The state of Idaho is approximately 83,000 square miles in area. The state of Israel (including Palestine) Is only about 8,000 square miles in area. Israel is one-tenth the size of Idaho. It is a very small country. In the time of Jesus, it wasn’t any bigger. But it was a lot less populated. And, despite or because of Roman occupation, a lot more peaceful.

In that context Jesus spent almost his entire life in one small section of Israel, namely in the north, near and around the Sea of Galilee. We wouldn’t call it a “sea” because it is about the same size as Payette Lake in McCall. And the distance between Galilee and Jerusalem is about the same distance as between McCall and Boise.

It is not surprising, then, that when Mark says in today’s gospel that Jesus preached “throughout” the whole of Galilee”, that’s not a very large area, and it was a relatively small population.

Word gets around fast in small communities. That is clearly the case in, say, a school the size of Bishop Kelly.

Mark’s gospel’s record of Jesus’ first healing is more than interesting. It tells us something about the living conditions of the people of his time.

We are told, for example, that the brothers Simon and Andrew lived in the same house. And we are told that Peter’s mother-in-law also lived there. It is logical that others lived there too. Certainly, Peter’s wife. (We are not told if there are any children; nor if Andrew also is married; nor if there are others living there).

The house itself would have been very small, probably made of stone and earth. Clearly without running water and obviously without electricity. One cannot build such a house today since the various city codes would not allow it.

Not only were the living conditions basic, if not primitive, life was extremely difficult and short. The average life expectancy at the time was 25 years. Most people lived on what they could harvest, or on meager salaries for day labor. Jesus himself was a worker, and without the conveniences of modern life. He would most certainly have gotten sick, gone hungry, and was cold in the winter.  Israel gets very cold in the winter.

So when an ordinary man from a small neighboring village of no more than 200 people goes “throughout the whole of Galilee”, preaching and healing, that made news. People flocked to find him. Probably more interested in being healed from sickness than in hearing sermons.

But the sermons of Jesus were not complicated. He encouraged the people, sick and healthy alike, to keep their visions and dreams focused on the Word of God. To love one another, to care for those in need, and to believe in the mercy and protection of God.

That message is still the same today. All over the world, people are bringing basic medicine, shelter, food and most important, education. What seems to be lacking are the preachers bringing messages of hope and love.

That’s the ministry of Bishop Kelly- to go out and do what Jesus did. We don’t have to wait for graduation, we can do that now. In two ways, by what we say and what we do.

Hopefully they will be the same thing.

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