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Overview
Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, they’ll be able to discover God’s revelation through readings and reflections.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781426733567 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Abingdon Press |
| Publication date: | 01/01/2011 |
| Series: | Immersion Bible Studies |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 382 KB |
About the Author
Jack A. Keller, Jr. served as project editor for the critically-acclaimed and best-selling New Interpreter's Bible commentary series. Dr. Keller is co-editor of the 26-volume Immersion Bible Studies series. A regular Sunday school teacher himself, he has been writing and editing resources for laity, pastors, students, and scholars for more than 25 years.
Read an Excerpt
Mark
Immersion Bible Studies
By Emerson B. Powery, Jack A. Keller Jr.
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2011 Abingdon PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-3356-7
CHAPTER 1
Jesus' Authority as Son of God
Mark 1:1-20; 3:13-19
Claim Your Story
Make a mental list of persons in our society—or better, in your particular community—who exercise some measure of authority. What roles do those persons play? Are they coaches? Teachers? Police officers? Elected officials? Parents or guardians? Lawyers? Judges? Big Brothers? Big Sisters? Guidance counselors? Researchers? Food inspectors? Clergy? Contractors? Doctors? Business executives or managers? Union leaders? Investment bankers? Regulatory officials?
Does the word authority have positive or negative connotations for you? What positive examples of authority have you heard about or observed? What abuses of authority have you heard about or observed? What do you think accounts for the difference? Have you heard of situations in which people have performed surprising acts in the name of religious authority? Whether you agree or not with the action that was carried out, what were your reactions to the claim that the act was performed in the name of God?
The issue of authority was critical in the opening chapters of Jesus' mission. From where did his authority come? Why did the mainstream religious authorities not easily validate his authority?
What does Scripture have to say about Jesus' authority? What does Scripture say about the authority granted to his followers?
Enter the Bible Story
The opening of the Gospel of Mark is about authority. Of course, it was a particular authority that Mark had in mind. He was writing a story about the authority of Jesus, who was (and is), as the opening verse suggests, God's Son. Now that is authority! The title "God's Son" is quite rare in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus never refers to himself in this way. In Mark he prefers to use another title for himself, the "Human One" (CEB) or "Son of Man" (NRSV). No human figure recognizes Jesus as the Son of God until the Roman centurion confesses Jesus as God's Son at Jesus' death (15:39). For Mark, Jesus' ultimate authority as God's Son was closely associated with his ultimate sacrifice.
The discussion on authority does not end with the opening words of this Gospel. Mark linked the telling of his story with Isaiah's story. He wanted to assure his readers that the story he was about to relay was one that had ancient roots. In the first-century world, new stories needed to have connections to the past to be trustworthy. Old was better! So Mark informed his readers that the coming of Jesus was tied directly to a plan that God had had in place for a long time. Again, for Mark, this helped to establish Jesus' authority.
The other major point of authority was Jesus' association with John, who arrived on the scene as one who was already so completely established as an authoritative figure that "all the people of Jerusalem" were going out to the wilderness—not necessarily a safe place—to hear John's message (Mark 1:4-8). We know from sources outside the New Testament, such as the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, that John was a very popular Jewish figure.
We even learn from Mark (later in the story) that John, too, had disciples who would eventually come to bury him when he died (see Mark 6:29). Not only did Isaiah's story point to the significance of John's activity for the coming reign of God, helping to establish John's authority, Jesus would join the large group of people who accepted John's authority by receiving his baptism. Jesus' willingness to receive John's baptism would cause some angst among other early Christians reflecting on this tradition, however.
Mark's description of Jesus' baptism by John is the most straightforward account of any of the Gospel versions. Jesus came to John, and the baptizer performed this exclusive act. More important than the baptism was what happened at the moment of the baptism, an experience that, according to Mark, only Jesus witnessed: God's Spirit descended from heaven and landed on him. The Greek actually uses the preposition eis ("into") for the direction of the Spirit's movement. That is, the Holy Spirit entered Jesus; and he then became the Spirit-empowered agent of God, who would fight against the evil forces in the world (as the Gospel of Mark continues). Finally, God (Mark preferred the euphemism "a voice from heaven" [1:11].) spoke directly to Jesus and claimed him as a beloved son. Even the baptism was an event showing readers Jesus' authority.
This Gospel is not a suspense story that keeps the identity of the lead character in check until some significant life-altering moment occurs in the protagonist's life. This is not a story that will gradually reveal Jesus' identity as we continue to read. Rather, the Gospel of Mark provides this crucial apocalyptic moment (that is, the heavens splitting) at the beginning of the story. Jesus' identity is clear from the opening verses. What will be suspenseful is how others—Jesus' family, disciples, religious authorities, Rome—react to him, his message, and his mission. Indeed, at the baptism, Jesus is declared to be God's Son.
