On Line Bible Study - For the week February 23 - March 1, 2009

Lesson 376
First, a couple final observations with regard to the "Sower" ...

Mark 4: ¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

This is from Jesus' explanation of the parable. Mark uses the "proper name" - Satan. Is this a set-up for the exchange that will happen between Jesus and Peter following Peter's profession of faith? Recall (and you can read it in Mark 8:27-33) that after proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah, upon hearing from Jesus what Christ is going to endure, Peter "rebukes" him. Then, Jesus says Get behind me, Satan! Harsh words indeed ... but no sooner was the "word" on Peter's lips but that he was attempting to dissuade Jesus from his divinely appointed destiny. The truth of the message of Jesus had not taken root in Peter, and Jesus recognizes it as the work of Satan to have come and so quickly plucked the word from him and turned Peter's heart.

In verse 16 we read of seed sown on rocky places . . .. Do you recall what Peter's name means? ROCK. And, as referenced in last week's lesson, recall Jesus' prediction that all his disciples would "fall away"? (As noted last week, the word literally means scandalized.) Do you recall who it is that is first to deny he would ever fall away? Peter. (See Mark 14:29.) Is Mark giving us a "heads-up" on Peter's coming behavior? Seed is sown on the "rock", but as soon as the going gets tough, the "rock" (Peter) crumbles, is scandalized, and runs. (See Mark 14:66-71.)

In so many ways, Mark uses the parable of the Sower to telescope much of what is to come in his Gospel.

Now, lets turn to the other parables in Mark 4 ...

²¹He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? ²²For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.

It is important to recall earlier verses in this chapter - Jesus says to his disciples: Mark 4: ¹¹The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.

But the "secret" is not intended to remain a "secret" for long. In fact, the truth cannot remain "under a bowl". Jesus asks in verse 21 what we would call a "rhetorical question" - it assumes a negative response. It is interesting to see how Matthew uses this saying of Jesus - as part of the "Sermon on the Mount" - You are the salt of the earth .... You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16.)

St. Luke will repeat the saying twice, once in the same context as Mark following on the heels of the parable of the Sower (See Luke 8:4-17); but he will use it again in 11:33, and there it doesn't have any specific context. It is more of a wisdom saying - and he doesn't introduce it in the form of a question.

Both Matthew and Luke take the sentence For whatever is hidden . . . and use it in different contexts.

Without getting too technical, scholars point to this as indicating that this "parable" and its attendant "saying" is authentically from the lips of Jesus. That all three of the evangelists use it points to its authenticity; and that it is used in different contexts suggests to us something of the vitality of the emerging Christian Community. It's not that they were picking and choosing from a variety of sayings of Jesus; rather, the teachings of Jesus came to mean different things to them, depending on their political context and their spiritual/theological development.

There are two more "seed" parables in this chapter - they deserve the attention of a full lesson. Next week we will look at Mark 4:26-32.

(Continued thanks to John Donahue and Daniel Harrington and their commentary on The Gospel of Mark in the Sacra Pagina Series.)

On Line Bible Study - For the week February 16 - 25, 2009

Lesson 375

I'm going to ask you to do some work this week. Because we are considering a fairly large chunk of the 4th chapter of Mark's gospel, I encourage you either to have your Bible at hand, or to consult the following link:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=48&chapter=4&version=31

This should bring you to the New International Bible translation of Mark 4. We are considering Mark 4:1-34.

Last week we discussed the "Parable of the Sower" with reference to our having "ears to hear". This week I want to invite us to look at the text itself, with some of its complexities, and perhaps glean more meaning for having taken the time to dig a bit deeper. Here are the major points for our consideration:

• Donahue and Harrington regard this passage (Mark 4:1-34) as "awkward" from a compositional perspective, as if there are several different stories or scenes converging, with the evangelist trying to put them all together in a way that makes unified sense. Consider the following:
• Jesus speaks to "crowds", then to the Twelve (verse 10). In verse 13, Jesus is speaking "to them" - but we aren't certain to whom - the crowds again? Or the disciples? As the section closes, we can't really be certain who the "them" are - we read: 33. With similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
• In your Bible, Mark 4 probably has a heading that says something like: The Parable of the Sower. But is this really a parable? Or is it an allegory? Whereas other parables of Jesus might leave room for interpretation, this story is spelled out very specifically by Christ. There is no doubt what he is saying here.
• Are the parables meant to explain? Or to confuse? In Verses 11-12 Jesus tells the Twelve that he speaks in parables so the people "on the outside" might not get it - seeing but not perceiving, hearing but not understanding. But in Verse 33 we read: "With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them as much as they could understand ..."
• Verses 10-12 are, according to Donahue and Harrington, "among the most obscure and debated [verses] in the whole New Testament". The language of "insiders" and "outsiders" on the lips of Jesus has to be interpreted with the "predestinarian thrust of much biblical and early Jewish thought" as its backdrop. Remember in Exodus 4:21 it is God who hardens the heart of Pharaoh. Verses like those in Exodus (and also in Isaiah 6:10 and passages in Jeremiah ...) are apocalyptic in nature, and gnostic in their tone. That Jesus adopts such a tone might seem foreign to us, but would be heard by First Century Jews in the light of those traditions. It is also important to note that the passage from Isaiah 6:9-10 (quoted in Mark 4:12) is also quoted in John 12:40 and Acts 28:23 - in those verses the tension between the emerging Christian Church and their Jewish heritage is obvious. Clearly, the Christians believed themselves to be the ones "in the know".
• What is the "mystery", the "secret" (Mark 4:11), the thing hidden and about to be revealed? Put simply, it is this: Messiah will not be a powerful king, but a humble servant. Messiah will not be a wealthy Lord, but a persecuted, crucified Christ. Jesus discerns this to be God's will for him. The challenge is convincing others.
  
