Blog Archives

March 30th, 2024

3/30/2024

This Sunday is a familiar and well-loved one, the ‘official title’ being the Resurrection of Our Lord. In the writings of this website, we are currently making our way through the gospel account that does not have a lot about the resurrection of our Lord, but this account does make up for that unique perspective in other ways.

One of those ways is that, of the three similar gospel accounts—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—the Gospel according to Mark has, by far, the most historical presents. (An historical present is where a past tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given.) The presence of an historical present helps to point out the present ramifications of such an ancient text. Jesus lived, he died, and he came back to life again, and he is still alive today. And the ramifications of that life, death, and resurrection are often hard to see. That fact is often compounded by the fact that we often like to focus on all the obvious negativity that is going on within our little corner of the world. (And with the benefit of the news broadcasters, we get to hear about all the other negative things that are going on in the rest of the world!) With these writings are currently looking at that very rich historical-present Gospel according to Mark, and we are taking a little bit each time, enough to remind us of the One who is in charge of it all, but He is One who does not show that ‘in-charge-ness’ by using his power. He, instead, has chosen to let his love predominate.

What follows could be called a somewhat-literal translation of the latter half of what is usually called chapter eight of the Gospel according to Mark (8:22-38; you may wish to look at other translations or a study bible to help understand the text; and the words in bold print below are the historical presents):

And they come into Bethsaida. And they bring to him a blind one, and they exhort him that him he would touch. And having grabbed the hand of the blind one, he brought out him, outside the village, and having spit into the eyes of him, having laid on the hands of him, he was questioning him, “If anything you see?”

And having looked up, he was saying, “I see the men, that as trees, I behold, walking.”
Then, again, he laid on the hands upon the eyes of him, and he saw through, and he was restored, and he was looking on, plainly, everything. And he sent him into house of him, saying, “Not into the village you may come into.”

And he came out, the Jesus, and the disciples of him, into the villages of Caesarea of the Philip; and in the way he was questioning the disciples of him, saying to them, “Whom, me, they say, the men, to be?”

And they said to him, saying, “John the Baptist, and others, Elias, now others, that one of the prophets.”

And he, himself, questioned them, “Now you, whom me, you say, to be?”

Having answered, the Peter, he says to him, “You, yourself, are the Christ.”

And he warned them that no one, they may say about him.

And he began to teach them that it is necessary, the Son of the Man, many things to suffer, and to be rejected by the presbyters, and the archpriests, and the scribes, and to be killed, and after three days, to rise again, and plainly, the word he was speaking. And having taken aside, the Peter, him, he began to rebuke him. Now the one, having turned around and having seen the disciples of him, he rebuked Peter, and he says, “Go behind me, Satan, because not you think the things of the God, but on the contrary, the things of the men.

And having summoned the crowd with the disciples of him, he said to them, “If anyone wants, after me to follow, let him deny himself, and let him take up the cross of him, and let him follow me. For whoever wants the life of him to save, he will lose it; now whoever will lose the life of him for the sake of me and the gospel, he will save it. For what profits a man to gain the world, whole, and to lose the soul of him? For what might give a man, an exchange of the soul of him? For whoever is ashamed of me and the, my, words in the generation, this, the adulterous and sinful, also the Son of the Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of the Father of him, with the angels, the holy.

In the first part of the above text, it is interesting that there is another very similar text to this one. At the start of the above text, there are three verbs in the historical present—to come, to bring, and to exhort. The last two of the three appeared very recently, near the end of the previous chapter. In that situation they bring a man with a speech difficulty, and they exhort Jesus to heal him.

Before the previous chapter, when that word ‘exhort’ was used when talking to Jesus, there was usually a ‘happy ending’, where those who are asking get what they want. In both of these instances, the one above and the one in the previous chapter, there was a healing, but along with that healing came some negativity. Jesus sighed in the previous occurrence (7:34). In the above situation, there was a gradual healing. And these two instances of the word are the last two times that this word appears within this gospel account.

This special use of the word ‘exhort’ in this gospel account may encourage the present-day Christians not to focus on the smaller things or to focus too much on the Lord’s power. Jesus had the power to take all sin and to pay for it on the cross. That is enough power to last us for eternity. Jesus did that very powerful thing while on earth, and his forgiveness comes in a very loving way.

