Mark 1:36

But Simon and his companions went out searching for him;


trackless wilderness
requires practiced trackers

as with any lost child
we gather their smelly clothes

measuring slight hints
against this reference standard

from healings galore
we search for an off-loading site

and find our quest
on a mountain of garbage

smudging sandals robe and soul
knocking off accumulated dust

when burdened by wilderness
wilderness frees our stuckness

when released from wilderness
invitations arrive to rejoice there

thought trackers locate their quarry
they cannot erase primal experience

there is no returning home the same
we are new or we are not

pause then trackers bold
sit awhile to shed weariness

reshape your clay bones
for moving on not home


Simon and his posse are bounty hunters. They have honed their tracking skills in many different settings and are being further trained as a part of a program transforming a target from fish to people.

From addiction or obsession to practical reason, we focus on finding that which is lost to us.

Have Simon and the others experienced their own loss? Does a missing Jesus mean their commitment was built on a fantasy? How much time do they have before they have lost the Jesus habit? If Jesus is missing, is their sense of mission also fast fading? Who are they if Jesus is not there for them?

In the light of day have more shown up in their doorway and they are relentlessly searching on behalf of more who need healing? Have they recognized monetary value in Jesus’ healing acts? The loss of Jesus, then, equals their financial loss?

The range of possible motivations driving their following the scent of Jesus certainly goes beyond these simplistic speculations. They are as wide as our own drivers and desires. What will apostles do or be without Jesus? He must be found!