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October 26th, 2024

10/26/2024

This Sunday is a very special Sunday for many Lutheran congregations. The title of this Sunday is Reformation Sunday, and it comes on the anniversary of the posting of the ninety-five theses by Dr. Martin Luther in 1517. There were a lot of ramifications of that one document, and such a thing is typical of the ‘modern’ era. The recent invention of the printing press made a big difference at that time.

Dr. Luther posted this one document on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany (on the day before many people would enter the church because of ‘All Saints Day’—more on that next week). To summarize, with this document Luther made an attempt to avoid in church an emphasis on what we do, and he thought it much more important to focus on what the Lord has done, and also what that gracious Lord continues to do. Such an emphasis continues on, five hundred and seven years later. The Gospel Reading which, understandably enough, focuses on a freedom which the Lord gives, comes from John 8:31-36, and it is the same reading for all three years of the three-year series.

This church year we have been going through the Gospel according to Mark, and that has also been the focus of these website writings. We recently went through that entire account, a section at a time, as it was laid out by the writer, in a somewhat-literal translation.

Since we still have a few weeks before we take up the Gospel according to Luke, we have been going back to the Gospel according to Mark, pointing out some of the unique things to that account. The emphasis so far has been on the historical presents within this account. (For those who are unfamiliar with the term, historical presents are when a past-tense verb should be expected, but a present-tense verb appears in the text.)

Some have seen a very tenuous connection between the historical presents within this gospel account and the living creature of the lion that is part of the Lord’s throne, the symbol of the Lord’s authority and glory. Last week’s writing of this website tried to connect the text of Jesus being hunted down by others as a part of the connection to that lion.

Where else could such a connection be? Those connections may be difficult for many people to see, especially since there is not too great of a knowledge regarding the characteristics of a lion that is in the wild. Perhaps someone has seen a lion in a zoo, but that is a very different environment.

Lions in the wild need food. They cannot rely on a zookeeper to feed them. Part of this task relies on communication amongst themselves. And so a lion that is out in the wild is both active and speaking. This matches the historical presents of the Gospel according to Mark in that there are speaking verbs, and there are action verbs as well.
One way to see this is to compare an event in the Gospel according to Mark with its counterparts in the closely related accounts of the Gospel according to Matthew and the Gospel according to Luke. The invention of the codex—a fancy name for a book—made it possible for similar events to be compared quite easily. Just imagine the difficulty if all the accounts were on scrolls!

Below is the account of the healing of the man with a withered hand. The translation, as is typical with these writings, could be called ‘somewhat-literal’. You may wish to look at other translations for a better understanding. An attempt has been made to compare the three accounts more easily by splitting up the text into several parts.

Please note how serious the fighting aspect of this event is and how extremely early it appears in the Gospel according to Mark (chapter three), especially when compared to the Gospel according to Matthew (chapter twelve) and the Gospel according to Luke (chapter six). It should also be noted that the historical presents are in capital letters this time. And the text in the Gospel according to Mark has three of them. Jesus does a good job roaring.

Here is the Healing of the Withered Hand on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11):

The Gospel according to Matthew:

And having gone on from there, he came into the synagogue of them. And look, a man, hand having withered; and they questioned him saying, “If it is permitted on the Sabbaths to heal?” In order that they might accuse him.

Now the one said to them, “Who will be of you, a man who will have a sheep, one, and if it falls in, this one, on the Sabbaths, into a pit, he will, will he not, grab it and raise? Therefore, how much it surpasses, a man, of a sheep. So it is permitted on the Sabbaths, well to do.”

Then HE SAYS to the man, “Stretch out, of you, the hand.” And he stretched out, and it was restored, healthy, as the other.

Now having come out, the Pharisees, counsel, they were taking against him, how him, they might destroy.

The Gospel according to Mark:

And he came into, again, into the synagogue, and he was there, a man, having withered, having the hand; and they were watching carefully him, if on the Sabbaths he will heal him, in order that they might accuse him.