0 Comments

March 23rd, 2024

3/23/2024

0 Comments

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. It is also known as Passion Sunday, and the entire Gospel reading connected to that aspect is Mark 14:1-15:47. In the writings of this website we are making our way through the Gospel according to Mark at a much slower pace, usually focusing on just a few paragraphs at a time. And we are currently at the beginning of what is usually called chapter eight.

It is interesting that the first words of this section of the text below are what is usually translated as ‘In those days’. So, what kind of days are those? This phrase also happened near the very beginning of the entire account (1:8). And it does seem that these are different days than the ones that were at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was just getting started back then, and now he is the midst of a lot of things.

The words that come after those very first ones are ones that have appeared before as well. In this situation, the people around Jesus are described as a ‘great crowd’, and this phrase appeared first in chapters five and six. And the last time it was given was right before the feeding of the five thousand (6:34). And this time, Jesus is going to end up feeding the four thousand. A significantly bad thing happened before the feeding of the five thousand (the death of John the Baptist), and now, after the feeding of the four thousand, some bad things happen.

What follows could be called a somewhat-literal translation of the first part of chapter eight of the Gospel according to Mark (8:1-21; you may wish to look at other translations or a study bible to help understand the text; and the historical presents, where a past-tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given, those will be in bold print):

In those, the days, again, a great crowd being, and not having anything they may eat, having called to himself the disciples, he says to them, “I have compassion upon the crowd, because already days, three, they remain with me, and not, they have anything, they may eat. And if I dismiss them, hungry ones, into house of them, they will faint in the way, and some of them, from far away, they have come.”

And they answered him, the disciples of him, “How these, will he be able, anyone here, to satisfy, with breads upon a wilderness?”

And he was asking them, “How many do you have, breads?”

Now the ones said, “Seven.”

And he commands the crowd to recline upon the ground, and having taken the seven breads, having given thanks, he broke, and he was giving to the disciples of him, that they might set before, and they set before the crowd. And they had small fish, a few; and having blessed them, he said also, these things, to set before. And they ate, and they were satisfied, and they took up excesses of fragments, seven baskets. Now they were as four thousand, and he dismissed them.

And immediately, having embarked into the boat with the disciples of him, he came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And they came out, the Pharisees, and they began to debate him, seeking from him a sign from the heaven, tempting him. And groaning in the spirit of him, he says, “Why the generation, this one, does seek a sign? Amen, I am saying to you, if it will be given, to the generation, this one, a sign.” And having left them again, having embarked, he came away into the other side.

And they forgot to take breads, and if not one bread, not they had with themselves in the boat. And he was charging them, saying, “See, look for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they were reasoning toward one another that breads, not they have. And knowing, he says to them, “Why are you reasoning that breads, not you have? Not yet do you understand, and not do you realize? Having been hardened, do you have, the heart of you? ‘Eyes having, not do you see? And ears having, not do you hear?’ And not do you remember, when the five breads I broke into the five thousand, how many (wicker, i.e., Jewish) baskets of fragments, full, you took up?”
They say to him, “Twelve.”

“When the seven, into the four thousand, of how many (mat, i.e., Gentile) baskets, fullnesses of fragments you took up?”

And they say to him, “Seven.”

And he was saying to them, “Not yet do you realize?”

Can you believe that the last sentence is the end of the discussion? They will be in Bethsaida in the very next verse. Jesus’ enemies are going after Jesus, and Jesus is starting to go after his disciples. I would imagine that the next step would be for Jesus’ enemies to go after his disciples as well. And some of that can be seen throughout history.

Just so you know, it took me a while to realize that the Jewishness of the baskets does fit with the Jewish number, twelve, and the Gentile-connected baskets are connected to the number seven, a Gentile number. (Everyone has to deal with seven days in a week.) If something is important within a certain culture, something like a basket, which is something so critical when it comes to transportation, you can almost guarantee that there is more than one word for it in that language. I am guessing that the Jewish baskets looked very nice, but the Gentile baskets were much more practical and useful. And Jesus is okay with both of them.

