope is the important part here. It is hope which drives us forward and gives us action and Jesus today is planting the hope for something better, but giving a sign is a weary statement task.

So instead of looking for signs what if we look instead to the whole gospel of Mark? Rumors and gossip never get us very far in our search for an answer. Life is hard and the promise of the road being easy is not given to us. And just like Jesus' earlier teachings, its confusing to chase after it. 

Discipleship in Mark starts with healing. Healing is a sign of hope for someone. What do we need to heal today? Division, rumors of war, unrest, not getting along are all symbols of what needs repair and healing. We as the church are called to this way of healing and restoration for those who are weary and downtrodden. In Mark we start off in chapter 1 with driving out evil spirits. What are the evil spirits we need driven out today?

This is just the start, healing, teaching things about Jesus who showed us God, feeding the hungry, and coming to the lost are all a part of what discipleship is in Mark. So maybe the better question today is how do we want to be disciples of Jesus? What is the work God is calling for us to do in the midst of all this turmoil? Once we have answered this then we can go about planting the hope a hurting world is so in need of. 

We must open the discussion. We must share the good news Jesus gave to us with others. We must walk into this hurting world and know we have made some difference. Plant a seed of hope.