Thursday, February 16, 2012
Blog (2) Lee Gomila
My favorite passage in the gospel of Mark is Chapter 11 verses 12-14. Jesus curses a fig tree. He what? That's right. He curses a fig tree. To recap the passage, Jesus sees a fig tree in the distance and goes over to get a snack. When Jesus approaches the tree, he finds no figs, only leaves. It wasn't the season for figs. Jesus becomes angered by this, and he curses the tree saying, "May no one ever eat fruit from you ever again!" Jesus, the Son of Man, has just yelled at an inanimate object. At first, this seems silly and unnecessary, but definitely aligns with Mark's tendency to present a very human, emotion-driven Jesus. As we know about Mark though, he doesn't go out of his way to add pointless or silly stories in his gospel, so there must be a deeper purpose for this passage.
The first possibility here is that Mark is just adding a small anecdote to show Jesus' humanity. Even the Son of God gets moody when he's hungry. The more likely possibility, I think, is that there is a deeper symbolic meaning. The symbol of the fig tree is often used for the nation of Israel. The idea is when the people of Isreal obeyed God, the tree would produce fruit. On the other hand, when the people disobeyed, the tree would be barren [1]. Is the same symbolism being applied here? Is Mark making a statement about the Jewish leaders of the time (as he does many other places)? The symbolism seems rather cold in this case. Is Jesus just cursing the religious leaders or the nation of Israel as a whole? I'm not sure the answer to that question, but I think this way of viewing the passage is closer to what Mark intended, because what happens next is the famous scene of Jesus driving out the sellers and money changers from the temple. An obvious symbol of things gone wrong.
What makes the issue of the fig tree a little more confusing for me is what happens when Jesus leaves the temple. He and the disciples pass back by the tree from before to find it withered and dead. Jesus turns this into a message about how if you pray to God for something and believe it with all your heart, He will answer. This confuses the issue for me, because I don't see how this relates with the first passage about the fig tree.
[1] Mark Golli "Does Jesus Hate Trees?"
Bibliography:
Ehrman, B.D. The New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Golli, Mark. "Does Jesus Hate Trees?." Ignite Your Faith66 (2007): 16.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Blog # 2 Jorge Andres Morales
Mark's Gospel deeply focuses on the human Jesus, which expresses feelings, thoughts, and acts according to the situation. Although this Jesus appears to be human, never abandons his divine identity. The latter mentioned is crucial for his transition to "the other side" which is basically a metaphor that entails the evolution of his holy thoughts from a Jewish to a Gentile perspective. In order to address to to his audience Mark relies on translation of certain words from the Arameic and Latin for example, which suggest his audience was mostly conformed of gentiles, romans, and different segments of society at the time. Through his gospel, Mark is able to describe a couple of similar stories that happen to call my attention. The two episodes of healing the blind and the two regarding the feeding of the crowds under distinct circumstances. All four episodes have a purpose that is basically to explain how Jesus begins his journey that will guide him according to fate. At the beginning of "the way" he cures a blind man, whereas at the end he does the same. This is an example of Inclusio, a literary device used by Mark to serve his figurative purpose that explains Jesus's journey. Furthermore, the feeding of the crowds is a Chiasmus, another literary device, that serves the purpose of connecting similar events that happen to be antagonistic in a sense. After the woman in the episode of the exorcism challenges Jesus with her response, he finds himself overwhelmed and for some reason changes his mind wich is crucial within the gospel...a turning point where Jesus considers the gentiles. It is quiet interesting how Mark manages to link every event in a way his audience is able to identify the evolution of Christ's journey, which eventually leads to the crucifiction and resurrection.
Bibliography
Collins, John J. The Catholic Study Bible. Second ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2006. Print. New American Bible.
Blog 2 Sable LeFrere
Each of the Gospels depict Jesus in different lights. A light related to that of their own community. Mark brings attention to the human Jesus.
