Day Seventy-Two -- He looked around at everything
Mark 9:14 to Luke 1:80
Yesterday I wrote that one of the differences in how Matthew and Mark tell the story of Jesus is in the amount of detail provided in their accounts. Matthew tends to give us more background and extended teachings; Mark typically gets right to the point. With this in mind, it is a slight addition in Mark's narrative that has my attention today. Both of the gospel writers tell of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey while the adoring crowd shouts 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' As Matthew tells it, Jesus jumps immediately into the thick of it at the Temple, driving out the merchants and money changers and overturning their tables. Mark, however, very much out of character, inserts a break to the action which he describes in this way: Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. (Mark 11:11)* It won't be until the next day, after getting some rest and perhaps taking stock of the situation, that Jesus walks back into Jerusalem and gets to work.
With this little detail Mark has spoken volumes to me about the necessity of remembering to take care of myself in all that I do. It is way to easy for me - I would surmise for most of us - to stop charging ahead without proper concern for my own well-being. Oh, I can procrastinate with the best of them when it comes to routine chores, but put something that I view as important in front of me and can very easily keep at it until I'm ready to drop. And when I'm exhausted I am not only hurting myself but I'm certainly not at my best in terms of sizing-up situations or meeting challenges. So today I thank the evangelist Mark for the reminder that taking a look around, and then taking some time to recharge and ponder, is yet another way to walk in the ways of Jesus.
* Kudos to my wife, Cynde, whose comment to me about this verse led to today's posting.
Yesterday I wrote that one of the differences in how Matthew and Mark tell the story of Jesus is in the amount of detail provided in their accounts. Matthew tends to give us more background and extended teachings; Mark typically gets right to the point. With this in mind, it is a slight addition in Mark's narrative that has my attention today. Both of the gospel writers tell of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey while the adoring crowd shouts 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' As Matthew tells it, Jesus jumps immediately into the thick of it at the Temple, driving out the merchants and money changers and overturning their tables. Mark, however, very much out of character, inserts a break to the action which he describes in this way: Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. (Mark 11:11)* It won't be until the next day, after getting some rest and perhaps taking stock of the situation, that Jesus walks back into Jerusalem and gets to work.
With this little detail Mark has spoken volumes to me about the necessity of remembering to take care of myself in all that I do. It is way to easy for me - I would surmise for most of us - to stop charging ahead without proper concern for my own well-being. Oh, I can procrastinate with the best of them when it comes to routine chores, but put something that I view as important in front of me and can very easily keep at it until I'm ready to drop. And when I'm exhausted I am not only hurting myself but I'm certainly not at my best in terms of sizing-up situations or meeting challenges. So today I thank the evangelist Mark for the reminder that taking a look around, and then taking some time to recharge and ponder, is yet another way to walk in the ways of Jesus.
* Kudos to my wife, Cynde, whose comment to me about this verse led to today's posting.
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