"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Rom 5:6-8 )Part 9 Mark- A divided community
Gentle Reader,
In the gospel that we ascribe to Mark, we see that Mark speaks not only of Persecution from without but he also points out defection and betrayal within. You must remember first of all that the first readers of these gospels were "living them"! No wonder were are told by the author in the book of Hebrews "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb 4:12)
Brother is betraying brother-as happened with the Lord Christ Jesus. Mark alone of all the evangelists speaks and writes of Jesus’ sisters and brothers and he gives the names of all 4 brothers. Unlike Jesus himself they were all named for patriarchs - James (half-brother of our Lord Yeshua) ...Yes! it is the English - as would be translated from the Hebrew name, Ya'akov (Jacob), then Joseph, and Judas, and last Simon. The most important of these was the eldest Jacob ( James ) who presided over the gathering in Jerusalem during the middle years of the 1st century (Acts 21:18 ) Note: we might point out here the while in our English versions of the Bible Jacob is translated James and is used, yet in the Hebrew Scriptures and the English versions retain the form "Jacob" One would do well to try to remember that "Jacob" (JAMES) tried to keep the Jerusalem community observant of the Jewish Low, which became the cause of his conflict with the apostle Paul in the Galatians epistle "For before that certain came from James [Jacob], he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? "(Gal 2:12-14)
That conflict must have left it’s imprint of the communities that Marks Gospel addressed. But before we leave and move on I feel constrained to point off another wee bit of controversy. There are many that try to make Scripture fit in or squeeze into a particular doctrine taught by a denomination of church hierarchy. And that is that some Christians have tried to deny that Jesus had "brothers and sisters", because they take "born of a Virgin" as a biological, not a theological, datum. And while I could (and perhaps will at some point explain Scripture on this matter).
One suspects strongly that Mark addressees must have included believers who had suffered and failed- a community that offers hope and not condemnation, since it points out that even Jesus did not want to drink the cup of suffering and that even his most intimate disciples failed. Since evangelistic theology is geared to spiritual response, this is a Passion Narrative that had and will have special meaning for those who seek to follow Christ. But find the cross that they bear is virtually insupportable in life. To those of the early believers and those of us today who cry from the brokeness of heart "My God, My God, for what reason have you forsaken me?" But never fear Gentle Reader, God has not forsaken the early believers nor you! He is with each of us as we go through the sufferings, and will bring us through with a hand held high in victory.
Enough for now,
next time....
Love,
Denis
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