Abba, Father, he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36).

Fast facts

• The two key terms that Day and the Hour (in Greek) are names for the End more than the reference to its exact timing (13:32).
• The four watches of the Roman night that Mark locates with each event are; evening for Lord’s supper (6:00-9:00), midnight in Gethsemane (9:00-12:00), cockcrow in the courtyard of the high priest (12:00-3:00); dawn at Pilate’s place (3:00-6:00).
• Abba Father in 14:36, this is the only time that Jesus says in any of the Gospel.

Mark 13 is a difficult text to interpret because it uses a literary languages form called apocalyptic (concerning signs, great catastrophes, deceivers, the return of the Son of Man etc.). Mark 13 is not about signs and timetables. Instead, it is about discernment, faithful discipleship in the crises to come, and the unknown waiting period while the Master is absent (13:34-36). 

Be faithful because you do not know when (13:32-37)

Mark describes what will happen when the Son of Man returns. It will be an unprecedented universal event that involves great tribulation. The thing is, “no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (13:32). While people wondered and were eager to know when Jesus would come again, Jesus calls his disciples to be discerning and faithful right up to the End. Because no one knows about that day or hour, trying to figure the timing seems a pointless effort. Even if we try hard, we will never get it right. Therefore we are to be awake and be faithful to the Lord to the End. We are called to discern (v.33), be alert, and be faithful (v.37).

Gethsemane (14:32-42)

Jesus arrives at Gethsemane and prays to the Father. While praying, Jesus asks his disciples to keep awake three times. In Gethsemane, the disciples were supposed to remain loyal to the Lord Jesus by keeping awake, praying, standing, or kneeling with Jesus during his time of distress and grief. Jesus prays that the hour of his passion may pass and the cup might be removed. But Jesus discerns that it was God’s will for him to drink the cup and experience the hour of suffering. Jesus sees that the hour of his passion is the hour of eschatological fulfillment. Jesus says, “Abba Father,” which reminds of the story of Isaac and Abraham. As Abraham sacrifices his son, Isaac asks, “Daddy (Abba), where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham answered “God himself will provide the lamb.” In Gethsemane, Jesus prays to God for help but there is no substitute for the son except for himself. What an irony! The hour of God’s triumph is the hour in which God’s Son is handed over to the sinners (pp. 350-351).    

Questions for reflection

1. Why is focusing on faithful discipleship more important than the timing of the End itself?
2. What is the relationship between Jesus’ last Passover celebration with his disciples and the Lord’s Supper celebrated in the Christian church?
3. What would you have done if you were one of Jesus’ disciples in Gethsemane? Who would you identify with most?  

These additional notes on the Gospel of Mark are taken from the Believers Church Bible Commentary written by Timothy J. Geddert.

Geddert, Timothy J. Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark. Herald Press: Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 2001.

 “Every time the people from Jerusalem come to check up on Jesus, they prove they are as out of step with him and his views, as he is with them and theirs.”¹

Fast Facts

• Mark 11:11 is the first time the temple is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark.
• The group that comes to speak to Jesus in Mark 11:27 can be considered an official delegation from the Sanhedrin. It includes the chief priests (the most powerful officials representing the priesthood), the scribes (legal experts) and the elders (influential members of the aristocracy).
• The Hebrew word for ‘stone’ (אבן) found in Mark 12:10 is a combination of the words ‘father’ (אב) and ‘son’ ( בן).

Prayer

Mark writes, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it” (Mark 11:24). This small line of Scripture has been the cause of deepened faith for some and lost faith for others. People have prayed with sincerity for many years to heal an illness, only to have the person pass away. Others have experienced divine healing after a short prayer. Creating expectations around whether or not our prayers are answered because of the amount of ‘belief’ that we have creates nothing but destruction.

This promise of answered prayer was not meant as a guarantee that God will do whatever we ask. Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in reading Scripture from only a rational mind-set and logical point of view. Jesus and/or Mark put this promise here as an encouragement for us to pray, to expect and to have confidence in God’s unlimited power and loving kindness. This approach by Mark serves to bring communities back to the awesome presence of God.

