February 24th, 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.