(I somehow forgot to post this last week, so I’m just catching up. Sorry. – Scott)
Last week, we began at the beginning. The Gospel of Mark begins with an enigma, proclaiming to readers “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God,” a story that they are presumed to already know. To us, much of it may seem familiar: healing, feeding, teaching, casting out demons. But the enigmas of Mark do not end with the beginning.
Mark’s Jesus tells people repeatedly, after flashy public miracles, to keep quiet. There are probably many reasons for this. As a practical matter, his work might get him in trouble with the authorities, as it did for John the Baptizer. Best to keep it on the low. But there’s more going on here. Mark puts certain titles in the mouths of certain people, which creates a group of insiders and outsiders, those who know and those who do not. However, the irony is that those who should know – the disciples, who he pulls aside specifically to reveal his secrets – do not know and those who should not know – the demons, the Jewish and Roman authorities – do know. And all the while, someone is spreading the word, growing Jesus’ fame.
In the evangelical tradition of my youth, to be a disciple meant to tell the story of Jesus. But in Mark, the disciples are sworn to secrecy and everyone else is talking about Jesus. If we are to follow Jesus, what are we to do, according to Mark?
Please join us on Sunday, 11am at Kidd Springs Rec Center, as we talk about the mission of Jesus, our role in that mission and why everything is so hush-hush.
Grace and Peace,
Scott
Bible Study!
Surprise, surprise, I’m not good with dates. Turns out Thanksgiving is always the third Thursday in November, not the last one, so we’ll skip that week instead.
Nov. 7 – Chapters 1-8 (Ministry in Galilee)
Nov. 14 – Chapter 9-13 (The Road to Jerusalem)
Nov. 28 – Chapters 14-16 (The Passion)
I should also say that this week’s episode did not go off as planned. If people want to talk about the Bible on Wednesdays, I will be prepared to do so. If not, if people just want to just relax and decompress, I’m good with that, too. Let the Spirit inspire.