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Monday, September 28, 2009

+ Pentecost XVII + September 27, 2009 +

Lexegete™ | Year B | St. Mark
_____________________________________________________________

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 27, 2009 (Lectionary 26)

Complementary Series

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Psalm 19:7-14 (8)
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

Semicontinuous Series

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Psalm 124 (7)
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

Prayer of the Day

Generous God, your Son gave his life that we might come to peace with you. Give us a share of your Spirit, and in all we do empower us to bear the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. You word, O | Lord, is truth;
sanctify us | in the truth. Alleluia. (John 17:7)

Color: Green

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1a. CONTEXT: Mark 9:38--50


This pericope is a continuation of the apothegmatic section which began at verse 33 in the midst of last Sunday's reading. This teaching section does not consist of parables or exhortations to the crowd, nor of explication of such public instruction for the sake of his disciples. Such proclamation and teaching was of course integral to Jesus' Galilean ministry, but this collection of the Lord's teaching is placed just following the dramatic turning of his mission in the direction of the Cross, i.e. after Peter's "confession", the Transfiguration, and three passion predictions in close succession. Even though they are momentarily resting at their home base in Capernaum, Jesus and his followers are already on the journey to Jerusalem.

Thus do we have here a particularly urgent concern for the ways in which the disciples will function as a messianic community. Given the opposition and persecution which lies ahead, will they rightly understand and witness to the Kingdom, or will they prove as good as the scribes at turning discipleship into an exercise in arrogance and competition?

1b. Text: Mark 9:38-50

NRSV:

9:38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us."


9:39 But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.


9:40 Whoever is not against us is for us.


9:41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.


9:42 "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.


9:43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.



9:44 [Mark 9:44 and 9:46, which are identical with 9:48, are lacking in authority.]



9:45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.,



9:46 [Mark 9:44 and 9:46, which are identical with 9:48, are lacking in authority.]



9:47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,



9:48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.



9:49 For everyone will be salted with fire.



9:50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."


GREEK:

38 Ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης, Διδάσκαλε, εἴδομέν τινα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐκβάλλοντα δαιμόνια, καὶ ἐκωλύομεν αὐτόν, ὅτι οὐκ ἠκολούθει ἡμῖν.
39 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Μὴ κωλύετε αὐτόν, οὐδεὶς γάρ ἐστιν ὃς ποιήσει δύναμιν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ δυνήσεται ταχὺ κακολογῆσαί με:
40 ὃς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν καθ' ἡμῶν, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐστιν.
41 Ὃς γὰρ ἂν ποτίσῃ ὑμᾶς ποτήριον ὕδατος ἐν ὀνόματι ὅτι Χριστοῦ ἐστε, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ.
42 Καὶ ὃς ἂν σκανδαλίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων τῶν πιστευόντων [εἰς ἐμέ], καλόν ἐστιν αὐτῷ μᾶλλον εἰ περίκειται μύλος ὀνικὸς περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ βέβληται εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν.
43 Καὶ ἐὰν σκανδαλίζῃ σε ἡ χείρ σου, ἀπόκοψον αὐτήν: καλόν ἐστίν σε κυλλὸν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν ἢ τὰς δύο χεῖρας ἔχοντα ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενναν, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον. 44 καὶ
45 ἐὰν ὁ πούς σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε, ἀπόκοψον αὐτόν: καλόν ἐστίν σε εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν χωλὸν ἢ τοὺς δύο πόδας ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν. 46 καὶ
47 ἐὰν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε, ἔκβαλε αὐτόν: καλόν σέ ἐστιν μονόφθαλμον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ δύο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν,
48 ὅπου ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται:
49 πᾶς γὰρ πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται.
50 Καλὸν τὸ ἅλας: ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἅλας ἄναλον γένηται, ἐν τίνι αὐτὸ ἀρτύσετε; ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἅλα, καὶ εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἀλλήλοις.




Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;
The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition © 1975, United Bible Societies, London





2. ANALYSIS: Mark 9:38-50



Mk. 9:38 "in your name"-- It is of course striking that we have here a reference not just to "competing" exorcists, but to the perception of such competition within the namers of Jesus. The implications of this as a comment on division and denominationalism in the early Christian community may be attenuated if one interprets the en to onomati sou as a mere reflection of the disciple's assumption that all such work would be done by the power of his master, but such an avoidance of the word's more immediate meaning seems both belabored and unnecessary. More likely is that the saying of Jesus in verse 39 is here intentionally pointed at divisions between Christians.



"not following us"-- Note how John's complaint arrogates the plural usage in regard to discipleship: the followers identify themselves

with Jesus in a way that demands that others follow them. What a striking image for subsequent political developments in the church!



Mk. 9:39 "Do not forbid him..."-- This language (me koluete) recalls the parallel story in Numbers 11:26-29, where Joshua asks Moses to forbid the unregistered prophets (koluson autous [LXX]). The jealousy and exclusivity of community leaders is not a new phenomenon among the people of God.



"for no one who does..."-- Jesus' rationale for not suppressing the alien exorcist not only involves solidarity in the common task of ministry (the "deed of power") whereby the kingdom is enacted, but also points ahead to the cost of that ministry to Jesus. The question is raised as to who will remain an ally of Jesus in the time of trial. John, Peter, and the others in the inner circle will not so qualify.



