The Year of Matthew

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For Self-Study in 2006:

Prepared by Pastor Peg Schultz-Akerson

Session 1: Jesus

Mark’s Gospel says, “God has come down to us! Turn around and live!”

The Question is: Do we trust this enough to live as though it is true?

Let’s take a look at what Mark says:

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (authorities differ on exact wording)

“The beginning...” – original readers would think of Genesis 1:1. God is creating the world again and guess who is now in charge! Not principalities and powers, not Rome , not evil. Yes! God! Also, it was customary for an author to connect to recognized authorities – name recognition. The most esteemed authority for Mark’s readers was the Hebrew Scriptures. Mark begins there.

“gospel” or “good news” – the phrase ‘glad tidings’ was associated with Roman propaganda. News of military victories was announced throughout the Roman Empire as “glad tiding.” Caesar was named the “divine man.” So, Mark uses this popular media of the Mediterranean world to engage people’s attention.

Mark 1:2-3 “As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Again, appealing to recognized authority of Hebrew Scriptures and specifically the memory of the Exodus – God providing the way out of the wilderness. In Mark, this way is synonymous with discipleship. Following Jesus is the way out of every bondage.

“My messenger” of course is John the Baptist – dressed like Elijah who disappeared into heaven at the Jordan River leaving the story without closure. John provides that closure by appearing now at the Jordan . See the last two verses of the Hebrew Bible (otherwise known as the O.T.) Malachi 4:5-6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts…” John preaches repentance – turning the heart to following the way – the only way there is out of bondage.

Mark 1:9 “Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee

and

was baptized by John in the Jordan .

Nazareth signals the margins rather than the center. Jesus isn’t affiliated with Caesar but with the common folk, the powerless, the needy, the outsiders

By being baptized by John at the Jordan , Jesus continues the Scripture identity. The baton has been past on. It is now the day of the Lord’s coming. (Malachi 4:6)

Mark 1:10 “Just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven,

“You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

The heavens opening points to Isaiah 64:1 “Oh that you would tear the heavens open and come down…” Heavenly intervention happens often in Mark. It envisions the end of earthly rule. The world will now be ruled by God. Hurrah!!!

Watch out! What will the world look like if God is in charge?!

Are we ready for this?

Mark 1:12 The temptation of Jesus – forty days in the wilderness

Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee ,

proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,

“The time is fulfilled,

and the kingdom of God has come near;

repent and believe in the good news.”

The time is fulfilled!

The Kingdom of God has come near.

Did you hear that ?

How shall we then live ?

WHY STUDY THE BIBLE? How do we break down the barriers to Bible Study?

The authors of Say to This Mountain: Mark’s Story of Discipleship suggest “there are two kinds of stories and two kinds of readers.” One kind of story assumes readers are passive spectators wanting entertainment or information. The other kind of story intends to change its hearers; to transform the reader. Mark’s Gospel is this second kind of story.

Ched Myers suggests that one of the great barriers to Bible Study is the distance people often feel from scripture. This may be due to “feelings of reverence or revulsion, experiences of ambivalence or irrelevance, or just too much boring Bible Study.” (213) But the Bible was written for us, and we do well to reclaim its place in our lives. Experience shows that the more we handle the text the more it comes alive to us.

Another barrier to transformative Bible Study is that we don’t like change. There are so many changes going on in our world that what we really want is stability. We want to be encouraged, supported, affirmed, not necessarily transformed. Mitzi Minor, in her reflections in Sundays and Seasons suggests a good question for this year of Mark. “Do we trust that God’s renewal of the world is good for us even when it unsettles us?” Or, in other words, do we trust that transformation is good for us even when it’s uncomfortable?

I believe it is. I believe that what we want most is for our lives to be aligned with God’s life – with the reign of God which is coming into the world – indeed has come in Jesus. I believe this is what we really hunger for more than for homemade pumpkin or apple or pecan pie. I believe what gratifies us more than anything is being a part of God’s story of freedom and meaning for this world. That is where true joy is found – in being a part of God’s story – knowing our place and involvement in it.

This is what most ignites my passion – recognizing God’s movements in the world and

joining in on them – no matter the cost. There’s nothing boring about that! If we are bored, we do well to listen more deeply for God’s movements in the world. For, where God is dancing – life is fully alive. There’s enough juice and joy floating around to knock our socks off. God is at work opening us to the reign of God, the kingdom of God , the new community that begins now and is brought to perfection in the life to come.

Jesus said the kingdom of God is among us; in our midst. We want to lay our eyes on it – to hear its footsteps in our busy, noisy world. That is why we come to Bible Study! John’s Gospel says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.”

The Bible is the cradle in which this Word is laid. It is a Living Word. It is on fire – and what is needed is simply our prayerful attentiveness and willingness to be engaged by this Word. God honors free will. But if we are willing, if we attend to it, if we open our hearts and minds to what is here for us – we will never be bored again. It is Living Water!

