Day 27: The Word Becoming Flesh, In the Beginning

I have to like the version of the New Testament I'm reading right now (Common English Bible), if only because this first section of John is written as if it were a poem -- which, of course it is.  It's not a miracle story, it's not a parable, it's not a genealogy, it's a poem, and it's meant to evoke the first chapter of Genesis (In the beginning, God created the heavens...) which, truth be told, has some poetic qualities itself.  If not poetic, at least some liturgical qualities.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God."  How this can be it appears that words cannot fully express, but John tries to share the beauty of the eternal One who walked with us, lived with us, suffered and died.... in these few opening words.

He then opens up his stories about Jesus' ministry, beginning (of course) with John the Baptist, but telling it at a slightly different angle.  Jesus being baptized is mostly a parenthesis (yes, it did happen), but what John really wants us to know is that when he sees Jesus, he says, "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  John's first and haunting testimony is to the crowds, "standing in the midst of you is one you do not know."  Still true, even today.

Jesus calls disciples, with the simple words, "Come and see."  The same idea, but again, from a different angle.  We don't hear anything about Jesus being tempted in John.  And the words Jesus says to Nathanael at the end of chapter one, "You will see the angels ascending and descending on the son of man", is a reference to the story of Jacob and his dream of angels in Genesis 28.  Jacob dreams of a ladder of angels, and wakes up to declare, "surely God was in this place, and I did not know it.  This is the gate of heaven and the house of God."  You will see, now and again, this verse on the doorway to a church.  I would hope that the verse refers not to the church, but to Jesus.

Chapter 2 begins with the wonderful story of the wedding at Cana.  This is Jesus' first sign, and it appears he is reluctant to do it, but he does, anyway.  Everything in John is supposed to have a deep theological significance, and this story is no exception.  The jars of water for purification are changed to wine, and I'm sure John means us to raise our eyebrows at this new wine that Jesus is creating out of something meant for another (religious) use.  Still, I just love that Jesus makes wine for a wedding, so that people can continue having a good time.  Is that so wrong?

You may be wondering (if you are paying attention) why Jesus is cleansing the temple now, early in his ministry, rather than when he is supposed to, during Holy Week.  Again, the signal is that Jesus is the end of something old and the beginning of something new.  From now on, (remember chapter 1) the gate of heaven and the house of God will be him, his body, and not one particular place.  And I can't help noticing that instead of calling the temple "a den of thieves" Jesus calls it "a place of business."  Again, it's a slightly different critique of what is going on there.  What does it mean to you?

Finally, the last first of chapter 2 (in this translation) struck me  "Jesus didn't need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he knew what human nature was."

Yes, he did.

(Icon is by Igor Stoyonov and is in the Public Domain)

Day 17: The "Orderly Account" of Luke, beginning with Birth Announcements

Unlike Mark, but like Matthew, Luke begins well before the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  He begins by telling us that he too is going to write about Jesus, and that his account is going to be an orderly one.  He writes to tell someone called "Theophilos" about Jesus (by the way, Theophilos means "Lover of God".)

There's a combination of well-known and less-well-known stories in these first two chapters of Luke.  I know I had the first few verses of Luke 2, the Christmas story, almost known by heart.  But what about the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist?  Unlike Mary, Elizabeth and her husband were not young, but an older couple who had long ago given up hope that they would have a child.  Like Mary, Zechariah meets an angel who tells him the good news, but he responds, "How will I know?  After all, my wife and I are getting on in years...."  To me, this is a nice way of saying, "Give me a break.  How am I supposed to believe that?" 

So the angel strikes him dumb until his son, John is born, (by the way, at the end of Luke 1.)  Then, Zechariah goes on to praise God in words of prophecy and poetry.  The church has made Zechariah's words into a song, called the "Benedictus." 

Zechariah and Elizabeth's story forms the beginning and end of Luke 1.  In the middle is Mary's story (I can't help saying -- there's the meat in the middle of the sandwich again.)  Mary's response, "My soul magnifies the Lord..." I find striking in many ways, not the least because she speaks as if everything God has promised has already happened.  "God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty."  She is bringing the future into the present. 

Then there is Luke 2, the story so familiar that maybe we don't pay attention to the details, the ones that are there, and the ones that are not there (for example, did you notice that there is no mention of Mary riding a donkey, and that Luke never mentions a star?)

In Luke 2, the angels proclaim, and then Anna and Simeon proclaim.  Then, in the end, twelve-year-old Jesus loses his parents and ends up in the temple.

One thing to notice -- Luke is often careful to balance out men and women in stories about encounters with Jesus.  So we see both the wisdom of Simeon and Anna.  Pay attention to that as you read along.

Did you notice any different details in these familiar stories as you read them today?  If so, what were they?

Why do you suppose Luke tells stories from before John the Baptist and Jesus were even born?

Day 11: Off and Running with Mark, the Evangelist

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?

Day 1: Family Trees, Dreams, Repentance

I am starting my summer reading with a new Bible Translation:  The Common English Bible.  So that will shape at least some of my reflections over the summer.  I hope that you will think about the particular words you read in the Bible, and part of our conversations will be around the similarities and differences we see.

Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy:  Jesus' family tree.  I will admit that in the past I've found these lists of names to be something to skim instead of really to read.  If you really want people to keep reading your story, why would you start with a list of names?  Why begin with  "A record of the ancestors of Jesus Christ." instead of something like this:  "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," or "Call me Ishmael," or even "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"?  But Matthew must have thought that it was most intriguing, because he put it first.  He must have thought it would draw people in, make them curious.

There's actually a lot to be curious about in this family tree.  There are stories underneath every single name, and perhaps the people to whom Matthew wrote know more of these stories than we do.  For me, the women named are most interesting:  Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, the wife of Uriah (that would be Bathsheba), and Mary.  Delve into just one of their stories, and suddenly this boring genealogy gets a lot more interesting!

Reading along, I noticed how often God speaks through dreams:  to Joseph and to the magi.  To both the good news is announced in dreams; both are warned about dangers through dreams.  I wonder how often we consider a dream as a sign from God?

I noticed as well, reading three chapers at a time, how abrupt was the shift to John the Baptist.  Joseph returns with his family in Egypt, settles in Nazareth, and suddenly! -- John the Baptist is crying in the wilderness, offering forgiveness with repentance, haranguing the scribes and the Pharisees, baptizing Jesus.

In my translation, the voice from heaven says, "this is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him."

Some questions:
1.  As you read these three chapters, what images or themes leap out at you? 
2.  What do you wonder about?  What is most difficult?
3.  Who is one person from Jesus' genealogy that you are curious about?
4.  In the NRSV, the passage from Matthew 2:2, "we have seen his star in the east," is translated, "we have seein his star at its rising."  Either translation works; does it matter which we use?
5.  Do you think that the baptism of John is different than baptism in the name of Jesus?  If so, what is the difference?

*Image is from The St. John's Bible, Genealogy of Matthew.