Gospel of Mark
Study
Week Four
1.
Geographical markers in Mark 8.27-10.52:
*
Jesus is moving toward Jerusalem—he is moving toward the cross!
2.
Comparison of Jesus’ three passion predictions:
|
Mark
8.31
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Mark
9.31
|
Mark
10.32b-34
|
|
And
he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected
by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after
three days rise again.
|
For he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is
to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he has
been killed, he will rise three days later.”
|
And
again he took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to
happen to him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of
Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will
condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. They will mock him and spit on him,
and scourge him and kill him, and three days later he will rise again.”
|
·
By the time of the third passion prediction
(10.32b-34) there is a definite intensification of detail (i.e., mock, spit,
scourge).
3.
Prediction, Misunderstanding, Teaching:
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Jesus predicts his
death
|
Disciples
misunderstand
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Jesus teaches about
the cost of discipleship
|
|
8.31
|
8.32-33
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8.34-38
|
|
9.30-31
|
9.32 (33-34)
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9.35-50
|
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10.32-34
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10.35-40
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10.41-45
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4.
Mark 8.31-38
a.
Peter’s (disciples’) misunderstanding: “Messiah doesn’t
suffer!”
i. Peter
is dictating to Jesus what the Messianic mission entails
ii. Also
dictating the terms of his discipleship à
“If you don’t do what I want then I will rebuke you.”
b.
“Some commentators see a connection between
Peter’s understanding, or rather misunderstanding, of Jesus’ identity at this
point and the unique two-stage healing of a blind man at Bethsaida in the preceding
context (Mark 8:22-26). Peter’s
understanding of Jesus’ identity is ‘blurred’ at Caesarea Philippi, like the
blind man after Jesus’ first healing touch (8:23-24). Arguably, the second healing touch of the miracle occurs
only at the cross, where through a centurion’s confession we see clearly for
the first time who Jesus is, ‘the Son of God!’ (cf. 15:39). This view dovetails with Mark’s
introduction to Jesus as both the ‘Christ’ and the ‘Son of God” (1:1), which
Mark progressively defines in his narrative through these two telling
confessions, which climax at the cross (8:29; 15:39). Simply put, one
cannot understand who Jesus is apart from his work on the cross!”[1]
c.
Challenge of discipleship: suffering before glory
i. Need
an eternal perspective à
not simply a focus on this “adulterous and sinful generation”
ii. “Glory
awaits those who are willing to publicly follow Jesus and identify with him, no
matter what the cost.”[2]
iii. “No
suffering, no glory—this is true for both Jesus and his followers! This text is a sobering reminder to
Jesus’ followers that their allegiance to the miracle-working, all-powerful
Jesus and his gospel does not mean deliverance from suffering in the midst of
this ‘adulterous and sinful generation’ (v. 38).”[3]
d.
Suffering and Glory in the New Testament:
i. Acts
14.21-22; Romans 8.17-18; 2 Corinthians 1.6; 4.17; Philippians 1.29; 2
Thessalonians 1.5; 2 Timothy 3.12; Revelation 2.10
ii. Peter:
1 Peter 1.10-11; 4.12-14; 5.10-11
5.
Mark 9.30-50
a.
“Who is the greatest?” v. 34
b.
Disciples’ error: “It involves rather their
inability to see the implications of Jesus’ passion for their own lives.”[4]
c.
“receives one child” (v. 37) serve and provide for
i. Regarding
children
§
“…the long-standing view widely shared across
the Hellenistic world, that children were marginal to society and did not
‘count’…”[5]
ii. “receive”
= δἐχομαι
iii. Used 6 x’s in Mark (4 x’s in 9.37;
6.11; 10.15)
iv. “receiving”
people
1.
Matt 10.14, 40, 41
2.
Luke 9.5, 48, 53 (v. 53 Samaritans did not receive
Jesus)
3.
Luke 10.8, 10; 16.4, 9
4.
John 4.45
5.
2 Cor 7.15 Titus received with fear and trembling
6.
