For Our April 26th Meeting

Mark 1:1-45

Last Wednesday I handed out a study guide on the Gospel of Mark and began our group reviewing the material in the first few pages. Here is a copy of the material that covers Chapter one of Mark's Gospel.

Please read the first chapter over first and then read the material below.

When you see this type (bolded italics), it is me asking you to consider this or that point or asking a question. You don't have to respond, but I am recommending that you keep a notebook/journal for your any responses you make and to write down your own questions. You can post your questions or comments on this blog or send them to me by email. We will try to address these items on Wednesdays.

After reading the material provided, return to the Gospel and read the first chapter over again. Read it slowly and prayerfully.

Assumptions About Mark

v It was written long ago - about 70 A.D.

v It was written in a different culture

v It was written anonymously

v It was written with an agenda - “from faith to faith”

v It was written in the form of a story

v It was written to be heard

w Mark was not a popular gospel to study until the 19th century

w It was characterized as the unsophisticated gospel

w According to tradition, Eusebius quotes Papias as saying that Mark transcribed Peter’s memories of Jesus

Assumptions About the Audience

v You have some familiarity with Mark

v You have access to a Bible in a good translation

v You are willing to commit to reading the biblical text as the primary text

v You understand chapter and verse references

v You have some relationship to a Christian tradition

v You will be reading Mark and Hearing Mark silently and alone


KINGDOM MARK 1:1—4:34

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)

v Intended to be the title of the book


Gospel

v Good news of Jesus and the good news about Jesus

Write down a list of events that you have called "Good News" in the course of your life time.

What is the difference between Good News "of" Jesus and the Good News "about" Jesus?

What would you say is the Good News that Jesus brings to us?

What does the Church teach as the Good News about Jesus?

v Same term used to refer to the Roman emperor’s appearances, legislation, and military victories

Why do you think Mark used the same term as the Roman Empire used?

v A possible challenge to imperial prerogatives Jesus

Do you think that using this term continues to be used from both a religious and political point of view?

v Brings the good news of the kingdom of God

Jesus seems to announce a Kingdom that is separate and distinct from the Kingdom ruled by the Emperor. Why do you think Jesus separated these two kingdoms?

v Our text interested in elucidating the character of Jesus as described in Mark

As you read through the first chapter of Mark, make a list of words that you think would describe Jesus' character.


Christ

v A title, not Jesus’ last name

v Christos in Greek

v Mashiah in Hebrew

v Means anointed, Christ comes from the same Greek root as Crisco

v Anointing in Jewish traditions has ties to the monarchy, the priesthood, and prophecy

v Indicates that a person has been designated by God to serve in some special capacity

w Use of this title without explanation suggests that Mark was writing for a Jewish audience, or at least those who understood their traditions

What title would you suggest that would describe Jesus to you or others in our culture?

Son of God

v Not synonymous with a claim of divinity in the early days of Christianity

v Meant someone who was obedient to God

v As a son is obedient to his father, so the righteous man is obedient to God

v In Hebrew Bible could mean all of Israel, the king, or any righteous man (Hosea 11:1, Psalm 2:7, Wisdom of Solomon 2:18)

Do you consider yourself to be a son or daughter of God?

The beginning

v Because we don’t know the ending yet

v Mark expected the apex of the story to occur with Jesus’ return with power, but even this is not the ending (Mark 13:31)

JESUS AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD (MARK 1:1-45)

John the Baptizer (Mark 1:2-8)

v So, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus is a prophecy of Isaiah about John the Baptist

w This quote is a combination of Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 with a hint of Exodus 23:20

v We are given specifics about what John wears and eats

v Mark assumes that his audience knows the Bible, that is the Hebrew Bible
John dresses like Elijah (2 Kings 1:8, Zechariah 13:4)
Elijah’s return is associated with the last days (Malachi 4:5)
w Jewish scholars expected that the “messenger sent to prepare the way” of Malachi 3:1 was Elijah

Look up the passages mentioned above in your Bible and write them down in your journal.

v Mark points to Isaiah, Isaiah points to John, John points to Jesus and Jesus is the one who comes

v Jesus is the one who comes to John to be baptized for repentance

w Washing rituals are an important feature of Jewish worship, especially for priests about to enter the temple, where they would enter the presence of God

Do we have any washing rituals in our worship as Christians?

w Mark begins in the wilderness, not in Jerusalem, where one would expect to find baptism for repentance of sins

w To the historians of the day, John is a more important figure than Jesus

w John’s preaching promises baptism by fire, a baptism superior to water baptism (Jesus is superior to John)

When you hear such an expression, "baptism by fire" what do you think of?