Mk. 9:40-- This proverbial saying has its opposite in Matthew 12:30, a word of equal dominical authority. We have here an instructive example of the importance of contextual analysis and the pitfalls of polemical proof-texting.



Mk. 9:41 "whoever gives..."-- Suddenly now we're no longer dealing with a work of the Kingdom as impressive as exorcism, or with the bearers of the Messiah's name as ministers. In this saying, reinforced by the solemn amen lego hymin, Jesus moves into that world where his followers will be dependent upon the hospitality of others, where their work for the kingdom will be as recipients rather than as dispensers of charity. There is, I believe, an important thematic parallel with judgment passage in Matthew 25, where the critical function of Jesus' little brethren is to be the test of other's compassion.



Mk. 9:42-- Now indeed the focus shifts explicitly to concern for the "little ones" of the community. The warning is to the big ones, whose abuse of their status will lead the small to sin. The shift in focus parallels the beginning of this teaching section (9:33-36), but now Jesus' passion for the sake of the mikroi erupts in a rhetoric of wrath and violence. Note also that the crime condemned is not "personal" misdoing but rather causing another to sin.

Mk. 9:43-- The horror and reality of evil is now underscored with imagery of similar violence. The corruption of human life and relationships is worse than amputation.

Jesus' gut-felt concern here is of course for the whole of the community, but it may well be that his words are also to be taken to have a particular kind of communal application, namely to counsel excommunication ("cutting off"), as opposed to execution or assassination, as the way of dealing with those who would the community astray. Such metaphorical use of the language of limbs and body is, after all, not uncommon in early Christianity, and the problem of how to deal with offenders against the community has often proved a particularly difficult one for any counter-cultural movements, whether violent or radically non-violent.


Mk. 9:45 "hand... foot... eye"-- Each of these bodily members has been traditionally taken as the sign or locus of a different set of criminal acts, and it may be that the inclusion of all three is not just a rhetorical intensifier but a way of making sure that, for example, sins of the hand like embezzlement and fraud are taken as seriously as those of the eye, i.e. those which involve sexual misconduct.

Mk. 9:47-- The opposite of Gehenna, one might note, is not described as paradise or heaven, but as the basileia tou theou, and, in the parallel of the previous verses, as he zoe. The precise degree of realization in Mark's eschatology may long be debated, but the immediate effect of this language is to recall the Kingdom and the Life which the gospel proclaims to be at hand in the present kairos (Mk. 1:15).

Mk. 9:48 -- The confusion over the numbering of this pericope's verses arose because of later manuscripts' attachment of this verse also to the parallel locations in the preceding verses.

Mk. 9:49-50 -- The imagery of salt is resonant with themes of community and peace. One of the Old Testament symbols of the covenant (Lev. 2:13, Num. 18:19, II Chr. 13:5), it is also a token of hospitality, as well as literally a preservative and enhancer. Here Jesus connects those very positive themes and images with the purgative and threatening flames of judgment. Fire is not just the Stichwort which explains the appearance of these words in this location, it is also an image of that seriousness and urgency which marks Jesus' warning to his followers. The peace of the community depends on an awareness of accountability, on a sense of the terrible cost of betrayal. Here, then, is a sharp warning to the community, but with that warning also a reminder and an exhortation to "be at peace with one another."



3. STRATEGY: Mark 9:38--50

It would certainly be possible to pick up any one of the particular points among these apophthegmata of Jesus and to preach it in its current parochial and global relevance. Such might indeed be the most faithful application of the text in many situations.

I would, however, like to suggest an option which might be helpful to a number of confused Christians and questioners today. These sayings of Jesus may prompt a hermeneutical question: Just how are these words to be understood? How are we to hear Jesus when he is willing to cast the millstone- weighted offender into the sea, or when he counsels self-mutilation rather than sin? For that matter, how are we to hear the Word of God, when it pronounces judgment and the fires of Gehenna?



Some will of course deal with those questions by filtering out the words of threat and judgment, but such deafness or indifference is not an option for those who care about Christ, about the scriptures, and about the meaning of our lives. For them, the danger is rather that these words are heard exclusively as legislative pronouncements from eternity, spoken from on high. (The practice of some Bible publishers in using red letters to highlight the words of Jesus seems to me an illustration-- and aggravation-- of this way of reading and hearing.) There is an urgent necessity to hearing Jesus speaking in the narrative context of the gospel, speaking to real human beings with his own real love, fear, and anger.



This is to say that the sayings of Jesus are to be heard as rhetoric in the best and deepest sense of that word. They intend to warn, to threaten, to convince, and to inspire. They are words of caring about what happens to people, to the whole community and especially to its most vulnerable little ones. They are words of passionate fear about the harm that is done by the exclusivity and pride of "disciples" who have missed the point. Even if they come to us in the form of a poorly edited collection of pithy remarks, these words bespeak a burning desire to get through to those whom they address. In this sense, there may actually be some value to "red letter" editions of the text, for Jesus' words are often to be read as full-blooded or aflame (though sometimes refreshing waters or a gentler warmth should then also be suggested by the printer's ink.)



All this is to say that the word of wrath and judgment is real and urgent, but it does not make of Jesus, or of his God and ours, a figure of either general or narrow judgmentalism. These words, like the parallel warnings in the reading from James, are pointed. They are words of the deepest caring for us and for our little ones, and they are intended not to doom, but to save. (With the rest of us also, "Go to hell!" is sometimes spoken as a word of exasperated caring to those about whom we care deeply.) Jesus himself gives us an image for the corrective and challenging purpose of these fiery words: they are salt to preserve us, and to keep us in the way of peace.

