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February 24th, 2024

2/24/2024

We are moving on within the Lenten season, and you probably already knew that this next Sunday has the name of the Second Sunday in Lent. Last week’s gospel reading was from the first chapter of the Gospel according to Mark, and this week’s reading is from the eighth chapter [Mark 8:27-38], and that is a significant jump.

Within the writings of this website, we are moving at a somewhat slow pace in this Gospel according to Mark. We are also progressing in the order in which the gospel account is normally read. And in this particular writing we are starting at the beginning of what is normally called the sixth chapter.

Within this section there are just a few historical presents (when a past tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given). The last part of the previous chapter had the account of Jesus resurrecting a dead child, and since there were frequent historical presents within that text, that may seem like a stark contrast to this section. But as the presence of those ‘presents’ in the previous section may remind the reader/listener of the abrupt ending of this account but the certainty of the actual reality of Christ’s resurrection, the few historical presents in this section of this gospel account may remind that person of the disciples being sent out after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus comes; the disciples follow; and Jesus calls them and sends them out (and those historical presents in this section will be given in bold print). And these actions continue to this day.

What follows is a somewhat-literal translation of Mark 6:1-29 (you may wish to look at other translations and study bibles to help you gain a better understanding of the text):
And he came out from there, and he comes into the fatherland of him, and they follow him, the disciples of him. And having happened, a Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many, hearing, they were struck out, saying, “Where to this one, these things? And what, the wisdom, the one having been given to this one, and the powers, such, through the hands of him, happening? This is, is he not, the carpenter, the son of the Mary, and brother of Jacob and Joses and Judas and Simon? And they are, are they not, the sisters of him, here with us?” And they were scandalized in him.

And he was saying to them, the Jesus, “Not he is, a prophet un-honored, if not in the fatherland of him, and in the relatives of him, and in the house of him.” And not he was able, there, to do no power, if not a few weak ones, having placed upon the hands, he healed. And he marveled because of the unbelief of them.

And he was going around the villages in a circle, teaching. And he calls toward the twelve, and he began, them, to send out, two—two, and he was giving to them authority of the spirits, the unclean, and he charged them that nothing they should take into a way, if not a staff only, not bread, not a bag, not into the belt, copper, but on the contrary, having had tied on sandals, and not put on two tunics. And he was saying to them: “Wherever you enter into a house, there remain until you come out from there. And whatever place not receives you, and not they hear you, going out from there, shake out the dust, the under the feet of you, into a testimony to them.” And having come out, they proclaimed that they should repent, and demons, many, they were throwing out, and they were anointing with oil many weak ones, and they were healing.
And he heard, the King Herod, for manifest it became, the name of him, and they were saying, “John the baptizing one, has been raised from dead ones, and because of this, they work in, the powers, in him.” Now others were saying, “Elijah, he is.” Now others were saying, “A prophet, as one of the prophets.” Now having heard, the Herod, he was saying, “Whom I, myself, beheaded, John, this one was raised.”

For, He, the Herod himself, having sent, seized the John, and he bound him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of Philip, the brother of him, because her, he married. For he was saying, the John, to the Herod, “Not it is right for you to have the wife of the brother of you.”

Now the Herodias was having it in against him, and she wanted, him, to kill, and not she was able, for the Herod was fearing the John, knowing him, a man, righteous and holy, and he was keeping him in mind, and having heard him, much he was way-less, and gladly him, he was hearing.

And having happened, a day, a goodtime, when Herod, on the birthday of him, a supper he made, for the majestic ones of him, and the chiliarchs, and the first ones of the Galilee., and having come in, the daughter of him, Herodias, and having danced, she pleased the Herod and the ones reclining with. The king said to the maid, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give to you.” And he swore to her much, “The whatever, me, you ask for, I will give to you, until half of the kingdom of me.”

And having come out, she said to the mother of her, “What should I ask?”

Now the one said, “The head of John, the one baptizing.”

And having come into, immediately with haste, toward the king, she asked, saying, “I want that, at once, you give to me, upon a dish, the head of John, the Baptizer.” And surrounded by sorrow, having happened, the king, because of the oaths and the ones reclining, not he wanted to set aside her. And immediately, having sent, the king, a Speculator, he ordered to bring the head of him. And having come away, he beheaded him in the prison; and he brought the head of him upon a dish, and he gave it to the maid, and the maid gave it to the mother of her. And having heard, the disciples of him, they came, and they took the corpse of him, and they put it in a tomb.

There is a ‘flashback’ in time because of Herod. And that should not be surprising. To be called a king (more than once) when there is also a Roman Empire going on at the same time could very well be called an exaggeration. And a confusion of terms often leads to trouble.