Jesus’ Baptism (Mark 1:9-11)

v Jesus’ baptism elicits a divine response: the heavens are torn apart

w Juel notes that this kind of violent tearing is not easily repaired

v The boundary between God and human beings has been breached

w “God is on the loose”

v The Spirit descending like a dove is another indication that the gap between God and humans is narrowed

w Literally, the Spirit descends into Jesus, suggesting a picture of Jesus as Spirit- possessed by the Spirit of God

v A voice says “You are my son”

v By now the audience is clued in that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and expectations are set up for the coming victory, or...

Jesus’ Testing (Mark 1:12-13)

v Now the Spirit “throws him out” into the wilderness

w This is the same word used for driving out demons

v Later Jesus will be throwing unclean spirits out of people, but first the most clean Spirit throws Jesus out

What is your reaction to this statement above about Jesus being thrown out by the "most clean Spirit?"

v Jesus is in the wilderness for 40 days

v Who else was in the wilderness for 40 somethings?

v Jesus passes the testing in the wilderness and is ministered to (or deaconed) by angels

v Right at the beginning of Mark we know that Satan is allied with the forces of evil and that Jesus has clearly sided with God and the forces of good

How can we know when evil is near? What is the relationship between forgiving others and not being led into temptation? Jesus as judge was led into the wildnerness to be tempted by the evil one. How does this statement suggest that the One who judges must first be sifted by Satan in order to be proven capable of being our judge?

Jesus’ Preaching (Mark1:14-15)

v “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”

v Chronos (or clock) time vs. Kairos (or quality or right) time

w This is a time of crisis, or decision, or tipping point

v In Jesus’ and Mark’s day, people thought that evil was so prevalent that the end times must be near

v Jesus announces that the kingdom of God is breaking into time

v “Kingdom is not a place; kingdom is an activity of God as ruler.”

v Our response is to repent and trust in God

First Disciples (Mark 1:16-20)

v The kingdom of God is such a big concept that it requires additional workers

v So Jesus begins by calling 2 brothers Simon and Andrew
Do you want to fish for people?
Recalls a metaphor used in apocalyptic Judaism in which the final judgement is symbolised by a net full of fish that are sorted out

v Next Jesus calls James and John who are with their father, whom they leave behind

w The charge of Rome against Christians was that this destruction of family ties was anti-social

How might the Christians of today be seen as anti-family or anti-society?

v Maybe our usual roles will have to be rethought

Teaching and Casting Out a Demon (Mark1:21-28)

v Back in Capernaum, on the sabbath, Jesus goes to synagogue where he teaches with authority

w In Mark, Jesus begins his ministry in “a holy place on a holy day”

v The people notice that Jesus’ authority is different from the authority of the scribes

v In the synagogue, there is a man with an unclean spirit who calls Jesus “the Holy One of God”

w The unclean spirit is out of place, “an unholy thing in a holy place”

w No human will ascribe to Jesus the title Son of God until his trial

v Take note that the spirit world, whether good or evil, knows things that ordinary people do not know

v The unclean spirit also seems to know that Jesus’ arrival signals their demise

v Jesus’ exorcism of the unclean spirit is connected by the people with Jesus’ authoritative teaching

v There is a pattern here, or a sandwich
A reference to teaching
A reference to exorcism
A reference to teaching

v Together they tell us that the coming kingdom of God is signalled by the defeat of Satan’s forces

Healing a Fever (Mark 1:29-31)

v After the synagogue incident, Jesus goes to Simon’s house where Simon’s mother-in-law is ill

w Note that it is still the sabbath

v Jesus heals her and she ministers or “deacons” them

Word for minister is used infrequently in Mark, and so far we’ve seen 2 uses

v 2 healing stories
Man healed in synagogue, a public space
Woman healed at home, a woman’s space
Demonstrates that gender and social location are no barrier to Jesus

Healing Many (Mark 1:32-34)

v Mark tells us that the 2 preceding healings are just examples of the many people Jesus healed

v Jesus instructs the demons to keep silent
Known as the Messianic secret
Mark’s audience, like the demons, know the secret

v So far we know that Jesus is a powerful healer and teacher

Praying and Preaching (Mark 1:35-39)

v Jesus retreats to the wilderness to pray

v Simon “tracks him down” because so many are waiting to be healed

v Jesus agrees to go with them, but to the next town where he can proclaim his message to others

Healing a Leper (Mark 1:40-45)

v Leprosy is any one of a variety of skin conditions, all of which isolate their victims

w With this healing, Jesus begins a pattern of breaking down ritual boundaries

w These boundaries were established by the Torah, as a means to protect life and community, not as a means to salvation

v Jesus has pity on the leper and heals him

w The Greek here suggests an exorcism; literally it says, “And snorting at him in indignation, Jesus cast him out.”

w It is difficult to understand Jesus’ anger here

v Then astonishingly, he asks the leper not to tell, except he can tell the priest to be restored to the community

v Implied is that the healing, and thus Jesus’ power, can be attributed to God

See you next Wednesday. Remember that we will be celebrating the Holy Eucharist at 7 PM, if you can make it.