Exegete: Rev. John Stendahl
Lutheran Ch. of the Newtons, Newton Centre, Massachusetts

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Michael and All Angels
September 29, 2009
Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3
Psalm 103:1-5, 20-22 (20-21)
Revelation 12:7-12
Luke 10:17-20

Prayer of the Day
Everlasting God, you have wonderfully established the ministries of angels and mortals. Mercifully grant that as Michael and the angels contend against the cosmic forces of evil, so by your direction they may help and defend us here on earth, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God whom we worship and praise with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Bless the | Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who | do God's bidding. Alleluia. (Ps. 103:20)
Color: White

+ PENTECOST XX + OCTOBER 18, 2009 +

LEXEGETE™ | YEAR B | ST. MARK
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Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
October 18, 2009 (Lectionary 29)

Complementary Series

Isaiah 53:4-12
Psalm 91:9-16
Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45

Semicontinuous Series

Job 38:1-7 [34-41]
Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b (24)
Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45

Prayer of the Day
Sovereign God, you turn your greatness into goodness for all the peoples on earth. Shape us into willing servants of your kingdom, and make us desire always and only your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. The Son of Man came not to be served | but to serve,
and to give his life as a ran- | som for many. Alleluia. (Mark 10:45)


Color: Green

1. CONTEXT: Mark 10:35-45

This striking incident, paralleled in Matthew 20:20-28, gives a picture of the meaning of discipleship. It undoubtedly circulated in more than one form, since Mark's version has James and John approaching Jesus directly, while Matthew softens the picture of the two disciples by having the approach made by their ambitious mother. The reaction of the other disciples is a clear picture of their humanity and leads us to suspect that these qualities were not foreign to James and John. Indeed, it is a testimony to the integrity of the Markan author, as many scholars agree, that he has not concealed the very human realities of the apostolic band.


C. S. Mann, whose Anchor Bible commentary holds that Mark is written after Matthew and Luke, is at pains to suggest that Mark obviously has based his version on a source earlier than theirs or at least has quoted it with more integrity, as the use of the disciples' names would indicate.

The placement of this story in the Markan account is not without significance. It comes very late in Jesus ministry, right on the edge of the final days in Jerusalem. Already many followers have "fallen away." It is a tribute to the disciples that, despite their misunderstanding of Jesus' purpose and destiny, they are still part of his entourage. Even though they many not understand what it means to drink of his cup, they are still ready to share it and they are still with him after they have heard (and perhaps again misunderstood) his explanation.

This is surely an appropriate moment to deal with the issues of Messiahship and the issues of discipleship. The drama of the Passion episodes is heightened by this theological stage-setting. While the vision of Messianic servanthood might never have occurred to the disciples at this point in time, it is clearly Jesus' intention to raise the issue and to look toward the role of the Suffering Servant. Simultaneously the opportunity presents itself to deal with the nature of discipleship. The disciples (and the early Church, for that matter) have a recurring all-to-human picture of hierarchical government and hierarchical honor. The incident and the reported words of Jesus bring an altogether different picture of church government and of the Christian's calling.

It is in this setting, then, that the story is told, and it is filled with very human elements: the ambitions of James and John, the ambitions of their fellow disciples, the quick and easy responses ("Lord, we are able"), and the sense, confirmed by the words of Jesus in the story, that these disciples will in the end pay something of the price proposed, the price of discipleship, even suffering and martyrdom.


1b. Text: Mark 10:35-45
NRSV:
10:35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

10:36 And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?"

10:37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."

10:38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"

10:39 They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

10:40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

10:41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.

10:42 So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.

10:43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 10:44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
10:45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

GREEK:
35 Καὶ προσπορεύονται αὐτῷ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης οἱ υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου λέγοντες αὐτῷ, Διδάσκαλε, θέλομεν ἵνα ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσωμέν σε ποιήσῃς ἡμῖν.
36 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τί θέλετέ [με] ποιήσω ὑμῖν;
37 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Δὸς ἡμῖν ἵνα εἷς σου ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ εἷς ἐξ ἀριστερῶν καθίσωμεν ἐν τῇ δόξῃ σου.
38 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε. δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω, ἢ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι;
39 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Δυνάμεθα. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω πίεσθε καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθήσεσθε,
40 τὸ δὲ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἢ ἐξ εὐωνύμων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ' οἷς ἡτοίμασται.
41 Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ δέκα ἤρξαντο ἀγανακτεῖν περὶ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωάννου.
42 καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς, Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ δοκοῦντες ἄρχειν τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι αὐτῶν κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.
43 οὐχ οὕτως δέ ἐστιν ἐν ὑμῖν: ἀλλ' ὃς ἂν θέλῃ μέγας γενέσθαι ἐν ὑμῖν, ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος,
44 καὶ ὃς ἂν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος, ἔσται πάντων δοῦλος:
45 καὶ γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν.

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979,
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;
The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition © 1975, United Bible Societies, London


2. ANALYSIS : Mark 10:35-45


Mk. 10:35 - "James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, 'Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.'" - There is reflected here a typical Oriental approach to the asking of a favor; that is, the attempt to get the favor granted before the actual content of the favor is revealed. We may see here something of our modern tendency to wish to bargain with God, to attempt to escape the obvious consequences of our own misdeeds. Obviously James and John know what their compatriots among the disciples will think. But, being human, they try anyway.


