Mark 16 is Resurrection Sunday. It is simply told: the women went to the tomb to anoint the body when they got there the body was gone and there was a vision of an "angel" (young man dressed in a white robe). The story seems to end with them in amazement and terror and they went away afraid. Later Jesus appears to them and commands them to proclaim the message of eternal salvation. It is short, it is abrupt and it appears unfinished.
This "unfinished" nature of ending of Mark may explain why later scribes have attached some longer endings and post resurrection stories. Most of the most ancient authorities don't include verses 9 through 20 in the original text of Mark. The stories and text that are in 9-20 seem to be duplicated in the other gospels and are likely authentic stories of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, what scholars question are the placement of those stories here. Given Mark's propensity for action it would not be surprising to have the Gospel end as abruptly as it began. It began with John the Baptist preaching, it ends in awe and wonder, an empty tomb and some great questions.
These textual difficulties appear in the New Testament on occasion. This passage and the first part of John 8 (the woman caught in adultery) are the longer passages in question. We tend to hold them lightly and to rely on the other extended resurrection narratives for details on the story.
What I am left with is an empty tomb and a big question: so what happened? What did the "young man dressed in white" mean "he is risen"? What happened later in Galilee? We know the story so apparently the women got over their awe and fear and began to tell others.
bj
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
ROMANS
In anticipation of our beginning Romans 1 on Tuesday, January 24. Here is my introduction the Epistle to the Romans from the Biblical and Theological Sampler I wrote for Nexus Seminary, Uganda:
The Epistle to the Romans is the only systematic presentation of Christian theology in the New Testament. Written by Paul as a letter of introduction to the Church in Rome around AD 57, Romans provides the most balanced statement of Paul’s theology in the New Testament. He wrote the letter in the hope that the church in Rome would support Paul’s mission to Spain. Paul had been taking a collection for the poor in Judea and intended to visit Rome and go on to Spain after he delivered the gift to the elders in Jerusalem. The book of Acts reveals that Paul was arrested in Jerusalem shortly after delivering the gift and when he arrived in Rome several years later, he arrived in chains and under house arrest awaiting trial before the Emperor.
Rome was the capital of an empire which stretched from Britain to Arabia. The Mediterranean Sea was essentially a Roman lake. The central theme of Romans is that faith in Christ is the only ground for humans being accepted by God. We are all alike, Jew or Gentile, we all stand condemned. But God offers free pardon and a new life through Jesus, who served our punishment for us.
Romans’ place in Christian history is incalculable. Augustine of Hippo (ca. 400), one of the great doctors of the early Church, was converted to faith in Jesus Christ while reading Paul’s letter to the Romans. Martin Luther (ca. 1500), an Augustinian monk, had his tower experience of conversation to faith in Christ while studying Paul’s letter to the Romans. John Wesley (ca. 1735), the founder of Methodism, felt his heart strangely warmed while listening to someone read from Luther’s preface to Paul’s letter to the Romans at a prayer meeting in London.
Key Learning: Salvation is not earned by keeping the minute details of the Hebrew law; Salvation comes by faith (trust) in Jesus Christ.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Mark 15
Good Friday in Mark's gospel. Jesus is taken to Pontus Pilate who is the Roman Governor. Judea has a Roman Governor because the puppet King (one of Herod the Great's sons) had to be removed because of his brutality and because he could not keep the peace. I've often imagined how bad the king had to be for Pilate to be considered an upgrade.
Verse 16 is describing an ancient roman military game called the "King's game" there are drawings and documents that suggest that the soldiers amused themselves by mocking political prisoners in this way. Remember, because Jesus claimed kingship (even if his kingdom is not of this world) under Roman law he has set himself up as a rival to the emperor. Jesus was sent to Pilate by the Sanhedrin for religious reasons. He was crucified for political reasons. The charge "King of the Jews" in Roman understanding means "treason".
Verse 21 -- notice Simon of Cyrene "the father of Alexander and Rufus" seems an odd detail. Reasonable conjecture would be that Alexander and Rufus are known members and leaders in the Christian community that John Mark (the author) is a part of. They are included here to remind the listen (reader) that the facts of Simon's carrying Jesus' cross can be verified by asking Simon's sons.
Verse 34 -- eloi eloi lema sabach'thani? My God my God why have you forsaken me? This statement by Jesus has led to an unusual amount of commentary. How has God forsaken him? Does he feel cut off from his Father for the first time in his life? Why does he feel this? Now at the end of the story, when the work is soon to be accomplished, does Jesus feel alone? My current favorite thought is this: in the ancient world the Psalms were not numbered as they are in your bibles. The psalms were remembered by the first line of the Psalm. They would not say, for example, "Psalm 23" but Psalm beginning "the Lord is my shepherd". To quote the first line was to invoke the rest of the psalm. I mention this because "My God, My God why have you forsaken me" is opening line of Psalm 22 -- you might want to check out the rest of the Psalm.
