Summary
We start the episode with a very short scene with Mary out gathering food while contemplating a passage from Torah when she sees two Roman solider. Simply seeing these Romans upsets her greatly, and the scene ends were her looking down at the crumpled verse in her hand.
Jesse is being questioned by the Pharisees about his miraculous healing and struggles to maintain focus for the enjoyment of his functioning legs is simply to great. Eventually, Shmuel deduces that the healing was performed by Jesus. Atticus approaches Jesse and tries to find out where Simon might be after he witnessed his brother’s healed state.
We leave the city to go out to the countryside where Simon trains and encounters a demoniac. He investigates but determines that the man’s strength to have lucid moments means it is better for the demon to stay within him than to release the demon to go torment another. Before departing, the demon speaks to Simon telling him that a holy stench rests upon him.
As Jesus, John, Simon, and Phillip walk along a pond, John the Baptist jumps out shrubs to scare and greet them. His first words are, “I heard about the scandal at the Pool. . . I love it.” Jesus and John separate and begin to discuss each other’s intentions and focus. John plans confront Herod in Jerusalem for violating Jewish marriage law. Jesus argues that there are bigger fish to fry. The back and forth reveals that John knows nothing but go, go, go. He wants Jesus to start acting and purifying the Jewish people. After a bit of a realization that Jesus has some reason for his approach, John reflects on the reality these two great men have before them. “It is becoming real, isn’t it?” “It is,” responds Jesus. John concludes their discussion a profession of complete devotion to Jesus.
Ramah is practicing her reading while Mary assists, but Mary is disturbed and easily frustrated. Also at the camp, Matthew and Thomas are preparing food. Matthew points out Mary’s state, but the conversation devolves rather quickly into the personality struggle these two apostles have. Thomas love for Ramah and Matthew’s kindness to the two women followers adds to the tension between two men. Later on, Mary opens up with her struggles from the morning as she works to overcome them, but shortly into a second session of learning, the demoniac enters the camp.
Mary comes face-to-face with the demon and attempts to help the man. She tries to reach him by getting his true name while struggling with the demon’s jeers about her past. Ultimately, she is unable to break through and Simon the Zealot is forced to reveal himself and fight the demoniac. Simon is taken by surprise in brief lapse in concentration and is saved by Jesus returning the camp and casting out the demon. Everyone is found to be okay except for Mary who slips away clearly shaken. Simon the Zealot has now witnessed his second miracle from Jesus and is invited off to discuss this with Him.
Shmuel and Yanni look to update their charges against Jesus and are frustrated with Nicodemus’s intervention in Sanhedrin to close the initial inquiry. They attempt to formulate a scheme to get around Nicodemus and hold Jesus accountable.
Simon seeks to get answers from Jesus on their walk and in surprised by nearly all of them. Jesse was healed to get Simon’s attention. Simon needs to be fearless but not with weapons of war. The Messiah has not come to kill and overthrow. His new understanding of the Jesus’s mission could cause problems on all sides. Atticus was observing this conversation and is mesmerized by Jesus’s actions.
We cut to Mary walking on her own towards a city all alone. She is not in a good place and enters into a bar/gambling establishment. All indications are she is having a bit of a relapse. Meanwhile, back at the camp, John departs from camp to go confront Herod. Jesus reminds him to constantly listen to God’s voice as he goes about his mission. The Pharisees scheme to pit Jewish leaders against each other so they will take action against Jesus. Simon introduces Simon to the rest of the disciples, and everyone learns that Mary has left the camp.