The ending of the above text is similar to the ending of the entire account. It does get one’s attention. It also reminds us of our sinfulness. And it does remind us that Jesus did enough—and even more than enough. We also have excesses of fragments.

0 Comments

March 16th, 2024

3/16/2024

0 Comments

In these writings we are moving forward in the Gospel according to Mark, as it was laid out by its writer. And we are looking at a few paragraphs each time, with a goal of reading the end of the account near the end of the church year. And we currently at the point of finishing up with what is usually called chapter seven.

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday in Lent, and the next Sunday will be the start of Holy Week, Palm Sunday. In the Gospel according to Mark, Palm Sunday is in chapter eleven, but this gospel account is known for an early tension between Jesus and his enemies. And you will see things getting much worse.

In the first part of chapter seven, the Pharisees and scribes were connected to one of the historical presents (where a past-tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given). In the translation below, that literary device is attached to a ‘Greek’ woman, a Gentile, more specifically, a Syrophoenician. And when Jesus is in the Decapolis, a non-Jewish area, the people who come to him are also connected to historical presents. This emphasizes the wide variety of people who are interacting with Jesus. And one could say that such a variety continues to this day.

The following is an attempt at a ‘somewhat-literal’ translation of the end of Mark 7(:24-37; and you may wish to look at other translations or even a study bible to aid your understanding of the text; and the historical presents are in bold):

Now from there, having risen, he came away into the regions of Tyre. And having entered into a house, no one, he was wanting to know, and not, he was able to be hidden. But on the contrary, immediately, having heard, a woman, about him; of whom, she had, the little daughter of her, a spirit, an unclean one; having come, she fell down toward the feet of him. Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician in race; and she was asking him that the demon he would throw out, out of the little daughter of her. And he was saying to her, “Allow first, to be fed, the children; for not it is good to take the bread of the children and to the dogs, to throw.”

Now the one answered, and she says to him, “Yes, Lord, and the dogs, under the table, they eat from the crumbs of the children.”

And he said to her, “On account of this, the word, go away; it has come out, out of the little daughter of you, the demon.” And having come away into the house of her, she found the child, having been laid upon the couch, and the demon, having come out.

And again, having come out, out of the regions of Tyre, he came through Sidon, into the Sea of the Galilee, in midst of the regions of Decapolis.

And they bring to him a deaf one, and one hardly talking, and they exhort him that he would lay upon him the hand. And having taken aside him from the crowd, according to their own, he threw the fingers of him into the ears of him, and having spit, he touched the tongue of him, and having looked up into the heavens, he sighed, and he says to him, “Ephphatha,” which is, “Be opened.” And immediately they were opened, of him, the ears, and it was loosed, the bond of the tongue of him, and he was speaking rightly.
And he ordered them that to no one they say. Now as much as them, he was ordering, the more abundantly, they, themselves, were proclaiming. And beyond measure they were struck out, saying, “Well, all things, he has done, and the deaf ones, he makes to hear, and the mute ones, to speak.”

It is interesting when you compare the reactions of the people in the different places at the different times. This last miracle happened in the Decapolis, the ten cities that were known to be non-Jewish. Earlier in this account, Jesus healed a man who had many demons, and he went back to his home in the Decapolis, and the reaction of that is that people ‘marveled’ (5:20). Near the end of the text above is an even greater reaction, that of ‘beyond measure they were struck out.’ Just the reaction of being ‘struck out’ also happens at the beginning of the account, by the Jews in the synagogue, at the teaching of Jesus, at 1:22. This is obviously something much greater than that.

To say, “He has done all things well,” that is a good thing. But to say it in the opposite order, as it is in the text above, now that is something REALLY good. “Well, all things, he has done.” This is most certainly true.

0 Comments

March 9th, 2024

3/9/2024

0 Comments

This Sunday is typically called the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and we are now more than midway to Holy Week. The Gospel reading for this Sunday in the three-year series may be a bit surprising, since it is not from the Gospel according to Mark. But people have been prepared for such a thing; last Sunday the Gospel reading was also from the Gospel according to John. That Sunday it was from the second chapter. This time it is from the third chapter, a very popular text (John 3:14-21).

