On Line Bible Study - For the week Dec. 29, 2008 - January 4, 2009.

Lesson 368

Mark 2: 18Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"

19Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. 21"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."

Who is asking the question? We aren't sure, at least not from what the text tells us; but based on verse 16, the assumption is that some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees were the ones posing the question to Jesus.

What is the question? Why are Jesus' disciples not fasting - that's the question.

I remember fasting as a spiritual discipline when I was growing up. Prior to receiving Communion we would fast from food for 3 hours, and from liquids for 1 hour. And every Friday we would abstain from eating meat. I also remember a more prolonged fast during the season of Lent - we would give up some food (desserts, perhaps, or coffee, or bread . . .) for the 40 days leading up to Easter. These fasts were inconvenient, perhaps; but they certainly were not unbearable.

After John the Baptist was executed, a movement continued comprised of those who believed him to be a special emissary from God. And, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, we know that the disciples of Jesus proclaimed the same message John did - repent of your sin, and believe the good news. In one of the earliest Christian documents, called The Didache (which means Teaching), we read the instructions to Christians to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. But it is important to recall the instructions of both Jesus and the Old Testament Prophets - fasting for the purpose of appearing to be holy is to completely miss the point. Review Matthew 6:16-18 and look at Isaiah 58:3-11. Fasting apart from justice is an empty gesture.

"Pharisees" - and I put the word in quotes purposely - are those who embrace spiritual disciplines because it makes them look good. That kind of "discipline" is empty in and of itself; it is dangerous when it is imposed upon others.

Jesus is not suggesting anything terribly new here. He is reclaiming for his disciples (and Mark for his community of believers in Jesus?) the true power of fasting. It is an act of humility intended to honor God and bless your neighbor!

In that act of fasting there is great joy. Cognizant of Jesus' presence, let the true fast begin! Not a fast of denial for its own sake; but the fast that leads to justice, to a more equitable dispensing of God's abundant blessings to all!

On Line Bible Study - for the week December 22 - 28, 2008

Lesson 367

Mark 2: 13Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

There are two points of controversy: the call of a tax collector to be a disciple, and the fact that Jesus enjoys table fellowship with people who are deemed to be sinners.

Levi – Apart from the textual challenges (Mark calls him the “son of Alphaeus; but in the next chapter Mark says James is the son of Alphaeus, not Levi. In fact, Mark makes no mention of “Levi” in the list of the 12 disciples. There is no mention of a “Levi” in Matthew’s gospel.), there is the fact that he is a tax collector. Capernaum was on the trade route (Via Maris, from Damascus to Caesarea Maritima); it makes sense that there would be a tax collector or a customs booth there. In their commentary on Mark, Harrington and Donahue remind us that, in the time of Jesus, there were a wide variety of taxes and tolls the people were made to pay. The collectors of these taxes were not popular, to say the least.

Eating with sinners – This point of controversy is a more serious one, with implications that are more far-reaching. Eating with sinners was not the sort of thing religious people did – and this was as true for the early church as it was for religious Jews. “Sinners” in this case must be understood to be people who were outside the Law – it was not occasional transgressions they were guilty of, but a more fundamental condition of being outside the covenant community entirely.

Look carefully at the passage and note that Jesus says he has come to call them . . . but, call them to what? When this same story is told in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says he has come to “. . . call sinners to repentance . . .” Assuming Luke is taking the story from his knowledge of Mark’s Gospel, he has made an intentional change. As Mark tells the story, we are left to wonder if Jesus isn’t making a significant adjustment to the “guest list”. He is at the table with them, and there is no indication they have repented.

This controversy made its way right into the church – Peter seems to have struggled with who he would eat with (Galatians 2:11-14). Paul has an extended teaching for the Corinthian Christians (I Corinthians 8-10) with regard to food, eating, idolatry, and the “Lord’s Table”. And the Roman Christians are also in need of teaching on the matter (Romans 14).

Why is eating such a controversy?