Mark immediately reveals to his audience how human Jesus really is. He lets it be known that he is a carpenter. This is seen as a common or standard trade amongst the people of that time. But to drive his point home, he talks about the "Messianic Secret." No one knew or could understand who Jesus was and he did not force his identity on them. "The fact that Jesus often commanded others to remain silent about his miraculous deeds (e.g., 1:34,44) and told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah (8:29) was thought to indicate a deliberate policy on Jesus' part. He did not wish to draw attention to himself... (511). [1] Matter of fact, there are multiple accounts where he wanted to keep his identity a secret. Towards the end of his journey, Jesus encountered a "blind" man. He had to try twice for he completely healed the man and restored his "sight" to see him clearly. In that moment, the disciples were able to recognize Jesus as "you are the Christ. In response to that Jesus ordered the disciples not to the spread the word: " And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him."[2] As a result, Mark revealed an important trait that made him more human. He showed how humble Jesus was. hey only people he told were his inner circle, his disciples. This shows that he is not boastful of his powers, but wanted others to continue to see him as a man, as one of them.
[1] The New Interpreter's Bible Volume VIII (Nashville : Abingdon Press, 2002), 511.
[2] B.D. Ehrman, The New Testament, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 83.
Bibliography
Ehrman, B.D. The New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
The New Interpreter's Bible Volume VIII (Nashville : Abingdon Press, 2002),507-734.
Blog (2) William Stegbauer
The first major act one sees in the
gospel of Mark concerning Jesus’ actions upon others is an exorcism[1]. Promptly the idea of divine authority gets
established although it might not be necessary.
Why bother having a passage where the unclean spirits proclaim like a
billboard that there cannot be doubt whether or not Jesus carries Divine
Favor. Then we see him casting a legion
of demons into a herd of swine but without the same statements of divine
advertising in Mark 5:1. So why does
Mark feel the need to emphasize the healing powers of his humanistic
Jesus?
Mark
gives us the passage a few lines earlier stating the obvious affliction of
divine madness that struck Jesus upon receiving baptism. One could say that once Mark established
Jesus’ divine authority there wasn’t a need to have the plague spirits of the wild
proclaim his divine nature. By his third
exorcism Mark has miracles performed, seals of approval from his apostles, and multiple
healings of the blind and sick to draw authority. This allows Mark to take a more subtle tone not
in keeping with the same fervor as Jesus’ first exorcism.[2]
Or we could view the two exorcisms
in a cultural context of two modern day polar opposites that do practice exorcism
namely Mediterranean and northern African cultures[3]
versus Baluchi peoples of southern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan[4]. Ideally you have the former cultures
expressing openly their concerns of illness that cover mind, body and spirit
opposed to the latter that advocates.
The idea of an African exorcism doesn’t imply solely an illness caused by
evil spirits. An African exorcism can target
ill relations between two persons who want a point of reconciliation and need
to find a scapegoat thus saving face from either party having to admit to wrong
doing. One could see Mark have his Jesus
transitioning at these points from curing individual evils to social evils. This isn’t unlike the idea of the Hellenistic
apothecary that gives a healing towards social ills through sacrifice, the idea
of that ill wind possessing two tribes.
But with our Afghans who view
disease as a means of testing endurance, exorcism gets used as a platform for
expression. A society that repressed
allows for the loophole for women to act out of cultural character if they’re
possessed by a spirit. Also, the
exorcist or baithak gets to jump cultural boundaries in order to perform the
exorcism exactly in the extreme manner of Mark 11:15, the cleansing of the
temple.
Bibliography
Mugabe, Henry Johannes. 2010. "Markan healings
through African eyes." Review & Expositor 107, no. 3: 363-379. ATLA
Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 14,
2012).
Nasir, Mumtaz.
1987. “Baithak: Exorcism in Peshawar” Asian Ethnology 633, vol. 46/2: [159-78]
New King James Version
[1] Mark
1:21, New King James Version
[2]
Mark 9:14, New King James Version
[3] Mugabe,
Henry Johannes. 2010. "Markan healings through African eyes." Review
& Expositor 107, no. 3: 363-379. ATLA Religion Database with
ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed February 14, 2012).
[4]
Nasir, Mumtaz. 1987. “Baithak: Exorcism
in Peshawar” Asian Ethnology 633, vol. 46/2: [159-78]
Blog 2 Miranda Hernandez
The gospel of Mark portrays a more humanistic Christ. Rather
than the books of Luke or Matthew, Jesus is depicted as a man who has
difficulty grasping that he is the Messiah, rather than a self-enlightened
prophet. I found his struggle with his responsibility and identity to be the
most interesting part of the gospel, particularly in the story of the blind man
in 8:22-33.