Note that at the foot of the cross is Mary Magdalene, a disciple of Jesus and "Mary, the mother of James the younger and of Joses and Salome." -- that would be Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Monday, Resurrection day as per Mark.
I will also be posting over the weekend my introduction to the Epistle to the Romans.
Verse 16 is describing an ancient roman military game called the "King's game" there are drawings and documents that suggest that the soldiers amused themselves by mocking political prisoners in this way. Remember, because Jesus claimed kingship (even if his kingdom is not of this world) under Roman law he has set himself up as a rival to the emperor. Jesus was sent to Pilate by the Sanhedrin for religious reasons. He was crucified for political reasons. The charge "King of the Jews" in Roman understanding means "treason".
Verse 21 -- notice Simon of Cyrene "the father of Alexander and Rufus" seems an odd detail. Reasonable conjecture would be that Alexander and Rufus are known members and leaders in the Christian community that John Mark (the author) is a part of. They are included here to remind the listen (reader) that the facts of Simon's carrying Jesus' cross can be verified by asking Simon's sons.
Verse 34 -- eloi eloi lema sabach'thani? My God my God why have you forsaken me? This statement by Jesus has led to an unusual amount of commentary. How has God forsaken him? Does he feel cut off from his Father for the first time in his life? Why does he feel this? Now at the end of the story, when the work is soon to be accomplished, does Jesus feel alone? My current favorite thought is this: in the ancient world the Psalms were not numbered as they are in your bibles. The psalms were remembered by the first line of the Psalm. They would not say, for example, "Psalm 23" but Psalm beginning "the Lord is my shepherd". To quote the first line was to invoke the rest of the psalm. I mention this because "My God, My God why have you forsaken me" is opening line of Psalm 22 -- you might want to check out the rest of the Psalm.
Note that at the foot of the cross is Mary Magdalene, a disciple of Jesus and "Mary, the mother of James the younger and of Joses and Salome." -- that would be Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Monday, Resurrection day as per Mark.
I will also be posting over the weekend my introduction to the Epistle to the Romans.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Mark 14
Holy Week Wednesday and Thursday are the focus on Mark 14. The anointing at Bethany and Judas' deal making are the focus of Wednesday. Wednesday of Holy Week is sometimes called "Spy" Wednesday because of Judas' "looking out for an opportunity to betray him". We move from there to Jesus Last Supper (Passover) with the disciples. There is one oddity in the story. Notice that Jesus has set up the dinner preparations and location ahead of time: they are waiting and expecting and room has been prepared. The oddity is that they are told to follow a man carrying a jar of water. In the first century a key household responsibility was bringing water from the village well or cistern to the home. This was women's work. The women would gather early morning and/or evening with their stone jars, draw and carry water for household use. The only reason for man to be carrying a jar of water is that he is in a household that does not have women. We know from the Dead Sea scrolls that the Essene community lived gender segregated lives and that they had some urban houses. Could the location of the last supper be one of the Essene community houses in the city of Jerusalem?
I am going to talk about Peter's denial in my sermon on Sunday (both the prediction and the event).
Jesus goes to Gethsemane (word means "place of the olive press"). Gethsemane was at the foot of the mount of olives (so called because of the abundance of olive trees that grow there). This garden was a quiet place that was less than a half a mile from the gates of Jerusalem. Here Jesus prays for strength to face his coming ordeal. He is taken to the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council) where he is challenged and eventually convicted. He is held for the night before being taken to the Roman governor. He has to go to the governor because the council has pronounced the death penalty which the council has no authority to enforce. Under Roman occupation only the Romans were allowed to legally put someone to death. Jesus goes to Pilate and to the Cross in tomorrow's reading.
bj
I am going to talk about Peter's denial in my sermon on Sunday (both the prediction and the event).
Jesus goes to Gethsemane (word means "place of the olive press"). Gethsemane was at the foot of the mount of olives (so called because of the abundance of olive trees that grow there). This garden was a quiet place that was less than a half a mile from the gates of Jerusalem. Here Jesus prays for strength to face his coming ordeal. He is taken to the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council) where he is challenged and eventually convicted. He is held for the night before being taken to the Roman governor. He has to go to the governor because the council has pronounced the death penalty which the council has no authority to enforce. Under Roman occupation only the Romans were allowed to legally put someone to death. Jesus goes to Pilate and to the Cross in tomorrow's reading.
