Mark, Day Five

Mark 3:1-19

• The chapter begins with another encounter in which Jesus goes against the rules - he heals on the Sabbath.  This seems like such a ridiculous thing to be upset about - how could healing ever be considered wrong at any time?  But it shows how tradition and society's rules (even rules that began with good intentions) can become like the Word of God to us, even when they're not.  And it strikes me as very sad that it is this episode that finally tips the scales against Jesus - because he healed someone, the Pharisees begin plotting against him.  Because he did something that seems so obviously good and beautiful, the religious establishment decides to destroy him. 
• So where in our institutional church are we trying to destroy that which is good and beautiful because we are blind to something outside our established tradition and rules?  I have some ideas on that, but I wonder what it is that I'm blind about?  Where are the lines that I'm drawing that shouldn't be drawn?  Or at least not so darkly? 
• Next Jesus goes to the sea, crowds follow, and he gets in a boat so he won't be crushed.  I hate crowds.  I wonder if I would've avoided this man just for that reason.
• And then Jesus goes up a mountain (presumably the crowd doesn't follow this time) and names the 12 disciples for the first time.  So even though a number of them were shown to have left everything and followed Jesus "immediately" when he asked, it's only now that they've been named disciples.  I wonder if there were others who initially followed Jesus but didn't stick it out?