At the end of the great flood, God's first words to Noah and his sons are a reiteration of the blessing given at creation: "Be fertile and multiply". There is now a change in humanity's relationship with the animals. Recognising humanity's violent nature, God allows human beings to kill and eat animals, but the blood, because of its association with life, which belongs to God alone, must not be eaten. In addition, the divine promise never to destroy the earth again by flood takes the form of a covenant. The rainbow is the sign of that covenant. It is the reminder of the pledge to humanity of God's faithfulness and mercy.

For the first time in Mark's Gospel, the disciples are asked by Jesus who, in their estimation, he is. The opinion of "men" is that they do not regard him as the Messiah, but at the most, a forerunner of the Messiah. Peter, however, has at last begun to see - Jesus is formally acknowledged as the Messiah of the Jewish expectation. In this way, Jesus comes forth as the sign of the new covenant between God and His people, a sign of God's pledge to humanity of God's faithfulness and mercy. We are reminded again that it is God who takes the initiative to save humanity. Human beings may fail to keep the covenantal agreement with God, but God never fails to demonstrate his love for them. The signs of God's faithfulness and mercy are all around us. May we be attentive to these signs today and rejoice in his love.