10:37 -- "... Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." - The expectation of the disciples is that Jesus will ultimately be crowned as an earthly ruler. In their understanding, the chief associates of the ruler sat in the places of honor, first place on the right and second place on the left (even though sinistra or "left" ordinarily carried with it the suggestion of evil). That competition for place or for power is obviously not limited to the disciples. It is a manifestation often to be seen today, not only in the political arena but in basic human relationships and even in the church itself.



v. 38 - . - "You do not know what you are asking." Here is a phrase which characterizes much of the Christian practice of prayer. All sorts of requests are mouthed in prayer or even made in the greatest depth of sincerity and concern, but they are voiced without consideration of the consequences of answered prayer. Jesus suggests that the disciples have no understanding of the price of their request. He puts that very succinctly in his next sentence.


v. 38 - - "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" - Both of these terms, cup and baptism carry a freight of meaning quite beyond what the disciples seem to understand. To drink from a cup offered by a ruling monarch might indicate that one had been offered a great honor, a gift of prestige. But it can also mean to share in the cup of hemlock (remember Socrates) or of suffering. It may in this context carry with it the sense of the eucharistic cup which is shared at the Last Supper, "the new covenant in my blood." Likewise baptism, surely familiar to the disciples as a rite of symbolic cleansing, carries also the meaning suggested by John the Baptist, a baptism by fire. Here also is the load of possible martyrdom and suffering -- not what the disciples have hoped for. As C. S. Mann points out, Rom. 6:3 ("We have been baptized into his death") may very well be a reminiscence of this saying.


v. 40 - "but it is for those for who it has been prepared." - The entire verse deals with the question of precedence, and Jesus suggests that it is not his to award, but is to be given instead to those who are fitted for such a place. The issue here is not really one of predestination or even divine foreknowledge, but simply one of worth. There is a sense in which such a place is to be earned, and we need to remind ourselves that those who set out to earn it have already disqualified themselves. Only those who give themselves unreservedly and for no trivial reasons will be judged as worthy. Jesus' explanations in verse 45 will state this in the most positive fashion.



v. 44 - doulos - "slave". Notice the way in which Jesus goes beyond mere servanthood in describing the role of the Christian disciple. It is not just servant that is being described here, the commitment of the disciple goes to the point of slavery. The word "doulos" sometimes refers to the freed slave, who for love of master, might, in a little ceremony involving the piercing of the ear by an awl to the doorpost of the master's home, continue his slavery out of love, becoming therefore a "love slave" of the family. Surely no homiletical commentary is needed at this point.



v. 45 - - "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." Here is the heart of our story, a clear statement attributed to Jesus very early in the life of the early Church, a statement which carries with it the sense of atonement, of the vision of Jesus as lutron or "ransom." The Greek is always used either for the price for the return of a captive (ransom) or for the purchase price for the manumission of slaves. We need not adopt a substitutionary theory of atonement to see the value of the analogy in understanding the picture of the Messiah's redemptive work. Side by side with this picture is to be gained a picture of that discipleship which shares Messiah's cup and Messiah's baptism. This is strong medicine indeed.



3. STRATEGY: Mark 10:35-45


The homilist is apt to be overwhelmed with the many possibilities presented by this pericope. One of course would deal with the cost of servanthood, some reexamination of what it means to be a Christian disciple. There is also the opportunity for political commentary with meditation upon the current emphasis on power (to the point of corruption) and unimpeded leadership from above with unquestioning obedience from the lower levels of the citizenry.

Still another emphasis might look upon the "preferential option" for the poor and the dispossessed. Surely the picture of Jesus who gives his life as a ransom for the many leads in such a direction. The implied criticism of the powerful and the mighty in Jesus' description of his own calling would also point in this direction.


Or there could be found here the source of powerful preaching dealing with the sin of pride and the perils of overweening ambition. The spectacle of the entire company of the disciples making such an emphasis upon place in the coming Kingdom on the very eve of the Passion and the Crucifixion can surely be the source of real inspiration at this point. There are parallels in our own time, not only outside the church in the arenas of business and politics, but within the community of faith. How many local churches have been destroyed by this kind of interior pushing and shoving to achieve some relatively trivial place of perceived power!


4. References: Mark 10:35-45

Mann, C. S., The Anchor Bible: Mark, Translation, Introduction and Commentary. Doubleday & Co., Garden City, New York, 1986, pp. 410-420.


Tannehill, Robert C., A Mirror for Disciples, A Study of the Gospel of Mark. Discipleship Resources, Nashville, Tennessee, 1977, pp. 85-90.





5. Music Suggestions: Mark 10:35-45

Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (ELW 392, HB 460/1, LBW 158)

God, who stretched the spangled heavens (ELW 771. HB 580, LBW 463)

Hail, thou once despised Jesus (HB 495, st. 1-2 )

My song is love unknown (ELW 343, HB 458, LBW 94)

O, Master let me walk with thee (ELW 818, HB 659/60, LBW 492)

The head that once was crowned in thorns (ELW 432, HB 483, LBW 173)

When I survey the wondrous cross (ELW 803, HB 474, LBW 482)


Exegetes - Rev. David B. Sageser & Rev. Walt Craig.

