Mark Photos - 10:32-34 - Dandelion
A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.”
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Hello? Are you listening to me? Didn't you get it the first time? What about the second time? Do I have to tell you a third time? Sounds a lot like what a parent often says to a child. I know we have said it to our children and I am pretty sure that my parents said it to me a few times. Its also something that my wife jokes with me about - my "selective listening" - if you get a chance, ask her about Alvey's sometime... Reality is that we all have this tendency to miss what is said to us sometimes on the first time we hear it. Maybe it gets filed away briefly, but then it wisps away as other information comes our way. The disciples are like that in the Gospels - Jesus has to repeat himself quite a few times on many things, but especially here with the message about what is going to happen to Jesus. Not sure if its that the disciples didn't get it (an entirely likely possibility) or its that Jesus wanted to be sure that it was on the forefront of their minds about what his calling was. Regardless, here's the third time he has had to tell them. Today, I was looking for 3s - something that could reflect some aspect of this re-telling. I finally found it this evening in a church basement - this picture was on the wall and I loved the way that the three dandelion silhouettes are each different - one is whole, one is partially gone, one is mostly blown away in the wind. Feels like how maybe it was with the disciples - there are many things floating around in the air for them and the first time they heard, only a little bit set it. The second time, it sets in a bit more. And here the third, maybe just maybe it sets in. But as we will see, it doesn't fully even after three times and even when what Jesus told them does come to pass. Just like a dandelion - it seems to hold so long, but then one stiff gust of wind or puff of air from a child and its all floated away in the wind...