bj
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Mark 13
This section is often called the "little apocalypse" in Mark. It is written in a different style than the rest of the gospel and utilizes much more symbolic language (dark suns, powers shaken, etc) than the rest. The difficulty for most modern readers is that the chapter is really about two different things and we often merge them or misunderstand them. The two issues are:
1. Jesus is predicting the impending destruction of the temple. History records a Jewish revolt that began in the late AD 60's (66-67). This revolt "liberated" Jerusalem and two other fortresses moving south and east from Jerusalem (the Herodian and Masada). In response to this circumstance, Imperial Rome sent General Titus and the Roman army who laid siege to Jerusalem, eventually captured the city and completely destroyed it. Titus reports to his superiors that he burned the buildings, broke down the walls, cut down the trees, salted the fields and "did not leave one stone standing upon another". By the way, the famous Western or "Wailing" wall in Jerusalem is the foundational retaining wall of the temple mount. When Jesus speaks of the Persecution, being on trial, etc. he is speaking of the days leading up to this destruction. The temple was destroyed in AD 70 and has never been rebuilt. The current Muslim holy site (The Dome of the Rock) currently occupies much of the region where the Temple originally stood. It is worth noting that Jesus words are spoken 40 years before the event and the writing of Mark's gospel was, at best guess, 15 years before Jerusalem's destruction.
2. The second piece begins at v 24 and is speaking of the second coming of Jesus. The critical understandings in this section are that A) Jesus is coming back; and B) no one knows when (see verse 32). When people attempt to stir others up with predictions of Jesus return or other doom and gloom end of the world predictions -- Biblically they will never work. Cannot know when Jesus is coming back all we can truthfully know is that he IS coming back and that we should keep awake and a watchful eye.
bj
1. Jesus is predicting the impending destruction of the temple. History records a Jewish revolt that began in the late AD 60's (66-67). This revolt "liberated" Jerusalem and two other fortresses moving south and east from Jerusalem (the Herodian and Masada). In response to this circumstance, Imperial Rome sent General Titus and the Roman army who laid siege to Jerusalem, eventually captured the city and completely destroyed it. Titus reports to his superiors that he burned the buildings, broke down the walls, cut down the trees, salted the fields and "did not leave one stone standing upon another". By the way, the famous Western or "Wailing" wall in Jerusalem is the foundational retaining wall of the temple mount. When Jesus speaks of the Persecution, being on trial, etc. he is speaking of the days leading up to this destruction. The temple was destroyed in AD 70 and has never been rebuilt. The current Muslim holy site (The Dome of the Rock) currently occupies much of the region where the Temple originally stood. It is worth noting that Jesus words are spoken 40 years before the event and the writing of Mark's gospel was, at best guess, 15 years before Jerusalem's destruction.
2. The second piece begins at v 24 and is speaking of the second coming of Jesus. The critical understandings in this section are that A) Jesus is coming back; and B) no one knows when (see verse 32). When people attempt to stir others up with predictions of Jesus return or other doom and gloom end of the world predictions -- Biblically they will never work. Cannot know when Jesus is coming back all we can truthfully know is that he IS coming back and that we should keep awake and a watchful eye.
bj
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Mark 12
Mark writes in this chapter about the increasing conflict between Jesus and the various religious authorities. First the Pharisees and the Herodians (Pharisees were the ultra orthodox religious folks -- the Herodians were a political party working in collaboration with the Roman government) who ask a question that is part theological and part political. Is it lawful to pay taxes. If God is the sovereign ruler of the Israel then supporting any foreign government would be a form of idolatry. The political question is trickier: When one rose to power in the ancient world the first act was to mint coins with one's name and image on it. This displayed ownership of the currency of the realm. The coins, in fact, belonged to the ruler and were used by everyone to trade and buy and sell. Is it lawful to pay taxes? Since the image and likeness of Caesar is on the coin it belongs to him -- return it to him. the bigger question is: What is the image and likeness that should be returned to God? (see Genesis 1:26)
Next up are the Sadducees. Dr. Jerry Horner, New Testament professor at college, used to tell us: they do not believe in the resurrection that is why they are "sad - u - see" (makes it easy to remember them). The question of the seven brothers for one bride, though rooted in the Old Testament law, is ridiculous and Jesus treats it as such. Notice his description of our post resurrection selves.
The question about the great commandment -- there were hundreds of commandments in the Old Testament and thousands more that made up the "oral Torah". If 100 Rabbis of Jesus time were asked this question nearly all of them would have given the same answer Jesus did. From the Old Testament, the heart of the matter is the unity of God and our call to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). The second is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Rick Warren once wrote that a great commitment to the great commandment and the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20) leads to a great church. A church that is committed to loving God and our neighbor and going out to make disciples for Jesus will make a huge impact for the gospel of Jesus Christ in this world!
bj
Next up are the Sadducees. Dr. Jerry Horner, New Testament professor at college, used to tell us: they do not believe in the resurrection that is why they are "sad - u - see" (makes it easy to remember them). The question of the seven brothers for one bride, though rooted in the Old Testament law, is ridiculous and Jesus treats it as such. Notice his description of our post resurrection selves.