REV. DAVID SAGESER IS MISSIONS PASTOR OF Faith United Methodist Church, 15690 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers FL; REV. WALT CRAIG is a retire Pastor in the United Methodist Church in the USA.





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Lexegete © 2009

Tischrede Software

Dartmouth, MA 02747-1925

www.yourobdtsvt.blogspot.com

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+ PENTECOST XVIII + OCTOBER 4, 2009 +

LEXEGETE™ | YEAR B | ST. MARK
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Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 4, 2009 (Lectionary 27)

Complementary Series

Genesis 2:18-24
Psalm 8 (5)
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16

Semicontinuous Series

Job 1:1; 2:1-10
Psalm 26 (3)
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16


Prayer of the Day

Sovereign God, you have created us to live in loving community with one another. Form us for life that is faithful and steadfast, and teach us to trust like little children, that we may reflect the image of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. If we love one another, God | lives in us
and God’s love is perfect-| ed in us. Alleluia. (1 John 4:12)

1. CONTEXT: Mark 10:35-45

This striking incident, paralleled in Matthew 20:20-28, gives a picture of the meaning of discipleship. It undoubtedly circulated in more than one form, since Mark's version has James and John approaching Jesus directly, while Matthew softens the picture of the two disciples by having the approach made by their ambitious mother. The reaction of the other disciples is a clear picture of their humanity and leads us to suspect that these qualities were not foreign to James and John. Indeed, it is a testimony to the integrity of the Markan author, as many scholars agree, that he has not concealed the very human realities of the apostolic band.


C. S. Mann, whose Anchor Bible commentary holds that Mark is written after Matthew and Luke, is at pains to suggest that Mark obviously has based his version on a source earlier than theirs or at least has quoted it with more integrity, as the use of the disciples' names would indicate.

The placement of this story in the Markan account is not without significance. It comes very late in Jesus ministry, right on the edge of the final days in Jerusalem. Already many followers have "fallen away." It is a tribute to the disciples that, despite their misunderstanding of Jesus' purpose and destiny, they are still part of his entourage. Even though they many not understand what it means to drink of his cup, they are still ready to share it and they are still with him after they have heard (and perhaps again misunderstood) his explanation.

This is surely an appropriate moment to deal with the issues of Messiahship and the issues of discipleship. The drama of the Passion episodes is heightened by this theological stage-setting. While the vision of Messianic servanthood might never have occurred to the disciples at this point in time, it is clearly Jesus' intention to raise the issue and to look toward the role of the Suffering Servant. Simultaneously the opportunity presents itself to deal with the nature of discipleship. The disciples (and the early Church, for that matter) have a recurring all-to-human picture of hierarchical government and hierarchical honor. The incident and the reported words of Jesus bring an altogether different picture of church government and of the Christian's calling.

It is in this setting, then, that the story is told, and it is filled with very human elements: the ambitions of James and John, the ambitions of their fellow disciples, the quick and easy responses ("Lord, we are able"), and the sense, confirmed by the words of Jesus in the story, that these disciples will in the end pay something of the price proposed, the price of discipleship, even suffering and martyrdom.


1b. Text: Mark 10:35-45
NRSV:
10:35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

10:36 And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?"

10:37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."

10:38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"

10:39 They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

10:40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

10:41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.

10:42 So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.

10:43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 10:44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
10:45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

GREEK:
35 Καὶ προσπορεύονται αὐτῷ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης οἱ υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου λέγοντες αὐτῷ, Διδάσκαλε, θέλομεν ἵνα ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσωμέν σε ποιήσῃς ἡμῖν.
36 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τί θέλετέ [με] ποιήσω ὑμῖν;
37 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Δὸς ἡμῖν ἵνα εἷς σου ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ εἷς ἐξ ἀριστερῶν καθίσωμεν ἐν τῇ δόξῃ σου.
38 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε. δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω, ἢ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι;
39 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Δυνάμεθα. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω πίεσθε καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθήσεσθε,
40 τὸ δὲ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἢ ἐξ εὐωνύμων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ' οἷς ἡτοίμασται.
41 Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ δέκα ἤρξαντο ἀγανακτεῖν περὶ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωάννου.
42 καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς, Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ δοκοῦντες ἄρχειν τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι αὐτῶν κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.
43 οὐχ οὕτως δέ ἐστιν ἐν ὑμῖν: ἀλλ' ὃς ἂν θέλῃ μέγας γενέσθαι ἐν ὑμῖν, ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος,
44 καὶ ὃς ἂν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος, ἔσται πάντων δοῦλος:
45 καὶ γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν.

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979,
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;
The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition © 1975, United Bible Societies, London


2. ANALYSIS : Mark 10:35-45


Mk. 10:35 - "James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, 'Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.'" - There is reflected here a typical Oriental approach to the asking of a favor; that is, the attempt to get the favor granted before the actual content of the favor is revealed. We may see here something of our modern tendency to wish to bargain with God, to attempt to escape the obvious consequences of our own misdeeds. Obviously James and John know what their compatriots among the disciples will think. But, being human, they try anyway.


