February 7, 2021

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

As we proceed through the readings for Ordinary Time in Year B, we continue to see one of the unique, literary aspects of the Gospel of Mark. Being the shortest of the gospels, the stories of Mark are more or less strung together with very little narrative in between. This makes Mark’s Gospel very fast- paced, filled with a lot of action happening in a very short period.

We can see this in today’s Gospel (Mk. 1:29-39). Jesus has only just begun his Galilean ministry and he has already cured a demoniac in the synagogue. He proceeds with his newly chosen disciples to the house of Simon Peter where he encounters Peter’s sick mother-in-law, and he cures her “immediately.” (Mk. 1:30).

By the time evening comes on his very first day, Jesus is presented with many who are ill and, as the crowd continues to grow, he cures the sick of their various diseases. By the next day Jesus is told, “Everyone is looking for you” (Mk. 1:37). So, he continues onto the nearby villages and continues to preach and drive out demons throughout all of Galilee. It is not even the end of the first chapter of Mark and Jesus has already accomplished enough for an entire mission.

Would that our lives could be like the Gospel of Mark when bad times fall upon us – when we are grieving or ill or when someone we love is suffering. Jesus could just swoop in and fix everything in a manner of minutes. But we all know that real life is nothing like this. Rather it is more like the scenario we find in the First Reading for today (Job 7:1-4, 6-7).

In this passage we encounter Job, the protagonist for which the book is named. In the first chapter of Job, we are told that he is a God-fearing and righteous man. Yet for reasons known only to the reader, Job becomes afflicted with terrible misfortune. His servants are murdered, and his livestock is destroyed. And his adult children all die in a tragic weather-related accident.

Job is then presented with another trial, a severe malady which causes him to be covered from head to toe with blisters. We get a glimpse of Job’s despair in today’s passage: “I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted me. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.” (Job 7:3-4,6).

As the story ensues Job is visited by three friends who try to convince him that he is being punished by God for some sin he has committed and that he must repent. Job, however, insists that he has done nothing wrong. If we read further in the passage we even find Job asking God why he is being punished: “Why have you made me your target? Why should I be a burden for you? Why do you not pardon my offense, or take away my guilt?” (Job 7:20-21).

With continued accusations from his friends, Job grows more and more irate. He examines his life and finds nothing for which he should be punished. Finally, he comes to the point where he accuses God of treating him unfairly and he demands an answer from God.

What follows is a lengthy explanation from God which provides no real answer to Job’s demand. Rather, it is a description of the omnipotence of God as seen through the vastness of creation and the intricacies of nature. With this God insinuates that no mere mortal, like Job, could possibly understand the reason why things happen the way they do. Job finally accepts this without further argument.

There are countless times in our lives where we experience what happens to Job. Everything is going along smoothly then some unforeseen tragedy strikes. A loved one passes away unexpectedly. We are stricken with a debilitating illness. We become estranged from family due to unresolved disputes. Or we experience the loss of a job and economic uncertainty. 

One of the biggest obstacles we face in overcoming the anxiety and grief of these situations is the unrelenting questions we ask ourselves. Those like Job asks. What did I do wrong? Could I have done something different to prevent this from happening? Is this my fault? Am I being punished?

In order to achieve some peace and begin to move on, we have to consider the lesson we learn from Job. The fact is, no matter how much we try to find an answer to these questions, most often there is no answer. It is like Job says, our days on this earth are as a “weaver’s shuttle.” The events of our lives, the tragedies we encounter, and our interactions with others are all woven into one great tapestry. And God is the weaver.

In his poem “The Weaver” Grant Colfax Tullar, 19^th century minister and poet, says it brilliantly: “My life is but a weaving between my God and me. I cannot choose the colors He weaveth steadily. Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow; And I in foolish pride, forget He sees the upper and I the underside. Not ’til the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly will God unroll the canvas and reveal the reason why.”