Amazed and afraid are two of Mark’s favorite words to describe the emotional reaction people have to Jesus. Jesus’ presence is both compelling and confounding. People are attracted to him and repelled by him. Very few people walk away from an encounter with him indifferent or unchanged. In these weeks we will look at Mark’s rendition of the last part of Jesus’ earthly ministry, his final journey to Jerusalem. At the beginning of this trip, he tells them for the third time that he will die in Jerusalem, and once again that fails to sink in. But they continue to stumble along behind him, sometimes amazed, sometimes afraid yet open to the adventure before them. Like these first disciples we also follow in amazement and fear, never too sure about where Jesus he is taking us, but confident that we are headed there with him and learning with each step that simply being with him is an experience that transforms our lives.
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