Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 13th February 2023

Reading the Gospels, Jesus seems always to have been going to and fro across Lake Galilee, always making for the opposite shore. This would seem to suggest that those disciples, who had been fishermen, still owned their boats and probably had other family members still busy bringing in the fish, part of the staple diet of the locals. Today, in our reading from Mark, (Mk 8: 11-13), we find the Pharisees coming up to him to start an argument. “The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him.” On several occasions the Pharisees and others ask Jesus for a sign, a sign to prove who he is, as though the authority with which he taught and the many miracles he wrought were not sign enough for them. What more could they have wanted to see, when they failed to see and understand the signs that were already there?

 

“With a sigh that came straight from the heart, Jesus said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’ And leaving them again and re-embarking, he went away to the opposite shore.” That sigh of his that comes straight from the heart is a sign of his frustration and sorrow that he is completely misunderstood. His words might sound negative, but if they can’t grasp the meaning of what they can see, then what difference will a sign from heaven make? They are not disposed to understand, their hearts and minds are closed to any inspiration from God. Having said that there will be no sign at their request, we see Jesus re-embarking and returning from whence he came. As they will not become his disciples, he moves away from them. The abyss between them is cemented by their lack of belief. What about us? Do we demand signs? How deep is our faith?