• A final point (though many more could be made ...) is this: You will all fall away ... - this is what Jesus says to his disciples in Mark 14:27. It is also what he says of the seed that lands on rocky places (Mark 4:17) - while there is an initial spurt of growth, as soon as persecution comes, what had grown "falls away". Literally, the Greek text says that persecution creates "scandal" (from the Greek noun - σκάνδαλον - skandalon). So, it's not just that new believers drop out; it's that they are scandalized by the message.
  

I hope as you read through these "bullet points" you get a sense of the complexity, the questions, perhaps even the struggle that Mark may have had as he puts together the story of Jesus. Popularity mixed with confusion; miracles mixed with scandals; commitments both deeply felt and supericial. Secrets, mysteries, and the incredible challenge of convincing people that the crucifixion and death of Jesus were part of a bigger plan - a plan that made absolutely no sense to the early followers of Jesus. How could he tell the story such that it made sense to those devotees in that day, to say nothing of meeting the expectations and needs of the generations to come!

On Line Bible Study - for the week February 9 - 15, 2009

Lesson 374

Mark 4: 1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

9 Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The larger the crowds, the more difficult it was for them to be near Jesus. That Jesus sits in the boat would not be lost on the ancient reader - to sit is to put one's self in the position of the teacher, a position of authority.

If you were to read a bit further - in the next verse - you would learn that people wee uncertain as to the meaning of the parables. On the one hand, their inability to "hear" is lamented; on the other hand, to assume too quickly that one comprehends the meaning of the parable is to assume too much. Can God be "heard"? Are you able to discern the "word", the "will" of God in the parables that are playing themselves out all around you? In a sense, is there anything in life that is not a parable? Is Jesus himself the preeminent parable - the greatest truth, the most mysterious reality, the simplest and most complex expression of love - both at the same time?

As said above, even the disciples would have to come to Jesus for an explanation of the story. What do you mean, Jesus? Am I in the story? Is it about me? About you? The phrase: He who has ears to hear, let him hear - is one that we find in the prophets.

Jeremiah 5:21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:

This is but one example of many in which people have hearts so stubborn as to be unable to discern the word of God, no matter how present it is, or how pervasive. The Word of God is mysterious. True. It is also what sustains our lives. (See Matthew 4:4.) How can it be that we do not comprehend the very reality upon which our lives are absolutely dependent?

How much do you know about Jesus? Do you have the ears to hear what he is telling you about yourself? And what kind of "soil" are you? Thorny? Rocky? Shallow? Fertile?

May you feel the seeds of God's grace being scattered all over your life. And may you respond with faith, with joy, with open and willing hearts! Listen to what Jesus has to say.

On Line Bible Study - For the week February 2 - 8, 2009

Lesson 373

Mark 3: 20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." 22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."

23 So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. 28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit." 31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." 33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Some thoughts for your consideration ...

1. "Jesus entered a house" (3:20) might be better translated: Jesus came home.
2. Some editors were so uncomfortable with verse 21 that they changed it from "his family" to "some of his disciples". C.S. Lewis picks up on this theme in some of his writing, stating that either Jesus was a mad man, or he truly was the "Son of God". Jesus' actions and teachings, while authoritative, were also most unorthodox. To come on to the scene and be so different from what people had previously experienced seems to have made people wonder about his very sanity. (Donahue and Harrington point out that this line has a strong ring of authenticity to it in that the Church would never have made up such a charge against Jesus.)
   
3. But in verse 22, the suspicions change from asking if he is normal, "out of his mind", and now - demon possessed. So the stakes get higher.
4. Verse 23 is the first reference in Mark's gospel to "parables". The word comes from two Greek words - para, which means "along side"; and ballein, which means "to throw, or place". The sense of the word is that two different things have been placed along side each other. C. H. Dodd defines "parable" in this way: A 'parable' is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise applications to tease it into active thought. Is that the effect the parables have on you?
5. Jesus offers two images - the first is of a house "divided against itself". In this case, the problems are internal. Remember the story of Herod in Matthew 14? We will come to this same story in Mark 6 - he married his brother's wife. Internal strife had brought down rulers both Jewish and Roman. The second image Jesus offers is that of an attack by a weak man on the house of one stronger than him. The sense of this image seems to be to tell us that Jesus is not attacking Satan as one who is weaker; rather, Jesus is strong enough to take on the evil spirit.
6. The point of verses 28-29 seems to be this: Don't credit the devil with what the Holy Spirit is doing!. This can be tricky at times, can't it! Are the changes we are experiencing "good news" or "bad news"? In your own life, are you resisting something that is, in truth, God's will for you?
7. The section concludes with the family of Jesus, thus closing the loop - and the question is put to us: Who constitutes the true family of Jesus? If you recall the section just previous to this one, Mark lists the name of the 12 disciples. These are the members of his family, says Jesus - the ones who truly do God's will.