Hearing Mark: chapters 4 & 5

This week we began to hear some of the teaching that we'd been told about, but not heard, in Mark's story up to now. It is good to remember just now that - in Mark's Gospel - miracles outnumber parables 5 to 1. (Although we have also heard little snippets of things Jesus has said or implied about the coming Kingdom, even if they are not what we would classically recognize as 'parables'.)

In chapter 4, we get the seed-bearing parables: the sower, the hidden growth of seed, and the mystery of the mustard seed. We here that Jesus taught with 'many such parables' and wouldn't teach without parables. There is something about the mystery inherent in these parables that may qualify some of our earlier points, especially the ever-present 'secret' which has been with us since the beginning of this story. It seems that Jesus is less interested in keeping his mission a secret than with acting out the hidden-but-to-be-revealed nature of the Kingdom of God through his ministry.
When Jesus leaves the shore having shared these parables about growth (and having upbraided the disciples for their lack of understanding), the rambling group set sail for the other side of Lake Genesaret (notice that there were other ships accompanying Jesus' boat?). On the way, after panicking during the storm, we learn that knowledge or understanding are opposed to fear, but the disciple's still don't get it, asking: What manner of man is this? We couldn't help but notice that Jesus seemed to calmly address the storm, but was angry with the disciples.

In chapter 5, we find that the Kingdom has power in places that Jews typically find abhorrent: among tombs, swine, and gentiles; with women who are menstruating; and with the dead. We also find that one's own faith (as well as that of our compatriots, as with the paralytic let down through the roof) can be enough to bring healing.

And the hidden revelation continued as a dead young girl (talitha), like a seed hidden in the depths of the earth, rose (kumi) to Jesus.

Oh, and did you notice that Jesus sent out the first apostle to the Gentiles? He told the man whom he had released from the demon Legion to go tell his family and friends how much the Lord had done for him.

And the lesson to the Disciples during the storm at sea was underlined to us again: Only believe; be not afraid.

I hope you've been able to keep up this far and that we will see each other Monday @ 7!

Read more on 'Hearing Mark: chapters 4 & 5'

Hearing Mark: chapters 2 & 3

It occurred to me that while we were wondering about the nature of Jesus' Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, that we should begin to note when we get snippets about it in the story.

Of course we have lots of information from Old Testament and Apocryphal writings [maybe I can look at what books are generally considered to have been extant around Rome], but we are also getting snippets from Jesus' own words. So far, we'eve heard that the Kingdom of Heaven:

1. has something to do with the Holy Spirit;
2. includes (human?) power over demons, sickness, and mental defect;
3. is a secret of sorts, but not an absolute secret;
4. the law of Moses still has force, but some (like sabbath) are flexible to match the needs of humans;
5. requires or allows the forgiveness for sins;
6. in some way, sinners are more welcome (?) than the righteous;
7. is somehow something new, but not altogether new, familiar, but transformed;
8. people are partners in their own healing/forgiveness;
9. is a new family, but with only one Father.

One big idea came up during our discussion: all of the dialog seems to form almost a continuous conversation. I recall something that is true for John's Gospel, and wonder if it might not be true here, too.

While John continually uses labels for groups of folks, he is almost always talking about a single group. A good example is the trial of the man, blind from birth, who was cured by Jesus. John uses the tag "Jew" to describe those who are indicting the man and his family to gather evidence against Jesus. However, it is good to remember that EVERYONE in that scene is a Jew. They all would have recognized each other; they would not have divided themselves, except as they were disagreeing about this particular incident.

Could everyone in Mark's story be part of the same group? Of course, most - if not specifically called Gentile - were Jews, but we wonder if it goes much further. When "the Pharisees" accuse the apostles of working by winnowing grains on the Sabbath, where did they come from? Either they were laying in wait for Jesus in the fields (which seems unlikely, especially on a sabbath), or they were travelling the same way. Now, if they were travelling the same way, wouldn't it make most sense if they were travelling WITH Jesus?

Maybe these were Pharisees who were following Jesus. This would also explain why the questions seem to carry from place to place, from the fields to the synagogue.

This seems to be an interesting idea that I don't think I've seen floated before. It would be very good to follow this idea as the story develops...and as it will continue in chapter 4 on Monday @ 7.

I hope to see you there! Read more on 'Hearing Mark: chapters 2 & 3'

Hearing Mark: chapter 1

Each week, I will try to post - after the fact - what we discussed after listening to that week's section of the Gospel. I will keep my notes short, but hopefully long enough for anyone to keep up without being there.

We were struck first by how much Mark tells us, and how much he doesn't.

We have a stay in the wilderness, but no idea what went on. We have people saying Jesus teaches with authority, but no idea why they say that. We do have three miracles, which we agree would give authority, but Jesus seems to be careful to keep the details secret from those who were not on-hand. Finally, we don't really know what Jesus' 'Gospel' is. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near; repent and believe the good news. God's rule is good news, but what does it mean practically?

Perhaps this is something in the 'scriptures' that we should know better, but for now we are left a bit puzzled about what this all means.

