GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
MARK 1:14
Beauty for Ashes
There are pictures of the violent hurricane Helene that wreaked destruction on large swaths of the southeastern United States. There are pictures of the battering wind, torrential rain, and destructive walls of water. A day later, though, there are pictures in the same place of a bright sun shining in a cloudless blue sky, illuminating, of course, the terrible destruction left behind by the storm. But these two images—dark, stormy skies and bright, sunny, cloudless skies—present a metaphor for life. The prophet Isaiah promised those who mourn or suffer comfort, healing, and transformation, beauty instead of ashes: “[A]nd provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” (Isa. 61:3)
No one has been able to put into words the ashes of pain, anguish, and despair of those who suffered the wrath of Hurricane Helene, but victims, friends, neighbors, and volunteers have set their hands to turning the ashes into beauty. Tears of gratitude often course down the cheeks of victims, moved by the generosity and self-sacrifice of helpers and volunteers in this recovery and reconstruction work—turning ashes into beauty.
St. Mark wrote, “And after John was handed over, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God.” (1:14) There is another Markian collapse of time here between verses 13 and 14. Taking the record of all gospel writers into account, between these two verses—Jesus’ baptism and his preaching in Galilee—there was John’s testimony about Jesus, the marriage at Cana, the cleansing of the temple, and Nicodemus’ nighttime visit. Then John was imprisoned in the imperial castle of Machaerus east of the Dead Sea. It is likely that Herod Antipas held John in prison for about a year. John’s imprisonment is the ashes part of the story; however, it was during this time that Jesus proclaimed “the good news of God” in Galilee, and that is the beauty part of this story.
“Beauty for ashes” is an allegory of life. Have you had a beauty-for-ashes experience?
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