Mark 12-16
This section sure does cover a lot of ground--from Jesus teaching and debating with the religious leaders, through his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension! An awful lot in a few days--and in Mark, it is a few days!
I found that much of the Matthew story kept bleeding into my hearing! Even though Mark is the older of the two gospels, having heard Matthew earlier, that was the story I kept wanting to return to.
I was struck by the fact that everyone wants answers. The religious leaders want them--as much out of desperation to trick him as anything, but some were genuine in their questions. The disciples want to know the answer--"When is the end coming?" And to some Jesus gives answers, to others he doesn't. Maybe answers aren't that important???
But what are we to do with the statement, "This generation will not pass away..." before the Kingdom comes. Jesus didn't return in glory. The paraousia has not occurred. We still have people proclaiming that we are living in the last days! What do we do with that? I tend to agree that these are words that are "put in Jesus mouth" to give comfort and support to the early church. Hang in there in the midst of persecution. The end is near! So how are we to read those verses now, in the waning days of Christendom?
I was interested in seeing which ending of Mark they would use. The oldest manuscripts end with the women running from the tomb in terror. But the recording went beyond--with the continuing disbelief. And can you blame them?
And what do you do with the list of "signs" that accompany those who believe? Casting out demons, speaking in tongues, picking up serpents, drinking poison, healing the sick? Is it any wonder that some sects of Christianity seem a bit "strange?" Are they just taking the Bible literally?
We now move to Luke! Join the conversation!
2 comments:
Wow! This section touched me as none before, so it must be my turn to comment. What struck me most today was the framing of this section: Mark chapters 13 and 14 include some of my favorite messages in the Bible - Jesus seems to emphasize to us in straight-forward terms that we CANNOT know the answers to so many of the questions we have for God. He says "not even the angels in Heaven" know God's timing. No matter how smart we are or how hard we study, there are things we WILL not understand.
Chapter 14 was written for those who suffer with depression; those who have been disappointed in their encounters with fellow man. Jesus so eloquently communicates his agony in Gethsemane: "my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." He asks God to take away his pain if there is any other way, but if not, he is willing to endure.
Just before and just after these two chapters, we hear stories of Jesus predicting the future followed by an account of how things happened exactly as Jesus described: from the colt who has never been ridden, the upper room for the Last Supper, Peter's denial and Judas' betrayal, he described accurately what was about to come.
These very specific examples of Jesus' knowledge of the future are set in a background of human "messiness" - a collection of parables and stories illuminating the political and power struggles in which we humans spend so much time and effort! From the vineyard owner attempting to collect his rent, questions about paying taxes, the Sadducees' theoretical arguments about ressurection, the way the rich posture with their charitable giving, the "wasting" of expensive oil which could have been used to feed the poor - to Jesus' arrest and the convoluted manner of determining his punishment - all these stories echo our modern day posturing.
Jesus' ability to accurately predict the future gives credence to His claim to be from God. When the centurion cries "surely this was the son of God" we agree with his conviction. Mark may not be the best writer in the Bible, but he does effectively lead up to this climactic admission, and he does present the heart of the matter in his "cut to the chase" style.
What I still ask myself is how to reconcile the differences in the gospels. Did Matthew and Mark just remember things differently? Did Matthew add stuff? Did Mark leave stuff out? There really are two fairly different pictures of Jesus in the two gospels we've covered so far. So what do we make of that? Is one "right" or at least closer to the truth than the other one? If I like Mark's Jesus better can I just pick him and ignore Matthew? I don't think so, but at times I think it would make things a lot easier.
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