Clearly, though, it is something that includes miracles: healings and exorcisms. So there is power involved over the troubles of life; we want to see more of this sort of thing!

We figure that is why "all people" are looking for Jesus and why the "whole country" was crowding Jesus out of towns and cities. We also noticed that this means that the main space left for Jesus is the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan. we don't know what to make of this - if anything - but again it is something we'll have to keep an eye on.

Finally, we were struck by the language of the King James Version and how the words hit us. We especially noted that Peter's mother "ministered" to the disciples, and how that can mean very different things depending on the person hearing it. If we are right to guess that the audience included women, servants, and the outcast, we figure that 2/3 of the audience may have been women, and that all would have heard that differently than we hear "serve" in the modern world.

Rather than go back to the text, we're going to let that realization stick with us as we continue to listen. James Earl Jones said "ministered", and we're going to leave it that way to see how it changes our point of view and reactions.

Also, we saw that Jesus saw the heavens "torn" by God, but when he exorcised the first demon, it was only the victim who was "torn" by the demon. It still would be bad for that person, but it seems Satan has considerably less power than God (duh!).

I hope to see you all Monday @ 7 as we listen more of the Good News told by James Earl Jones. Read more on 'Hearing Mark: chapter 1'

Hearing Mark: just before the beginning

As we prepared to listen to The beginning of the Good news of Jesus Christ, a few bits came up in conversation that I thought it might be worth mentioning before going on to our reflections of that first chapter.

First, it is important to realize that Mark has a point to the way he tells the Good News that is different from the other Evangelists. To be true to that point or purpose, he selects episodes and details to emphasize, and we must hear his story in isolation from the other Gospels. The point is not to diminish the weight of the entire New Testament, but to try to hear Mark the way he means us to hear the story.

The start of the story is a good point. Mark has no nativity; he begins at the Jordan. We almost automatically fill in the missing details by selecting bits from the other Gospels: the Word, the shepherds, the kings, but Mark doesn't mention them. And it is quite possible that no one in those first audiences knew any of these story points that seem so familiar to us looking through 2,000 years of stained glass.

We have one story, and not much of that yet, to think about as we try to feel our way through this Good News.

That audience, however, may well have been quite familiar with Jewish texts. we considered the "God Fearers" who attended synagogue but were not converts to Judaism. When Jesus mentions what was required by the Law of Moses in response to healing, these folks might have even been able to say exactly what that was.

Gods had power in the ancient world and knowing how to ask and thank them for their help. Yahweh, for many Romans, was another of those powerful gods among many. You didn't want to upset Yahweh any more than you wanted to upset Hermes or Mars.

Finally, it is VERY important that we remember that Mark writing this story down is something of a technological revolution. The author clearly felt that there was something unique about Jesus that required a unique response. (That Christians collected these writings on bound pages rather than scrolls, increased the traction of that technological revolution.)

Mark saw a world turned upside down by what he knew about Jesus...and he probably wasn't among Jesus' followers in life. This is perhaps the best reason to try to hear the story with as few limits as we can use, giving that story a chance to speak loud and clear through those 2,000 years.

For Mark, this story in itself is an ultimate concern, something that cannot be left to good old word-of-mouth to bear it into the future. It requires something new, unusual, unheard of.

So, here we go.... Read more on 'Hearing Mark: just before the beginning'

Hearing Mark: not so different from us

I had a brilliant professor who once said that we have to know what a 'savior' is saving people from. She had converted from Christianity to Judaism because she couldn't answer that question from her own experience: nothing to be saved from, no need for a savior.

I say this to highlight the importance of the human connection between ourselves and those ancient folks who first heard this story. Without that connection, this is only an intellectual journey. If we do not allow ourselves to feel their world, we will be isolated from the real Good News contained in the Gospel.

We can share in the emotions of those folks so long ago if we will only open our minds to their world. So, here is a start on that journey.

The earliest audiences lived in what we can best think of as a third world condition. in the ancient world, there were the massively rich and the very poor. The middle class didn't really exist (although you can push this too far). Families lived from paycheck to paycheck, but it was more common to have too little for everyone to eat than otherwise. Women regularly died in childbirth and men regularly died as a result of their 'jobs.' For most families, everyone worked, even children, and they didn't usually have careers in any sense, they either farmed land for someone richer than themselves or they hired themselves out as laborers.

It is hard to tell if those first audiences were urban or semi-rural; they do seem to be familiar with both city and country life, but this may have been somewhat normal. I believe that most families which were not attached to a particular land-owner probably lived a migrant-worker type life, moving the entire family to find whatever work was available.

While Mark was at least familiar with - and may have been native - to the Judean context, the listeners seem to have been Romans first and foremost. Mark explains Aramaic words and uses Roman ones without explanation.

Looking to other parts of the story, we can guess who might have been in the audience by looking at who were the heroes. The power brokers are almost always outside the Kingdom promised by Jesus. The 12, while followers, are also a little clueless. the real heroes are usually women, the outcast, and Gentiles. These are the people at the bottom of the social hierarchy, those regularly beaten - even killed - without reason or cause.

