There is no introduction to the gospel of Mark. There is no geneaology, no birth story, nothing to pad the entrance of Jesus onto the scene. Well, that's not exactly true. There is that one sentence, "the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God's Son", and the prophecy (a mix of Isaiah and Malachi) about the messenger who will prepare the way. But that's it.
John the Baptist blows in, baptizes, and blows out. Everything is happening very quickly. When Jesus is baptized, the heavens don't just open, they are split open. And the Spirit doesn't just lead Jesus into the wilderness, s/he drives Jesus into the wilderness. In Mark, Jesus is tempted by Satan, but we don't get to know the content of the temptations (which I kind of like, by the way, more room for the imagination.) With such a spare description, I notice that out in the wilderness, Jesus is among the wild animals. This sort of reminds me of "The Peaceable Kingdom." hmmmm.
Also, it is apparent in these first three chapter that Jesus' first claim to fame is as an exorcist. Now, my "Common English Bible" doesn't say exorcist, but what else is "throwing demons out"? I ask you. How do we modern people want to think about that? Do we still need someone to "throw the demons out?" (I say yes, but of course, there needs to be some conversation about this.)
What I like about the little story about Jesus' healing Simon's mother-in-law is this appears to be one of the few times he actually heals someone he knows. Almost all of Jesus' healings are strangers.
Jesus is popular (except with the religious leaders). Right away, even before chapter 2, there are large crowds following him. And he teaches some, but his teachings are shorter, interspersed with exorcisms (there, I said it again), and healings. LOTS of healings, too.
Jesus is popular with the tax collectors and sinners. I have to wonder just who the "sinners" are, since, in my way of thinking, we're all sinners. So, who does Mark mean by "sinnners"? Enquiring minds want to know.
One of the problems with Jesus (according to Mark) is that he's not fasting like John and his disciples. He appears to be having too much fun (or something).
The end of chapter three was our gospel reading today. In only three chapters, people have already become convinced that Jesus is crazy, casting out demons and healing by the power of Satan. Jesus confronts them with the absurdity of this argument. If Satan is casting out demons, isn't he working against his own interests?
And why would you consider healing fevers, withered hands, and making people whole to be an act of evil?
And yet -- there's something dangerous about Jesus. Admit it.
What is the most intriguing aspect or detail of Mark's gospel so far?
And -- for extra credit -- why do you think the symbol for Mark's gospel is a lion?
No comments:
Post a Comment