In Mark 8:22-33, Jesus repairs a blind man’s sight. The
first part of the story that struck me was 8:23. After Jesus repairs the man’s
sight, he leads him away from the crowd and implores to him, “Do you see
anything?”1 This is a peculiar question for the Son of God to ask. I found it remarkable that Jesus himself is
full of a sheepish doubt whether his own miracle worked. 2 He also
avoids the crowd, as a precaution had the attempted miracle gone awry. Not only
does Jesus grapple with his insecurities in this reading, he also struggles
with his identity. He addresses his disciples in 8:27 and asks “Who do the
people say I am?”1 He receives mixed responses, but Peter is the
only one who accurately states, “You are the Christ.” 1 Jesus then
retorts sternly for his disciples not to spread the word. 3 This is
a point of Jesus’s self realization and caution. He seems frightened to be
referred to as a Messiah or Christ, as that brings terrible responsibility as Peter
later points out in 8:32. In verses 29-33, it is almost as if the disciples,
Peter included, are trying to sum up what kind of Messiah Jesus is.2 3 As
if the veil was lifted from their own eyes, they are seeing a Christ that is
not the all powerful divinity or the mysterious deity but rather a realistic
prophet with doubts and insecurities. They now see what kind of Messiah they
are dealing with, the Messiah according to Mark.
1 NRSV Mark 8:22-33
3 B.D. Ehrman, The New Testament,
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 83.
Bibliography
New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Ehrman, B.D. The New Testament. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2004.
Smith, J.J. " Seeing Jesus clearly: a sermon from Mark
8:22-33." Southwestern Journal of Theology. 53. no. 2 (2011): p
188-186.
Blog #2 Chelsey Richter
In the Gospel of Mark, the audience is introduced to what is
referred to as the “messianic secret.” Throughout Mark, Jesus attempts to keep
his identity a secret on a number of occasions. In Mark 1:43, when Jesus heals
a leper, he commands him to “say nothing to anyone,” and in Mark 5:43, when he
rasies a young girl from the dead, he strictly orders “that no one should know
this,” [1]. He never speaks openly to anyone about his identity.
In the twentieth century, a German scholar by the name of William
Wrede introduced the theory of the “messianic secret.” Wrede proposed that the
author of the Gospel of Mark invented the notion of secrecy to reduce the
tension between early Christian beliefs about Jesus being the Messiah, and the
non-Messianic nature of his ministry [2]. Wrede recognized that Mark was
written first and influenced the other Gospels. However, after re-examining his
initial theory, Wrede suggested that his theory would work best if: "it
would be 'most highly desirable' if such a gospel as Mark were not the oldest
gospel,” [3].
Wrede’s theory was criticized in the first years. After the
theory of the “messianic secret” spread, theologians reacted negatively to it. Wrede's
broad concept of the Messianic Secret also involved the use of parables by Jesus,
and theologians called it the weakest element of Wrede's approach. The idea of
the “messianic secret” eventually gained acceptance in the 1920s but quickly
lost support by the 1970s.
Other explanations of the secrecy issued by Jesus have been
proposed. Philosophy explains it based on a mistranslation. The literary
explanation compares Jesus to the Greek hero, Odysseus, thus demonstrating a
relatable character to Mark’s gentile audience. Much like Jesus, Odysseus must
hide his true identity to avoid his enemies [4].
The literary theory stretches to make the clearest sense. As
described in Ehrman’s text, “we don’t know who the author [of Mark] was, only
that he was a Greek-speaking Christian, presumably living outside of
Palestine,” [5]. We do know that Mark was describing the stories of Jesus to a
Gentile audience therefore making the literary comparison of Odysseus to Jesus
appealed highly to his Greek Gentile audience. This theory would seem to make
the most sense.
Bibliography--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament. Fourth
Edition. New York: Oxford, 2004 pages 84-85
2.
Gospel According to St. Mark by Morna
Dorothy Hooker 2001 pages 66-69
3.
Christology and the Synoptic problem by
Peter M. Head 1997 pages 233-235
4.