A king has power. And every king should also remember that the power ultimately comes from the ALL-MIGHTY (all powerful One). He made literally everything—even though some of it may have come from China.

We all have power (even if you are reading this on a printed page and not using the ‘power’ of electricity), and we should remember that same thing. From where does this power ultimately come?

If you read the last part of chapter five, perhaps you noticed that a ‘maid’ was there too. That was the title of the little girl who was raised to life again. That maid is connected to life. The maid above was connected to death. Both have power. But from where does that power ultimately come?

The way laid out in the text is that the death worked first, since John the Baptist was finished doing his job to prepare people for the Christ, and then from the text comes life, since Jesus shows that life when he raised that little girl from the dead.

That is similar to the death that comes first when we confess our sinfulness, and then we are raised to new life by the full and free forgiveness of Jesus on the cross for us. From that lifeless, gory, bloody, ugly cross, there is certainly some power, as well as life eternal.

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February 17th, 2024

2/17/2024

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This Sunday is quite appropriately named the First Sunday in Lent, especially when Ash Wednesday just occurred. The Epiphany season has ended, and we have finished looking back at the appearance of Jesus at Christmas. Now we will be looking ahead toward the Easter season, Jesus’ death, resurrection and also his ascension. Since this is such a significant change in direction, it may be appropriate to look at this time as sort of a midpoint, especially since last Sunday’s text was what happened on the MOUNT of Transfiguration. The account of Jesus’ temptation by the devil is the focus of the first Sunday in Lent, and with the perspective of the Gospel according to Mark [1:9-15], there is not a mountain like there is in the Gospel according to Matthew or the Gospel according to Mark. But, nonetheless, there is a THROWING OUT of Jesus into the wilderness, and this has connections to when Adam and Eve were THROWN OUT of the Garden of Eden. Before that, in the Garden, things were good. After that, they were bad. That is a significant midpoint.

In the writings of this website, we are not at a midpoint within the Gospel according to Mark, but these will happen as we progress toward the middle of the work. And we are certainly farther along than the first chapter. What follows is a somewhat-literal translation of the rest of what is typically called ‘chapter five’ [5:21-43]. And as far as the historical presents that appear (verbs that are in the present tense but were expected to be in the past), these are in bold print. And please feel free to look at a study bible or other translations for some help in understanding:

And having crossed over, the Jesus, in the boat again, into the other side, it was assembled, a crowd, great, upon him, and he was beside the sea. And he comes, one of the synagogue chiefs, in name, Jairus, and having seen him, he falls toward the feet of him, and he exhorts him much, saying, “The little daughter of me, an eschaton, she has; that having come, you may lay upon, the hands, to her, that she may be saved, and she may live.” And he came away with him. And it followed him, a crowd, great, and they were pressing on him.

And a woman, being in a flow of blood twelve years, and many things having suffered by many healers and having spent the, belonging to her, all, and nothing having been profited, but on the contrary, rather into the worse having come, having heard concerning the Jesus, having come in the crowd, behind, she touched the garment of him, for she was saying, “If I may touch even the garments of him, I shall be saved.” And immediately it was dried up, the fountain of the blood of her, and she knew in the body that she was healed from the scourge.

And immediately, the Jesus, having recognized in himself the out-of-him power, having gone out, having turned around in the crowd, he was saying, “Who, of me, touched the garments?”

And they were saying to him, the disciples of him, “You are seeing the crowd pressing on you, and you are saying, ‘Who, me, touched?’” And he was looking around to see the one, this having done. Now the woman, having been fearful and trembling, knowing what has happened to her, she came, and she fell before him, and she said to him all the truth.

Now the one said to her, “Daughter, the faith of you has saved you; go into peace, and be whole from the scourge of you.”

Still he speaking, they come from the synagogue chief saying, “The daughter of you has died; why still you trouble the teacher?”

Now the Jesus, overhearing the word being spoken, he says to the synagogue chief, “Do not fear; only believe.” And not he allowed no one with him, to follow with, except the Peter and Jacob and John, the brother of Jacob. And they come into the house of the synagogue chief, and he beholds an uproar, and ones weeping, and ones wailing, much; and having entered, he says to them, “Why make an uproar and weep? The child, not she died, but on the contrary, she is sleeping.” And they were ridiculing him.

Now having thrown out all, he himself takes along the father of the child and the mother and the ones with him, and he goes into where she was, the child. And having taken hold of the hand of the child, he says to her, “Talitha koum,” which is being translated, “The maid, to you, I am saying, rise.”

And immediately she stood up, the maid, and she was walking; for she was, years, twelve. And they were stood out, immediately, in ecstasy, mega. And he ordered them much that no one know this, and he said to be given to her to eat.