We will have to try to pry ourselves out of our comfortable and generally secure worlds to grasp the power of the promise of the coming Kingdom, to genuinely hear - even remotely - what they might have heard.

We will have a tendency to see this story through 2,000 years of stained glass, but we must look more closely if we are to be true to the story. Read more on 'Hearing Mark: not so different from us'

Hearing Mark: a completely alien world

If you have seen any episodes of the old HBO series, Rome, you will have some feeling for how alien the ancient world was to our own. Of course, technology was different and that is such a big part of our world that we often have a hard time seeing around it. However, there were bigger differences than just how they spent their spare time and how they were entertained. Here are some highlights to start with (though others will come up throughout our study).

No separation between church and state: In the ancient world the state was the church and the church was the state. The Senate of Rome was a holy body; the emperor was the Son of God; the priests worked for the government. There were some cults that were outside the power structures, but they too were controlled by the state: Judaism was one of these.
There were no Christians, and - in the story - everyone is a Jew (unless they are specifically referred to as Gentiles). This is important to remember when the word 'Jews' appears in the Gospel.

Less than 10% of folks could read (fewer - maybe 2-3% - could write): We kind of assume that the 'text' was always cut up into verses and chapters, but nothing could be further from the truth. This story was told, all at one shot in about 2 hours. It was up to the teller to make emphases and connections, since no one could turn to the notes. There were no red-letter to show when Jesus spoke. I'm reading Herodotus' Histories, 500 pages of tightly spaced text that would have been performed orally - hopefully not at one sitting!

'Persecution' was the norm: In ancient Rome, a slave's testimony was not to be accepted as truthful and honest unless they were tortured while testifying, and if they were killed during that torture: no harm, no foul. People were regularly struck and even beaten by their social superiors, often for little or no reason. A 'master' was allowed to strike - even kill - a 'servant' without any need to explain, and master and servant are relative: a governor could kill almost anyone in his province, and the emperor could have anyone killed at a whim. Since the Gospel was told to 'subjects' and 'servants' they would have known 'persecution' even outside of the context of their possible religious affiliation. [I wonder if this affects the crucifixion and the righteousness and truthfulness of Jesus' testimony?]

Action, not Belief: People's internal thoughts had no effect on the world. One didn't 'believe' in a god unless they sacrificed to that god. This is important because Mark's Gospel is not about belief, but action. Jesus tells only 4 parables, but does 20 healings.

There will be more as we move along, but this is a good starting point. Read more on 'Hearing Mark: a completely alien world'

Hearing Mark: a prologue

Okay, I've put off making an official start to the posts for this new Bible study long enough. It's time we get underway; so, these posts are valuable to give those who join us after we've begun a place to catch up.

First things first, before we begin listening to Mark's Gospel, we need to get a foundation. Some folks spend an entire career studying the 'New Testament' world. I'll try not to spend that long, but let this serve as notice that - if you are interested in the questions and ideas I bring up here - there is a universe of information you can engage.

There are two ideas that will guide the next two posts as an introduction, but there is also a general belief that underlies it all.

General Belief: To understand a story, we have to understand the human context in which it is told (composed, written, performed, whatever). Example: Swift's 'Modest Proposal' only makes sense as social/political commentary under the yoke of empire. As timeless as the Gospels are, they are most fully understood by understanding that world.
To understand the human context of the Gospel, those two ideas I mentioned are necessary.

First, people 2,000 years were very much like you and me. The human brain has not changed significantly in thousands of years; those folks we call 'cavemen' probably felt the same emotions and longed for the same internal things that you and I do: happiness, companionship, joy, fear. This is great because it gives us an immediate lens into the world of our ancestors; this is why the Gospel still speaks to us, as do other ancient books: Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the epic of Gilgamesh, the Psalms, the Bhagavad Gita.

Second, the world those folks lived in is almost utterly alien to us and our world. While our internal life hasn't changed, the physical and intellectual world in which we've lived it through the millennia has rarely remained constant. 2,000 years ago slavery was expected; there were no human rights except those given by the power brokers in your world; people could be killed on a whim. Still, it is unfair for us to say life was 'nasty, brutish, and short.' Philosophy, science, and religion were all parts of that world, although they would seem strange to us. The gods were everywhere visible in daily life.

Before I move to the next posts in this string, let me connect these dots quickly. Many ancient historians claim that people just accepted the institution of slavery in the ancient world. The evidence is that there were not regular slave revolts recorded in the histories, Spartacus' revolt being the exception that proves the rule. However, more sensitive consideration tells us that humans almost never want to have their own wills subject to others. Thus, more insightful scholars recently have begun to look for - and find in abundance - evidence of little revolts by slaves and underlings against 'the power.' This look at the ancient world has been informed by studies of the modern world in a discipline often called Popular or People's History.

An alien world peopled by folks not that different from you and I: that frame is the best way to see the past. Read more on 'Hearing Mark: a prologue'