Taxes & Jesus

In Mark 12:13-17, we find a discussion and challenge with Jesus and those from Jerusalem. This text has left people wondering what the role of taxes should play in our life. The counsel that comes from Jerusalem challenges Jesus with a question about whether taxes should be paid. But Jesus, as he usually does, turns the question around and makes the answer about graven images. The image of the Roman Emperor on the coin is one that calls the emperor as Lord. A title that should only be reserved for Jesus. So not only does paying the tax admit that the land belongs to Rome, but it also is paid with Roman coins that call the emperor “Lord.”

Jesus’ response to the counsel is to be interpreted that we, as Christians, do not belong to the Roman Empire. God’s very image is stamped on us (Genesis 1:24) and because of that, we belong to God. Give the coins that belong to Caesar to Caesar. Give what belongs to God to God.

Questions for Reflection

1. When have you experienced the unexpected Jesus? When has Jesus called you to something you did not anticipate?
2. When has the church been a welcoming House of God for you? When has it not?

¹Geddert, Mark, 260.

These additional notes on the Gospel of Mark are taken from the Believers Church Bible Commentary written by Timothy J. Geddert.

Geddert, Timothy J. Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark. Herald Press: Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 2001.  

 “Jesus says that the only kind of power that shall characterize the disciple community is the power of servanthood, of slavery, of sacrificing oneself for others.”¹

Fast Facts

• Through the whole transfiguration experience in Mark 9:2-8, Jesus says and does nothing.
• The reference to Gehenna (hell; Mark 9:45) is derived from the name “Valley of Hinnom,” which was a literal garbage dump outside of Jerusalem. This is the only reference to Gehenna in the book of Mark.
• When the Pharisees come to test Jesus about marriage and divorce (10:1-12), they are in the region where John the Baptist was thrown into prison for taking a stand on the divorce and remarriage of Herod and Herodias.
• The name Bartimaeus (10:46-53) means “Son of Honour.” This is the only time Mark gives the name of the person that Jesus has healed.

Marriage & Divorce

In Mark 10:1-12, Jesus has the opportunity to teach the Pharisees about marriage and divorce. These texts, among others (Matt. 19:9; Luke 16:18; 1 Cor. 7). For people in the church who are struggling in deteriorating marriages frustrated to figure out what the Bible’s word is on marriage and divorce, it is more helpful to focus on marriage texts, rather than divorce texts. In Mark, this is exactly what Jesus is doing.

The Pharisees want to know when it is okay to divorce someone but Jesus refocuses his answer on God’s intention to preserve marriages. It’s unclear as to exactly what situation Jesus had in mind as he was describing this. Perhaps he is addressing a situation where a man finds another woman more attractive than his own wife. He then divorces his wife and marries the other woman in order to pursue his attraction. Jesus responds to this by saying that, in this case, even if he had gone through the legality of divorcing her, it is still adultery. The man has given into his lusts after a woman who is not his wife. He has not followed God’s ideal for the existing marriage.

People often find themselves in situations that are not directly addressed in any of the divorce texts in Scripture. Folks in these situations need to hear texts of Scripture that direct them away from divorce texts and to texts that show them how God speaks to their situation and the church as a place of supportive community.

If I were a rich man…

Mark 10:17-27 tells a story of a rich man who seeks eternal life through following Jesus. As other texts we have reflected on this Sunday in the sermon, this is a text about power. It is about the power that wealth has to hold people captive. Ultimately, the man does not want to give up his wealth and turns the other way. Jesus turns the conversation from eternal life to the kingdom of God (10:23). It is not so much about eternal life but rather about a person’s participation in the fulfillment of God’s present, here and now, personally and in community.

The statement that Jesus gives (10:25) is a hyperbole. It is not possible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God; it’s also not possible for anyone else. Neither the rich nor the poor are capable of “being saved” apart from God’s grace.

As we learned in the first chapter of Mark, the call to follow Jesus is a call to follow Jesus at any cost. The call for the rich man was to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor. From following the journey of Jesus’ disciples, we can see that this is not a call that is required of every single disciple. However, it is also true that a disciple does not truly possess anything as we are stewards of what God has given us. God calls us to be ready to use the resources that God has given us in ways that are consistent with the furthering of God’s kingdom and our call to be a disciple of Jesus.