Session #2: Discipleship

O God, you disperse our fears by the light of your Word; strengthen our hearts in faith,

that the fire of love kindled in them by your Holy Spirit may never be stifled by temptation; give us this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Taize Book of Common Prayer

Why study the Bible?

The light of God’s Word (that was in the beginning and was with God and was God and that became flesh in Jesus) is able to disperse our fears! Yes, the Word of God is able to do this – no matter how large our fears. With this expectation, we come to God’s Word.

Brief review of Session 1: Jesus

Mark’s Gospel begins: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.” The beginning: reminds us of Genesis and God at work creating again. The good news is of Jesus who is the Christ the divine man (rather than Caesar). At Jesus’ baptism the heavens open and the Spirit descends/comes down to earth! God comes to us!

***Think about the news of “the heavens opening and God coming down in Jesus.” What difference does this news make to you; to our communities of faith?

Focus for Session 2: Discipleship

If Jesus is one major focus of Mark, the disciples are the other. Mark is all about Jesus’ way and his invitation to disciples to follow. So understanding Jesus is necessary to understanding what it means to be his disciples.

Details on Discipleship:

The most common title for Jesus, Son of man, appears 14 times in Mark. The term disciples, appears more than 40 times, with the Twelve appearing another 10. But more important is how they are portrayed. At first they are portrayed favorably. The first five respond immediately to Jesus’ word/call ( 1:16 -20; 2:13 -14). In the early chapters the disciples accompany Jesus, assist him, are identified with him, and share in his ministry of healing, preaching and teaching.

However, early on they fail to understand Jesus’ parables and mighty works (ie: the great wind arising on the sea ( 4:41 ); doubting Jesus could have perceived the woman touching his garment ( 5:31 ); they did not understand about the loaves ( 6:52 ); doubting they can feed people in the desert (8:4); and Jesus asking, “Do you not yet understand?” ( 8:21 ) Misunderstanding is prevalent in chapters 8-10 – even rebuking Jesus’ talk of suffering.

And failure is present in more than just misunderstanding. The disciples fail to heal ( 9:17 -18); Judas betrays ( 14:10 ); Peter, James and John sleep at Gethsemane ( 14:37 ); Peter denies (14:67-68); all the disciples flee ( 14:50 ); no disciple stands at the foot of the cross in Mark; even the women flee the tomb in fear and say nothing (16:8).

How are we to understand Mark’s downward pattern of discipleship?

“As the grumbling of Israel in the wilderness was written down for the instruction of succeeding generations, so the misunderstanding and failure of the disciples is written down for our instruction.” (Williamson, 16) The disciples in Mark reflect the misunderstandings and failures of each succeeding generation.
Mark’s Gospel, with all its embarrassing stories of failure, was canonized by the early church (given place in the Bible) suggesting that it was not just an embarrassment, but also inspiration to the early church. Their failures did not have the final word. Succeeding generations of readers have taken heart in this!
The good news is that even after the disciples have contradicted, betrayed, denied, and abandoned Jesus he promises to go before them into Galilee and he invites them to find him there. Jesus continually offers another chance to follow him. The disciples’ failure is undone by Jesus’ promise to meet precisely those failed and flawed disciples in Galilee . Their disastrous story is really a good news story.

***Think about the good news of such a bad news story. “No ordinary person can be like Jesus, but Mark’s description of the disciples sets a standard that is within reach.” (4) We too fall short, but how do Peter, James, John, Mary… inspire us?

How well do we understand Jesus? Are we following his way?

Mark writes from a consistent point of view. He is not just a collector of traditional material. He compiles the material with a decipherable intent. An important clue about Mark’s point of view is found in that “as soon as Jesus is acknowledged by the disciples as the Messiah, he begins to teach them the necessity of suffering. ( 8:31 -32)” The disciples don’t like it, but Mark’s is a theology of the cross. (4)

Mark is written (about 70 CE) for and about the common people. Mark reflects the daily realities of disease, poverty, and disenfranchisement of first-century Palestine ’s socio-economic “95%” – not the 5% who held the power and wealth. (2)

Jesus’ compassion is always directed towards the masses and their overwhelming needs. He nurtures their hopes for liberation. The masses are present at the beginning of the Gospel and at its end. At its end, the masses are manipulated by “the very Jerusalem politicians who enforce their subjugation and who fear their insurrection potential. The crowds clamor for the execution of the one who, as far as they were concerned, failed to deliver on his promises.” (2) Jesus’ loving brought a suffering of its own.

***Think about this: If Mark’s Gospel is written for the masses (the 95% of the world), where are we in the story? See the stories of the rich man ( 10:17 -22) and the scribe ( 12:28 -34). We know the nearness of the reign of God in love that works on behalf of those left out of the world’s systems. Why is community essential in this way of loving? Jesus wasn’t understood. Can we expect to be understood if we follow him?

Resources:

Lamar Williamson Jr., Mark in the Interpretation Series
Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man
Ched Myers, Say to this Mountain: Mark’s Story of Discipleship
Pheme Perkins, The Gospel of Mark in the New Interpreter’s Bible