“ But they ( the 12 disciples ) did not understand what he meant, and were afraid to ask him ( Jesus ) about it “ Mark 9:32
I wonder if I do this when I am praying to God through Jesus Christ. I try to pray in the morning. Sometimes, when I have trouble sleeping, I have the opportunity to pray to God when I am wide awake at three in the morning. I think my prayers are different when I cannot sleep. I pray for our family, and I pray that I might get back to sleep. They are rather selfish prayers for me. But maybe, I do not ask about things I do not understand.
I have to admit I do not know what God is up to in the world. There is a lot of things to worry about. School shootings, war in Congo, Syria, South Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan ( sorry if I missed some countries ), above zero at the North Pole ( for the first time ), and the flu that we cannot control. What keeps you up at night, and what do you pray to God or a higher power, or even a lower power.
For me, God is about love and healing, and there are many places in our communities that that is not happening. So , what is God doing ? Some people have told me not to believe in God. God is only in your imagination; it is not real. It is a Middle Ages fairy tale story to keep you feeling guilty about your life. They say it is not true.
The verse from Mark is about death and dying. This is an issue that we do not want to talk about. So, Jesus, for a second time, tells his disciples that he is going to die. But, he is not straightforward, but he says that , “ Son of Man will die “ So, he is saying it in the third person, which is not direct speech at all. Maybe even Jesus had a touch of fear about his dying. The twelve guys, who are his best friends, do not want him to die, and so they do not even ask him about it. They are afraid.
The group walks further into the city of Capernaum, and the disciples get into an argument about who is the greatest. Jesus asks them about it, but they decide that they will not tell him what they are discussing. They might be embarrassed about it, because he has just told them he was going to die, and so they have to think about their future. If he is gone in a month, what are they going to do with their lives ?
I have many things about Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus the Christ that I do not understand . When is Jesus human and when is he divine ? The Church has been debating this since Jesus went back to heaven. And why did Jesus have to go back to heaven, when he had risen from the dead ? I thought the cross/resurrection was about the salvation of the world, but it is not quite yet here. Why ? “What is the plan for the world , God “, is my prayer for today.
I find it comforting that the disciples did not always understand all things, and they walked with Jesus for about three years. They heard his teaching, saw his miracles and watched him confront the powers of the world. I am still learning and I do not understand the ways of God.
Ponder Anew 