Last week’s reading was Jesus cleansing the temple, the place where God and man came together. This week’s reading is about Jesus being lifted up on a cross. Now it may be said that both of those texts have to do with a midway point, where God and man come together. And the season of Lent helps us to appreciate such a wonderful thing.

The writings of this website are currently progressing through the Gospel according to Mark, from beginning to end, in the order in which the words were written. And we are currently starting what is typically called the seventh chapter. And that is getting very near the midway point of that gospel account. One could also say that we are close to the midpoint of the three similar (synoptic) accounts when taken together (the Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke).

Although the tension between Jesus and his enemies was already quite high, it could be said that ‘the next generations’ have some significant tension as well. In the previous chapter (6:30), after ‘the apostles’ are assembled (using the historical present—when the verb is in the present rather than the past), Jesus recommends that they all go off together to a wilderness place and rest. Now, at the start of the section below, the enemies of Jesus also assemble (also using the historical present), and they ask Jesus why the disciples do not follow the traditions of washing, and Jesus takes them to task for focusing on the traditions of man rather than the commandments of God.

Much earlier in this account (3:22), the scribes from Jerusalem came down and accused Jesus of being possessed by the devil. In the text below the Pharisees also come down with the scribes. And the Pharisees were the ones who were already working with the Herodians to destroy Jesus (3:6). Hopefully you can see how the tension is increasing.

What follows could be called a somewhat-literal translation of Mark 7:1-23 (you may note that verse sixteen will not be included in the text, since it does not appear in the earliest manuscripts; if you are unfamiliar with the Greek language, it may be helpful to look at other translations or a study bible; it should also be noted that the historical presents are given in bold print):

And they are assembled toward him, the Pharisees and some of the scribes, having come from Jerusalem. And having seen some of the disciples of him, that with common hands, that is, unwashed, they eat the bread. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews, if not, with a fist, they wash the hands, not they eat, holding the tradition of the presbyters, and from agoras, if not they baptize, not they eat, and other things, many, there are, which they received, to hold, baptisms of cups, and of pots, and of copper vessels, and of couches.) And they question him, the Pharisees and the scribes: “Because of what, not they walk, the disciples of you, according to the tradition of the presbyters, but on the contrary, with common hands they eat the bread?”

Now the one said to them, “Well he prophesied, Isaiah, about you, the hypocrites, as it has been written, ‘This, the people, with the lips, me, they honor, now the heart of them, far, is away from me; now in vain, they worship me, teaching teachings, commandments of men.’ Having left the commandment of the God, you hold the tradition of the men.”

And he was saying to them, “Well you set aside the commandment of the God, that the tradition of you, you may stand. For Moses said, ‘Honor the father of you and the mother of you,’ and, ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother, by death, let him come to an end.’ Now, you, yourselves, say, ‘If he says, a man, to the father or to the mother, Korban—which is a gift—whatever from me you might have a benefit,’ no longer you allow him, nothing, to do for the father or the mother, annulling the word of the God with the tradition of you, which you gave over; and similar things, such, many, you do.”

And calling to, again, the crowd, he was saying to them, “Hear me, all, and understand. Nothing there is, outside of the man, entering into him, which is able to make him common; but on the contrary, the things out of the man, coming out, are the ones making common the man.

And when he came into, into a house from the crowd, they were questioning him, the disciples of him, the parable. And he says to them, “Thus also, you yourselves, without understanding are? You do understand, do you not, that all, the from outside, entering into the man, not is able, him to make common, because not it enters, of him, into the heart, but on the contrary, into the stomach, and into the drain it goes out (cleansing all the foods)?”

Now he was saying, “The thing out of the man, having gone out, that makes common the man. For from within, out of the heart of the man, the thoughts, the evil, they go out—fornication, thefts, murders, adulteries, greedinesses, evils, deceit, unrestrained, eye—evil, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness—all these, the evil things, from within, it goes out, and it makes common the man.”

0 Comments

March 2nd, 2024

3/2/2024

0 Comments

Our progression within the Lenten season continues, and this next Sunday is typically called the Third Sunday in Lent. Last week’s gospel reading jumped seven chapters to the eighth chapter of the Gospel according to Mark, and this week’s reading jumps all the way to the second chapter of the Gospel according to John [John 2:13-22(23-25)]. That is a significant jump you do not see too often.