Immediately following God granting Jesus his authoritative role as Son, Jesus experienced his first challenge: a wilderness test (Mark 1:12-13). In biblical history, such a test in the desert regions recalled the sojourn and test of the people of Israel in the story of the Exodus. Mark's original audience would certainly have caught the thematic link. Jesus was one who had been tested as God's other son, Israel, was tested; and Jesus passed the test. In Mark's account (unlike Matthew's and Luke's), the details of Jesus' temptation are omitted. The specific temptation is not the focus of this confrontation with Satan. Rather, it is enough to know that it happened and Jesus succeeded. What we do not want to miss is that the Spirit of God initiated the entire test: "At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness" (1:12). In the Gospel of Mark, the tests that came into Jesus' life were often initiated by God. In this instance, as in many to come, Jesus would overcome.
We, too, may experience tests in our spiritual journeys. Frequently, those tests come in order to prepare us for future challenges. Sometimes those tests are part of God's plans for us. God may even initiate them. Accepting that possibility is often difficult because of our theological perspective. We tend to assume that because we are God's children, no obstacles will ever come our way. From experience, however, we know this is not to be the case. In this opening story of Jesus' wilderness test, Jesus' life is a perfect example of how some challenges come to us from God. In such times a discerning spirit will be crucial to enable us to grasp what we need to learn from these situations in life. Thankfully, we know that God will not test us beyond what we are capable of handling.
Jesus' opening words in Mark's story were an announcement of God's good news (1:14-15). As the one who had been anointed by God, Jesus had the authority to proclaim such a message. And it was indeed good news. Even so, as the temptation scene suggests, it was not a message that would go unchallenged. Nor would the resistance cease any time soon. John's arrest, just before Jesus began his public mission (see 1:14), showed that a potentially ominous future awaited anyone who continued on the path of attempting to carry out God's justice-oriented activity in the world. Later in the narrative (6:14-29), Mark will explore John's arrest and death for the implications of Jesus' own activity and that of his followers. John's death, as his arrest, hints at a threatening future for anyone who follows God.
Following his opening public announcement of God's good news, Jesus' first public activity was to call a few good people (Mark 1:16-20). Jesus had a mission in mind, and he did not intend to carry out this task alone. He was apparently mindful of the enormity of the calling on his life and his mission in the world. Unlike many other well-known rabbis of the day, Jesus sought out followers. He did not wait for them to become attracted to his mission. Apparently, Jesus already had begun the strategic work of recognizing the need for other agents in the field. He did not hesitate, according to Mark's Gospel, to locate some capable fishermen to start to develop his group.
The fact that these fishermen left their day jobs was astounding in the context of first-century life. James and John left behind financial security. They were "repairing the fishing nets" (Mark 1:19) that were worn out from successful catches. Their father also had "hired workers" (1:20) with him. This was a small but successful business enterprise that Zebedee was running along the coasts of the Galilean sea. Yet James and John left it behind to follow the authoritative presence of Jesus.
More culturally surprising than leaving behind the business is that James and John were abandoning their father. Abandoning one's family in this way was a striking example of what Jesus would teach later in this Gospel: "I assure you that anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news will receive a hundred times as much now in this life" (Mark 10:29-30). Even today, there are often costs associated with following Jesus. Granted, Christianity is respected widely in the West and particularly in the USA. But many Christian families still discourage or, at least, frown on family members if they decide to go into full-time ministry. To leave a good job in midlife in order to attend seminary seems unwise. To be honest, I myself discourage my own children from thinking about choosing the ministry as their profession. While it may not be culturally disadvantageous, it is certainly a professional choice that can come with a lot of headaches. The itinerant nature of the ministerial calling can be daunting for families and hard on their relationships.
Despite the thematic focus of Mark's opening as I discuss it here, the word authority (exousia in Greek) does not occur until Mark 1:22. At that point, it is explicit: "He was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts." Yet the opening is also really about Jesus' authority in and of itself. In the opening preface, Mark shows us the authority Jesus had rather than explicitly stating it; and it is an authority he had in relationship to the scriptural story, John's story, and God's story.
