July 7, 2024
Mark 6:1-13
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
The cross and resurrection of Christ are not “mighty” in the eyes of the world. The cross was a public spectacle of shame and defeat. The only way to know the cross as a mighty act is to have seen the resurrection. Yet, no one sees Jesus take his first steps out of the tomb. The resurrection is private, while the cross is public.
And here is where we find the good news of the gospel. If we, as Christ's body, want to do what Jesus did and what Jesus calls us to do, then we must embrace our humanity more than ever before. Jesus’ humanity was not a barrier but the very means by which God saved the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our flesh and blood can also become a means of grace through which God continues to renew all creation.
Saint Paul captures this truth beautifully in his second letter to the Corinthians: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul understood that true strength lies in embracing our humanity, with all its weaknesses, because it is there that God's power is made perfect.
Searching for a superhero savior misses that through our weaknesses, God’s grace is revealed, and through our humanity, God’s power is manifest. The cross and resurrection teach us that God’s might is not in superhuman feats but in the humble, sacrificial love that transforms the world.