And HE SAYS to the man, to the withered hand, having, “Rise, into the middle.” And HE SAYS to them, “Permitted on the Sabbaths, good to do or to do evil, life to save or to kill?” Now the ones were being silent.

And having looked around at them with anger, being greatly grieved upon the hardness of the heart of them, HE SAYS to the man, “Stretch out the hand.” And he stretched out, and it was restored, the hand of him.

And having come out, the Pharisees immediately, with the Herodians, counsel they were giving against him, how him, they might destroy.

The Gospel according to Luke:

Now it happened in another Sabbath, to come into, him, into the synagogue, and to teach; and he was, a man, there, and the hand of him, the right, it was withered.

Now they were carefully watching him, the Writers and the Pharisees, if in the Sabbath, he heals, in order that they might find to accuse him.

Now he himself knew the reasonings of them. Now he said to the man, to the withered, having the hand, “Rise and stand into the midst.” And having risen up, he stood.

Now he said, the Jesus, toward them, “I ask you, if it is permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, life to save or to destroy?”

And having looked around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out the hand of you.” Now the one did, and it was restored, the hand of him.

Now they, themselves, were filled with fury, and they were discussing toward one another what they might do to the Jesus.

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October 19th, 2024

10/19/2024

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Time marches on. This Sunday is the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, and it has as its Gospel reading Mark 10:23-31. With the writings of this website, we have also focused on the Gospel according to Mark. Since we recently went through that entire account, we have been going back and looking at one of the most interesting things about that account. All four Gospel accounts use the historical present (where a past-tense verb is expected, but a present tense appears; incidentally they are the verbs below that are in capital letters), and each account uses the historical presents in a significantly different way.

Feel free to consider this crazy, but with these most recent writings, an attempt is being made to connect the historical presents in these gospel accounts to the four living creatures who are part of the Lord’s throne (with a throne being a sign of the king’s authority and glory). The ramifications of the special God who came down to his creation is found in the very special fact of having four gospel accounts that are designed to work together and give four different perspectives of this saving action. This is much like the four sides of a throne working together to give a special person a nice place to sit, and the idea is for that special person to look very nice in that position as well, with that perspective of that person being different from the four sides of that throne.

Traditionally the Gospel according to Mark has been connected to the living creature of the lion. And as a lion, Jesus is tough. So far, he has been thrown out into the wilderness, to be with the wild beasts, as well as to be with Satan. He starts to have a ‘base’, a territory, and that is Capernaum. And then, while in Capernaum, he was called to help someone, Peter’s mother-in-law to be exact (and the word ‘immediately’ is connected to the calling). And he heals her. (And would you believe that the word used to raise her by the act of simply the holding of her hand is closely connected to the word for power?). Now what is next?

The following historical present happens after there is an impromptu ‘synagogue’ at the door of the house where Jesus was. The whole city was at the door. And he healed lots of people. Early the next morning Jesus went out to a ‘desert’ place, the same word that was used for the location where the Holy Spirit threw him out.

Here is a literal translation of the Greek from Mark 1:36-39:

And they hunted down him, Simon and the ones with him, and they found him, and THEY SAY to him, “All are seeking you.” And HE SAYS to them, “Let us go elsewhere into the neighboring towns, that also there I may proclaim, for into this, I came out.” And he came, proclaiming into the synagogues of them, into all the Galilee, and the demons throwing out.

Now who is getting thrown out? This is why Jesus came out.

It is certainly interesting to hear that Simon and the ones with him hunted Jesus down. You may not have known that this verb, ‘to hunt down’, is only used here in the New Testament.

What is encouraging is that, to get an idea of the meaning of this word, it appears very frequently in the Old Testament. It appears in Genesis, when some of Abrahams’ descendants are getting chased. In appears in Exodus, when the nation of Israel is getting pursued by the Egyptians.

