Mark's Gospel -- Scripture and Commentary

1. Notes- Gospel 1-4  Fisherman followed him very willingly  Jesus became "famous" very quickly  Performed many miracles  Went to where the "devil" resides  "Those who are well don't need a physician but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." 2:17 5-7  Jesus healed a man by casting out devils into a herd of swine  Woman was healed by touching his clothes  He raised Jairus's daughter from the dead  He goes to Nazareth and is rejected by his own family  Sends Apostles to different cities where they are also rejected  Then Jesus speaks to Pharisees, scribes, and his disciples about defilement  Heals two gentiles  "Don't be afraid just have faith"  John the Baptist dies  What you think is corrupt is where God is, in society and in yourself God shares himself with everyone  The gospel is turning upside the cultural system it is addressing  5,000 men and 12 baskets (real miracle was getting everyone to share)  Radically restructure society so that those with means receive and those who need receive, redistribution of wealth  Gospel addresses human condition right where it is 12 baskets are representative of 12 tribes of Israel  Gentile Christians are mad about how the economic system is turned over 8:1-26  Jesus told his disciples to distribute 7 loaves of bread, which fed 4,000 people  The disciples forgot to bring the bread on the boat  Blind man’s sight was brought back by Jesus, he used his spit 8:26-10:32  Feeding of the four thousand  Pharisees argued with Jesus  Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.  The leavened bread is sinful?  Share what you have (broke seven loaves for four thousand)  Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain and is transfigured before them Elijah and Moses appear with Jesus and speak with him Jesus taught that divorce is only allowed in cases of adultery  Jesus told the rich man to sell all of his possessions and give all that money to the poor Jesus taught that it is hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God because they aren't willing to give up their wealth 10:32-16:8 

1. Notes- Commentary Intro  Eisogesis and exegesis  Many people claim that there is one way to read a text  You cannot help but bring your own vantage point to the reading, as everyone unconsciously has their own individual perspective  Contemplative perspective  Hermeneutical method of research rather than an exegetical method  Utilizing historical critical methods is very important to biblical criticism  Interpreting the bible calls for a pastoral application demanding a level of spiritual maturity on the part of the exegete  Text has a life of its own apart from the author  Reader is a participant in the text  Not to agree with the other but to come to an understanding  Biblical hermeneutics is much like legal hermeneutics  What questions were not being answered by the text?  Proof-texting from a literal point of view is inadequate and wrong as a model of  The task of our own time is to appreciate and exploit the creative possibilities of the tension between what the text meant and what the text means  Mark is a creative author who used stories of tradition about Jesus  Mark was not just collecting stories and traditions but critiquing them at the same  time and trine to draw out a deeper meaning of purpose and direction that were hidden within the text  We should address the conditions of social ecclesial and psychological that we face  Mark is critical of the church, culture, and consciousness Words:  Layman - a nonordained male member of a church  Ecclesial structures - Christian religious group  Exegete - an expounder or textual interpreter, especially of scripture  Markan gospel? Intro II  Gospels address full range of human experiences  Mark invented the gospel style of writing  Intra-personal programs inhabit human life, Also called energy centers  Energy centers are rooted from security and survival, pleasure and self-esteem, power and control, and group over-identification  Gospel of Mark is a critique of the Church, Culture, and Consciousness  Polemical: expressing or constituting a strongly critical attack on or controversial opinion about someone or something. The Heart of Mark and his Critique  Jesus asks "Who do you say I am?; Peter says The Christ  While Peter had the orthodox terminology he did not have the level of consciousness commensurate with a proper understanding of what it meant for both Jesus and him

