On Line Bible Study - For the week March 30 - April 5, 2009

Lesson 381

Five Questions ...

Mark 6: ¹Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ²When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! ³Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. ⁴Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." ⁵He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus has come home. In so many ways, "home" is the hardest place to be! Perhaps we should say, "Home is the hardest place to be someone you haven't already been." And Jesus is back in the synagogue, where he has experienced rough sledding in the past. Take a look at the five questions that comprise verses 2 and 3. Each one of these is designed to reinforce the ordinariness of Jesus. There is nothing special about him with regard to his background, his heritage, his skills ("carpenter" can also be understood to mean anyone who works with their hands), his current family.

Can there be any miracles in "ordinary time"? We Christians celebrate Easter and Pentecost and Christmas. We have our anticipatory season of "Advent" before Christmas, and "Lent" before Easter; but for most of the year we live quite frankly in "Ordinary Time". Is there anything of heaven in the ordinary? Harrington and Donahue speak of one Celsus, a second-century opponent of Christianity. He derided the Christian faith because its founder was a common laborer. (You can learn more about Celsus online at JewishEncyclopedia.com, and at CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA.) But this is part of the "scandal" (in the text quoted above, they took offense - literally, they were scandalized ...) of Christ - that he is like us. Is the Christian story too simple to be true?

One is reminded of the story of Naaman, the man with leprosy, who almost missed his healing because what the prophet told him to do just was not mysterious or hard enough. (See II Kings 5.)

It's interesting . . . in a way, that is part of the "scandal" of the church today - that it is made up of "ordinary" people. Sinners; hypocrites; folks who are far from perfect. Can the church be the instrument used by the Creator to change our world? That thought is almost as ridiculous as the resurrection! People laugh at the claims we make as Christians. And most of us are called to live out this faith in our "home town" - right where lots of other people have always known us.

Here is the challenge: Will we rise to the level of living and giving that Jesus calls us to? Or will we settle for the bar as defined by the society around us? Can ordinary people do extraordinary things? If Jesus is any indication, the answer is a resounding YES. For in this ordinary man, God is moving in our midst with the power of love and forgiveness ... if only we will receive it, proclaim it, and pass it along.

We will continue with Mark 6 next time.

On Line Bible Study - For the week March 23 - 29, 2009

Lesson 380

Mark 5:21-43 Again, we have a lengthy passage that we will summarize - two miracles occur, one inside the other:

21. Jesus has crossed the sea and come home again. A crowd has gathered.
22. A synagogue leader (Jairus) comes, falls at his feet ...
23. ...and appeals to him to come and lay his hands upon his "dear daughter" so that she might be saved (healed).
25. As he goes, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years ...
27. ... had heard about Jesus, comes up behind him, and touches his garment.
29. Instantly the bleeding stops, and she knows she is healed.
30. Aware that power has left him, Jesus asks: "Who touched my clothes?"
33. The woman comes, fearful and trembling, falls at his feet, and tells him the whole truth.
34. Daughter, your faith has saved you; depart in peace, and remain healed.
36. Overhearing the synagogue leader's friends telling him his daughter had died, Jesus says: Don't be afraid. Just have faith.
38. There was a great commotion at the house when Jesus arrives.
39. The child is not dead, but only asleep.
40. They laughed at Jesus.
41. Young lady, I say to you rise up.
42. Right away, she got up and walked. She was 12 years old. People were astonished.
43. Don't tell anyone. Give her something to eat.

There is a lot going on here. Let's pick out several important components.

Note the importance of faith. The last time Jesus was in the synagogue the officials plotted to kill him. (See Mark 3:6.) But apparently, not all the synagogue leaders were so inclined, for this one approaches Jesus and falls at his feet in supplication. He believes Jesus can save / heal his daughter. The woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years also has such faith in Jesus' power that she is convinced she only has to touch him. Faith must take the place of fear - not only for these two persons, but for all of us.

Jesus defies the norms. In both cases - the little girl who ultimately dies prior to Jesus' arrival, and the woman who is hemorrhaging - Jesus comes into contact with those who are ritually unclean. Their very touch will render him the same. Are we as willing? Also, Jesus exhibits no hesitance in going with Jairus, even though synagogue leaders had plotted to kill him. Would we be so generous toward those who had plotted against us?

