On Line Bible Study - For the week November 10 - 16, 2008

Lesson 361

The Gospel of Mark . . . 0 – 60 in 17 Verses . . .

Mark 1: 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness . . .

The sense of the word translated here (NIV) as “sent” might be more appropriately articulated as Eugene Peterson has paraphrased it in The Message:

“At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild . . .”

The sense of the Greek is almost a violent shoving – as if Jesus were thrust by the Spirit into the wilderness for a time of testing. It is the same word used to describe what happened when Jesus cast out demons – In Mark 1:34 – He drove out many demons . . . (see also Mark 1:39, 43 [“sent away with strong warnings . . .”], Mark 3:15, etc.

Mark gives us none of the details we find in Matthew (4:1-11) or Luke (4:1-13) regarding the temptation of Jesus. How important are the details? We do know that there was a Jewish expectation that in the last days a battle would ensue in which the evil spirit would be conquered (Mally*).

So – two verses and we are finished with the temptations. Now, on to the heart of the matter. We are told John was imprisoned, and then this . . .

Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” said [Jesus]. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!

That is what this gospel is all about. The time is “Now”. The kingdom of God is “Near”. What should we do? “Repent; believe!” And lest you think you will have time to warm up to the idea ...

Mark 1:16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

When we pick out the “at once’s”, “at that time’s”, “just as’s” in the first 17 verses of the Gospel, we see that this is a story that has an urgency to it, an immediacy. Mark wastes no time on the niceties; he gets right down to business, and he lets us know we have to do the same. The time to hear the message is Now! The time to respond to it is At Once. What are we waiting for?

For next week we will continue with Chapter One.

(* - Some of the information for these studies on the Gospel of Mark is taken from the Jerome Biblical Commentary article written by Edward J. Mally, S. J.)

On Line Bible Study - For the week November 3 - 9, 2008

Lesson 360

Mark 1: 1-3 The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you;
He'll make the road smooth for you.
Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God's arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!

4-6 John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.

7-8 As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out."

9-11 At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." (From The Message - Eugene Peterson.)

"Good news" - "Message" (added by Peterson) - "Preacher" ("messenger" in the NIV Translation) - What's being proclaimed (good news / message) and the "proclaimer" look like this in the Greek:

ευαγγελίου (good news). αγγελόν (preacher / messenger)

If we were to "transliterate" the first (in other words, not translate, but simply use the letters in English that correspond to the letters in the Greek), it would look like this:

evangeliou. And the second would look like this: angelon.

You should be recognizing a word we have in English, contained in these two Greek words. The word is "angel" - it means "messenger". Peterson captures the essence of the passage, if not the literal translation. Here is the beginning - it begins with what Isaiah prophesied. (Remember how many times Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah?) And it moves to John (the Baptist) whose message is: Change your life! Before Jesus shows up on the scene, the point is being made: This message is a life-changer. And if your life isn't changed, you don't get the message (or the message hasn't gotten you!).

The change will be from the inside out. Last week we referred to the radical nature of the "gospel" - the "good news". Boundaries are going to be expanded, and Jesus is going to do the work. It had always been (for as long as anyone could remember) that the covenant with God manifest itself outwardly. Circumcision was the sign. This was what determined who was in or out. A family was inside the covenant if the pater familias and male children were circumcised. (See Exodus 4:24-26.) This was about to change.

Then Jesus shows up on the scene, is baptized, the sky split open, the Spirit alights on Jesus, the voice from heaven proclaims: You are my son . . .

We are only 11 verses into the first chapter of the Gospel. St. Mark sends up the implicit "flare" - Hang on to your hats! This is going to be a ride - fast, life-changing - a turn-your-world-upside-down kind of ride.

Where do the other synoptics "begin" the story? What do Matthew and Luke have that Mark doesn't? And whereas Matthew describes Jesus baptism as "heaven opening", Mark puts it this way: He [Jesus] saw heaven being torn open ["split open" in Peterson's rendering] . . . Mark wants us to know that what we are about to hear will be life-changing; earth-shattering; heaven-splitting.

Hang on to your hats, indeed.

For next week we will continue in our consideration of the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Mark.

On Line Bible Study - For the week October 27 - November 2, 2008

Lesson 359

Two Major Points ....

As we head into the Gospel of St. Mark, let's consider two factors that become central points in the story of Jesus and his followers.

First, Jesus died for our sins.

This is so basic and central to our thinking about Jesus that it might seem foolish to spend any time on it. But our familiarity with this concept (or doctrine) might cause us to treat with some contempt the revolutionary concept it articulates. And we split this simple saying in two parts:

Jesus died . . . The story that is told about Jesus is not just that he "died"; the story is that he was put to death. Put another way, Jesus was a martyr. The Greek from which we derive the word martyr means to be a witness. The Book of Revelation has this verse: Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness . . . (μαρτυς - martyr). What is it that Jesus' death is a "witness" to?