One way to look at it might be like this: The next time you bow your head to say “grace” at the dinner table, contemplate who you are talking to. Would the God you are thanking sit with you? Would the Christ you honor pull away from your table because of who you are, or what you have done?

I can’t speak for you, but speaking for myself, if Jesus refused to eat with sinners, I know he could not eat with me. But every time I hear the invitation to come to the Lord’s table, I do so with thanks – and humility. I am forgiven, ever for the things I don’t know I should confess! And that’s the startling thing about Jesus – not that he sits with us when we invite him, but that he has invited us to sit with him!

More on Mark 2 next time.

On Line Bible Study - For the week December 15-21, 2008

Lesson 366

Mark 2: 1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He [immediately] got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

We seem to have two things going on here - a healing, and a controversy, both of which take place under the umbrella of immediacy, or urgency.

Several things are important.

1. Mark demonstrates knowledge of how Palestinian houses were put together. With roofs made of mud, it had to be "dug through". (Matthew omits the roof scene altogether – 9:1-8; and Luke refers to a tile roof – 5:19.)
2. The faith that makes the difference here is not the faith of the paralytic, but of his friends.
3. The man's condition is associated with his sinfulness. The religious world view in Jesus' day was that suffering of any sort was related to sin.

From a textual standpoint, we may have two stories combined. The "standing room only" crowd makes one ask: Why were teachers of the law sitting? Perhaps they were assigned places of honor, but that seems unlikely. It may be that the healing and the controversy are two separate situations that Mark has combined.

Something else to be aware of - and it is not as clear as it could be in the NIV translation above - is the continued sense of urgency. In verse 8 Jesus is aware immediately what they were thinking. In verse 12, I have added the word immediately - it is clearly present in the Greek (and the King James and Revised Standard Versions both contain the word). The sense is that Jesus knows what is going on - both outwardly and below the surface; but his power goes beyond "knowing". He has the power to act - and to act now.

Both of these - the knowing, and the doing - are christological (therefore messianic) claims. Only God knows the human heart; only God can forgive. And, in this case, the interpretation of the man's physical condition had theological ramifications - his sin would have made him unclean, unworthy to be able to worship, and unfit to be included in the life of the faith community.

Jesus' "healing" is associated with forgiveness, because the assumption everyone would make is that forgiveness is what the man needed. Thus "forgiven", he could return to the synagogue and be welcomed back into the faith community.

Welcomed back into the faith community - is that what Jesus accomplishes for us? That is the point Mark seems to be making here!
More on Mark 2 next time.

On Line Bible Study - For the week December 8 - 14, 2008.

Mark 1: 43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

We have a little more business with the end of the first chapter of Mark's gospel. See that you don't tell anyone . . .

The occasions are numerous in this gospel when Jesus tells someone "not to tell". In Mark 1:25 Jesus tells an evil spirit to Be quiet! – presumably because the spirit knows that Jesus is the Holy One of God.

In Mark 3:12 Jesus tells the evil spirits not to tell others about him – this after they fall before him and cry out: You are the Son of God.

After healing Jairus' daughter Jesus tells those who had witnessed the miracle not to let anyone know about this . . . (Mark 5:43.)

There are instances where Jesus goes into hiding (6:31, 7:24, & 9:30).

He tells Peter, James and John to make no mention of his transfiguration until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. (Mark 9:9.)

And, there is the situation we have before us at the end of Mark 1. Don't tell this to anyone.

Why the secrecy? The sense of "mystery" is present not only in the Mark's gospel, but in many of the writings of St. Paul as well. So prevalent is this secrecy or mystery in this gospel, however, that over the years scholars have lumped these different scriptures together and speak of the "messianic secret". The don't tell – whether it refers specifically to who Jesus was, or to what Jesus had done – is put under this heading of the messianic secret.

