Prairie Hills Covenant Church

The Gospel of Mark doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Jesus’ Disciples. In works of fiction there is often a character that functions as a “foil.” A foil is a character that embodies the opposite character traits of the hero in order to highlight the quality of the hero. While Mark isn’t fiction, the disciples often function as a foil to Jesus. They often embody for us the failures and weaknesses of humanity in contrast to the strength and grace of Jesus. In this week’s reading the disciples, as Jesus moves closer to Jerusalem and his confrontation with the religious and political leaders, begin jockeying for position. They anticipate the culmination of Jesus’ ministry will be revolution, and they want important roles in the new order. But their aspirations are cut short when Jesus reminds the disciples of the upside down nature of his Kingdom.