Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 10:32-34

Jesus and his disciples are on the road. It would seem that they were not alone as we are told that Jesus took the disciples aside. People would often join a group of others when travelling, for safety reasons, so that is not surprising. However, we might wonder as to the direction the conversation took, as we are told of those who were there being both amazed and afraid.

Was it that they saw, or talked, around something of the great things that Jesus was saying and doing? Was that what caused the amazement? Was it that the sense of tension and conflict was building? Was that the source of the fear? Jesus is leading from the front, walking ahead. It is difficult to know how this might have happened on the road, but Jesus takes the twelve disciples that form the core group aside for what amounts to a private chat. Maybe they just fell into a group and got ahead as can happen when a large group is out walking. Maybe they stopped, perhaps for lunch, while everyone else carried on.

Jesus is described as telling the twelve something of what is going to happen. He talks of suffering and death, and even of resurrection. This suggests that tension was indeed building and gives some explanation of the feeling of fear that has been expressed. However, as we will discover, the disciples still do not ‘get’ it, even though this is the third reported such conversation. But I wonder what we would have made of what Jesus was saying in that situation?

Of course, we do need to remember that Mark is writing this down long after the event, and so, inevitably, in the light of all that happened. Like the other gospels, this is not written as either a diary or a news report. It is a proclamation of the good news of Jesus. As Morna Hooker (The Gospel according to Saint Mark) suggests – “Mark’s three passion predictions serve to remind his readers not only that Jesus’ death and resurrection were part of God’s purpose, but that Jesus himself was totally obedient to God’s will.”

Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 10:23-31

You can imagine that there were would be times when something would happen between Jesus and someone who had approached him and that, after the person had gone, Jesus and the disciples would continue a conversation about what had just happened.

This was one such occasion, and Mark reports something of the continuing conversation. Unsurprisingly, it is about wealth and the attitude of those who have it to what they possess. But, even more so, it is about entering the Kingdom and about following Jesus. In the first part of the conversation Jesus talks about the barrier that wealth can create. It easily becomes a major purpose in life. However, the difficulty is mitigated by the statement that all things are possible for God.

Nevertheless, it is important to understand what Jesus is saying, not to diminish the thought that riches can be a significant barrier, but to recognise that the main point being made by Jesus is absolutely about what God can do. As Edwin Broadhead (Readings: A New Biblical Commentary – Mark) comments with respect to the question of entering the Kingdom – “the answer by Jesus places the whole scene in theological perspective; none can, except by the grace of God.”

It would seem that Peter then looks at how this might be applied to the group. He comments about what they have left behind in order to follow Jesus. Jesus accepts what Peter states but, as so often, intensifies things with his answer. They have given up a lot but, in so doing, they are lined for extremely worthwhile rewards, though those rewards, in themselves, are not without challenges. Broadhead comments – “the disciples will receive back what they gave up – and more” but “a part of the ‘more’ is persecution (10.30).” The real point is that the things of God operate on an entirely different, and on normal standards unconventional, level. Things are unexpectedly reversed. As Broadhead reminds us – “many who are first will be last, and many last will be first. Thus, discipleship cannot be measured out upon a scale of sacrifice and reward.”

Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 10:17-22

Here Jesus is approached with what we can regard as a basic Kingdom question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? What must I do to enter the Kingdom? What must I do to get myself on God’s way?

The man who asks the question begins with an appropriate recognition of Jesus, addressing him as good teacher. Indeed, even before that, we can note the way in which he arrives. He runs up, indicating that he is in a hurry and that he does not want to miss Jesus. Then, he kneels before Jesus, surely a recognition that Jesus is someone special.

As so often, Jesus responds to a question with a question, only on this occasion he adds in a comment. Also, Jesus’ question is about the way in which the man has addressed him, rather than being an immediate response to the topic that has been raised. Why do you call me good? Jesus asks his question, adding the important theological point that, no one is good but God alone.

The statement connects with the ‘Shema’, the Jewish creed that confesses one God. The Shema, frequently prayed by Jews, (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) begins with the statement the Lord is our God, the Lord alone, and proceeds to make a link with keeping the commandments, which are summarised in terms of a right relationship with God.

This link makes this discussions interestingly important. As Kim Huat Tan (Mark) notes – “this heightens the status of the discussion, and suggests the following: if only God is good as the Shema requires, by calling Jesus good is the young man putting him on that level?”

Jesus identifies the commandments as the standard. They are what is required. However, as Tan points out – “the commandments Jesus cites exhibit a peculiar order. He begins with the sixth to the ninth commandments. He then follows with “do not defraud” before moving back to the fifth commandment. What is interesting is the command of “do not defraud”. This is not found in the Ten Commandments, unless we think of it as a loose application of the tenth commandment. If it is not, we may wonder why the tenth commandment is left out, along with those which relate principally to God (commandments one to four).”

The man replies unhesitatingly that he has kept the commandments, and that he has always done so. Jesus suggests that he then just lacks one thing, though actually he asks three things. He asks him to sell his possessions. He asks him to give the proceeds to the poor. Then, having done that, he asks him to come and follow him. For this man, in order to be a disciple, he needs to get rid of his wealth. Is this how Jesus brings in the tenth commandment, and identifies it as the one that is being broken?

It is important that we are told that Jesus loved this man. It is a reminder that God loves us no matter how we behave. But the story ends on a sad note as the man in question finds himself unable to do what is asked, and goes away. The tenth commandment covers the issue of ‘wanting more stuff’, what is sometimes described as ‘coveting’. The problem for this man, as Tan describes it, is that – “his loyalty is not really to the commandments but to his own opulent welfare. For him, obeying God’s commandments may be done as long as one’s preferred lifestyle is not compromised.” I wonder what things, for us, get in the way of following Jesus and being his disciples.

Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 10:13-16

Jesus does not necessarily meet the expectations of others, including the disciples. Indeed, the Kingdom message that he proclaims frequently turns things upside down. In the society of Jesus’ time children did not play a prominent role. They would be there, but very much in the background. So, when some of the people started bringing their children to Jesus, presumably for a blessing, the disciples told them, in no uncertain terms, to go away.

How dare these parents encroach upon Jesus in this way! The disciples spoke sternly to them. But Jesus takes a very different view. He is always open to those whom society thinks should stay away. But, actually, it is the little ones, the marginalised, and the outcasts who are the frontrunners for being Kingdom people. Jesus wants to engage with the children for precisely that reason.

As Joseph O’Hanlon (Mark My Words) points out – “The child is, for would-be disciples, a model, an image of what a disciple should be. To be where the will of God is, to be in the realm of God, is not something to be grasped; it is not a possession which can be acquired. It is a gift. A child is a gift. … To be like a child in the ancient world was to have nothing, to be nothing. To be a disciple in the kingdom is, at once, to lose everything and to gain everything, to die and to live.”

I wonder what are our greatest expectations in terms of how God wants us to live. I wonder whether we are able and willing to see things as differently as God does.

Jesus gladly receives the little children because he sees them as leaders. They show the way to the Kingdom. They are blessed and Jesus emphasises that as he blesses them. I wonder what childlike qualities we need to rediscover in order to get a better idea of the Kingdom and the kind of behaviour that will help us glimpse it, and even enter it.

Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 10:1-12

As so often, Jesus here gets into a confrontation with the Pharisees. He is speaking with the people, teaching and preaching, when some Pharisees arrive with their awkward questions. The implication is that this is not a genuine inquiry, but an attempt to wrongfoot Jesus. The Pharisees, or most of them, were convinced that there was something amiss with his teaching and they attempted to prove the point by asking questions designed to make him say things that they could then critique in a way that showed him to be adrift of what most people knew as the proper religious teaching.

Here the specific issue is that of marriage and divorce. The context is important. Marriages would be arranged and within the context of a patriarchal society. Women had few rights and would be treated as possessions. Jesus affirms marriage but does so as a way of responding to the suggestion that a man can just get rid of his wife at will. As Leith Fisher (Will you follow me?) points out – “Jesus refuses the nit-picking of legal debate. Instead, he points out how exclusive male rights have skewed and distorted the original purpose of the creation of male and female for each other, He argues that it is for no one to drive a wedge into that God-willed unity and equality.”

What matters is that we treat each other fairly. Marriage and relationships have gone through many phases. However, the problem is always the matter of dealing with abusive relationships. Jesus here emphasises the principles of mutuality and inclusivity, and that is a good model. As society changes, the detail of the questions mirrors the change, but the broad principles of equality and respect remain vital.

It is those who depart from that who are criticised by Jesus. Here, as in so many instances, Jesus brings a Kingdom which, as Fisher describes it, is one – “in which the old relationships of status and hierarchy, which disempower and exclude, are challenged and dethroned by a revolution from below. A new community is being built which finds a welcoming place for the excluded and a security for the poor and the powerless.” I wonder in what ways this challenges our view of relationships, however we define and describe them.

Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 9:49-50

Salt is one of those things that is very significant in so many ways. Here we have an echo of Jesus saying that his followers are to be like salt, bringing flavour to the world (Matthew 5:13). Here there is a comment about salt losing its saltiness. It then loses its ability to fulfil its main purpose which is to season. The implication is that we are to make a real difference to the contexts in which we are set in just the same way as salt transforms the taste of food.

This is linked to a comment about peace, our being at peace with one another being what we might hope for in a society that comes even remotely near to reflecting the Kingdom of God.

This little section is not the easiest part of Mark’s writing to understand, but we can, at least, see both salt and peace as measures of how things should be, and that makes particular sense when we identify salt as in indicator of purity. As William Barclay (Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of Mark) points out – “The ancients declared that there was nothing in the world purer than salt because it came from the two purest things, the sun and the sea.” Barclay goes on to suggest that we may see this passage as saying something like – “Be purified from selfishness and self-seeking, from bitterness and anger and grudge-bearing. Be cleansed from irritation and moodiness and self-centredness, and then, and then only, you will be able to live in peace.” I wonder what kind of ‘flavour’ we add to the circles in which we move. I wonder to what extent we are peacemakers.

Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 9:42-48

Whatever we do, we should not push others in the wrong direction. Here is a strong encouragement to avoid doing damage to others, but especially those who might be designated as little ones. As Vincent Taylor (The Gospel according to St. Mark) points out – “the ‘little ones’ are the humblest members of the community.” I wonder who are the little ones in our communities, and whether we take enough notice of them.

A dire warning is offered to those who might be considering doing things that would cause these folk to stumble. I think, as Taylor suggests – “actual mutilation is not counselled, but in the strongest possible manner the costliest sacrifice.” If we put this thought against the backdrop of the early church and the persecution it suffered, then we have an interestingly different perspective as Christians were going to their death in the Roman arena. Losing a hand or an eye rather than taking a false path becomes a reasonable challenge. As Taylor puts it – “This teaching must have been greatly esteemed in the Roman Church during the days of the Neronian persecution.”

The picture is stark, but it is clear that God’s Kingdom trumps all. A millstone round the neck would mean the end. The essential point is that no obstacle should be allowed to prevent the growth of the Kingdom. Anything that does that is simply not worth it. I wonder what are the obstacles that get in our way, and what we do about them; but I also wonder what obstacles we place in the way of others, and what we do about those. Jesus here has something stark to say about that.