On Line Bible Study - For the week May 25-31, 2009

Lesson 389

Mark 8: ¹¹The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. ¹²He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." ¹³Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

Let's remember where we are - Jesus has just fed four thousand people. The text from Mark 8:11-13 is a transitional one. But, as is often true in music, the transitions can be the most important part of the story. If you recall, the crowds in the previous verses had gathered around Jesus; now, Jesus is in a more isolated context - not with an adoring crowd, but with an antagonistic small group of religious leaders.

What the Pharisees are asking for is an authentication of the ministry of Jesus. This might seem odd to us today - as if the miracle of feeding four thousand people would not be enough! But if we remember the way the Bible is written, we recall that not everyone who could do these "miraculous acts" were necessarily people of God. So, perhaps we have to cut the Pharisees some slack. But on the other hand . . .

What is their motive? Also, note that if previous signs had not convinced them, why would some other sign do the trick? What did they want Jesus to do? (If we ever get there, we will consider what St. Paul says in I Corinthians: "Jews demand signs ...")

The "authentication" is not in the actions of Jesus as much as in the person of Jesus. Can we say that God is God not because of what God does, but simply because of who God is? Unfortunately, the Pharisees are not the only ones who don't get it ...

Mark 8: ¹⁴The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." ¹⁶They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread." ¹⁷Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

"Twelve," they replied.

²⁰"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

They answered, "Seven."
²¹He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

One loaf - one loaf they had with them ... Unusual, don't you think? Remember when the disciples were sent out on their missionary journey? Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey - no bread. "Bread" won't be mentioned again in Mark until the last supper.

"Yeast" - a necessary ingredient if bread is going to rise, is also understood to be a corrupting agent. A small amount makes the difference - one way or the other. We all have experienced a brief comment we overhear that bothers us, upsets us. Sometimes just a single word is enough to send our spirit into a downward spiral.

There is something important about the bread - "these loaves". And consistently the disciples don't get it. After Jesus feeds five thousand we read the comment: They had not understood about the loaves ... (Mark 6:52). As noted in our discussion of Mark 6, a "hardened heart" is one of the harshest criticisms that can be leveled against us.

The last sentence is understood by some commentators not to be a question, but a statement - an exclamatory statement of Jesus' disappointment.

The thing is, we do know, don't we. We are aware of how dramatically things have to change - how deeply we have to change. We "know"; but we don't yet understand. Will we ever?

One last comment - Did you notice that Jesus makes reference to "Herod" as well as the Pharisees? (See verse 15. Matthew changes this.) There is some speculation as to what exactly Jesus means here. I can't help but wonder if he may have been referring to the way in which power can be a "yeast" that renders us incapable of "seeking first God's kingdom ....

You have eyes but fail to see ...

Guess what happens next ...

On Line Bible Study - For the week May 18-24, 2009

Lesson 388

Mark 8: ¹During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ²"I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."

⁴His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?"

⁵"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.
"Seven," they replied.

⁶He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. ⁷They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. ⁸The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ⁹About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, ¹⁰he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

There are some obvious similarities between this text and the feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:30 ff). But there are some interesting characteristics that deserve our attention.

First, Jesus is the one who notices the hunger of the people here. In Mark 6 the disciples point out the fact that the people need to be fed. But in the text we consider today Jesus is the one who has compassion - the crowd had been following him for three days. The emphasis in this story is on the hunger of the people - though we can assume that Jesus has been teaching, we might also assume that the crowd has been following him, witnessing his miracles, walking with him, as it were. There is no reference to their being "without a shepherd" (see Mark 6:14). Here, the emphasis is on the fact that they are hungry, and Jesus responds to this physical need.

"Three days" - an important period of time! (See Genesis 30:36; Exodus 3:18, 5:3, 8:27; Numbers 10:33; Joshua 1:11; I Samuel 30:12; Esther 4:16 for some Hebrew Bible references to "three days".) It refers to times of journeying to offer sacrifices to God, a distance of separation, a time of fasting ... and of course, it will denote the time Jesus is buried. We will come to that a bit later in the chapter.

Then, there is the number "seven" - seven loaves. In the feeding of the 5000, the number of loaves and fish available combined to make the number seven (five loaves and two fish). In Acts 6, seven are chosen to serve; in Revelation 2-3, seven churches are mentioned. And in the story we have before us, there are seven baskets of leftovers collected (as opposed to 12 baskets left over in Mark 6).

Another textual factor that, depending on your translation, could easily be missed is the difference between "giving thanks" for and "blessing" the food. In Mark 6:41, Jesus "blesses" the bread (the Greek word is eulogesas). Notice the more "eucharistic" language in Mark 8:6-7 where Jesus "gives thanks" (the Greek word is eucharistesas). Remember how important "eating" is for the early church - what could be eaten, and what is "clean" and "unclean". Is Mark driving the point home here that Jesus intends to "feed" the Jews (Mark 6) and the Gentiles (Mark 8) ?! Jesus has compassion on us all!

Jesus has broken down the barriers. There is no need for us to build them again!
More on Mark 8 next time ...

On Line Bible Study - For the week May 11-19, 2009

Lesson 387

Mark 7: ²⁴Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. ²⁵In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

²⁸"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." ²⁹Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

³⁰She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Donahue and Harrington suggest this story is all about "boundaries". Jesus has left Jewish territory and entered Gentile lands. From history we know that the people of Tyre were not only Gentiles; they were antagonistic against the Jews. According to Josephus the Tyrians imprisoned and killed many Jews at the outbreak of the Jewish Wars in 66. So not only was this foreign territory; it was hostile territory as well.

The "boundaries" that Jesus is poking at and puncturing

• From "friendly" to "hostile" territory;
  
• "private" / "public";
• "Greek" / "Jew";
• "Good" / "Evil"
  

His next stop would be the Decapolis - a grouping of 10 cities who primary culture and majority population was Greek. As with the woman whose daughter was overcome by a demon in Tyre, so too the people begged Jesus to heal a man who was deaf and could hardly speak.

Mark 7: 33 Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. ³⁴He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). ³⁵At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Recalling the conversation that opened the chapter - about what makes a person "clean" or "unclean" - Jesus foray into hostile, Gentile territory is a testimony to his living his own message. One can't help but wonder, however, how it is that Jesus' reputation was such that these "foreigners" would have so much faith in him. Could it be that the testimony of the demon-possessed man from Chapter 5 has reached so many people?

Jesus was not afraid to make the difficult trips, to face the hostile crowds, to proclaim healing (salvation?) in the parts of his world that were both most needy to hear it, and most antagonistic towards it! There is real irony here .... so many of his own resisted him, while so many of these foreigners came begging to him.

Are there ways you are "hostile" to the message of healing and peace (and salvation?) that Jesus proclaims?

We head into Chapter 8 next time.