 They are all in pursuit of power and control  James and John want Jesus to grant whatever they ask  Those who wish to have positions of authority in the Christian community do not know what they are asking if all they want is prestige and power  Mark is saying to take seriously your call into and following of the Way of Jesus  Mark develops the right response of disciples in following Jesus a bit deeper  Moved response from disowning oneself to giving oneself  Patriarchal system is oppressive simply in the fact that it continues to exist  There is an unwillingness to be creative and to live in the tension of this evolutionary moment of crisis  Mark read for what it is should be an embarrassment to the Church  Mark had to show clearly what it was not to follow Jesus in order to make way for what it was to follow him  Signal of what is possible in terms of what is to come or what must come in the light of the Kingdom Words:  Kerygma: Greek word meaning proclamation  Ecclesial authority: acting like the leader of the nations in lording it over others  Clericalization of the laity: where ordinary layfolk begin to take on the territorial and authorial characteristics of the clergy orality 1. Responses to the questions below. I will tell you ahead of time when you need to answer them in your document. 2. You will be handing this document in on Thursday 1-19-2023. THERE WILL BE NO EXCUSES FOR BEING LATE!! HARDCOPY ONLY. ASSH meted out for not having your document ready to hand in on that day. In your Word Document please include your individual responses to the questions outlined below. You have already answered most of these. Just be sure that all of them are included in your document that you will be handing in at the end of the day on Friday, January 20th. The questions I would like you to ponder and reflect on are as follows (10 points):  How has reading pp 4-14 in Mark’s Critique assisted you in reading and better understanding Mark’s Gospel? When I read p 4-14 in Marks Critique, I started to better understand the Gospel of Mark, by recognizing that gospels address a full range of human experiences. Understanding the energy centers which are based off security and survival, pleasure and self-esteem, power and control, and group over-identification. This assisted me in reading the Gospel because of the new perspectives it opens up. Before reading the Critique, I wouldn’t have connected the specific energy centers to events and people in the Gospel. January 2023 – Mark’s Gospel: 8:27-10:45 – The Heart of Mark and His Critique: By now you have read all of Mark’s Gospel. You have also read up to page 21 in Mark’s Critique of Church, Culture and Consciousness: 8/27-10/45 as the Heart of His Hermeneutic and Kerygma . The questions I would like you to ponder and reflect on are as follows:

 How has reading pp 14-21 in Mark’s Critique assisted you in reading and better understanding Mark’s Gospel? Reading p 14-21 of Mark’s Critique assisted me in understanding Mark’s Gospel better because it describes letting go of the false sense of security, as well as letting go of your false self. This helped me when reading Marks Gospel because I was always thinking of how moments in the Gospel reflected the energy centers, and having to let go of your false self to be able to enter the kingdom of God.  What surprised you in the First Passion Prediction in chapter eight of Mark’s Gospel? What do I mean by “disowning oneself” and why is this a vital first step towards Following Jesus ? Disowning oneself is letting go of the luxuries in your life, letting go of yourself so you can be fully devoted to Jesus. The First Passion Prediction in chapter eight of Mark surprised me because Peter called Jesus a demon  What surprised you in the Second Passion Prediction in chapter nine of Mark’s Gospel? How is it a critique of the culture of Jesus’s and Mark’s times? How is Jesus using the example of a child to encourage and cultivate a new ethic to be applied equally to everyone? The Second Passion Prediction surprised me because usually, the first reaction of a person announcing their death would be about that person. That they will be missed and still loved. But, all they care about when Jesus announces his death, is their relation to him, and what this will mean for their lives. Not caring about Jesus and his life on earth ending soon. This is a critique of Jesus’s and Mark’s times by… Jesus is using the example of a child who encourages a new ethnic to be applied equally to everyone because in their culture, a boy is not recognized until they have had their bar mitzvah, which signifies the becoming of a man. Thursday, 1-19-2023 - Mark’s Gospel: 8:27-10:45 – The Heart of Mark and His Critique Cont: Please answer the following questions in a couple of sentences….  What was it like reading the entirety of Mark’s gospel? What insights come to you about the gospel in particular, and the Scriptures in general as a result of doing so? Reading marks gospel was very interesting, and it was cool to learn about a new perspective. Some insights that have come to me about the gospel and scripture are that although that they are all different books, by different authors, everything is related, and not just because it’s a similar story, but because of the ways they are written and the small specific details. I also thought about how although from going to catholic school my whole life, and knowing the story of Jesus, there are always new things that can be learned by reading the bible.  What new insights about the third passion prediction stand out to you after having read Mark’s Critique ? Give an example of how you can apply it to your own life or the world around you? The third passion prediction is about   the arrogant request of James and John to have positions of power and authority in Jesus' coming kingdom. Reading mark’s critique and reflecting upon it, made me realize how this was very disrespectful and selfish, Jesus is condemned to death, and James and John just care about their positions of power and authority. I can apply this to my own life by making sure to think about the person who is actually going through something important, instead of only thinking of what position of power I will be in later on.

servant, finding your role in life to serve others without being rewarded. That’s really what life is all about. Finding ways in which yourself and others can succeed, and helping others, doing service, not for a reward, but from the love and goodness of your heart. When I read this passage and reflected upon it, it made me think, a lot but in the end, it truly was so effective and powerful in changing my thinking. I am not Catholic, or Christian for that matter. Although I grew up going to Catholic school, from Kindergarten until eighth grade and now going to Prep, my siblings and I were never baptized. Part of this is because my parents felt it would be right if we found our own beliefs, but the other part is that neither of my parents grew up practicing this faith. I grew up learning about Catholicism but I had never learned this thoroughly. Through this course, I have learned so much more about scripture, and the different ways it can be interpreted. Before I had only learned the context of the bible, and how others might see it, priests and teachers. One of the most effective things I will be taking away from this course is the importance of perspective.