Dennis R. MacDonald. The Homeric Epics and the
Gospel of Mark. New Haven, 2000
5.
Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament. Fourth
Edition. New York: Oxford, 2004 page 75
Blog 2 Kieran Harper
The Gospel of Mark is my personal favorite because of the way in which
Mark depicts Jesus. He presents the most grounded, human-like view of Jesus,
while the other gospels present a more heavenly, mystical image of Jesus. Of
course, the healing powers and nature of Jesus are still present in Mark's
gospel. The primary difference is the diction used in his description.
Part of the reason for this is that “Mark’s Gospel was written in, with,
and for a particular community” (What the
Gospels Meant, 2008, p 15). Many references within the gospel are specific
to the community that Mark was writing for and are not understood by other
readers. While this community was the intended audience of Mark’s Gospel, it is
also very appealing to those that view aspects of religion as metaphors instead
of literally interpreting religious texts. I believe that this is why Mark’s is
the most important of the gospels.
Jesus is not referred to as God in Mark, and while it only happens
several times throughout the rest of the New Testament, it is notable in Mark.
Jesus also shows more emotion in Mark’s gospel. He is not nearly as stoic as he
is presented in the other books of the New Testament. Jesus displays anger and
pain.
Despite all these differences in the image of Jesus, Mark still
maintains the important aspects of Jesus’ nature. His healing abilities and
kindness are just as clear to the reader in this book as the others. An example
is when Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law. “Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed
with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her,
took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on
them”[1]
Bibliography
Wills, Gary. “What the Gospels Meant.” New York: Viking Publishing,
2008.
Blog (2) Carli Marcello
The Gospel of Mark is interesting in its structure. He constructs his Gospel literally as a road map of Jesus’ life. Rather than giving in-depth descriptions with each story about Jesus, he gives simple explanations at the beginning. His construction can figuratively show Christian’s their path to believing—it starts off with little knowledge but then grows to have all the knowledge necessary to make his or her decision on what to believe.
Mark does not give any mention to Jesus’ birth, rather, he begins immediately with Jesus’ adult life. Why is it that he skips such an important part of Jesus’ life? Isn’t this the story that every Christian child can recite my memory? I find this ironic, yet I reasoned that whom Mark was writing to (the Gentiles) did not care how Jesus was born. The Gentiles cared more about Jesus’ preaching and scripture. I also reasoned that the Gentiles needed to be able to relate more easily to how to live a Christian life, so the birth of Jesus did not contribute to such understanding.
As I read through the Gospel, I realized that the disciples misunderstanding of who Jesus was and what He was teaching increased as Jesus traveled along the Way. This is especially important to Mark’s audience. Mark was showing to the Gentiles that even those closest to Jesus still did not grasp Jesus’ importance, especially those disciples who were predominantly with Jesus throughout his adult life. To be a disciple was not to be able to have all the immediate knowledge and understanding in the world about Jesus. To be a disciple was to question and suffer to finally realize what to believe. As the Gospel nears ending, the stories become more descriptive. I believe this is because Mark is showing that misunderstanding and doubt is part of the religious stages of development, even if more information is provided.
I wish the ending was kept the way it was written, with an abrupt ending. I find this is so important for Mark’s audience. I also thought it was very interesting that Mary Magdalene was the person who witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. How could a woman be so important during this time? Is she present in all the Gospels? What does this signify? As I searched the Bible, I found that Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all four Gospels. I found it very interesting that John even mentioned her because he is so different than the other Gospels. Gerald O’Collins’ article even made me question whether the “postresurrection appearances were necessary to resurrection belief?”[1] As I continued reading the article, I realized that it was a Christian tradition that “women are the first witnesses,” which is cited in the article by Thompson. With this being tradition, I find this so important for all Christian faiths.
Mark’s ending leaves out the major aspects of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, which is similar to him leaving out Jesus’ birth – very important stories that everyone knows. I believe Mark was telling the Gentiles that it was their responsibility to tell of Jesus’ resurrection. I also assume that the important stories that Mark leaves out are done so because these stories are already known to the Gentiles and do not need to be repeated. What Mark has written down are the important stories that can help the Gentiles understand and be better able to follow Jesus. Mark’s portrayal of Jesus and the disciples are very interesting to me because they are opposite of what I was taught in my Catholic upbringing. This is so ironic because Mark is the source for Matthew and Luke, which both portray Jesus and the disciples in different ways.
