| Subject: Repost: SJ: Mark 1:1-5 (2003/01/05) |
Author:
Eugene
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Date Posted: 21:29:36 09/27/03 Sat
2003/01/05
SJ: Mark 1:1-5
I have decided to write down some gospel study notes every week, first of all, for myself to better understand what it means to be living with Christ. I am doing this also just in case I am to lead some kind of Bible study someday. I hope, by the end of the year, I would have finished 52 studies on Saint Mark’s gospel.
Mark 1:1-5
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way” --
“a voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ “
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
The study of this part of the gospel serves as a fitting example of why we should ask one very crucial question whenever we study the Bible. The question is: So what?
The very beginning of Mark’s gospel has generated much curiosity amongst the academics. The very first words are “The beginning of the gospel (the good news)”. Since no verb may be found here, these words look like a section title. Therefore, many have tried to figure out: Exactly what part of the gospel is the beginning section?
Some would say that the quotes of prophets Malachi and Isaiah are meant to be the beginning section; others would say that it should also includes the description of John the Baptist’s ministry. Yet others have argued for other “bookends” of this “beginning”. In some typical Bible studies, the leader may spend much time on researching these theories. But.... So what?
Does the correct interpretation of the length of this “beginning section” help the people grow closer to Christ? Does it help building the community of God’s people? If not, then perhaps our time should be spent on other matters.
Another subject of much discussion is the way Mark quoted the prophets. We have seen that Mark quoted both Malachi (3:1-3) and Isaiah (40:3-4). Yet he mentioned only Isaiah as a reference. What does this mean? Some scholars researched similar ways of quotation in Middle East writings of the same period to show that it was a common practice; others have cited this as proof of Mark’s lack of familiarity with the Jewish Bible (the Old Testament). Even till this day Mark has suffered the (perhaps undeserved) reputation of being less intelligent than other New Testament writers. Then again... So what?
What is perhaps worth exploring is a question like: Who exactly is the messenger of God mentioned here. Mark seemed to have meant this role for John the Baptist. Malachi’s prophecy, on the other hand, seems to point to the person of Christ. Isaiah’s prophecy, depending of the punctuations added, could have been understood either way. Who, then, is the messenger?
Who are the messengers of God in our lives? For those in 1st century Judea, the messenger was John the Baptist. For us, this messenger could be our parents, friends, spouses, teachers, ministers, or even people whom we encountered just briefly. These people have brought the news about Christ to us. Of course, ultimately the messenger of God is Christ himself.
What is the purpose of the messenger? He/she is to make straight the winding path -- the Lord’s way. What path, then, is so winding, so difficult to travel and, indeed, impossible for any of us to cut out, that it takes Christ himself to come and make it? Is it not the road that leads a child to his/her heavenly Father?
Then, does it matter which exact person is the messenger of God here? Are not all messengers bringing the same good news about and of Christ? Are they not, therefore, united in oneness with Christ in purpose and spirit? Are not these messengers the one body of Christ?
Let us contrast the relative sizes of God and human: If the Sun is the size of a volley ball, then the relative size of the Earth is roughly the size of one grain of rice. On the surface of this grain of rice, only about one third is dry land, and not all of the dry land is suitable for human dwelling. 3.6 billions of human beings is currently living in this limited area.
Now the Sun is by no means a large body in the scheme of the universe. Countless stars are probably larger than our Sun. And God? He created and is holding the entire universe with merely his will. Is it even possible for us to comprehend this God would even be aware of us? Yet He is more than mindful of us. He loves us enough to send his personal messengers to tell us individually that He wants to be with us. And his ultimate messenger delivered this message in the most awe-inspiring way -- the cross.
Was Mark trying to tell us about the way we are loved by God?
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