Glad you stopped by today--whether this is your first time or if you are a regular visitor. I hope that the Q&As and reflections are helpful with your journey through the Bible in 2009. Can you believe we're almost halfway done?! Kudos to you for continuing to read--even if you're a little behind, just stick with it!
Here's the question and answer from Tuesday:
There is one LOOOONG sentence in 2 Corinthians 6. How many verses long is it?
7 verses: 2 Corinthians 6:4-10
And here's the question and answer of the day for Wednesday:
Who succeeded Ahaz as king? (2 Kings 16)
2 Kings 16:20 20 Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.
And here's the question of the day:
Who is Paul especially delighted to see happy because his spirit has been refreshed by the Corinthians? (2 Cor 7)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Reading 2 Kings is like watching a tennis match. Back and forth Israel and Judah go, from one king to another. We see Assyria and Samaria going through the same thing. One after another a new king takes the throne, does "what is evil in the sight of the Lord," and is dethroned.
Imagine having such a terrible succession of kings. I know there's probably be one or two presidents in a row that you've probably not cared for, but that's nothing compared to this parade of (evil) kings.
You'd think they would have learned their lesson after the first couple of incidents. It seems that if God is not pleased with you, you shouldn't expect to last long on the throne. So why the kings continue to emulate evil kings--and NOT David--is beyond me.
There is one verse that seems to encapsulate exactly what their problem is: "The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right" (2 Kings 17:9). More than just doing things 'against the Lord their God'--which is terrible in and of itself--but they did them SECRETLY! Or, so they thought.
Nothing is really secret from God, though we would like to think so. We may be able to (and probably do) keep secrets from friends and family, but we are unable to keep secrets from the all-knowing and all-seeing God. And it is utter foolishness to think that we can hide from God.
I know that when I consider the eternal question "to sin or not to sin," more often than not, I consider whether I might get caught in the act of sinning by someone from the church or a friend or a family member. I never consider whether or not I might get caught by God; that is a foregone conclusion for me. OF COURSE God is going to catch me in the act of sinning. What idiot would think you could hide something like sin from God??
Well, the nation of Israel in 2 Kings, for one. Their concept and picture of God is still not yet fully developed. They do not yet understand the immanence of God--the "accompanying us through the every day"-ness of God. Nothing can be kept a secret from God because God is present in our every day lives, seeing our every day actions and hearing our every day words.
Have a splendid day!
Allison
Showing posts with label secret. Show all posts
Showing posts with label secret. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Mark's Big Secret
Hello! I hoped you had a blessed Resurrection Sunday! Let's not waste any time. Since I took a little sabbath from blogging yesterday, I'll catch you up on all the qs and as. . .
Here's the question and answer from Sunday:
Sun, Apr 12 Who does the angel of the Lord appear to in Judges 6?
Judges 6:11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
Here's the question and answer from Monday:
Mon, Apr 13 At whose house does Jesus have dinner with many tax collectors and sinners? (Mark 2)
Mark 2:15 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
And here's the question of the day:
Tues, Apr 14 What did God do when the Israelites disobeyed him? (Judges 10)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Mark has a big secret in Mark 3. Well, that's not wholly true. It's Jesus who has the secret, but it doesn't seem to be much of a secret. In fact, demons and spirits keep blurting it out whenever Jesus comes near. Jesus quickly shushes them, giving "them strict orders not to tell who he was."
The secret is just what the evil spirits claim: "You are the Son of God." Which is totally true and EXACTLY what Jesus is trying to convince the disciples of! So, why keep it a secret? Especially now, when all the crowds are eagerly following him, straining and pushing to get closer to his healing power. The stage is set for the big revelation. But Jesus continues to shush them.
Students and scholars of Mark call this the "messianic secret." Mark, as a gospel writer, likes to communicate on two levels: at the narrative level, "characters in the story interact within an assumed framework of relationships, attitudes, and knowledge that becomes evident as the plot unfolds" (Lamar Williamson, Jr, Mark, Interpretation Commentary series).
The second level is the interaction between the writer and the READER--that's us. For example, Mark 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." So, the reader knows who Jesus is, but it has not yet been revealed to the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. In this level of communication, Mark enjoys using ambiguity, irony, paradox and lots of other literary devices we English majors love but drive others crazy!
So, this "messianic secret" is a little bit of irony (that is, the demons knowing who Jesus is even when the disciples don't). For Mark, Jesus cannot truly be known outside of the context of his passion, death, and resurrection, which Mark has gotten to yet. So to reveal Jesus' identity before he tells the whole story is do jump to the punchline before you've finished setting up the joke.
This "messianic" secret will keep popping up throughout the book. Keep your eyes peeled for those. Also, be on the lookout for other clues pointing toward Jesus' Passion, death, and resurrection. Mark drops a lot of hints along the way; we just have to notice them. (For example, Mark 3:6 says, "Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.")
So, is this a secret to keep or a secret to share? Perhaps that is the greatest irony of all--this is a secret Jesus wants us to share with everyone!!
Allison
Here's the question and answer from Sunday:
Sun, Apr 12 Who does the angel of the Lord appear to in Judges 6?
Judges 6:11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
Here's the question and answer from Monday:
Mon, Apr 13 At whose house does Jesus have dinner with many tax collectors and sinners? (Mark 2)
Mark 2:15 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
And here's the question of the day:
Tues, Apr 14 What did God do when the Israelites disobeyed him? (Judges 10)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Mark has a big secret in Mark 3. Well, that's not wholly true. It's Jesus who has the secret, but it doesn't seem to be much of a secret. In fact, demons and spirits keep blurting it out whenever Jesus comes near. Jesus quickly shushes them, giving "them strict orders not to tell who he was."
The secret is just what the evil spirits claim: "You are the Son of God." Which is totally true and EXACTLY what Jesus is trying to convince the disciples of! So, why keep it a secret? Especially now, when all the crowds are eagerly following him, straining and pushing to get closer to his healing power. The stage is set for the big revelation. But Jesus continues to shush them.
Students and scholars of Mark call this the "messianic secret." Mark, as a gospel writer, likes to communicate on two levels: at the narrative level, "characters in the story interact within an assumed framework of relationships, attitudes, and knowledge that becomes evident as the plot unfolds" (Lamar Williamson, Jr, Mark, Interpretation Commentary series).
The second level is the interaction between the writer and the READER--that's us. For example, Mark 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." So, the reader knows who Jesus is, but it has not yet been revealed to the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. In this level of communication, Mark enjoys using ambiguity, irony, paradox and lots of other literary devices we English majors love but drive others crazy!
So, this "messianic secret" is a little bit of irony (that is, the demons knowing who Jesus is even when the disciples don't). For Mark, Jesus cannot truly be known outside of the context of his passion, death, and resurrection, which Mark has gotten to yet. So to reveal Jesus' identity before he tells the whole story is do jump to the punchline before you've finished setting up the joke.
This "messianic" secret will keep popping up throughout the book. Keep your eyes peeled for those. Also, be on the lookout for other clues pointing toward Jesus' Passion, death, and resurrection. Mark drops a lot of hints along the way; we just have to notice them. (For example, Mark 3:6 says, "Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.")
So, is this a secret to keep or a secret to share? Perhaps that is the greatest irony of all--this is a secret Jesus wants us to share with everyone!!
Allison
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