Witherup, Ronald D., The New Testament. Little Rock Catholic Study Bible. Arkansas: Liturgical Press, 2011.
O’Collins, Gerald. “Mary Magdalene as Major Witness to Jesus’ Resurrection.” Theological Studies 48:4 (1987): 631-646.
Blog #2 Dillon Warren
The Gospel of Mark takes a very interesting approach to depicting Jesus to readers. The Markian Jesus is very human, which shows in many different parts of the gospel. After reading the gospel and looking at different sources the Gospel of Mark has a total of 18 different miracles performed throughout the entire gospel (The book also mentions others, but only 18 were actually done). The two miracles that stuck out to me the most were Mark 1: 21-28 and Mark 4:35-41.
Mark 1: 21-28 shows Jesus and others in a synagogue. The individuals watching Jesus “teach” seemed very different than what the scribes normally did. The people in the synagogue say Jesus teaches with authority, which is later reinforced when he rebukes an evil spirit from a man. I thought this first miracle was particularly interesting because it is the first miracle. A scholar writes, ”The intention of the Evangelist was probably to emphasize the importance of this first miracle and at the same time to give it a programmatic character for the whole story that follows.”1 The prior statement was very interesting to me because if the first miracle was made out to help develop characters, you must question whether or not the other miracles are just fragments to telling a story as well.
The miracle I found interesting was Mark 4:35-41. The story was one I heard when I was much younger. The verses tell the story of how Jesus Calmed the Storm at Sea. Upon further research the calming of the storm is the first nature miracle performed.2 The wording of the miracle particularly stuck out to me for a few a reasons. In the verses they say to Jesus, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” The people now beginning to use teacher shows how much trust he has invoked within the people. The second half of the text shows their growing reliance of Jesus. The prior mircle performed in Mark chapter 1 makes me question the miracle in Mark chapter 4. After reading it can be inferred that the two miracles are serving as metaphors. The question now is what are the two metaphors alluding too? The Markian Jesus was very kind and human which shows in the miracles.
DRAGUTINOVIĆ, P. (2010). THE FIRST MIRACLE OF THE SON OF GOD IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK (MARK 1,21-28). A CONTRIBUTION TO MARK'S CHRISTOLOGY. Sacra Scripta, 8(2), 185-201.
Brower, Kent E. "'Who Then Is This?': Christological Questions In Mark 4:35-5:43." Evangelical Quarterly 81.4 (2009): 291-305. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
Corey Gray Blog 2 (Mark)
I think what
is the most interesting thing about the Gospel of Mark is how it ends. There is much controversy if whether or not
this is the actual ending to Mark or if scribes along the way decided to add
parts and pieces that felt were necessary.
The shortest ending is found in the oldest manuscript all that stop at
verse 16:8. Later, scribes decided to
add additional verses that were not always the same and some even had controversial
issues. So then how does the actual
ending of Mark really end up? There are
several theories of how Mark ends. One
such theory is that it was accidently lost and readers that were reading this
noticed how the story ended so shortly, and many of these readers tried to add
their own endings.
This loss of the original ending to
Mark is pretty upsetting since many scholars find Mark to be one of the most
reliable gospels. Not to mention that
Mark decides to cut off at the climax of the story when Mary Magdalene and two
other women discover the tomb empty.
These women had just been told that Jesus was alive and on his way to
Galilee. From here it is unclear what
happens next. There are theories of what
happened but no credited sources are indicated and reliable to believe.
The ending that is now chosen today
adds on verses Mark 16:9-20. Many
Christians do not know this today and still believe that every word is
dogmatic. Will we ever figure out what
the real ending of Mark is? The only way
for this to happen would be to have significant evidence that supports these
writings. Scholars would have to critique
the writings very intently and examine all the information and determine if
they feel this material is authentic and genuine.