You may not wish to do such a thing, but what follows are all the times that this word which means ‘hunted down’ appears in the Greek translation of the Psalter; and you may wish to look them up. And you may note that it usually is a negative thing. (But is not the cross seen as a negative thing as well?) Jesus helps to get our perspective back on what is good and bad. He was hunted down. (He was the focus of such terrible schemes, he was conspired against, sought after, hounded, pursued, persecuted, condemned, etc.). He was killed. He was raised again. And all of that is a very good thing for us.

Psalm 7:5; 18:37; 23:6; 31:15; 35:3; 38:20; 69:26; 71:11; 83:15; 109:16, 31; 119:84, 86, 150, 161; 142:6; 143:3 (It should also be noted that Psalm 143 has this as its title in the Septuagint [the Greek translation of the Old Testament]: “A Psalm of David, when his son pursued him.”)

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October 12th, 2024

10/12/2024

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This Sunday is entitled the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, and it has as its Gospel reading Mark 10:17-22. With the recent writings of this website, we have also focused on the Gospel according to Mark, and we have recently finished going through that entire account, taking into account the way the writer originally laid it out. And since that task of going through that Gospel account was recently finished, in these writings that follow we will be going over some of the more unique and interesting things of this account.

You may disagree, but in last week’s writing it was proposed that one of the most interesting and unique things of all four accounts is their varied use of what is called the historical present; that is where a past-tense verb is expected, but a present-tense verb is given. This emphasis on the present tense is literally an important topic for the present day.

An initial look at the historical presents’ initial use in all four accounts was given in the last writing of this website. This week’s writing will focus on the use of the historical presents in the Gospel according to Mark, particularly their connection to the living creature of the Lord’s throne as a lion. This connection brings to mind the perspective of the Lord winning the battle over evil and the ramifications of such a win. And this writing will cover the first historical presents in the first chapter of the book (and the translations will be somewhat literal, taken from the original text; and the historical presents will be in capital letters).

In last week’s writing it was said that the first historical present within this account is that the Spirit THROWS OUT Jesus into the wilderness (1:12). This harsh treatment seems to fit with the life of a lion. How does this continue?

It could be said that it continues with the very next verse. And although there are no historical presents, that there was one in the previous verse certainly has ramifications for the reader or listener. This account is very different from the Gospel according to Matthew and the Gospel according to Luke. A summary of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is that he was tempted by Satan and was with the wild beasts. And such a description fits very well with a lion.

The subsequent verse references John the Baptist being handed over, and this is another reminder of the fighting that is going on in the context that is familiar to lions. The text then says that Jesus ‘came into’ Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God. This is a good, positive summary of what Jesus did.

The next historical present comes a few verses later, after Jesus has some followers to follow him, at 1:21: “And THEY GO INTO, into Capernaum. And immediately, on the Sabbaths, having come into, into the synagogue, he was teaching. And they were struck out upon the teaching of him, for he was teaching them as authority having….”

Why is this in the historical present? Lions are very territorial. And this city is connected to Jesus’ home later in the work. This is seen especially in Mark 2:1: “And having come into, again into Capernaum, after days, it was heard that in a house, he is.”

They are in the synagogue, then they are in the house, then Simon’s mother-in-law is not well.

And THEY SAY to him about her (1:30). This is not a sermon. This is a call for help. Lions travel in groups, and they help one another. They protect one another. They care for one another.

This is Jesus. This is Jesus for sinners.

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October 05th, 2024

10/5/2024

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This Sunday is the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, and it has the Gospel reading of Mark 10:2-16. With the readings of this website, we have just finished going through the Gospel according to Mark. We went through the entire account, a section at a time, the order in which the writer laid it out. Since we still have a few weeks left in this “B-series” of the church year, and this year has focused on the Gospel according to Mark, we are going to go back, to look in greater detail, at some of the most unique and significant characteristics of that Gospel account.

This writer would propose that one of the most interesting things regarding the literary style of ALL four accounts is that they all incorporate some form of what is called the historical present. That is where a past-tense verb is expected, but a present tense is given. These happen in all four accounts, and they happen in different ways and with different verbs.