The status of women . . . Isn't it interesting that the number "12" is used - first to tell us how long the woman had been suffering from bleeding, and later to tell us how old the daughter of the synagogue leader was? Scholars speculate that there is a connection between the two. 12 years old would be the age at which a young woman would be eligible for marriage. And the woman who had been suffering for 12 years would have been unable to bear children. In the Jewish world a woman's worth was greatly tied to her ability to bear children. Jesus restores dignity to one, and insures dignity will come to the other. Also, notice in verse 34 that Jesus refers to the woman as "daughter" - that is, he sees her as a member of his family. Remember Mark 3:34-35, when Jesus states: Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother. Jairus has his daughter returned to him; Jesus proclaims the woman to be a daughter. Is the evangelist trying to drive the point home that "God's will" is for us to have faith in Christ?

One final point ... Jesus' disciples seem to be incredulous when he asks: Who touched my clothes? And the people laugh when Jesus states the child is asleep. We might not come right out and laugh; but is our lack of faith every bit as obvious to God?

We begin our consideration of Chapter 6 next time.

On Line Bible Study - For the week March 16 - 22, 2009

Lesson 379

Mark 5:1-20 - To summarize this story - it is the story of Jesus encountering a man living among the tombs who had an unclean (or "evil") spirit. Mark describes him this way:

Mark 5: "⁴For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones."

The demon acknowledges that Jesus is the "Son of God" and pleads with Jesus not to torture him. The demon's "name" is Legion, and Jesus casts them into a herd of pigs, which then plunge head-long over a cliff into the sea. Those herding the pigs ran and told all that happened, and the people were afraid of Jesus, asking him to leave them. The man who had been set free from the demon begged to follow Jesus, but Jesus sent him home, telling him: Return to your home and to your relatives, and tell them everything that the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you. And everyone was amazed.

First, there are a couple of interesting parallels we should be reminded of:

1. What do you want with me, Jesus? This line is used here in Mark 5:7. See also Mark 1:24.
2. Look at the description of this man in the verses quoted above from Mark 5:4-5. This unclean spirit is not to be trifled with. Do you remember what we read in Mark 3:27? Jesus had been accused of driving out demons " . . . by the prince of demons." Jesus responds by saying that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Then Jesus says this: In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up . . . Mark plays this story out in Mark 5 as one of strength against strength. Who is going to emerge as the stronger?
   

Jesus makes the demon identify himself. What is your name? asks Jesus. If we can't name it, we can't fight it. I'm not sure it is at all to the point of the story, but I can't help but thinking of times when we refuse to name what needs to be dealt with in our lives! This may be one of the reasons some of us resist "coming to Christ" - because of the awareness that Jesus will name what needs to be healed.

Scholars tell us this is a tricky text to deal with at several levels. But the Gospel Writer wants us to know that Jesus has power not only in the world of the Jews; he also has power in the Gentile world in which this miracle takes place. This is the most "stupendous" of the miracle stories of Jesus. And isn't it interesting that it does not result with the man leaving all he has to follow Jesus! Instead, he is sent home - home - perhaps the most challenging mission field of all! Evil is legion - multifaceted; everywhere present. Jesus is strong on every front - as we mature in our faith among those we love, and as we launch out into a world rife with evil, greed, temptation. In him, and through him, victory is won - and the result is that we come to love him all the more, and to want to follow him closer than ever before!

We will look at the rest of Mark 5 next week.

On Line Bible Study - For the week March 9 - 15, 2009

Lesson 378

Mark 4: ³⁵That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." ³⁶Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" ³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

First, several interesting textual notes:

• "When evening came ..." Some of the most difficult moments are when we are alone in the night. The disciples will be in a similar situation in Mark 6:45ff. And think of the darkness at the moment of creation. Or what about Jacob, left alone in the night to wrestle with the God (Genesis 32:22ff)?
• "In the boat ..." We should read this to mean "On the water . . ." Water equals chaos for the people of Israel. It is what has to be divided at Creation (Genesis 1:6 & 9). It is the means of destruction in the great flood (Genesis 7:17ff). It is to be divided again so that Israel can escape from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 14:13ff).
• "Rebuked the wind ..." This is not dissimilar from what we read in Mark 1:25 where Jesus silences and exorcises an evil spirit.
• "They were terrified ..." Literally, They feared a great fear. The fear here is not one of timidity, but of awe. It is the kind of "fear" that the Psalmist speaks of when we read: Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This "fear" leads to wonder as to the true nature of Jesus - Who is this?
  