1.)Gospels of Bible. http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_ntb1.htm. pg2-12.2011
2.) Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1978
Blog (2) Alex Tabora
The most significant factor about the Gospel of Mark that sets it apart from the other Gospels is that Mark places serious emphasis on the image of the human Jesus. As depicted in Jesus Christ-Through the Centuries, Jesus can be categorized in a variety of images from his historical face, his cultural face, and his human face.1 The human face of Jesus represents depicting Jesus as not just the savior of humanity but also as a human being, one of which who caused great wonder, amazement, and awe upon those who encountered him. Mark addresses both Jesus' divinity and his humanity. Evidence presented of his desire to express Jesus' humanity are depicted in Mark 6:3, he depicts Jesus "the carpenter," and also speaks of Jesus' emotions.2 Mark's writing adds vivid detail to the person of Jesus that the other Gospels do not.
2 (Mark 6:23, New Revised Standard Version)
3 D. Johansson. "The Identity of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark: Past and Present Proposals." (Biblical Research 2011 9:364. Vol 9. No. 3. 2011) 365
4 D. Jeul. P.Keifert. A Markan Epiphany: Lessons from Mark 1. (Word & World. Vol 8. No. 1. 1988) 83.
Pelikan, James. Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture. (Yale University Press, 1999).
(Mark 6:23, New Revised Standard Version)
Johansson, Daniel. "The Identity of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark: Past and Present Proposals." (Biblical Research 2011 9:364. Vol 9. No. 3. 2011) 365
Juel, Donald. Keifert, Patrick. A Markan Epiphany: Lessons from Mark 1. (Word & World. Vol 8. No. 1. 1988) 83.
Monday, February 13, 2012
(2) Margaret Huffman
The Gospel of Mark is my personal favorite of the four New Testament gospels. Mark presents a very human version of Jesus and therefore one that most people can identify more easily with. Whereas some followers of Christianity have found this humanized presentation of Jesus to be less reliable due to the common Greek used by Mark to write it, it has been discovered more recently that Mark's gospel was used as a reference for both Luke and Matthew's gospels. Another problem that people may have with the Markian Jesus is that the humanized messiah presents a conflict with the all-knowing, all-powerful notion of God that is perpetuated throughout Christianity and used as a goal for humans to constantly aspire to, even if they are human and therefore imperfect. The Markian Jesus, in my opinion, makes a more honest statement about who Jesus was, without lessening his Godliness, for two reasons. The first reason is that the Gospel of Mark has been researched and become understood to be one of the earliest gospels. The second reason is that the Bible says that Jesus was God in human form. God in human form, though still God, would have the conflict of humanity and the problems it presented. Therefore a Jesus, such as the one described in Mark, who feels human emotions such as fear and anger and love, would be no less holy, simply more human. This version of Jesus is one I can personally identify with more easily due to the fact that I was raised in a somewhat strict religious environment, and the idea that Jesus, though human, was beyond any misstep or radical emotion, only lowered my esteem for my own humanity.
Blog 2 James Leman
This was the first time that I have actually sat down and read an entire gospel in the bible. Usually I just examine sections or certain parables, but this time I was required to read the gospel in its entirety and it was an interesting experience. The Gospel of Mark was originally the least popular gospel of the synoptic gospels due to its simple Greek and lack of certain parts that Matthew and Luke contained. Once it was found to the most “original gospel, meaning that it is the earliest in date and was discovered that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a sort of starting point, scholars began to examine the gospel and discovered once you see through the dirt, the Gospel of Mark is very metaphorical.
The most distinct example of use of metaphor is in chapter 4 of the Gospel of Mark. As Jesus Christ teaches by the sea side to a vast number of people, he taught them in parables with common usage of metaphors. When Jesus says, "The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word…Others like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they they only last a short time. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop."[1], he is explaining to the confused people that the sower is sowing the message of God, but when they hear it, Satan will come and take away the message that lies in their hearts, unless like seeds in good soil they take good root in what they believe and produce a crop many times what was sown. By usage of metaphors, Jesus is teaching the people about the message of god, by using a sower and his seeds as an example.
Later, when Jesus continues on and says "is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick?"[2], he is speaking of the message of god and how it should be told and spread among the people, instead of being kept to themselves and hidden away. Lastly, when Jesus says "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?" he responds "it is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade"[3] proves to be another instance of the usage of metaphorical language in the Gospel According to Mark. Here the main point of the parable is that the kingdom of God seemingly had insignificant beginnings, but the day will come when its true greatness and power will be seen by the whole world.