The question about the great commandment -- there were hundreds of commandments in the Old Testament and thousands more that made up the "oral Torah". If 100 Rabbis of Jesus time were asked this question nearly all of them would have given the same answer Jesus did. From the Old Testament, the heart of the matter is the unity of God and our call to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). The second is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Rick Warren once wrote that a great commitment to the great commandment and the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20) leads to a great church. A church that is committed to loving God and our neighbor and going out to make disciples for Jesus will make a huge impact for the gospel of Jesus Christ in this world!
bj
Monday, January 16, 2012
Mark 11
The Palm Sunday, Triumphal entry into Jerusalem is staged. There is a provocative intentionality to Jesus actions that is often over looked. I believe he prearranged for the the colt to be tied where it was. I believe he chose the donkey to convey a very specific meaning: a king rode a horse to conquer by force but a king rode a donkey when he came in peace. The donkey is chosen to convey his intentions -- not a political revolution but a much more dangerous kind -- a revolution of heart and soul!
He cleans out the money changers, the sellers of doves and "those carrying things" through the temple. The golden gate from the Kidron valley into the City of Jerusalem opened onto the temple mount. It was a short cut for merchants to come in through the Golden Gate on their way up to the city. However, this route took the merchants through the "court of the Gentiles" the outer court of the temple. The money changers are changing money from Roman and other currencies to the temple shekel (at a profit). The sacrificial code allowed that if a person could not afford the animal sacrifice they could substitute a pigeon or young dove: the sellers of the doves are taking advantage of the poorest who are coming to worship. Animals and merchants are occupying all of that court of the Gentiles space made it nearly impossible for people to have peace and to be able to focus their prayers. Imagine being in Church on Sunday and having the back of the church filled with people clinking coins, the parlor filled with the cries of animals and the sounds of birds and, through and above it all, men shouting to their beasts of burden as the beasts carried merchandise through the middle of it all. I'm thinking it would be really really hard to concentrate, to listen and to pray. "My house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL the nations. But you have made it a den of robbers!" (Mark 11:17) The chief priests are looking to kill him because he is now directly impacting their livelihood -- the money changers are taking a profit, the sellers are taking a profit . . . and the priests (the Sadducee party) are skimming their share and renting the tables and booths.
Making money off of religion is nothing new. We often decry the outrageous lifestyles of television preachers and evangelists and the enormous wealth of certain denominations . . . it is nothing new. All we can do is keep ourselves clear of the love of money and NEVER ever sell what God has given for free. This is not to say the priests were not entitled to their livelihood (Biblically this is provided for). It is not having the priests and Levites taken care of -- but the amassed wealth and using the place of worship to increase that wealth that is so troublesome. This makes Jesus angry and he responds appropriately.
bj
He cleans out the money changers, the sellers of doves and "those carrying things" through the temple. The golden gate from the Kidron valley into the City of Jerusalem opened onto the temple mount. It was a short cut for merchants to come in through the Golden Gate on their way up to the city. However, this route took the merchants through the "court of the Gentiles" the outer court of the temple. The money changers are changing money from Roman and other currencies to the temple shekel (at a profit). The sacrificial code allowed that if a person could not afford the animal sacrifice they could substitute a pigeon or young dove: the sellers of the doves are taking advantage of the poorest who are coming to worship. Animals and merchants are occupying all of that court of the Gentiles space made it nearly impossible for people to have peace and to be able to focus their prayers. Imagine being in Church on Sunday and having the back of the church filled with people clinking coins, the parlor filled with the cries of animals and the sounds of birds and, through and above it all, men shouting to their beasts of burden as the beasts carried merchandise through the middle of it all. I'm thinking it would be really really hard to concentrate, to listen and to pray. "My house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL the nations. But you have made it a den of robbers!" (Mark 11:17) The chief priests are looking to kill him because he is now directly impacting their livelihood -- the money changers are taking a profit, the sellers are taking a profit . . . and the priests (the Sadducee party) are skimming their share and renting the tables and booths.
Making money off of religion is nothing new. We often decry the outrageous lifestyles of television preachers and evangelists and the enormous wealth of certain denominations . . . it is nothing new. All we can do is keep ourselves clear of the love of money and NEVER ever sell what God has given for free. This is not to say the priests were not entitled to their livelihood (Biblically this is provided for). It is not having the priests and Levites taken care of -- but the amassed wealth and using the place of worship to increase that wealth that is so troublesome. This makes Jesus angry and he responds appropriately.
bj
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