Questions for Reflection

1. What are some of the explanations that you have heard for divorce and remarriage? Do they satisfy you? Why or why not? What do you think Jesus’ is trying to teach the Pharisees in the ‘Marriage and Divorce’ passage?
2. What are some ways you can use the resources that God has given you in discipleship to Jesus?

¹Geddert, Mark, 257.

These additional notes on the Gospel of Mark are taken from the Believers Church Bible Commentary written by Timothy J. Geddert.

Geddert, Timothy J. Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark. Herald Press: Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 2001.  

 “D. McKenna refers to the “darkest days of American Christianity” when “liberals” and “conservatives” divided up and prioritized “social” and “spiritual” ministries. Mark is surely calling his readers to see the need for faithful ministry in word and in deed, whether that be teaching or admonishing, feeding or healing. When the tasks seem to great, then we are called to remember the miracles.”¹

Fast Facts

• The Corban Oath, found in Mark 7:9-13 is referring to dedicating a property gift to God or the temple. This makes it unavailable for use by anyone but the donor. This oath was often abused as a reason to not help others with the land.
• The Syrophoenician woman changes Jesus’ mind (7:28-30).
• The methods that Jesus uses to heal the deaf man are odd for Jesus (7:33-34). However, they were common among magicians in the first century.
• Mark 8:32 is the only time in Mark that Jesus is said to have spoken plainly.

Two Sides to Discipleship

The Christian church has often focussed on the cost of discipleship. You must lose your life, you must take up your cross (8:34-36). But it is important to remember that there are two sides to discipleship: the cost and the reward. The cost of discipleship is not just reaping the benefits of abundance grace. Jesus calls us to respond to the responsibility (and challenges) of being a disciple of Jesus. However, if we think of discipleship as only cost, it drives a wedge between the cost and benefit of following Jesus.

Jesus’ life does not end in crucifixion. It ends in resurrection. When we follow Jesus, we don’t just lose our life and pick up our heavy crosses. We gain life through Jesus and experience the joy of seeing the Kingdom of God at work in our lives, in our churches and in our neighbourhoods.

Two Stage Method of Healing

Throughout the text, the author of Mark focusses on the theme of “seeing eyes and hearing ears.” The healing of the blind man (7:31-37) is a great reflection of the disciples’ constant struggle with having “seeing eyes and hearing ears.” After the first touch from Jesus, the man sees everything clearly. He understands everything he is seeing. In the next, Jesus blesses the man with a full healing. At this point in the Gospel, the disciples are in between the two stages of healing. They have seen Jesus’ miracles of feeding but they still do not see clearly what the purpose of Jesus’ ministry is. As we read on, the disciples will continue on their journey of understanding and come to realize that Jesus is the Christ.

Questions for Reflection

1. When you read through the gospel, look for rewards of following Jesus. Then read through again and look for the cost. How does this emphasis change your reading?
2. When in your life, have you had a moment of healing? When has God revealed something to you and you were able to have “seeing eyes and hearing ears”?
3. Where in Mark do you see Jesus’ ministry in both word and deed? How do we balance these ministries in our own lives and in the church?

¹Geddert, Mark, 194.

These additional notes on the Gospel of Mark are taken from the Believers Church Bible Commentary written by Timothy J. Geddert.

“Jesus’ commitment to the ministry is on the run, as he meets pressing needs without losing sight of the larger picture.”¹

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of a power

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ words and deeds are always connected to reveal the authority and identity of Jesus. Last week, Danielle preached about God’s kingdom using three parables (lamp, growing seed, and mustard seed). Jesus uses many similar parables as much as his disciples can understand. Everything comes in parables (4:10-12). However, the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of a power (1 Cor. 4:20). And the sources of power are Jesus himself and Mark is telling that such power is available for us as we take the risk of faith in Jesus.

The purpose of the miracles

In Mark’s gospel, miracles are not designed to convince people to believe. Jesus does not do great works of power to produce fear or amazement. Instead, Jesus performs the miracles to meet people’s needs completely. The purpose of the miracles point to his identity and the nature of God’s reign for everyone who can listen and see. They provoke reflection, insight, and convictions about the arrival of God’s Kingdom. But most importantly, miracles reveal the true nature of Jesus.