Bibliography
Barker, Kenneth L., John H. Stek, Walter W. Wessel, and Ronald F. Youngblood. "Mark 4:15-20,21-25,30-32." NIV Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 2002. Print.
Blog 2 Bria Brown
What I enjoyed most about the Gospel of Mark was how he humanly portrayed Jesus. This was my first time reading the Gospel of Mark. I thoughtit was a bit haunting how Jesus kept hinting at his own death and I was unawareof all the miracles He performed. I found it interesting that after some of themiracles Jesus performed, he asked to keep his identity a secret.
His disciples did not seem to truly know he was like thepeople of Mark’s community. This made me question, “Why were these specific menchosen by Jesus and why could they not heal the boy?” They seem to not havemuch faith during certain situations. The verse that stood out the most to me was,“The Healing of a Boy with a Demon.” The disciples debated with others duringthe situation not showing much faith which I found odd from the followers of Jesus. “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?” Jesus says. This was the line moved me the most. I immediately thought of my generation and friendship circles. Are we a faithless generation? I am surrounded by people that do not talk about God, faith, or going to church. If I were to talk about Jesus to some of my friends I’m sure some would change the subject or not have much to say.
What I took from the Gospel of Mark and specifically 9:14-29, is to have faith when suffering.
His disciples did not seem to truly know he was like thepeople of Mark’s community. This made me question, “Why were these specific menchosen by Jesus and why could they not heal the boy?” They seem to not havemuch faith during certain situations. The verse that stood out the most to me was,“The Healing of a Boy with a Demon.” The disciples debated with others duringthe situation not showing much faith which I found odd from the followers of Jesus. “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?” Jesus says. This was the line moved me the most. I immediately thought of my generation and friendship circles. Are we a faithless generation? I am surrounded by people that do not talk about God, faith, or going to church. If I were to talk about Jesus to some of my friends I’m sure some would change the subject or not have much to say.
What I took from the Gospel of Mark and specifically 9:14-29, is to have faith when suffering.
Blog 2 Jessica Sturino
Blog 2 Jessica Sturino
When reading the gospel of Mark, I was
particularly interested in Mark 8:22-26. This passage seems sort of out of sync
with the rest of the book, in my opinion. In the first part of this section,
Jesus is approached by a blind man who is seeking to be healed. This seems
pretty routine; Jesus performs numerous miracles throughout Mark’s gospels, and
the stories usually begin a lot like this one. The difference, however, comes
in the execution. Jesus performs a small ritual and then asks the man if it worked. This seems odd to me. Shouldn’t he know
whether the man was healed? Even more strange, the man was not fully healed. It
took Jesus another try to get it right. Was Jesus having an off day in the
miracles department? This seems
unlikely. According to J. Smith, an explanation for this strange story is that
Mark is inserting a metaphor for the followers of Jesus at the time.1 Throughout
the gospel of Mark, the disciples seem confused about who exactly Jesus is. In
Mark 4:31, the disciples are taken aback by one of Jesus’ miracles and say to
one another “Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!” 2 Smith
is suggesting that Mark is using the blind man as a metaphor for people,
including the disciples, who had been exposed to the teachings of Jesus and
were beginning to understand who he was, but who did not yet fully grasp Jesus’
authority or views. This story comes almost directly before the disciples seem
to begin to more fully comprehend the man that they were devoting their lives
to. In verse 29, Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” and
Peter answers, saying “You are the Messiah!”3 The idea that the
disciples’ understanding of Jesus is coming into focus immediately following
the story that is being told as a metaphor for their developing views of Jesus
seems to be an effective way for Mark to get his point across. Until this
point, the disciples had been “blind” in their concept of Jesus, but they were
now beginning to see.
1 Smith, J., “Seeing Jesus Clearly.” Southwestern Journal of Theology 53:2
(2011): 189-190.
2 HCSB, Mark 4:31
3 HCSB, Mark 8:29
Bibliography
Smith, J. "Seeing Jesus Clearly." Southwestern Journal of Theology.
53. no. 2 (2011): 189-190.
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