10:37 -- "... Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." - The expectation of the disciples is that Jesus will ultimately be crowned as an earthly ruler. In their understanding, the chief associates of the ruler sat in the places of honor, first place on the right and second place on the left (even though sinistra or "left" ordinarily carried with it the suggestion of evil). That competition for place or for power is obviously not limited to the disciples. It is a manifestation often to be seen today, not only in the political arena but in basic human relationships and even in the church itself.



v. 38 - . - "You do not know what you are asking." Here is a phrase which characterizes much of the Christian practice of prayer. All sorts of requests are mouthed in prayer or even made in the greatest depth of sincerity and concern, but they are voiced without consideration of the consequences of answered prayer. Jesus suggests that the disciples have no understanding of the price of their request. He puts that very succinctly in his next sentence.


v. 38 - - "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" - Both of these terms, cup and baptism carry a freight of meaning quite beyond what the disciples seem to understand. To drink from a cup offered by a ruling monarch might indicate that one had been offered a great honor, a gift of prestige. But it can also mean to share in the cup of hemlock (remember Socrates) or of suffering. It may in this context carry with it the sense of the eucharistic cup which is shared at the Last Supper, "the new covenant in my blood." Likewise baptism, surely familiar to the disciples as a rite of symbolic cleansing, carries also the meaning suggested by John the Baptist, a baptism by fire. Here also is the load of possible martyrdom and suffering -- not what the disciples have hoped for. As C. S. Mann points out, Rom. 6:3 ("We have been baptized into his death") may very well be a reminiscence of this saying.


v. 40 - "but it is for those for who it has been prepared." - The entire verse deals with the question of precedence, and Jesus suggests that it is not his to award, but is to be given instead to those who are fitted for such a place. The issue here is not really one of predestination or even divine foreknowledge, but simply one of worth. There is a sense in which such a place is to be earned, and we need to remind ourselves that those who set out to earn it have already disqualified themselves. Only those who give themselves unreservedly and for no trivial reasons will be judged as worthy. Jesus' explanations in verse 45 will state this in the most positive fashion.



v. 44 - doulos - "slave". Notice the way in which Jesus goes beyond mere servanthood in describing the role of the Christian disciple. It is not just servant that is being described here, the commitment of the disciple goes to the point of slavery. The word "doulos" sometimes refers to the freed slave, who for love of master, might, in a little ceremony involving the piercing of the ear by an awl to the doorpost of the master's home, continue his slavery out of love, becoming therefore a "love slave" of the family. Surely no homiletical commentary is needed at this point.



v. 45 - - "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." Here is the heart of our story, a clear statement attributed to Jesus very early in the life of the early Church, a statement which carries with it the sense of atonement, of the vision of Jesus as lutron or "ransom." The Greek is always used either for the price for the return of a captive (ransom) or for the purchase price for the manumission of slaves. We need not adopt a substitutionary theory of atonement to see the value of the analogy in understanding the picture of the Messiah's redemptive work. Side by side with this picture is to be gained a picture of that discipleship which shares Messiah's cup and Messiah's baptism. This is strong medicine indeed.



3. STRATEGY: Mark 10:35-45


The homilist is apt to be overwhelmed with the many possibilities presented by this pericope. One of course would deal with the cost of servanthood, some reexamination of what it means to be a Christian disciple. There is also the opportunity for political commentary with meditation upon the current emphasis on power (to the point of corruption) and unimpeded leadership from above with unquestioning obedience from the lower levels of the citizenry.

Still another emphasis might look upon the "preferential option" for the poor and the dispossessed. Surely the picture of Jesus who gives his life as a ransom for the many leads in such a direction. The implied criticism of the powerful and the mighty in Jesus' description of his own calling would also point in this direction.


Or there could be found here the source of powerful preaching dealing with the sin of pride and the perils of overweening ambition. The spectacle of the entire company of the disciples making such an emphasis upon place in the coming Kingdom on the very eve of the Passion and the Crucifixion can surely be the source of real inspiration at this point. There are parallels in our own time, not only outside the church in the arenas of business and politics, but within the community of faith. How many local churches have been destroyed by this kind of interior pushing and shoving to achieve some relatively trivial place of perceived power!


4. References: Mark 10:35-45

Mann, C. S., The Anchor Bible: Mark, Translation, Introduction and Commentary. Doubleday & Co., Garden City, New York, 1986, pp. 410-420.


Tannehill, Robert C., A Mirror for Disciples, A Study of the Gospel of Mark. Discipleship Resources, Nashville, Tennessee, 1977, pp. 85-90.





5. Music Suggestions: Mark 10:35-45

Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (ELW 392, HB 460/1, LBW 158)

God, who stretched the spangled heavens (ELW 771. HB 580, LBW 463)

Hail, thou once despised Jesus (HB 495, st. 1-2 )

My song is love unknown (ELW 343, HB 458, LBW 94)

O, Master let me walk with thee (ELW 818, HB 659/60, LBW 492)

The head that once was crowned in thorns (ELW 432, HB 483, LBW 173)

When I survey the wondrous cross (ELW 803, HB 474, LBW 482)


Exegetes - Rev. David B. Sageser & Rev. Walt Craig.

REV. DAVID SAGESER IS MISSIONS PASTOR OF Faith United Methodist Church, 15690 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers FL; REV. WALT CRAIG is a retire Pastor in the United Methodist Church in the USA.