With authority comes responsibility. This was no less the case for Jesus' initial followers than it is for us. Jesus assigned them specific duties (Mark 3:13-19): to be present with him, to continue to pass along his message (to preach God's reign in the world), and to continue to carry out his activities (to exorcise demons). The authority Jesus gave was to say what he said, do what he did, and (simply) to be in community with him. Oftentimes, this last part is overlooked. Part of the reason for that oversight is because the statement "he appointed them to be with him" (3:14) is unique to Mark's Gospel. Neither Matthew nor Luke records it in their version of Jesus' appointment of the Twelve. In Mark, Jesus did not just call people in order to carry out a specific mission. He also called them "to be with him." Jesus understood the value of friendship and solidarity. Being with him and being with each other is part of what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
Live the Story
What authority does Jesus have in our lives? If we consider ourselves to be followers of Jesus, what does that really mean to us in the twenty-first century? How does that affect our decisions to share in the events of our cities or engage our local communities? How does it shape the relationships we have with our families and friends?
From Mark we learn that ultimately Jesus' authority was derived from God, and it was something that he shared with his followers so that they would continue to carry out his mission of peace in the world during his absence (Mark 1:16-20; 3:13-19). So what does this have to do with us?
I would like to think that as a community of Christ followers, we each have responsibilities. But the ways we live out these responsibilities need not be the same. Furthermore, these responsibilities tend to require us to reach outside of church communities. Jesus was actually engaged in a mission that took him outside of the synagogues most of the time. He did not ignore the centers of religious instruction (see Mark 1:21-27), but his influence was not confined there either.
Let's take the specific assignments Jesus gave the disciples (Mark 3:14-15) and think about them as three different types of people in our faith communities. Some of us will be people whose primary role is simply "to be with him." These people are not pious simply for piety's sake. Rather, they carry all members of our community in their prayers and religious walks. They are constantly mindful of the spiritual challenges we face in the world. Second, some of us will be people who "preach" Jesus' message. This may be of the formal kind like the leaders in our congregations who guide us through sermons, Bible studies, and other devotional literature. But this may also include those persons responsible for presenting Christian faith in broader conversations, for example, in interreligious dialogues. This, too, is a type of preaching. Finally, our third group of people will be those who are given authority "to throw out demons." These people are the ones among us who are more action oriented. They use their hands as the gift God has given them; and they serve God through working in soup kitchens, building homes for the impoverished, and offering the cup of cold water to the thirsty traveler. Indeed, today demons exist in various forms, including the structures that separate those who have from those who have much less.
No one of these roles is sufficient by itself, which is why I like to think in terms of the community of followers of Jesus. Each of us needs the other to fulfill the mission in the world that Jesus gave us all. Equally important, Jesus gave us the authority, through the power of God's Spirit, to continue to serve God in these various ways. Consider thoughtfully and prayerfully what God may be calling you to do to fulfill the mission Jesus has given us.
CHAPTER 2Jesus' Authority and Power Revealed in Healings
Mark 2:1-12; 3:1-6; 5:1-20; 5:21-43; 6:53-56; 7:24-30; 7:31-37; 8:22-26; 9:14-29; 10:46-52
Claim Your Story
Have you or anyone close to you ever experienced a healing in your life? If so, was it a sudden process or a lengthy one? Were others involved, or was it a supernatural healing? Were doctors and other health care professionals involved in the process? Were friends and family involved? If so, to what extent? In any case, did you feel God's presence in the process?
Do you know of people who have not found the healing they desire? Have you (or anyone you know) lived with pain, physical or emotional, all your life and wondered why God has not provided healing? If so, has it been an isolating experience? Does the idea of healing carry a negative or a positive connotation for you or for others close to you? Do you wonder if God has chosen not to heal some people? If so, is it a function of the way they conduct their lives? Is it a result of their lack of faith?
Healing is the restoration of something that has been damaged. Consider the different types of healing that can occur in your life: physical, mental, emotional, and the healing of your faith. What kinds of healings do you sense the most in your community? in your household? for you personally?
Around 200 B.C., an ancient Jewish philosopher and teacher offered a defense of the trained physician: "Honor physicians for their services, for the LORD created them" (Ben Sira 38:1, NRSV). John Wesley frequently cited Ben Sira's words in his discussions of healing and health. These words would have been common knowledge among first-century A.D. Jews. Yet Jesus was no common medical practitioner, nor was he a trained physician. How would Jesus' healings have been understood in the first century? Perhaps more importantly, what do Jesus' healings have to do with the contemporary church?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Mark by Emerson B. Powery, Jack A. Keller Jr.. Copyright © 2011 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
IMMERSION BIBLE STUDIES,1. Jesus' Authority as Son of God,
2. Jesus' Authority and Power Revealed in Healings,
3. Jesus' Authority and Power Revealed in Nature Miracles,
4. Teachings and Parables to the Chosen,
5. Teachings and Parables to Those Eager to Hear,
6. Teachings and Parables to Those Who Opposed Jesus,
7. Jesus' Passion and Crucifixion,
8. Jesus' Burial and Resurrection,
Leader Guide,