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The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
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The 9th Sunday after Pentecost (B)
[Pr. 13] How many of you have ever visited WALL DRUG in Wall, South Dakota? Wall Drug is a sprawling tourist mall that occupies the majority of downtown Wall, a very small town that used to be known by locals as being “the geographical center of nowhere.” But that was before Ted Hustead came along. Ted was a Nebraska native who moved to Wall and opened a tiny drug store in 1931. Five years later, it was still a tiny drug store. Dorothy, Ted’s wife, thought that the travelers driving past their store must be thirsty, and suggested that Ted put up a sign outside of town advertising free ice water at Wall Drug. Ted thought it was a silly idea, but he was desperate and so he put up the sign. By the time he got back thirsty tourists were already lining up for their free ice water. They have been stopping ever since. Over a million people stop at Wall Drug every year – up to 20,000 or so on a good summer day. Ted’s success in drawing customers to his store because of his “Free Ice Water” sign was an epiphany to him. Soon he went billboard crazy. Painted wood signs proclaiming “Have You Dug Wall Drug?” and “Wall I’ll Be Drugged” appeared in every state in the union. Today most Wall Drug highway signs outside of South Dakota in the United States no longer exist – victim of Lady Bird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act of 1965 – which called for the elimination of so-called “junk billboards”. But Wall Drug signs still proliferate throughout the rest of the world. Paris Metro riders have seen Wall Drug signs. So have rail commuters in Kenya, bus passengers in London, and visitors to the Taj Mahal. Wall Drug spends thousands of dollars each year to maintain some of the signs, but most are the impromptu postings of former Wall Drug visitors. Every traveler who has stopped at Wall Drug in the past 70 years has been given a free Wall Drug sign, so that they might also join the vast Wall Drug self-promotion fraternity. And Wall Drug signs certainly are everywhere throughout the state of South Dakota! About two and a half years ago on our vacation, Carol and I were traveling from Sioux Falls to the Rapid City area in order to visit Mount Rushmore. We started seeing Wall Drug signs about every mile or so along Interstate 90. And of course, after having seen literally hundreds of signs over the course of about four hours, we just had to stop! And yes, we even ended up buying a few things at the store. All because of the drawing power of all those SIGNS! In a way, that is what it was like for the SIGNS of Jesus. In the gospel of John, from which today’s reading is taken, Jesus’ miracles are always called SIGNS. That is, they (like the Wall Drug signs) are meant to help us to focus upon something and to awaken our desire for it. So it was for the SIGN that Jesus did when he fed five thousand people from five barley loaves and two fish in last week’s gospel text (Jn. 6:14). Instinctively, the people knew that something wonderful had happened – something even more wonderful than all of them eating their fill of bread and fish. What they had experienced there with Jesus was much more than having full stomachs – they had also experienced God’s peace, and joy, and love among them in a very powerful way. And so, at the beginning of today’s gospel, we hear that “When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were beside the sea, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.” Like thirsty travelers who are drawn by signs into Wall, South Dakota – so this crowd was now being drawn to Jesus by the SIGN that he did. They wanted – indeed, they desperately wanted – what he had to offer them. But the people were also confused. Because in a way, they were tending to focus more upon Jesus’ SIGN than what his sign was really all about. In his conversation with them in today’s gospel, Jesus tries to help them understand that his sign of having fed them with bread was just that – a SIGN and nothing more. What was truly important was the reality of what his sign was about – about their having ETERNAL LIFE with God through him. Yes, the bread that they had received from Jesus by itself was only bread. Even the miraculous MANNA that their ancestors ate in the wilderness was only that – BREAD which satisfied their physical hunger. But of course both Jesus’ bread and the manna from heaven were also more than just bread – they were also SIGNS of God’s love for his people. They were demonstrations that God would take care of them and provide for them, come what may. THAT was what Jesus was inviting the people to understand and experience. “Through me,” Jesus was telling them, “You can know God’s love in a way that will never be lacking!” “And through me, you can also experience the kind of communion with God and with each other that will satisfy the deepest longings of your souls.” This is the kind of life that is called ETERNAL LIFE – a relationship and communion with God that will never end, but will always grow deeper and stronger and more satisfying. This is the kind of life that Jesus was offering to the people, and it is the same kind of life that Jesus continues to offer to each and every one of us. When Carol and I arrived at the Wall Drug store after seeing all those signs, I have to admit that it was a bit of a letdown. It was a big complex, but certainly nothing as great as the signs had led us to anticipate. And so it is with most “realities” in this world. We are constantly bombarded with “signs” of advertising for cars, tourist destinations, places to live, medicines, or whatever else promises to make our lives happier – but the reality almost always fails to live up to our expectations. But not so with Jesus. The reality of his love for us is even greater than his signs. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Through knowing and trusting in him, we can experience God’s love and care and forgiveness anew each and every day. Knowing Jesus IS life – an eternal life with God that will always grow stronger and deeper and more satisfying and will give us perfect peace. Thanks be to God – not just for Jesus’ SIGNS, but most of all for the gift of himself as our bread of life – forever and ever! Amen! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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