Gal 4.14 Paul received as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself; opposed to despising
and loathing
7.
Heb 11.31 Rahab “after she had welcomed (received) the spies in peace”
8.
3 John 9, 10 (only two uses of ἐπιδέχομαι)
d.
“The disciple demonstrates his renunciation of
power and greatness when he does not value only the work which enjoys great
success. Even the reception of a
single child establishes fellowship between Christ and the disciples.”[6]
i. There
are no “small” ministries à
everything is important to Jesus!
e.
“The specific dangers discussed in our passage
involve seeking personal greateness (9:33-37), discriminating against followers
of Jesus who are not under the leadership of the twelve disciples (9:38-41),
causing other Christians (‘little ones’) to stumble (9:42), and removing
anything from one’s life that would cause one to stumble (9:43-50).”[7]
f.
This passage speaks about Jesus:
o “…human
destiny is primarily dependent on one’s relationship with Jesus. How one should treat others is not
based on anthropology—the value of the human soul or their treatment of the
image of God that resides in humanity.
It is based rather on Christology—one’s attitude toward Jesus. Being received by God is determined by
one’s attitude toward the ‘name of Jesus’ (9:37), whether one has faith in
Jesus. Human actions are ultimately
not judged on the basis of the value of human life, the infinite value of the human
soul, the laws of creation, and so on.
Rather, they are based on whether they are done in faith for Jesus’ sake
(9:41).”[8]
6.
Next week: Mark 8.27-10.52
a.
Consider personal applications for what we have
seen in the predictions, misunderstandings, teachings sections.
b.
Mark 9.1 speaks of some standing in the presence
of Jesus “who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it
has come with power.” Who might
this be referring to? When did
they “see the kingdom of God?”
c.
How is Mark 9.14-29 like the episode with the
Syro-phoenician woman (Mark 7.24-30)?
d.
What do you think Mark 9.29 means given the fact
that Jesus didn’t pray for the demon to be cast out? Any applications for us?
e.
What especially moved you, challenged you,
etc.? Any thing new you saw in
your reading?
7.
Mark 9.49 “For everyone will be salted with
fire.”
a.
“Bratcher and Nida have counted at least 15
different explanations for the verse, and Gould calls it ‘one of the most
difficult to interpret in the New Testatment.’”[9]
b.
Some link the verse with the sacrificial
system. “According to the Mishnah
salt was put into the carcass of the sacrificial animal in order to soak out
the blood. After the blood was
soaked out, the carcass was fit for consumption or sacrifice.”[10] There are also some textual variants
that show this linkage in terms of Leviticus 2.13. One of these textual variants is reflected in the King James
Version: ”For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted
with salt.” Fields states:
In fact one gets the feeling that
many commentators are not happy with their own conclusions; yet the absence of
a better alternative, coupled with the fact that in the Temple sacrifices salt
and fire were found together, has led most interpreters to apply the
purificational and dedicatory objectives of the sacrifices to Jesus’ statement
about the individuals in the passage under consideration.[11]
c.
Fields argues that the Greek phrase is actually
a Hebrew idiom literally translated into Greek. The idea of salt is associated with “destruction” in Judges
9.45: “to sow a place with salt.”[12] Fields quotes Reuben Alcalay as
translating the phrase in Judges 9.45 as “to destroy completely.”[13] In light of this Fields states the
following regarding Mark 9.49: “It would fit this context perfectly to
translate 9:49, ‘everyone [who is sent to hell] will be completely destroyed’ (destroyed by fire).”[14] Fields thus concludes:
[9] Weston W. Fields,
“’Everyone Will Be Salted With Fire’ (Mark 9:49)” Grace Theological Journal 6 (1985), 299. Online: http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/gtj/06-2_299.pdf.
[12]
Keil writes about Judges 9.45, “Strewing the ruined city with salt, which only
occurs here, was a symbolical act, signifying that the city was to be turned
for ever into a barren salt desert.” C. F. Keil, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel: Commentary on the Old Testament
vol. 2 (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1996 [1866-91]), 267.