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Lexegete © 2009

Tischrede Software

Dartmouth, MA 02747-1925

www.yourobdtsvt.blogspot.com

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Monday, September 14, 2009

+ P E N T E C O S T 16 + Sept. 20, 2009 +



L E X E G E T E ™ | Year B | St. Mark

Pentecost 16 | September 20, 2009 (Lectionary 25)

Complementary Series

Jeremiah 11:18-20 or Wisdom 1:16 – 2:1, 12-22
Psalm 54 (4)
James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a
Mark 9:30-37

Semicontinuous Series

Proverbs 31:10-31
Psalm 1 (3)
James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a
Mark 9:30-37

Prayer of the Day

O God, our teacher and guide, you draw us to yourself and welcome us as beloved children. Help us to lay aside all envy and selfish ambition, that we may walk in your ways of wisdom and understanding as servants of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. God has called us through the proclamation of | the good news,
that we may obtain the glory of our Lord | Jesus Christ. Alleluia. (2 Thess. 2:14)

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1a. Context: Mark 9:30-37
Mark's approach to sharing the Gospel was to take one life (Jesus of Nazareth),
use one phase of that life (Jesus' public ministry), and interpret it from one perspective
(Jesus' death on the cross).
• The Structure of Mark's Approach:
• The authority of Jesus revealed
•The authority of Jesus rejected
• The gathering of a new community
• The Journey to Jerusalem as the Way of the Cross
• The Judgment on Jerusalem
• The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus
The Journey to Jerusalem description provided Mark with a method of preparing for the events of the
Passion in Jerusalem. Mark does this in a fast-moving series:
• The First Prediction of his Death by Jesus
• Series of teachings (including the Transfiguration event and the healing of
the boy the disciples could not help)
• The Second Prediction of his Death by Jesus
- The Third Prediction of his Death by Jesus
- The Healing of a Blind Man
2
This lesson for Pentecost 18/ Proper 20 is The Second Prediction of His Death by Jesus in 9:30-37. Each of these
three "Prediction" sections follow the same format:
- Jesus' prediction of his death
- Misunderstanding by the disciples
- Jesus' teaching about the nature of discipleship

1b. Text: Translation / Mark 9:30-37:

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to
know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The
Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after
three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to
ask him about it. They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked
them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the
way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the
Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant
of all." He took a child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he
said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes
me; and ;whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

- OR –
(NRSV)
9:30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;
9:31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and
they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again."
9:32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
9:33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing
about on the way?"
9:34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.
9:35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant
of all."
9:36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,
9:37 "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

Greek:

30Κἀκεῖθεν ἐξελθόντες παρεπορεύοντο διὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν ἵνα τις γνοῖ:
31ἐδίδασκεν γὰρ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι Ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀποκτανθεὶς μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀναστήσεται.
32οἱ δὲ ἠγνόουν τὸ ῥῆμα, καὶ ἐφοβοῦντο αὐτὸν ἐπερωτῆσαι.
33Καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Καφαρναούμ. καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ γενόμενος ἐπηρώτα αὐτούς, Τί ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ διελογίζεσθε;
34οἱ δὲ ἐσιώπων, πρὸς ἀλλήλους γὰρ διελέχθησαν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τίς μείζων.
35καὶ καθίσας ἐφώνησεν τοὺς δώδεκα καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Εἴ τις θέλει πρῶτος εἶναι ἔσται πάντων ἔσχατος καὶ πάντων διάκονος.
36καὶ λαβὼν παιδίον ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐναγκαλισάμενος αὐτὸ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς,
37 Ὃς ἂν ἓν τῶν τοιούτων παιδίων δέξηται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐμὲ δέχεται: καὶ ὃς ἂν ἐμὲ δέχηται, οὐκ ἐμὲ δέχεται ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με.

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;
The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition© 1975, United Bible Societies, London


2. Analysis: Mark 9:30-37
In the previously reported healing of the boy, the disciples were unable to heal In the previously reported healing of the boy, the disciples were unable to heal him. Jesus did so quickly upon his return from the Mount of Transfiguration. When the disciples asked why he could do what they could not, Jesus had explained: "This kind
can come out only through prayer." While he had just come from prayer on the mountain, Jesus seemed to mean more. This kind of power was available only in a constant relation to God of prayer.

Jesus is then reported to give his second prediction of his death in Jerusalem.
He can talk of facing his death because of the ongoing relationship to God or prayer.
Mark wants it clear that the life of faithfulness to God--facing death on the cross--or
living in the early Church required that constant relationship to God of prayer.
To "welcome the little child" must be understood in the context of true greatness.
The disciples had argued over which was the most important, who was greater Jesus defined greatness, importance,
with another frame of reference. Instead of status, wealth, or power, Jesus offered the criteria of service. To
welcome and care for a child, or any who is helpless and requires a high level of care, is to be truly important in God's sight.

This passage juxtaposes Jesus' prediction that he would die in Jerusalem with
the disciples scrambling for honor and recognition. True greatness is not in fame or
power. True greatness is found in serving those in society who are weak, helpless,
demanding. To care more about a child is to welcome God into one's life.
Discipleship is found in serving others, not in achieving social prominence. Jesus will
provide the supreme example for his followers when he will go to the cross rather than
turn from his effort to win people to faith and fellowship with God.

vs. 31 - edidasken - teaching - Mark explains that the nature of the section (including
the prediction, the understanding, and the explanation) was teaching. While the
immediate context is Jesus' effort to help the disciples understand the meaning of his
death and resurrection and how to live in faithful discipleship, Mark's intention seems
to be to let Jesus' teaching become a guide of his contemporaries for living in faithful discipleship.

vs. 34 - meizon - greater, prominent - The term is used in reference to social rank or standing. The disciples were seeking social status according to the criteria of their society. Jesus offered standing in the community of faith that
used another criterion.