Is it a coincidence that in the Gospel according to Mark, the historical presents are extremely frequent in the retelling of a resurrection from the dead? Given the special and sudden ending of that account, I do not think that is the case.

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February 10th, 2024

2/10/2024

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This Sunday is the last Sunday in the Epiphany season, and within the Gospel according to Mark, one could say that this Sunday focuses on the most significant epiphany or manifestation of Jesus. He was transfigured in an amazing way on the mountaintop, and there were actually some people with him, watching this amazing thing happen. (When describing the baptism of Jesus, the perspective in this gospel account is that only Jesus saw the heavens being torn open; cf. Mark 1:10.) The gospel reading for this Sunday is Mark 9:2-9.

Within the writings of this website, we are reading the Gospel according to Mark from beginning to end, in the order it was given, and we are currently looking at what is usually called ‘chapter five’. At the end of the previous chapter, there is a significant number of historical presents (a present tense verb where a past tense was expected), and those ‘presents’ come up when Jesus calms the storm. And a few of those ‘presents’ are connected to the mount of transfiguration as well.

Some connections could be made with those ‘presents’ to the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection and how the Christians are doing after Jesus ascended into heaven (and it would be helpful to remember that neither the resurrection nor the ascension is a significant focus when it comes to the shorter ending of the Gospel according to Mark). Perhaps the early Christians were thinking that there were too many words and not enough miracles happening. Why would a loving God let Christians be killed for believing in Jesus? The same case could be made when we are dealing with a significant casting out of demons—note the word is in the plural. (By the way, a legion in earthly terms is typically six thousand.) But Jesus is basically treating those multiple spirits as only one—note Jesus’ words, that the word ‘spirit’ is in the singular. The high number of unclean spirits is not important to Jesus.

What is interesting is that, when Jesus did a similar miracle before this, he told the person not to tell anyone. But Jesus does not say that this time. He has the man go to his own people though. And the location of his house, along with the name of the towns—the Decapolis—show that he was in a non-Jewish situation. We are beginning to see some significant progression within the work in Jesus spreading the good news among the Gentiles.

You may have already noticed that the way Jesus does this job of spreading the good news is not to give another exhortation. There is a lot of exhorting going on in this section, but Jesus is very gentle in just saying to him that he should go home and tell what the Lord has done, particularly in terms of mercy.

You may wish to look at other translations or a study bible, but what follows is this writer’s attempt at a somewhat-literal translation of the beginning of chapter five of the Gospel according to Mark (5:1-20; and the historical presents are in bold print):

And they came into the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. And having come out, he, out of the boat, immediately he met him, out of the tombs, a man, in a spirit, unclean, who the dwelling he had in the tombs, and not even with a chain, no longer, no one was able, him, to bind; on account of the him, often with fetters and chains, to have been bound, and to have been burst by him, the chains and the fetters, to have been broken up, and no one had strength, him, to subdue. And through all, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and cutting himself with stones.

And having seen the Jesus from far away, he ran and knelt before him, and having cried out with a voice, great, he says, “What to me and to you, Jesus, Son of the God of the Highest? I adjure you, the God, not me, torment.” For he was saying to him, “Come out, the spirit, the unclean, out of the man.”

And he was questioning him, “What name to you?”

And he says to him, “Legion, name to me, because many we are.” And he was exhorting him much, that not them, he would send outside the country. Now it was there, near the mountain, a herd of pigs, great, grazing. And they exhorted him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that into them we may enter.” And he allowed them. And having come out, the spirits, the unclean, they entered into the pigs, and it rushed, the herd, down the cliff, into the sea, about two thousand, and they were choking in the sea.

And the ones grazing them, they fled, and they reported into the city and into the fields; and they came to see what is the thing having happened. And they come toward the Jesus, and they see the one being demon-possessed, sitting, having been clothed and being of sound mind, the one having had the legion, and they were afraid. And they described to them, the ones having seen, how it happened to the one being demon-possessed, and about the pigs.

And they began to exhort him to go away from the territory of them. And getting in, he, into the boat, he was exhorting him, the one being demon-possessed, that with him he might be. And not he permitted him, but on the contrary, he says to him, “Go into the house of you, toward the yours, and report to them what things the Lord, to you he has done, and he had mercy on you.

And he went away, and he began to proclaim in the Decapolis what things he did to him, the Jesus, and all were marveling.

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February 03rd, 2024

2/3/2024

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This Sunday is usually called the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. And the gospel reading for this Sunday [Mark 1:29-39] continues on where it left off last Sunday. But since this next Sunday will be celebrating Jesus’ transfiguration, the gospel reading for that Sunday will be from a significantly different place.