Megan’s Insight
Simon the Zealot expected a warrior, or a general, someone who would defeat and humiliate Israel’s earthly enemies, someone who would violently restore David’s Kingdom. He joined the Zealots and trained in the catacombs for years before being awarded a sica dagger. He had spent his life earning this prized weapon. Simon had left Jesse a note upon his departure to the mountains which Jesse reads back to Simon in Episode 4 which said, ”Jesse, when you stand on two feet, I will know the Messiah has come.” Of course, Jesse is healed by Jesus, and Simon sees his brother walk, at which point he abandons his mission in Jerusalem to find the Messiah and His followers. Simon met the disciples when he tried to defend them from the possessed man. Despite his extensive training and fitness, he is overtaken by the strength of the demon before Jesus casts it out. Simon is surprised by Jesus’s followers, expecting to find soldiers and seeing…not that. Simon is even more taken aback when Jesus throws his dagger in the river, telling Simon He has no use for it.
John the Baptist was conceived for the purpose of preparing the way for the Messiah. He has spent almost his entire life with Jesus. Despite their intimate relationship, John is disappointed with Jesus’s methods and the slow pace of His ministry. John expects Jesus to issue fiery rebukes to the “brood of vipers”, not befriend them, and he hopes Jesus will join him in criticizing the love life of Herod. John has known his mission his whole life but is surprised by the reality of it now that Jesus’s part is set in motion.
It is human nature to set expectations. When our expectations don’t match reality it is easy to be confused, disappointed, frustrated, and even angry. Sometimes as Christians we expect life to be easy when we follow the rules, or more rewarding on earth when we “put in the time”. I find it reassuring to remember that the Apostles, and even Jesus’s cousin John, had wrestled with their own expectations of the Messiah and the reality of Jesus’s teachings and our salvation. Just as the Apostles eventually learned, we must remember that the goodness of Jesus will always exceed all of our expectations.
Mitchell’s Insight
“I always say the first thing that comes to my mind, in preaching and in life.” Hey, would you look at that? I share something with John the Baptist… well, at least as depicted by this show. I can relate a lot to John’s desire to call out wrongs wherever they are found and without regard to the consequences of doing so. It is a human reaction to respond negatively when we have our flaws and shortcomings brought to light. We become uncomfortable. We are uncomfortable in others seeing the imperfections within us, but maybe more disturbingly we recognize the truth of the imperfection within ourselves.
John’s “brood of vipers” label he gives the Pharisees is one he is quite proud of, and it gets a chuckle out of Jesus. However, Jesus points out that clever insults are going to cause great friction for John’s ministry. These two approaches still hold relevance today. John is focused on the rules and making sure that they are being followed. I think this position can often be attacked because it seems so rigid and again we are uncomfortable with that since we all make mistakes. Pointing out that the rules need to be followed can be exceptionally good if we are doing it with the good of the sinner in mind.
In today’s world, I think we are desperately short on people eager to say hard truths. We don’t have many John the Baptists. Maybe you are someone like me who does feel called to speak the truth with less concern for the consequences. That is great! But like me, we need to recognize our own shortcomings and offer correction to our brothers and sisters with charity and humility for our own good as much as theirs.
Michael’s Insight
Sometimes it is easy for us to make the same mistake that Mary makes at the start of this episode. Nowadays, we are armed with several spiritual resources at pretty much all times. We have physical Bibles, digital Bibles on our phones, and various prayer apps at our fingertips. Despite this fact, we often let emotions like anger, anxiety, jealousy, or fear overwhelm us and we fail to take refuge in God’s word.
This episode deals with a very real part of our faith that most of us never actually encounter: spiritual warfare. Demonic possession is condition that most will not find themselves in, but one that is very real. In order to ensure that we do not fall prey to the demons, we must guard ourselves against the things that turn our hearts and minds away from God, no matter how innocent they may seem. By the same token, we also cannot become obsessed with possession, blaming everything wrong in our lives on the devil. As C.S. Lewis put it, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
Take to Prayer
In the episode’s conclusion, Jesus tells Matthew to keep the passage Phillip has given him in his thoughts. “If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed deep in the depths, You are there.” God is never far from us no matter whether we are zealous or adrift. Thank God today for always being there.
Bible Verses
Prophecy of John’s Birth
Luke 1:5-25
Jesus heals a demoniac
Mark 5:1-17
John the Baptist is imprisoned
Matthew 14:1-5