The Bible’s New Testament: The Gospel of Mark I – The Mean Side to Jesus or a Context Issue?

Posted on September 22, 2013 by virgowriter
from a church in Seville

from a church in Seville

I have friends who swear by HBO’s True Blood series.  They’ve watched it from the beginning and can’t wait for each new season: (as their Facebook updates and Tweets don’t let you forget). I listen every time the show comes up in conversation, as friends debate plot points and character evolutions.

I have nothing against vampires, werewolves, etc. but this show isn’t for me.

  • You don’t watch it?? a friend will ask.
  • I say no. Watching one episode sealed the deal for me.
  • Really?? Which episode?
  • Oh, one in the first season.
  • How did you follow what was going on? Oh, and the first season was not good. You have to watch the first two seasons to really get into it.

Having to wade through two season’s worth of programming to get into a show seems like a massive commitment for something you don’t know if you’ll like.  Shouldn’t you be able to form an opinion based on one episode?

Well, if you read only one (or even two) particular scenes of Jesus’ life in the Gospel of Mark, you too would have a distorted impression of him. The moment I have in mind shows a different, less perfect (dare I say human) side to this monumentally revered figure.

One day, Jesus was hungry and he found a fig tree. Since it was not fig season, the tree bore no fruit (11:13). He then curses the tree, saying “may no one ever eat fruit from you again” (11:14). This comment is made in front of his disciples. The next morning, while walking with Jesus, Peter points to the same fig tree, now withered from the roots.  Peter is impressed that Jesus was able to make this tree wither so rapidly and Jesus himself uses this as an example to show that whatever you ask for in prayer will be yours.

To be quite honest, I’m not sure I understand this part.  One, it makes Jesus seem vindictive in a strange way. It wasn’t fig season, so why should he have expected the tree to bear any fruit? And then why kill the tree for that reason?  Not the tree’s fault. As far as it being an example of getting what you pray for, should you hold up the killing of a tree as an example of what you can do with prayer? Seems like giving life would be more worthwhile. If this were a parable I could see this being a story not designed to be taken literally. However, it’s presented as fact.

This same story is even important enough to have also been discussed in Matthew (21:19). What am I missing?

But this isn’t the only moment that depicts Jesus in a harsh light. While tending to an audience, Jesus is informed that his mother and brothers were standing outside, hoping to see/talk with him. Unmoved, he challenges this information, asking “who are my mother and brothers?” (3:33). He motions to the crowd, indicating that they are his family. There is no mention of him having anything to do with his former family.

Ouch.

Now, he did ask much from his disciples, stating that they needed to leave everything behind to follow him (family included). But to shun your blood when they are a matter of a few feet away? This seems rather cold from someone who radiates such warmth and love to so many people. Why does one family (a new, larger one) have to arrive in your world at the expense of the smaller, original one?

Out of context, these two moments in Mark (and Matthew) paint a harsh picture of Jesus.  Thankfully, there’s much more throughout that shows why people embraced him, creating the picture that most people probably have when they think of Jesus.  Perhaps they are included to give an honest account of Jesus, that he wasn’t perfect, and even he had his human moments? As long as you invest the effort in reading up on him in other parts of Mark, you will be rewarded with a fuller picture of the man most people think of, not the one shown in these examples.

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The Bible’s New Testament: The Gospel of Matthew IV – Notable but Less Famous Jesus Moments

Posted on September 20, 2013 by virgowriter

If you Google “wasting talent,” a plethora of hits return—8,380,000 to be exact.  Judging by a sample of the titles, you can tell that these entries deal with similar content:

  • “Talent Is Not Enough for Success,”
  • “Are We Wasting Talent?”
  • “Wasting talent Reduces Profit”
  • “Is Silicone Valley Wasting Its Talent on Foolish Ideas?”

We are a society immersed in the idea of identifying and then encouraging the use of talent. Is this not why we have local talent shows and even network programs like America’s Got Talent?

This is a good thing—at least in that we tend to want to see people reach their potential, and when they do, they contribute something worthwhile (hopefully) to society, their communities, etc.

How many people, though, are aware that the idea of having and then wasting talent began in the Bible, specifically in one of Jesus’ parables?

Jesus’ Parable of the Talents involves a scenario wherein, before a journey, a man gives each of his three servants a sum of money (a talent), based on his ability: five to the first, two to the second, one to the third (25:15). The first servant invested his five talents and received five more for his efforts (25:16). The second servant did the same, receiving two talents for the two he invested (25:17).  The third servant, worried about losing his master’s money, buried the talent (25:18) and, upon the master’s return, returned the one talent. Although the master praised the first two servants, he chastised the third for being lazy (25:26): when you’re giving an opportunity (in this case, in the form of money), you should do something with it to grow your opportunities.

