Jesus' Sudden Fame

I began reading the gospel of Mark today, and I was struck by the idea that this gospel portrays Jesus as the common people of the day would have experienced him. The gospel starts abruptly with a description of John the Baptist and then Jesus is suddenly introduced without any historical background or context. This is exactly how most people of that time would have come to know about him. They would not have known anything about him except that he suddenly appeared on the scene as a traveling teacher. 

The account advances quickly with brief descriptions of several events in the early period of Jesus' work, just as the common person of the day would have heard about him. Most people did not follow him constantly, hanging on every word and every event. Most would have heard little snippets of information as news about him spread person to person. 

I was also struck by the fact that two almost opposite aspects of Jesus' personality are described immediately - power and compassion. The people noticed that Jesus seemed to speak with more authority than the other teachers of the time, and that his words were accompanied with miraculous signs. On the other hand, Jesus showed great compassion to Peter's mother-in-law, who had fallen ill, as well as to the the leper who came to him for help. It is difficult for a human being to successfully combine these two traits in a balanced life, but the combination is part of the nature of God. 

Finally, right from the start the gospel records the desire of Jesus to get away privately by himself to commune with and pray to God. Just as in our busy lives, however, Jesus soon found it difficult to accomplish this because others were constantly seeking him out. 

It is my prayer that we will be able to find, with the help of the Holy Spirit,  the right balance in our lives of power, compassion, and reflection.