Summary
Episode 6 opens with an Old Testament “flashback” to the priest Ahimalech teaching his son about the Bread of the Presence and food offerings to Adonai. David bursts into the scene and begs for food for himself and his men who have been in hiding from King Saul. All Ahimalech has is the holy bread which he is replacing with the hot bread, but refuses to give it because it would be unlawful. David references the pikuach nefesh, which states that virtually all Jewish laws can be broken in order to preserve human life. Ahimalech agrees to give the old bread to David so long as the men are pure. The priest is taking a big risk, not only by giving holy bread, but also by defying Saul in aiding his enemy. Ahimalech assures David that he is meant for something big, even more exciting than the giant Goliath.
When the episode cuts back to the current story line, we catch up with Matthew and Simon in Jericho, searching for Mary Magdalene. The two men are still struggling with one another and their roles. Simon discovers that Matthew may have feelings for Mary while they discuss where she may be and how they would describe her during their search. Matthew tells Simon that Mary was not in the Synagogue, he had checked with the officials already. A Roman soldier stumbles by and mentions a place called the Nomad where he had obviously been drinking and had to climb stairs upon his departure. Matthew believes Mary may have gone there when he remembers the scripture verse he, Ramah, and Mary had been studying from Psalm 139.
Mother Mary and Ramah are gathering food and discussing their current situation, particularly their lack of food and money. Ramah is also frustrated with Jesus’s lack of response to Mary Magdalene’s disappearance. Ramah believes nothing good will come from sending Simon and Matthew to find her. Ramah fears Mary Magdalene is in great danger. Mother Mary reminds Ramah to believe in Jesus and that they cannot fix anything with worry, “But we trust in the name Adonai our God.”
Mary Magdalene is indeed in a bar drinking and gambling. She is visibly drunk and picking fights with another man across the table. The man stands in anger to come after her. Mary is afraid and remembers how her father taught her to recite scripture. She leaves behind her money as she rushes out of the establishment.
Back at camp, Thomas is counting out servings of lentils and discovers they have enough for one more meal. Andrew is worried about Philip. Philip went to Jerusalem but has not returned yet. Thomas asks Andrew why Jesus can’t just make food appear for them. Andrew tells Thomas about the struggles he faced when he was following John the Baptist. On the other side of camp we see Simon the Zealot working out. John and Big James are a bit farther on splitting wood. They are watching Simon Z. while discussing Jewish law, the additional requirements of the Zealots, and how each of them are struggling differently with their call to follow Jesus, remembering their own “Sons of Thunder” nickname. They too are worried about Mary and the pairing of Matthew and Simon to search for her. Big James admits that he doesn’t understand Jesus’s ministry and what He has called them to do. John points out that it will take time for all of them to gain understanding.
Simon and Matthew arrive at the bar, but they do not find Mary, though they leave sure she had been there. Simon admonishes Matthew for drawing attention in the bar telling him that he cannot go off by himself to search for Mary. Matthew responds with, “What if you were cut off from Jesus by something in your past? Wouldn’t you want help getting back to Him as soon as possible?” Just as Simon agrees to split up, Mary calls to them from a dark alley. Mary tells them tearfully that she will not return with them to Jesus saying, “He already fixed me once… and I broke again. I can’t face Him. ” Matthew tells Mary that he is a bad person, having lived his life selfishly, without faith. He tells Mary that, because of her, he and Ramah are learning and studying. Simon reminds her that Jesus healed the paralytic due to her assistance in bringing him to Jesus. They comfort Mary and begin their journey back to camp.
Next, we see Shmuel with his friend Yanni speaking with President Shimon’s scribe Dunash in Jerusalem. Dunash tells the men that Shimon will not be interested in investigating their case against Jesus. There are 613 Jewish laws and Shimon believes that not all are equal. Shimon is focused on reforming the law to better serve women and the underprivileged. Carrying a mat on Shabbat is not a violation worthy of his time. Shmuel and Yanni then begin to plot their plan to take their accusations to the president’s political and philosophical rival, Shammai. Shammai leads a faction of the Sanhedrin that believe in strict interpretation and enforcement of the law.
When Simon, Matthew, and Mary Magdalene return to camp, they find out that Philip has returned with news that John the Baptist has been hurt during his arrest and is in Herod’s most heavily guarded prison, sentenced for life. Ramah and Mother Mary greet and embrace Mary Magdalene. Mother Mary covers her head and takes her to Jesus. Upon entering His tent, the two women find Jesus visibly upset and likely in prayer. He tells Mary Magdalene there is a lot going on and that it is good to have her back. She expresses her remorse and Jesus forgives her.
The men fret about John’s arrest and Thomas goes to Jesus with the news that they have run out of food. Jesus instructs Thomas to tell the others that they will leave in the morning to travel to the synagogue in the small settlement of Wadi Kelt to celebrate Shabbat and pray for food. When they arrive at the synagogue and hear condemnation being preached, Jesus goes to a man sitting along the side of the temple. He tells the rabbi that this man has a withered hand to which the rabbi responds, “It is not lawful to heal on Sabbath!” Jesus responds with a heavy sigh, a rebuke, and proceeds to heal the man in front of the congregation. The rabbi scolds Jesus, calls Him a blasphemer, and tells Jesus to “Get out!” to which Jesus replies, “Gladly.”