So, again – Why the secrecy?
Three theories emerged:

1. The historical Jesus feared his followers, upon becoming convinced he was the Messiah, would stage a military revolt.

2. A second theory – the early church noted the tension between its belief in Jesus as Messiah and the fact that Jesus did not lay claim to this title during his public ministry.

3. The third – and the one that has gained the most traction – is that Mark was redefining the term "messiah" (and other titles associated with "messiah") in the light of Jesus death and resurrection. This is the reason Mark presents Jesus as trying to impose silence on the matter.

One last point to ponder regarding this story of the man with leprosy . . . Jesus touched the man, and in so doing he was breaking the law. By touching him, Jesus himself becomes "unclean". After his healing, the man disregards Jesus' command to be silent, and instead went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news . . . So, the humanity and compassion of Jesus trump the rule of law; and the liberating, exhilarating sense of freedom over-rules Jesus' demands for silence.

Can we get the picture – a God so close to us and feeling so much love for us that he is willing to break his own rules on our behalf; and us, so in awe of God's love and how that love is expressed to us that we just can't help but share the good news with others!

In so many ways, that's what "Christmas" – the incarnation is all about! Let the children throw off the wrapping and squeal for joy, and let them see the adults express the incredible joy that accompanies the awareness that amazing grace has come in the flesh, and its name is Jesus.

With this, I think we are finally ready to leave this first chapter, and head into Mark 2 next time. (A reminder that we are using the Sacra Pagina Commentary as a guide for the lessons on Mark.)

On Line Bible Study - For the week December 1 - 7, 2008.

For the week December 1 – 7, 2008

Mark 1: ⁴⁰A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

⁴¹Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" ⁴²Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

⁴³Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ⁴⁴"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." ⁴⁵Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

As the first chapter of Mark’s gospel comes to a conclusion we are faced with one of the more interesting textual challenges in the Bible. There are several guidelines for those who translate the Scriptures:

1. What is the extent and the reliability of the available manuscripts to support one translation over another?

2. When there are disagreements between reliable manuscripts, the more difficult (or unlikely) phrase is given extra weight, assuming that the only reason it would have been recorded as such in the first place is that the more difficult saying was what was actually said.

What makes this story in Mark such a challenge is that the more extensive manuscripts have one word; the smaller number of manuscripts have a different word - the more difficult language.

Mark 1:41 reads: “Filled with compassion . . .” That is how the New International Bible translates the verse. But Today’s New International Version translates the same verse as follows:

“Jesus was indignant . . .” It is difficult to imagine Jesus being “indignant”, or “angry” with a person who comes asking to be made clean. Why would any manuscript have recorded the scene that way?

And the plot thickens. Notice verse 43: Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning. That’s how the NIV translates it. But in his commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Daniel Harrington translates the verse this way: And with a deep groan, Jesus immediately dismissed him.

“Groan” – or “strong warning”? The Greek literally means “snorting” or “growling”. It is used with relation to exorcisms or “casting out”. Why would Jesus “cast out” this man who he had just cleansed?

Ponder this: If you chose the translation saying Jesus was indignant, how would you translate verse 43? Would Jesus give the man a “strong warning”, or might he be more apt to groan as if to cast the man away? In your mind’s eye, do you see Jesus in this setting as “compassionate” or “indignant”? Why might he be one or the other?

What might there have been in Jesus’ behavior that would cause one person to think of him as compassionate, and another person to think of him as indignant?

I’m leaving us with more questions than answers this week. This is a prelude to what is to come in this gospel. We will continually discover in Mark things that are unsettling. This presentation of Jesus is “in the rough”. It’s quick, and filled with mystery. It doesn’t provide easy answers; rather, Mark lays open the hard questions – about life, about God, about ourselves. It is difficult to read the Gospel of Mark and not soon come to the realization that we are going to have to make some decisions! Jesus’ words in Mark 1:15 keep bearing down on us – Repent! -- That is, we are going to have to turn around rather dramatically if we are going to catch up – and keep up – with this Jesus!

We will say a bit more about this next week as we wrap up this first chapter and head into the second.