vs. 35 - protos - first, most important; most prominent - When used in reference to
social rank, it indicates most important; While the disciples sought social prominence
by community standards, Jesus offered a prominence that met divine criteria.

vs. 35 - eschatos - last; least important, insignificant - Ironically, the prominence in
the community of faith that Jesus offered is based on being what society judges to be
insignificant, unimportant. Servants filled the lowest ranks of the society of his day.
To serve the insignificant members of society was to be at the bottom. Yet this position
on the bottom, being last, made one important in the society of faith.

vs. 35 - diakonos - servant; Here the word is used in its common everyday meaning. It referred to one who function was to meet the needs of someone else.

vs. 36 - paidion - In a family context, the word referred to a minor. In a social context, the word was used to refer to servants, courtiers, attendants. Jesus took a child of one of the disciples as an illustration of the truth he sought to impart. The double meaning would not have been lost on his disciples or Mark's contemporaries. Welcoming and caring for a child was also welcoming or caring for others on the bottom rungs of society.

v.s 36 - evangelkalizomai - holding in arms - This word is used only twice in the Bible, both times in Mark, here and in 10:16 where we are told Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them. While it can be used to refer to taking an adult in one's arms, or hugging, with a child it probably means to pick up and hold. Certainly it is a term of closeness and intimacy.

vs. 37 - dexeitai - receive, accept - It was often used to refer to receiving one in a
home or welcoming. To welcome the outcasts of society is to welcome Jesus. To
welcome Jesus is to welcome God.




3. STRATEGY: Mark 9:30-37
At least three themes suggest themselves in this pericope:

1. Faithful discipleship includes the care for children
We live in a world that is not kind to children. Worldwide poverty, war, and
forced labor take a heavy toll on the world's little ones. We could assume that the
situation is significantly better in the United States, but that could be a false assumption. One need only begin with a list of child abuse, deteriorating resources for our educational system, drugs, poverty, the "hurried child" syndrome, and the vast number of single-parent families to realize that being a child in our society is not
necessarily a pleasant or positive experience. We could point fingers at other agencies: schools, health organizations, and government. But more than finger-pointing is needed. The church, the community founded by Jesus, must include care about children in its agenda. To "welcome these little ones" we may need to become advocates for the wellbeing of children in our society. We can speak up in public debate about national priorities and budget decisions to ensure that children are not forgotten. It is not enough to raise society's consciousness about the needs of children. As long as our society spends its money and energy (what it holds "dear") for other priorities, children will be harmed. If God is to be welcome in our churches, we must care for children.

2. Faithful discipleship includes the care of those on the bottom of society
While our theory and ideas may proclaim America a "classless" society, reality
portrays another picture. During the last ten years, the number of people who exist at
the bottom of society has grown rapidly. More individuals and families have moved
into the group below the "poverty line." We have become increasingly aware that
large numbers of our citizens are homeless. Increasing numbers of people cannot
read. Large numbers of youth drop out of school every year--joining the ranks of the
illiterate and the underclass. More and more, the decisions that affect the lives of us
all are made by those at the topic of society--both politically and economically. Few
and few citizens even bother to vote. More and more feel left out of the society.
Ironically, the church which in its origins was made up of large numbers from the
lowest levels of the social order has now become comfortably identified with the
middle and upper classes. Increasingly, American church members have contact with
those on the bottom only at Thanksgiving and Christmas when the charity "basket" is
delivered. Few of the poor attend worship, join Sunday School classes, or are elected
to official Boards and committees. If God is to be welcome in our churches, we must
welcome and help those who have the least power and are most without support in
our society.

3. Prominence in the community of faith is based on a completely different standard than the one used for social prominence.

One can only wonder where Christ would fit in today's American
Churches? Where would the one who washed his disciples' dusty feet find such servant leadership? Would our churches be any different from those castigated in James' Epistle? Are our church suppers more like those of Christ or those of the Pharisees?
Our churches have learned well from our society. We evaluate people,
performance, and value by the standards of those around us. Seldom are we leaven--
in the church, much less in society. Those who are respected, given honor and
prominence in the churches look very much like those who are respected and given
honor in the secular domain. One may look in vain to find quiet, meek servantleadership-- whether among the clergy or the laity. If believers will not follow the
example of Christ, who will? If God is to be welcome in our churches, we must pattern
our lives and leadership on the way of Christ.

4. Music Suggestions

All depends on our possessing (ELW 589)
Blest are the pure in heart (HB 656)
Holy God, we praise thy name (HB 366, ELW 414)
Lord, whose love in humble service (HB 610, ELW 712)
O Love, how deep, how broad, how high (HB 448/9, ELW 322)
O Love of God, how strong and true (HB 455/6)
O Master Let me Walk with Thee (HB 659/60, ELW 818)

Lexegete - Brian A. Nelson, D.Min. St. Paul, Minnesota

==========================================


Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

September 21, 2009

Ezekiel 2:8—3:11
Psalm 119:33-40 (33)
Ephesians 2:4-10
Matthew 9:9-13

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, your Son our Savior called a despised tax collector to become one of his apostles. Help us, like Matthew, to respond to the transforming call of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea | and Samaria,
and to the ends | of the earth. Alleluia. (Acts 1:8)










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L E X E G E T E ™

© 2009 Tischrede Software

Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02747-1925

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