Mark 6:1-6

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,

accompanied by his disciples.

When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,

and many who heard him were astonished.

They said, “Where did this man get all this?

What kind of wisdom has been given him?

What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!

Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,

and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?

And are not his sisters here with us?”

And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them,

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place

and among his own kin and in his own house.”

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,

apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.

He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Opening Prayer: Lord, your servant David was not perfect, but he is a model of repentance for me. When confronted with his sin and its consequences, he humbled himself and begged for mercy. He recognized the depths of his sin but also the depths of your love. Help me to see where I have failed and where I need your healing mercy.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Sin of David’s Military Census: David wanted to know how strong his military was and asked Joab to take a military census. The Bible tells us that God was testing David and permitted Satan to tempt David (1 Chronicles 21:1). The census was sinful because it showed that David was placing his trust in military strength rather than in God. David’s sin of counting his soldiers has many parallels with his sin with Bathsheba. For example, David uses Joab in both to carry out his command. In both, many innocent people are killed. In both, David expresses his penance by prostrating himself on the ground. In both, David repents and simply says: “I have sinned.” The pestilence triggered by David’s military census killed 70,000 men. The punishment fits the crime. David foolishly trusted in military might and the number of his soldiers. The pestilence reminded David how weak human beings are compared to the awesome power of God.

2. David and the Petition for Divine Mercy. When David sees the angel approaching Jerusalem, he recognizes that he, as the shepherd, has sinned and that the people, like sheep, should be spared. He was willing to offer himself on behalf of the people. Ultimately, David showed that he was a man who trusted in God’s mercy. He planned to offer sacrifice on the site designated by God. The threshing floor that David bought would one day become the site of the Temple of Solomon, where millions of lambs would be offered in sacrifice and where one day, outside the walls of Jerusalem, Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be sacrificed for our sins.

3. Jesus’ Family: When Jesus returned to Nazareth, his native place, he taught in the local synagogue and astonished the people with his teaching. Unfortunately, the people were scandalized by Jesus and did not put faith in him. They asked: How could a simple carpenter like Jesus inaugurate the promised Kingdom of God and do these wondrous signs? When speaking about Jesus’ extended family, Mark lists four of Jesus’ cousins. Mark and Matthew both indicate that James and Joses are the sons of a different Mary (see Mark 15:40-47; Matthew 27:55-56; 59-61). The “other Mary” was most likely the wife of Clopas, who was the brother of Joseph, the husband of Mary. We know that James, the Lord's cousin, acted as the first bishop of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18). According to Hegesippus, after James was martyred by the Pharisees between A.D. 63-69, James’ brother Simon, another cousin of Jesus and son of Clopas, was appointed the second bishop of Jerusalem. Tradition holds that Simon led the Christians of Jerusalem to Pella before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Being a member of Jesus’ extended family brought persecution rather than privilege.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, you brought the members of your earthly family into the family of the Church. I too am a member of that family. You have done wondrous things for me. I pledge to heed your Word and fulfill the Father’s will today.

Resolution: We are challenged daily to place our trust in God rather than earthly things. Each day we have an opportunity to renew our faith in God, grow in our faith, and entrust our cares to the Lord. We can be confident that God directs all human history and exercises his providential care over his creation. Despite my shortcomings, sins, and failures, God continues to offer me his merciful love. Where do I need to grow in my trust in God today?