The second part of that phrase . . . for our sins . . . We know that in the early Christian communities, Jesus' "death for our sins according to the Scriptures" is considered as of "first importance". (See I Corinthians 15:3.) The question of why Jesus was executed is no small matter. While people who are executed in this country might be held with great empathy and sympathy - especially among those who oppose the death penalty - society is not inclined to deify them or look at their lives as exemplary models for our children to emulate. And we have to remember that the way the story comes to us, Jesus' death does not occur in the manner of martyrs in our own day - Martin Luther King Jr. was not executed by the state; nor was Gandhi. When we do consider the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus, we will have an opportunity to explore the various traditions around the issue of the charges brought against Jesus. But for now, in order to appreciate what the Gospel of Mark (and the other synoptic gospels) are about, we have to appreciate how the story is put together so as to lead us to the conclusion of Christ's death "for our sins".

The second major point is this: everyone is welcome in the kingdom. If we are honest, we have to acknowledge that this concept is as starkly revolutionary to us today as it was to First Century Jews. We still seem to be more obsessed with keeping people "out" of heaven than we are with celebrating heaven's power, present among us now. It became obvious to us in our consideration of the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus was breaking down walls, expanding heaven's boundaries.

This is important because ... The Gospels are laying the foundation for how centuries of people will come to think of and remember Jesus and his message. If we can approach the gospels as unique, both in their content and their literary form, we will better appreciate the power of their message, and the creativity of both their authors and subsequent interpreters. One scholar puts it this way:

...The gospels do not reflect any of the genres of the contemporary Old Testament and Jewish or Greek literature; within the context of such literatures, the gospels are unique with respect to their literary character, and they do not have any predecessors or any successors. (Philipp Vielhauer, as quoted by Helmut Koester in Ancient Christian Gospels.)

It may be somewhat presumptuous to claim to know exactly what the writers of the gospels were trying to accomplish, although we have a fairly good idea. But there is little doubt as to what their efforts produced in terms of faith, organization, and the "memory" of Jesus that has endured for well over 1600 years.

Mark's gospel is believed to be the first - the one we call "Mark" took the story - a story known through oral tradition, and very possibly partially penned in earlier documents (the Gospel of "Q"?) - he then collated that story, put some chronology to it, re-wrote it, and wittingly or otherwise, altered the course of human history. It is to that work we will turn in our next lesson.

On Line Bible Study - For the week October 20-26, 2008

Lesson 358

A Change in Plans . . . .

I was prepared to "Head into the Garden" this week, but I have changed my mind. We are going to hold off on our discussion of the Passion Narrative in Matthew. We will look at that part of Matthew's Gospel in conjunction with Mark and Luke. These three Gospels are referred to as the "synoptic" gospels - from the Greek sunopsis - which means "general view". Matthew, Mark and Luke share a number of stories and some chronological similarities as well. But I think we will have a better understanding of the passion and death of Jesus if we take the stories simultaneously, looking at and comparing how the gospel writers tell the central story in the Christian faith.

So - I apologize because I said at the conclusion of the previous study we would begin to examine Matthew's telling of the Gethsemane Story. Instead, we are going to begin our consideration of the Gospel of St. Mark. This presents us with an excellent opportunity to come at the Gospels with a fresh start.

We know that Palestine was a tumultuous place throughout the first century. Rome was in control; alliances had to be formed with Jews and Gentiles. There was the issue of a Jewish religious aristocracy having to jockey for position in close proximity to Roman aristocrats. We also know that, because of a series of inept leaders, Roman control disintegrated as the second half of the century began. The atmosphere became rife for rebellion, and that's exactly what happened. The rebellion resulted in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and with the Temple's destruction came the end of the sacrificial system. Jerusalem was in ruins. While the Gentile congregations of Christ-followers had developed many of their own rituals, for the Jewish Christians living in and around Jerusalem much of their identity was derived from their Jewish roots, and the Temple had been important to them as a place of worship and tradition.

"For the Christian Community that had gathered around Mark, the post-war period brought about a dramatic change in memory and imagination." So writes Burton Mack.* The Gospel of Mark is a "literary achievement of incomparable historical significance. Before Mark there was no such story of the life of Jesus. Neither the earlier Jesus movements nor the congregations of the Christ had imagined such a portrayal of Jesus' life. It was Mark's composition that gathered together earlier traditions, used the recent history of Jerusalem to set the stage for Jesus' time, crafted the plot, spelled out the motivations, and so created the story of Jesus that was to become the gospel truth for Christianity. All the other narrative gospels would start with Mark."

It is this amazing document that we will begin to read together next week.

*Who Wrote the New Testament - The Making of the Christian Myth

On Line Bible Study - For the week October 13-19, 2008

For the week October 13-19, 2008

Part 2: The Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29)

Matthew 26: 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Matthew bookends the last supper with the announcement of the betrayal of Jesus (26:20-25) and the prediction of the desertion of the disciples (26:31-35).

