Uganda Days: Two
Dear one,
“Koptek! Koptek!!” they say with a gleam in their eyes, shaking their heads, even as they brandish their ready smiles. “Koptek!” they say now laughing.
In January of 2020, when I last visited Uganda, I do remember hearing that word, but in the intervening years, including “corona,” for such is how they speak of the covid pandemic, I had forgotten its meaning. Very like English, “koptek” means “hard.” That is, a physical surface or article can be “hard,” but equally, a task or concept can be “hard” or difficult. Thus for my pastoral sisters and brothers of Lira, Uganda, our present study in Mark’s Gospel is koptek.
Most likely, the causes of this their difficulty are two. First, the content of our study has its taxing moments. For instance, we might read that Jesus had compassion upon a leper, only then to read that He sternly charged or strongly commanded the leper to do as the Mosaic law prescribed (cf. Mark 1:41-43). Moreover, there are textual variants, indicating that Jesus might have been angry, but even if He wasn’t angry, the text indicates that He “forcefully” sent the leper away. If one views Jesus as “meek and mild,” this encounter between Jesus and a leper might prove to be disconcerting or koptek.
Stan