In the readings of this website, we are in the middle of what is usually called ‘chapter four’, a little farther ahead in the Gospel according to Mark when compared to the gospel reading. We are continuing on, going in order from the very beginning to the very end of that gospel account. But we will be very much behind the text on the next Sunday, when the gospel reading will be from chapter nine. Either way, the hope is that seeing and reading this work in the order that it was originally given will be helpful to you.

The progression within the Gospel according to Mark is significant, especially since the endpoint is incredibly significant. Somewhat early in the work, the writer describes that ‘all the crowd’ was coming toward Jesus (Mark 2:13), and then, later in the work, a crowd ‘again’ comes together (Mark 3:20). Finally, a crowd is described as being ‘greatest’ (Mark 4:1). More people are hearing about Jesus.

One of first parables that Jesus gives, usually called the Parable of the Sower, shows the remarkable range of responses to the seed of Jesus and his words. Jesus is significant, and his words, therefore, are also significant. And there are significantly different responses that can happen as a result of Jesus’ words.

It is interesting in the text below that what follows after Jesus gives all those words, in the middle of the storm, his followers accuse Jesus of not caring. (It is also interesting to note that those who are with Jesus at this point in time are not specifically indicated as disciples within any part of that text.) Those who are with Jesus in the storm struggled to see a caring Jesus; and Christians who were being killed for following Jesus may have the same struggle; and the present-day followers of Jesus who are in difficult situations may continue to do the same thing. This gospel account presses on to find an answer as to who this Jesus truly is. And if he is truly the Son of God (as is indicated in Mark 1:1 in many manuscripts and in Mark 1:11 in all the manuscripts), how is he going to show that?

The particular situation that each one of us is in, that situation is known completely to the God of all creation. But that fact can often lead one to a greater focus on God’s power instead of his love. And people often put Jesus’ power into that same category since he is called the Son of God.

A focus on power of God can lead to a focus on the power of ourselves in many situations. That God is powerful is not yet good news. To give a simple example, Jesus could have often said to his followers to ‘Listen up.’ That is a straight imperative or command, and that would fit with Jesus having power. Instead of a focus on power, Jesus just says, ‘If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.’ That is a very gentle imperative, and it shows that, with Jesus, there is something else more important than power.

What follows, therefore, is an attempt at a somewhat-literal translation of the rest of so-called chapter four of the Gospel according to Mark (4:21-41); and where some action in the past is described in the present, those verbs (called ‘historical presents’) are in bold print; and it may be helpful to have other texts nearby, to help with the understanding of some of the more difficult parts of the text (and there are parts that are not in some translations):

And he was saying to them, “It does not come, does it, the lamp, that under the bushel it may be placed or under the bed? It does, does it not, that upon the lampstand it may be placed? For not, it is hidden, if not that it may be manifested; nor it became hidden away, but on the contrary, that it may come into the open.”

“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

And he was saying to them, “See what you hear. In what measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and it will be added to you. For the one who has, it will be given to him, and the one who not he has, even what he has will be taken from him.”

And he was saying, “Thus is the kingdom of the God, as a man throws the spore upon the earth, and he sleeps and he rises, night and day, and the spore sprouts and grows, as not he knows, himself. Automatically the earth bears fruit, first grass, then an ear, then full grain in the ear. Now when it gives over, the fruit, immediately he sends out the sickle, because it has come, the harvest.”

And he was saying, “How may we liken the kingdom of the God, or in what, it, a parable, may we place? As a kernel of mustard, which, when it is sown upon the earth, smaller being of all the seeds, the ones upon the earth, and when it is sown, it comes up and it becomes greater of all the vegetables, and it makes branches, large, so as to be able, under the shade of it, the birds of the heaven to put up a tent.”

And in such parables, to many, he was speaking to them the word, just as they were able to hear; now without a parable, not he was speaking to them, now according to his own, to the own disciples, he was unloosing all.

And he says to them, in that, the day, evening having happened, “Let us go through, into the other side.” And having left the crowd, they take along him, as he was, in the boat, and other boats were with him.

And it happens, a squall, large of wind, and the waves were throwing upon, into the boat, so as already to be filled, the boat. And he, himself, was in the stern, upon the pillow, sleeping. And they raise him, and they say to him, “Teacher, you do care, do you not, that we are perishing?”

And having been raised completely, he rebuked the wind, and he said to the sea, “Be quiet; be muzzled.”

And it dropped, the wind, and it happened, a calm, large. And he said to them, “Why cowardly are you? Not yet do you have faith?”

And they feared a fear, large; and they were saying toward one another, “Who, then, this one is, that also the wind and the sea listen to him?”

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