Having recorded the victories over the storm (4:35-41) and Satan (5:1:20), Mark weaved together these two stories of the healed woman and Jairus’ daughter. He might have done it simply because that was how it happened, or the way tradition was preserved. But it shows that “Jesus’ commitment to the ministry is on the run, as he meets pressing needs without losing sight of the larger picture.” In other words, Jesus is always available for us, willing to meet our needs.

Why are these stories remembered and retold in the early church?

Geddert helps us understand the reasons as follows:

1. It offers a model of faith and courage. The woman takes significant risks; she puts her whole destiny on Jesus. “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, but she grew worse” (5:26). Hearing about Jesus, she comes to Jesus and trusts that he is the only one who can rescue her from her past and renew her future.
2. It illustrates the meaning of the salvation and wholeness Jesus delivers. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free from your sufferings” (5:34b). The language of healing, saving, acceptance, and peace is rich enough to deal with the wide range of problems she has brought along with her into Jesus’ presence.  
3. It upholds a picture of a woman who, like Jesus, has not let ceremonial restrictions prevent her from breaking through boundaries. In this text, the Markan community found encouragement for the gender equality they were (or should have been) practicing.  
4. It also reinforces faith in Jesus’ restorative power, something rather crucial for Jairus within the story.

Questions for discussion

1. What needs do these miracles meet?
2. How do these events serve as signs of the reign of God?
3. What do these events say about Jesus?
4. Regardingthe question of Jesus’ identity, what are the perspective differences between the biblical figures of the text in the 1st century and us today?

These additional notes on the Gospel of Mark are taken from the Believers Church Bible Commentary written by Timothy J. Geddert.

¹Geddert, Believers Church Bible Commentary, 124.

Geddert, Timothy J. Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark. Herald Press: Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 2001.  

“Jesus will no longer battle a religious system… He will define God’s faithful people as those who gather around himself. A religious system gives way to a spiritual family.”¹

Fast Facts

• In Mark 4:37-39, Jesus falls asleep while the disciples are worried about drowning. If one thinks about it, sleep can be the wrong response in a crisis or it can be a sign of trust.
• For first century Jews, the sea was a place that represented chaos and demons. It was seen as a threat.
• In the parable of the growing seed (Mark 4:26-29), it is not specified which part of the growth is supposed to be compared to the kingdom of God.

Institution or Family?

Over the years, the church has struggled with the balance between relational family ties and spiritual family ties. On one side, many boundaries have been crossed in churches misusing the concept of family. On the other side, people are strangers to each other in many churches that lean more towards being an institution. Anabaptists have stressed the importance of a spiritual family. In some cases, this has been to the detriment of natural families (ie. Men and women being separated). Finding a spiritual family within a church is a balance of forming close relationships with our fellow worshippers while maintaining a sense of openness to the outside, diversity, freedom and growth so that boundaries do not become closed.

Jesus teaches us about spiritual family (Mark 3:34-35). As Jesus redefines his spiritual family to be those that are gathering around him, they are not confined to one building. They do not stay in the synagogue or in a house. They maintain their familial relationship in boats, on the shore and while walking along.

The spiritual family that Jesus teaches about is not defined by law or tradition. It is defined by gathering around Jesus to hear God’s will. It is not tied to the synagogue or the religious leaders, but by following Jesus. These words of what Jesus’ family was like was powerful to the readers of Mark who found themselves separated from the traditions and religious heritage of their communities.

Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare has been a discussion in many church denominations and cultures. The reference to demons cannot be avoided in Mark. While the topic of spiritual warfare provides many diverse theological views, the fact that Jesus came to defeat the power of evil is clear in Scripture (Mark 3:27). It is less clear to how the evil is meant to be viewed. Opinions vary from a personal devil, a host of demons, evil through violence and oppression, combination of these or others.

Mark’s gospel finds Jesus in conflict with both demons that afflict individual and the evil of powers of oppression. Jesus fights and delivers people from both of these situations to bring an alternative way of defeating these powers of evil through means of nonviolence.

Questions for Reflection

1. Where have you seen the church function more as a spiritual family? Where have you seen the church function more like an institution?
2. How do you think the parable of the growing seed speaks to the kingdom of God?
3. Mark 3-4 are filled with parables. Does one parable reach out to you more than the others? Why do you think Jesus told so many different types of parables?

¹Geddert, Mark, 77-78.