Scholar John Nolland makes this observation: It is Jesus , as about to be betrayed, abandoned, and struck down, who gives what is to be achieved by his dying to precisely those whose loyalty is about to fail.

The Passover meal is to the deliverance from slavery in Egypt what the Eucharist is to the Crucifixion. Both look backwards, but do so in such a way as to attempt to make the past present. For Christians, the Lord’s Supper is not only a “remembering”; it is also a “re-membering” – a bringing together Christ with those who are participating in the meal.

Presumably the first Christians continued to celebrate the Passover each year while celebrating the Lord’s Supper more frequently. Over time, however, Passover and the Christian Eucharist became more intimately intertwined. Both are symbolic of salvation, of deliverance. The bread does undergo a transformation, for the bread of Passover is the “bread of affliction” (Deuteronomy 16:3), and while Jesus will suffer “affliction”, the bread of Eucharist also comes to symbolize unity – for in Christ’s brokenness we become one with him and with all who partake of the sacred meal.

The “cup” presents us with a challenge – in the Passover meal everyone had their own cup. In this celebration, Jesus invites the disciples to all drink from his cup. Perhaps this is to symbolize unity once again; or maybe we are invited to drink from “his cup” because it, and it alone is the cup of life. Not our blood shed, but Jesus’ blood shed is the stuff of sacrifice. Or perhaps it is meant to indicate that Jesus, and only Jesus can provide for all – the choice in so far as he is concerned has been made: His sacrifice is for all. It is for us to determine whether we will take the cup or not.

We are given no other details about the meal – nothing about the herbs, or the lamb. Perhaps Matthew assumes we already know about the intricacies of the Passover meal. Or, could it be that the Passover was actually being downplayed in order to elevate the distinctively Christian components in this final supper Jesus shares with his friends?

In our next study we make our way to the garden. Read Matthew 26:36-46.

On Line Bible Study - For the week October 6-12, 2008

Lesson 356

First, a "structural" consideration. Note the following as we head in to the Passion Narrative:

Part 1: The Anointing in Bethany (Matthew 26:6-13). This is the part we will look at this week.
Part 2: The Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29).
Part 3: Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46).
Part 4: Jesus Before the Council (Matthew 26:57-68)
Part 5: Jesus Before Pilate (Matthew 27:11-26).
Part 6: Jesus' Death on the Cross (Matthew 27:45-53).

The Anointing ....

Jesus' anointing is framed as follows:
1. Conspiracy to do away with Jesus - Matthew 26:3-5, 14-16
2. Passover Preparation Matthew 26:1-2, 17-19

Put another way, it looks like this:

1. Reference to Passover (Verses 1-2)
2. Conspiracy against Jesus (Verses 3-5)
3. Anointing in Bethany (Verses 6-13)
2. Conspiracy against Jesus (Verses 14-16)
1. Celebration of Passover (Verses 17-19

Something to Ponder . . . . Supposing this structure is intentional on the part of Matthew, what reasons would he have for organizing the material in this way? What relationship might there be between Passover, Betrayal and Anointing?

Matthew 26: 1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

Matthew wants to convey the sense at this point that Jesus' teaching is finished. From now on, the lessons Jesus teaches will be intimately tied to his experience of betrayal and suffering. The lessons won't be like those shared in The Sermon on the Mount. Up till now Jesus' movement toward Jerusalem has been associated with his Passion (see Matthew 16:21ff, 17:22ff, and 20:17ff). But here, we suddenly find it is also associated with Passover.

Passover is a carefully scripted feast. The "script" has to do with God's saving actions on behalf of the people of Israel. The Passover (Paschal) Lamb is slain in a certain way, its shed blood smeared on the lintels, and the prayers prayed are the ones provided by the liturgy.

In Matthew 26:18 Jesus is quoted as indicating his appointed time is near.

Passover is not to be taken lightly! There is lively debate as to exactly when Jesus was crucified in relation to Passover; but there is wide consensus that the Crucifixion and the Passover are intimately intertwined.

Matthew 26: 4. .... and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.

Matthew may be intentionally alluding to what, in Psalm 31:13 (30:14 in the Septuagint) is the nemesis of the righteous person - For I hear many whispering, 'Terror on every side!' They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

An Extravagant Gesture . . .

Matthew 26: 6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. 9 "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

Jesus does not equate sensitivity to the needs of the poor with austerity. The unnamed woman - who is also silent as the story is told - may have simply wanted to serve Jesus in an extravagant way. Jesus interprets her actions as specific to his coming death and burial, and he states that her actions will be reported whenever and wherever the Gospel is proclaimed. Unnamed and silent - but ever remembered by people of faith . . .

Next time we will look at The Last Supper. Read Matthew 26:17ff if you get the chance.