As they are leaving town, Simon joyfully recounts what just happened in the synagogue with a laugh. He grabs a handful of wheat from the field along the path and proceeds to eat it while the other disciples stop in their tracks. It is the sabbath, reaping and harvesting are forbidden. Simon spits out the wheat and apologizes to Jesus with his head hung low. Jesus looks up at the disciples and tells them all it is okay to eat. With great relief, because they are all so hungry, they begin to eat. The teachers from the synagogue arrive to continue their reprimand, which has now intensified after seeing the disciples harvest and eating wheat. Jesus reminds the men of the time David “unlawfully” eat the Bread of the Presence given to him by Ahimalech. They can’t believe Jesus would compare himself to David or a Levite. Jesus tells them He is greater than the temple, quotes Hosea 6:6, and says, “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Taking it a step further, Jesus references the prophecy in Daniel Chapter 7, calling Himself the Son of Man, the Messiah. The men return to their synagogue in outrage to write to the Sanhedrin about what they witnessed.
Megan’s Insight
“I do have faith in Him, just not in me.” ~ Mary Magdalene
How often do we limit God because of our own lack of belief in ourselves? How often do we deny God’s forgiving grace because of our unwillingness to forgive ourselves?
The scene in Jesus’s tent between Mary Magdalene and Jesus is a beautiful, real-life portrayal of what happens during the sacrament of reconciliation. Mary begins by stating that she does not know what to say, to which Jesus responds, “I don’t require much.” He is simply asking Mary to be open to His grace. He points out that His redemptive love wouldn’t be worth much if she could simply lose it in a day. Mary believes that she needs to live up to some higher standard, repay Jesus for her salvation, and never sin again. Jesus tells Mary these things are impossible and tells Mary that she is capable of sanctification someday, all He desires now is her heart.
Her shame overtakes her and Mary hangs her head low. Just as He did with Simon, Jesus tells Mary to look up, to look at Him. When she finally does, He says three powerful words, “I forgive you.” Jesus offers these words to us too. All He asks is that we go to Him, look upon our salvation on the cross, and accept His redemptive grace.
Mitchell’s Insight
“It is not lawful to heal on Sabbath.”
“This affliction does not threaten his life.”
“If he was supposed to be healed, God would have done it himself.”
“First you and now your disciples are not doing what is lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
“It was an emergency.” (David eating the bread that was not lawful for him to eat)
All the above quotes come from law-abiding Jews in this episode and are factually true. The Jewish people have 613 rules to follow found in the Old Testament. Us Catholics are often criticized for our long list of rules as well. The Catholic Church has authority from Christ to continue to instruct God’s New Testament people (those who believe in Christ) just like the Jewish leaders at the time had authority over the Jewish people. This episode shows us some holy men trying to observe God’s law to the letter and missing the whole point. How do we know this? Because Jesus tells them so.
Scripture contains Jesus’s message that the Jewish people are to obey what their religious leaders say because of their authority, but he says Commandment 1 is to “Love God.” Commandment 2 is to “Love Neighbor.” I believe the hardest part about being a member of Christ’s Church is knowing what the right thing is to do given the exact circumstances in day-to-day life. Sadly, I don’t have a cheat sheet to share today. Therefore, I must default to what I know is fact. 1) Jesus’s Commandments are as true today as when He spoke them. 2) The Church has authority over me. 3) Jesus’s Commandments and the Church’s rules are never incompatible. Therefore, I recommend praying every day that God help you in knowing what we are to do because I know I can’t figure it out on my own.
Michael’s Insight
In this episode, we see Jesus’ disciples really start to struggle with the idea that He is the Messiah, but He either can’t or won’t immediately make all of their struggles and problems go away. As the disciples are running out of food and starting to go hungry, Thomas becomes frustrated that Jesus does not just make food appear out of thin air. Ramah asks Mary why Jesus doesn’t simply call Mary Magdalene back to camp. Ramah does not understand what possible good could come from sending Simon and Matthew, who don’t get along, to search for her.
If God loves us and is all-powerful, why doesn’t he just remedy all of our troubles at our whim? Mary gives Ramah the answer to this question. Jesus is not a genie or a sorcerer that we can compel to grant our wishes or bail us out of stressful or painful times. We are shown later in the episode that Ramah is wrong when she tells Mary that no good can come of Mary Magdalene running away. Simon finds a deeper level of understanding and sympathy towards Matthew during their search for Mary. Mary also grows from the experience. She learns to let go of her fear of failing Jesus, and to put her trust in Him, and surrender her heart to God.
The most important and revealing thing that Mary says to Ramah, however, is: “Sometimes He is as much a mystery to me as He is to you.” The two most important things for us to remember about God are this: that He is good, and that we could not possibly hope to understand His designs and why He does what He does. Put your trust in the Lord and be certain that everything will work out the way it is supposed to if you live your life the way that He taught us to.
Take to Prayer
Do you struggle to accept Christ’s mercy? Do you avoid the confessional, denying His grace, because you are unwilling to forgive yourself? Do you feel unworthy because you struggle with the same sins over and over? Ask God to help you give your heart to Him. We cannot be saints without first accepting his mercy and grace.
Bible Verses
Jesus disciples violate the Sabbath
Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5
Jesus heals the man with the withered hand
Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11
Son of Man
Daniel 7:13-14
David and Bread of the Presence
1 Samuel 21:2-7
“I desire mercy not sacrifice”
Hosea 6:6