Within the writings of this website, we do not have those significant jumps. We are currently progressing in the order in which the Gospel according to Mark is normally read, and this will continue to the end of the church year. We are currently within what is normally called the sixth chapter. There are a few historical presents within this text (when a past tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given), and those will be given in bold print.

What follows now is a bit of the context. Earlier in this chapter, the disciples were sent out; that is why they are called ‘apostles’ at the start of the text below. And Herod responded to this sending, particularly to the miracles that went along with that, and since people were saying that Jesus is John the Baptizer, raised from the dead (see 8:27f). Herod also started thinking that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead (6:16).

Now in the text that is below, it is hopefully clear that Jesus has some important things to deal with besides the thoughts of a supposed ‘king’. You may perceive that Jesus is a little difficult with his disciples; this will certainly continue. And it will certainly escalate. And those disciples were certainly a little difficult. And Jesus certainly comes across as a great leader.

Here is this writer’s attempt at what could be called a somewhat-literal interpretation of Mark 6:30-56 (and you may wish also to look at other translations or a study bible to aid your understanding of the text):

And they are assembled, the apostles, toward the Jesus, and they reported to him all which they did and which they taught. And he says to them, “Come, you, yourselves, off on your own, into a wilderness place, and rest a little.” For they were, the ones coming and the ones going, many, and not even to eat, they were having a goodtime. And they came away in the boat, into a wilderness place, off on their own. And they saw them going, and they recognized, many, and on foot, from all the cities, they ran together there, and they came before them. And having come out, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion upon them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them much.

And already, an hour, great, having happened; having come to him, the disciples of him, they were saying, “Wilderness is the place, and already, an hour, great; release them, in order that, having come away into the circle, fields and villages, they may buy for themselves what they may eat.”

Now the one having answered, he said to them, “Give them, you, to eat.”

And they say to him, “Having come away, may we buy of denarii, two hundred, of loaves, and will we give to them to eat?”

Now the one, he says to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go; see.”

And having known, they say, “Five, and two fish.” And he instructed them to recline, all, symposia, symposia, upon the green grass. And they fell back, rows, rows, by a hundred and by fifty.

And having taken the five loaves and the two fish, having looked up into the heaven, he blessed, and he broke the loaves, and he gave to the disciples of him, that they might set before them, and the two fish, he divided to all. And they ate, all, and they were satisfied, and they took fragments, twelve, of baskets, fullnesses, and from the fish. And they were, the ones having eaten the loaves, five thousand men.

And immediately he forced the disciples of him to embark into the boat and to go before, into the other side, toward Bethsaida, while he, himself, dismisses the crowd. And having departed them, he came away, into the mountain, to pray.

And evening having happened, it was, the boat, in middle of the sea, and he, alone, upon the land. And seeing them being distressed in the to-row, for it was, the wind, against them; about fourth watch of the night, he comes toward them, walking upon the sea; and he wanted to come along side them. Now the ones, seeing him upon the sea, walking, they thought that a phantasm it is, and they cried out, for all, him, they saw, and they were troubled. Now the one immediately, he talked with them, and he says to them, “Be of good cheer, I, myself, am; do not fear.” And he went up toward them into the boat, and it ceased, the wind. And greatly, out of much, in themselves, they stood out; for they did not understand concerning the loaves, but on the contrary, it was, of them, the heart, having been hardened.

And having crossed over, upon the land, they came into Gennesaret and they anchored. And having come out, they, out of the boat, immediately having recognized him, they ran around, whole the region, that one, and they began, upon the pallets, the ones evil having, to carry around, where they were hearing that he is. And wherever he would enter into villages or into cities or into fields, in the agoras, they would put the weak ones, and they would exhort him that, if even the fringe of the garment of him they might touch, and as many as would touch him, they would be saved.

0 Comments

A Sabbath Day's Journey

March 30th, 2024

March 23rd, 2024

March 16th, 2024

March 9th, 2024

March 2nd, 2024

Archives