Mark 2:13

Jesus went out again to the sea; and all the people came to him, and he taught them.


a concentration of indoors
can sharpen our differences
until all we have is our difference

in such a small place
we sense scarcity setting in
leading us to fight and never flee

we batter each other
endlessly and mercilessly right
until we are master of the recliner

such a small victory
for such a large molehill
won’t last long

eventually a ruined living room
loses even its walls
and the big wild world looks in

slowly we know a need for Sabbath rest
on a wave-loud seashore
to break us open before we break down

leave your little win
to see how wee it be
in light of friend wilderness


When we hear about returning (palin) to the lake it is wise to actually reflect back to previous lake or water location. When we do so, we prick up our ears. It was in river water we heard of belovedness. It was on a lake shore we heard a call to follow.

These small clues help us with the creative story Mark is telling.

The crowd is another hint that hooks us back into the life of a paralyzed person. Knowing that paralysis can be mental and spiritual as well as physical we might be sensitized to organizations such as BodyMindSpiritWorks.com.

When in a trackless wilderness it is usually the small signs along the way that can lead one back out. Reading aloud can help us catch some of these much better than just reading with our eyes.

Imaginatively we wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus were teaching about freedom following the release of a paralytic. Such a teaching would solidify what had just been experienced and also begin opening doors for those who are frozen in their place by decision and circumstance. Some thought given to what Jesus might be teaching can also reach through the centuries to prepare readers now, just as then, to first affirm that their place of stuckness need not continue and then to act on that assurance.