It is interesting to read Psalm 107:23-32 - It is almost as if Mark copied the story and inserted Jesus into the script.

One other factor that we might miss - Jesus is moving now to the territory of the Gentiles - the Gerasenes - We will see that Jesus crosses back over to the western side of the lake in Mark 5:21 where he once again is in the territory of the Jews. The waters of the Sea of Galilee separate these two cultures from one another.

Now - what does any of this mean? It means at least this: In our worst storms, when life is at its most chaotic, we can trust Christ to bring us a peace equal to the confusion. In our darkest moments, Jesus is both present and powerful, able to quiet the wind and calm the seas. So many people in our day are experiencing a level of uncertainty heretofore unknown by our generation. It is at times like this that we discover the extent and strength of our spirituality. With banks failing and retirements fading and futures disrupted, where do we turn to find peace or hope? Authentic spirituality is not limited to or by how we fare in crisis; but crisis is an accurate barometer as to just what (or who) it is we depend upon for meaning and joy.

Whatever the storms, we can be in awe of Christ - for his faithful presence, his awesome power - for the good news that he is "in the boat" with us.

Mark 5 for next time .

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

Lesson 377

Mark 4: ²⁶He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

Donahue and Harrington point out a simple grammatical point that can change how we might read this text. He also said ... is translated in their commentary like this: And he would say ...

A small thing, but such a different twist! It is much more conversational to read it that way, and this alternate translation is the more literal one than what is above in the NIV translation.

The T-Shirts and Bumper Stickers that were so popular several years - WWJD - What Would Jesus Do? Donahue and Harrington open up another approach for us - in any given circumstance what might Jesus say? And he would say ... Now, to the parable...

How random is the scattering in this "kingdom of God" story. In the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:3-8) we are told of four very specific locations where the seed was scattered - 1. Along the path. 2. On rocky places. 3. Among thorns. 4. On good soil. Then, Jesus presents two patterns, more apparent in the Greek text of Mark 4:27, where the word "and" occurs five times. There is the pattern of "night and day" (notice the Hebrew way of marking time here - the day begins with the evening before). Part of that pattern is the sleeping and rising that we humans do. The second pattern is that of "sprouting" and "growing". "Growing" is, in the Greek, literally lengthening. The seed bursts forth from the ground, and then slowly, over time, grows longer. All this is happening as the man watches and goes about his daily routines. This unhurried, natural progression is again underscored with the "stalk, then the head, then the full kernel ..." This happens "all by itself" Finally, the harvest is gathered. There is great similarity between this verse and Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.

God's power is behind all of this. It may be happening gradually such that we hardly can see any difference. But in our lives the kingdom of God is being played out - in every one of life's routine circumstances. Indeed, isn't it in the "routines" of our lives that we experience both the most satisfaction and the greatest challenges? We use the season of Lent to introduce something a bit out of the ordinary into our daily patterns - but the truth of it is that our lives are built on the routines we have adopted and adapted to day after day. In those routines, do we hear Jesus speaking? And he would say ... What would he say?

Mark 4: ³⁰Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. ³²Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Pliny (AD 23 - August 29, 79 - he died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius) described the Mustard Plant as one that germinates rapidly and takes over a garden. The point of the parable seems to be simply this - that the kingdom of God is both "hardy and intrusive" - it cannot be stopped, and it's strength must not be underestimated. Ultimately it will win the day. There is an eschatological dimension to these parables - an ominous ring to them that balances the "nearness" proclaimed by Jesus in Mark 1:15 The kingdom of God has come near. It is "near" in that it is being worked into our lives every day; but the day of harvest will come.

Next time, the STORM. Look at Mark 4:35-41 if you get the chance.