if you know not what you lack

then you must unturn your back

The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark!

Let's have a story, shall we?

This life isn’t easy, you know?

I do what I can, though; I follow the rules. I do my best to get along.

That’s why I didn’t put much stock in that fellow from Nazareth, Jesus. 

I had heard the rumors, who people were saying he was; that prophet Elijah, or John the Baptist raised from the dead. Some were even saying he was the next great king like David, the messiah.

I didn't put much stock in all that, though. What I heard about that Jesus was too much. 

He was too reckless, too heedless.

In fact, the one time I did see him, see him for myself; he was coming across the sea. He had been in foreign territory!

What business did he have being over there, with those pagans?

Those were the only kind of stories you could hear about him, though. He was always eating with the wrong people. Showing up at the wrong places. 

As far as I’m concerned, this life is hard enough without going out of your way to make it harder on yourself. You have to learn to accept things the way they are…

So yeah, the stuff I heard about Jesus, the miracles, the preaching; it all sounded good, but I’m not about to risk getting on the wrong side of these rules just because something sounds good.

That day I saw him, there was a crowd; of course. 

People are so foolhardy…

Put me out, as far as I was concerned. I was just trying to get home. 

It had been a long day; too long. Too long and too many in a row.

Next thing I know, someone is pushing me aside!

That was it. I followed that fella; I was going to give him a piece of my mind. Can’t just push me around. 

Before I could get to him, though; he had thrown himself at Jesus’ feet. 

He was begging Jesus to heal his daughter.

When Jesus said he’d heal his daughter, when he got up, I was glad I hadn’t caught up with him. Turned out it was Jairus, the leader of the synagogue!

Boy would have I regretted that.

Like I say, I just try and toe the line; I don’t make it my business upsetting officials. They have their place, I have mine. 

So they were off. Jesus was going to heal the girl. I was just glad they were getting out of the marketplace, since the crowd was following him, of course. 

Suddenly everyone stopped.

Jesus was turning all around. 

Turns out, he wanted to know who had touched him!

When I realized that was what he was trying to figure out, I nearly burst out laughing!

I figured this guy must have had a few screws loose, to be talking the way he was, doing what he was; and this just confirmed it, trying to find out who touched you in crowd, ha!

Then this woman came forward…

That’s when I realized why Jesus wanted to know who touched him; it wasn’t right for a woman to be touching him like that. 

I was glad he was calling her out; someone needed to hold up the rules. Everyone ignores them these days, and all that good order of ours goes right out the window!

You know what, though? I had seen that woman before. Everyone had.

She was one of those tragic cases. She had hemorrhages that wouldn’t stop bleeding for over ten years! She had gone to every doctor and nothing helped; she spent every penny she had.

That unclean, she touched Jesus!

She came forward with her head down; and we all knew what was going to happen; she was going to get what she had coming. Listen, I felt bad for her, but it wasn’t right of her to be stepping out of place like that.

Only what happened isn’t what any of us were expecting.

Jesus didn’t tell her off, he didn’t tell her to get back to where she belonged; he called her daughter! Daughter…

He said her faith had healed her; then he sent her away in peace. 

And I’m telling you; she was healed. 

I’ve seen her in the marketplace since then. She has a life now, it’s like all those years were just a bad dream. It’s hard to believe…

Before the woman had gotten far; some other people came.

In the meantime, Jairus’ daughter had died. There was no reason to bother Jesus now.

And just like that woman suddenly looked up at Jesus; Jairus suddenly looked down. 

To me, he looked like he was going to be sick.

And I knew how he felt. 

You spend your life following the rules; but not even that is enough sometimes.

That’s why you just have to do what you can. That’s why you follow the rules, don’t rock the boat, don’t make things harder than they already are…

Well, Jesus dispersed the crowd and went with Jairus. 

I didn’t think much of it. The girl was dead, and you can’t heal someone who has died; the dead don’t come back. 

So I made my way home…

The next day I heard rumors, though. They were saying the girl had been raised.

Too much to believe, right?

Well, just wait until you hear the other rumors I’ve heard…

After that day, I’d heard about Jesus, see the crowds.

In fact, I almost went out to hear him preach a time or two. I’d always get some sense before I did that, though.

Jesus was making too much trouble; he wasn’t following any of the rules. He said he was was doing it all in the name of God. That sounded good, but he was getting on the wrong side of all the wrong people.

That kind of thing isn’t for me. 

It’s all I can do just to get through these days; that’s hard enough, without going out of your way to make more trouble.

So I wasn’t surprised when I heard about his crucifixion. 

I admit, I flinched when I heard that is how he went. I knew he wouldn't last long; but what a terrible way to go.

And that, that’s exactly why I follow the rules, the way I do.

It takes everything you have just to get through life; you gotta toe the line…

Jesus’ preaching, it all sounds good, but just look at the facts!

Look at him. Dead on the cross for all his trouble.

You may not like the rules, but the price is too high to flout ‘em.

It wasn’t long after his death, though, that the rumors started; the big ones.

They said he had been raised. 

Not raised like that girl; Jesus was raised byGod. They put him in the tomb, but after three days he was out, alive! Raised, just like that…

They said God raised Jesus because he was God’s Son; because Jesus’ preaching was true…

Now people are meeting early on Sunday morning, before work, to worship Jesus; to live out his preaching.

I’m not too proud to admit, I’ve thought about going. 

That woman I told you about; I know she goes… And Jairus, too.

I think about them, that day. I think about what I’ve heard of Jesus’ preaching. And I think about going.

But this life is hard enough. I’m sure the Roman’s don’t look too kindly on a bunch of people meeting when they should be getting ready for work, meeting to worship one who was crucified for disturbing the peace of Rome. 

I’ve thought about going, but this life is hard enough.

I do what I can just to get by. I’m in no hurry to make things harder for myself. 

Lately, though, lately I can’t help but wonder, what it is that’s actually making everything so hard…