The Prophets Prophesy Lies ... and My People Love It That Way

^{Jeremiah 5}

³⁰ ‘A horrible and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
³¹ the prophets prophesy lies,
    the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?

The ministry of God in Israel was a threefold ministry of prophet, priest and king. The prophet spoke to the people on behalf of God; the priest spoke to God on behalf of the people; and the king was God’s representative who was meant to ensure that God’s justice and mercy prevailed in the land. The kings as a whole, were a disaster, often leading the nation deeper into disobedience. The exceptions

It is time to go over to the other side

Y

Mark 5:1-20

Our reading today really starts at Mk 4:35:

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’

The “other side” is the other side of the Sea of Galilee … the Decapolis … pagan territory … there are 2000 pigs close to where they land. For the good Jew, this is the other side, this is no-go area. You did not go here, you stayed away from here … you teach your children to stay away from here. This place and this people are not like us and we are to have nothing … nothing,  to do with them. Do you have the expression "the other side of the railway line?" The Decapolis is something like that.You don’t mix with them, you don’t play with them, if you can possibly help it you don’t go to school with them, if you happen to work with them you have as little to do with them as possible, you certainly don’t ever think of marrying someone from the other side and you’d never consider living on the other side.