So then people apparently began to see that if you are born with a certain ability—an opportunity—you are required to do something with it. These abilities were then referred to as talents.

It’s interesting to see what we now think of as having a talent to be a concept founded on money. It’s also interesting that nowadays, people who possess a great talent are often paid handsomely for it—think musicians, actors, athletes, etc. I could invite a conversation about the type of talents that are rewarded financially (like these) and the ones that are not—like being a public school teacher, for example. I won’t, however. For often times we tend to encourage people to develop talent that WILL earn them financial reward. If not, do we think of these people as wasting their talent?

Next up: The Gospel of Mark.  I’m curious to read his take on this same/similar set of events.

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The Bible’s New Testament: The Gospel of Matthew III – Jesus Teaching in Parables

Posted on September 17, 2013 by virgowriter

I found most of my early years of school to be quite unchallenging.  I spent little time doing homework, as I often absorbed the content in class.  I also had a pretty good memory, so when it came to tests, I tended to do well without much effort.

Then I took algebra in eighth grade.

My teacher was very old school—and not just because she happened to be old.  On the first day, she asked the class to name ten proofs—I had no idea what she was talking about, and my heart sank. I was sure, however, that she was merely trying to get our attention, and in so doing, would compel us to take our study of algebra—and thus her class—seriously.  I wasn’t worried, as I had had little problems in math before.  Clearly, this class would not take up too much of my time. I had a new Nintendo system at home and The Legend of Zelda waiting.

This was the first—and only—class for which I received an ‘F,’ which arrived rather shockingly on my mid-semester progress report. I knew I wasn’t doing well, but failing?! How would I explain this one to my parents? Given my academic track record as an honor student, my parents were not livid; rather, they were confused and then concerned. How did I feel about my teacher’s advice about getting a tutor? Clearly, this would be cutting into my video game time.

This particular tutor had a great reputation for working miracles with struggling students, in part because she explained subjects in ways that made sense to students—as opposed to having them grasp concepts in tried and true (read: old) ways.  Drilling lessons, re-reading the textbook, etc. didn’t work for everybody.

Of course this also meant that she was expensive. Mom and Dad, however, never flinched (in front of me) nor did they make me feel bad for needing help.  In the beginning, I would be going twice a week. After a number of weeks filled with frustration and a few tears during those sessions, I raised my grade to a C+, which was fine with me.

Although I learned an appreciation for the amount of hard work it takes to reach an understanding of a challenging subject, I also appreciated the importance of changing the way you approach a topic, breaking it down in terms a particular audience needs: not all content can be delivered in a universal way and still be understood.

As the Gospel of Matthew demonstrates, this was Jesus’ greatest gift—and what made him such a threat to those in power. He explained important, somewhat complicated ideas to the common person. And as we all know, knowledge is power.  Jesus accomplished this through the use of parables.

Among others, there is the Parable of the Sower, which discusses receiving God’s word (13:20-23); The Parable of the Weeds, which suggests that some weeds need to be left alone in the interest of the rest of the crop (which might be damaged if they are removed) (13:29); the Parable of the Net, which likens angels to fishermen, who will sort the good from the bad in life’s net at death’s door (13:50); and the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, which explained that there is no seniority with regard to believing in God when it comes to entering heaven (20:1-16).

Clearly, the man knew how to convey a point in ways that his audience understood. Although his points were sometimes lost on his disciples and Jesus had to try and explain his points again.

Eventually, his points were made, and they were so successful, his audience looked to him for his divine understanding.  Naturally, this meant that the priests who were the ones who used to be revered were threatened.  So they challenged him, hoping to discredit this man and remove him as a threat. So Jesus offers his Parable of the Tenants to them upon his return to Jerusalem. In this parable, they instantly grasp what he means: those who have not taken care of the owner’s property will be evicted and new, more faithful tenants secured (21:33-41).

These examples demonstrate not only Jesus’ deft touch with regard to conveying his points/ideas but also to the power of words and stories. Sure, armies can crush people and bring about much misery (and perhaps peace, depending on your point of view), but perhaps the famous adage held true even for Jesus: the pen is mightier than the sword.  Jesus may not have written down his ideas, but it appears he didn’t have to.  They resonated so well that others did it for him (in the form of the New Testament).

I can see why so many people followed him (and continue to do so) and also why so many people recognized how inspiring he could be.

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