These additional notes on the Gospel of Mark are taken from the Believers Church Bible Commentary written by Timothy J. Geddert.

Geddert, Timothy J. Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark. Herald Press: Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 2001.  

Introduction to Mark’s Gospel

“Mark’s gospel looks back, it looks around, and it looks forward. It is about what God did through Jesus of Nazareth, continues to do (or still desires to do) among those who follow Jesus, and will yet do until Jesus comes again.”¹

Mark Fast Facts

• The first word of the gospel, “beginning,” opens the gospel just as the Hebrew Scriptures do: “In the beginning, God created…” (Gen 1:1). Mark announces a new beginning.
• The desert (Mark 1:4; 12-13) is a place associated with hardship and danger (Deut. 8:2; 1 Kings 19:4) but also a place of intimacy with God (Exodus 3:18; Hosea 2:14).
• As we begin Mark 2, conflict erupts almost immediately. Mark 2:1-3:6 is often called the conflict section of Mark.
• In Mark 2:17, the focus is not on the sinners’ need to change but on Jesus’ offer of forgiveness.
• Note the sarcastic Jesus in Mark 2:25, the Pharisees would have known their Scripture well- the divide between Jesus and the Pharisees is in how they use Scripture.

Introduction to Mark’s Gospel

• Mark’s gospel is anonymously written.
  • First theory is that that Mark wrote based on information that he gained by hearing the Peter preach and teach. Further to this theory is that Mark was trained by Peter to narrate the stories of Jesus.
  • The second theory is that Mark’s main source was the gospel of Matthew. However, some scholars believe that the Gospel of Matthew was written after Mark, which would discount this theory. Most who hold to this theory, argue that Matthew and Luke both used Mark as a source for writing their gospels. (Who copied who?)
• Early church traditions claim that the author of Mark wrote the gospel in Rome. As we read through the text, we will find that there are some allusions to Mark’s readers suffering persecution. While there isn’t really any reason to doubt that it was written in Rome, there isn’t much to gain from that either. It is, however, important to remember as you read the text that it is likely the first audience of the text was suffering in persecution.

Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God was obviously important to Jesus, given the amount of time he spent talking about it. It is also a phrase that Christians tend to throw around. What does the kingdom of God actually mean? Is it heaven? Is it here? Through Mark, we find that the Jesus’ references to the kingdom of God are about the power of God in our current lives in order to establish the reign of God. But that leaves us with the question, when?

There are three main views of when God establishes the kingdom.

• Some people have insisted that Jesus expected God’s kingdom to arrive immediately. But that Jesus himself viewed his role as a preparer, not a bringer.
• Others have thought that Jesus saw his coming to earth and his ministry as the equivalent to the arrival of the kingdom of God.
• Still others have adopted an ‘already/not yet’ view of the kingdom. The kingdom of God begins with Jesus’ arrival, but does not envelope the kingdom of God it its fullness. Through Jesus’ arrival, the kingdom of God has begun, but we still wait upon a God’s reign to fully come.

Mark holds to the third view (Mark 1:15). In Mark’s gospel, the kingdom of God is already coming throughout the life of Jesus. There are glimpses of hope and promise of what is to come.

Sin & Sickness

In the miracle of the healing of the paralytic (Mark 2:1-12), sin and sickness are closely related. Was the man paralyzed because he was sinful? Is sickness related to sin? Many people have and still do believe so.

We suffer in a fallen world because we are a fallen people. In some parts of Scripture incidents of sickness are directly related to sin and sometimes the suffering is viewed as divine judgement. However, Scripture denies that ALL suffering is directly related to a SPECIFIC sin. (see the book of Job; John 9:1-3; Luke 13:1-4). In Mark 2:1-10, there is no firm connection between the paralytic and his sin. The issues of sin and forgiveness are not usually raised when Jesus performs a miracle.

Questions for Reflection

1. What has struck you as you begin to read the book of Mark?
2. Where have you seen the “Kingdom of God?” What does it mean to you?
3. What are your views on the relationship between sin and sickness?
4. What other questions do you have about the text?

¹Geddert, Mark, 15.

These additional notes on the Gospel of Mark are taken from the Believers Church Bible Commentary written by Timothy J. Geddert.

Geddert, Timothy J. Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark. Herald Press: Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 2001.