One of the most interesting aspects to these interesting historical presents is the way in which they initially appear in each Gospel account. It could also be said that connections could be made between these historical presents and the living creatures that are part of the LORD’s throne.

In case you are not familiar with those living creatures, they may be found in the first chapter of Ezekiel, as well as other places. In the Ezekiel text, the creatures have the order of the man, lion, ox, and eagle, and these could be connected to the four Gospel accounts in their regular order. Unfortunately, the four accounts have been connected in different ways to different living creatures, especially in the way in which each account begins.

Since the Gospel according to Matthew begins with a genealogy, it has been connected to a lion, one of the tribe of Judah, and not just a man. And since the Gospel according to Mark begins with a Jesus who is already an adult, it has been connected to a man and not just a lion.

It may be clearer to make connections between the living creature and the Gospel account by means of the historical presents, and not just in the way that the Gospel account begins. Historical presents, after all, have an effect and come into the present with their present tense. These four living creatures are still living today, and their characteristics, therefore, have ramifications for today. Jesus doing something like a man today is important. Jesus doing something like a lion today is also important.

What follows is a mention of at least the first historical present within each account and how it relates to the living creature (you may wish to study these more with various resources):

MATTHEW
The first historical present is that an angel of the Lord APPEARS in a dream to Joseph (2:13). What is interesting is that the angel again APPEARS just a few verses later (2:19). This pattern continues with another word in the historical present appearing in 3:1 and 3:13 with the verb meaning “to arrive” or “to come”. And to make it even more clear that there is a pattern, another set appears at 3:15 and 4:11 with the verb meaning “to allow” or “to leave”. This pattern seems to point to a man who gives structure to various things. And it could be said that Jesus gives a significant structure to this present life.

MARK
The first historical present within this account is that the Spirit THROWS OUT Jesus (1:12). What is interesting is that, later in the chapter, the word is used again. At 1:34 and 39, it is described that Jesus threw out demons (with verse 34 describing this as MANY demons). But then, at 1:43, Jesus THREW OUT A MAN THAT HE HAD JUST CLEANSED FROM LEPROSY. The same verb is used (although translations do not give a “rough” translation of the word). That is certainly a rough way to treat someone just recently healed. But that seems to fit with a lion. And the message that comes across is in this verb is that Jesus went through hard times, and the point could be made that the people around Jesus went through some hard times, and I think you might have an idea of what to expect for Christians in the twenty-first century.

LUKE
What is interesting about the use of the historical presents in the Gospel according to Luke is that the first one is far later into the account, at 7:40. It is found when one of the Pharisees REPLIES to Jesus, that he is okay with Jesus saying something to him about his thoughts. A sinful woman was anointing Jesus’ feet with tears and some special perfume, and the Pharisee had some negative thoughts about the woman, and Jesus is about to set him straight.

The typical turning point for this Gospel account is typically seen to be 9:51, when Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem, so why is the first historical present even earlier? When it comes to historical presents, even more important than coming into Jerusalem is a reference to Jesus’ resurrection, that Jesus’ coming back to life again is a situation that continues to this day. And this could be said to happen at Luke 7:13. And it is an unusual circumstance. There is a widow, and her son just died. And the text says that Jesus, called in this text as the LORD, has compassion, and he raises the son to life again. Does that sound familiar?

The connection to be made to the ox is one that there is a great variety of people who are connected to the historical present within this account. This starts with a Pharisee, and that is not a bad place to start. The Pharisees tried very much to be good. In the same way that an ox can work with a variety of other animals and people, Jesus does the same. His resurrection is for all. And this is especially seen in the book of Acts.

JOHN
Historical presents are frequent and common within the Gospel according to John. With the connection to an eagle, an animal with a broad perspective, this is not too unusual to have so many events that are in the present. The first historical present goes along with the first quote from this account, in 1:15. John the Baptist WITNESSES concerning Jesus. As this account supports the others, there may be seen the eagle, the one flying high overhead, giving support to those on the ground. All four accounts can work together in this very special way.

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