DAY 52

NAMES & NUMBERS – ORDER & MERCY

Numbers 1 & 2 and Mark 3:1-19

On our last night in Haiti we give small tokens of appreciation to the staff that has worked so hard to keep us safe and well fed. In a land with little by way of modern convenience the staff numbered 14! As I handed out each gift I would pronounce the person’s name. Sometimes I would do so rather poorly and was often corrected. When I came to Andrew’s name I confidently announced it. Father Milor our host asked, “Andrew, who is Andrew?” Many of us pointed at a young handsome man saying, “Right here, this is Andrew!” Father Milor told us that wasn’t Andrew, it was Wenell. We argued with Father Milor, “No” we said, “This is Andrew, we called him this all week.” Father Milor’s answer, “This is my cousin, his name is Wenell.” We knew then we had gotten this wonderful man’s name wrong all week. It seemed to be the pinnacle of my night of mispronunciations and we all laughed. Then Wenell’s cell phone rang and he answered, “Hello, this is Andrew!” We laughed even harder, it was a fun moment. Father Milor, with a wonderful grin proclaimed, “He must have three names!”

I tell this story because today in Mark we get one of the lists of names of the Disciples. The names are listed in Mark 3:16-16 (as well as Matthew 10:2-4, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13). Students of the New Testament will note that the lists are not exact. Thaddaeus is mentioned in Matthew and Mark, but in Luke and Acts we find Jude: many think they are the same person.

It is certainly easier to count and keep track of 12 as compared to 600,000. In the Book of Numbers we see the basic need of getting organized. A census is taken, not for pride, but in order to figure out how to divide up, camp, move, etc. the masses. It may not seem a very spiritual reading, but much of our life takes place outside our own Tents of Meeting, and here God models His desire for orderliness to it all.

Orderliness is a good thing, but like many good things when it becomes its own idol it can squeeze out God. We have such an episode in the Gospel. “They watched to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath” (verse 2): The Synagogue and the Sabbath; a place and a time of order. Yet Jesus realizes they and their orderliness have usurped God’s position of mercy and love. The Scripture says, “...he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…” Anger, wow! I had not seen that before. Grieving their hard hearts, wow again! He is the author of the Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, the person who wrote the need for the Sabbath. He sees that it has all gone wrong. Jesus then poignantly demonstrates what God desires. “Come here” He says and then heals the man with the withered hand.

His compassion however does not penetrate their granite hearts, but instead further solidifies their hardness. How hard did they become? Natural enemies, the Pharisees and the Herodians, are now bedfellows against Jesus. Jesus is unaffected by it all, as He continues to heal many – you might say “large numbers of people”.

Today I am wondering where in my life I have allowed my desire for something, maybe order, to squeeze out God.