I want to reflect on two parts of today’s readings.

Mark 3:7-19a

7Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; 8hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. 9He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; 10for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. 11Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” 12But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

via PC(USA) – Devotions – Daily readings for Monday, March 1, 2010.

One of my sons has been playing Civilisation and Grepolis. He commented that you wanted one culture, one set of morals to win in the game. Neal Ferguson, in his history of the long war (or short century, 1914 — 1990)  pointed out that the areas of greatest ethnic conflict were those where the groups were admixed.

The Boederlands were mistrusted. They had limited education. There was no prestige. Jesus was from there, and he is moving in power. But when the spirits opposing hims have to admit this, he silences them. He has been to the desert and he will not allow the cheap and spectacular to be the hallmark of his ministry. (To my Pentecostal friends, he heals. Thank G_d. However, he does not bang thr drum about it.

1 Corinthians 4:8-10

8Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Quite apart from us you have become kings! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we might be kings with you! 9For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals. 10We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.

Paul was a Roman Citizen. He knew the protocol of the triuph. After the General, the slaves, the booty, the army… came the leaders. In shackles. They were led, from the froum, to the strangler. Paul is putting himself in the position of maximal shame. He is identifing himself with rubbish.

The world’s fashion is to say we should have self esteem and be at the front. (Interestingly, those with high self esteem do less weel than those without high self esteem).

And we preach triumph and prosperity. Here and now. Have we become fashionable, instead of faithful?