Kindle Notes & Highlights
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October 28 - December 13, 2024
Mark makes the lamp the subject of the sentence, however, doubtlessly for theological reasons: “‘Does the lamp come in order that it might be placed under the bowl or under the bed?’” In the OT, a lamp is not infrequently a metaphor for God (2 Sam 22:29) or the Davidic Messiah (2 Kgs 8:19; Ps 132:17) or the Torah (Ps 119:105).
A literal translation of the Greek would be: “In whatever measure you measure it will be measured to you and will be added to you.”
Understanding the kingdom of God is not a human ability but a capacity created by Jesus Christ within the heart of the believer.
Both parables are stories of surprise. One could never imagine the conclusion from the beginning. Such is the kingdom of God.
“‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.’” A more banal comparison could not be imagined. The kingdom of God should be likened to something grand and glorious: to shimmering mountain peaks, crimson sunsets, the opulence of potentates, the lusty glory of a gladiator. But Jesus likens it to seeds. The paradox of the gospel—indeed, the scandal of the Incarnation—is disguised in such commonplaces.
Apart from sowing, the only human activity in this parable is waiting in faith, confident of a harvest to come (see Jas 5:7).
faith and fear
acceptance and rejection
faith and ...
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belief and di...
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the only place in the Gospels that we hear of Jesus sleeping is during a storm.
The language of v. 39, however, depicts Jesus as the Strong Man (3:27; 1:7) who vanquishes Satan and plunders his evil minions (3:27; cf. 1:7).
Its ultimate purpose is to show that Jesus does what only God can do.
Typically in Mark, whenever the person and work of Jesus are highlighted, so, too, are discipleship.
Jesus does not reproach the disciples for their lack of knowledge, however, but for their fear,
If the swineherds where supplying the Roman legions with pork, then the raising of unclean food for the detested Roman occupation was doubly offensive. Thus Jesus meets a man with an unclean spirit living among unclean tombs surrounded by people employed in unclean occupations, all in unclean Gentile territory.
the demons offer no challenge to Jesus, but plead for his mercy as the only alternative to experiencing his wrath.
In the eyes of Jesus, the rescue and restoration of one person is more important than vast capital assets.
That is a picture of discipleship and salvation: a restored individual sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Their banishment of Jesus does not rid them of Jesus, for Jesus is present in the message of the gospel proclaimed by his followers.
All three characters in Mark 5 transfer their uncleanness to Jesus, and to each Jesus bestows the cleansing wholeness of God.
a lay member of a synagogue who was entrusted by the elders of the community with general oversight of the synagogue and orthodoxy of teaching.
In general, Mark does not burden his Gospel with proper names.
The term combines physical suffering and shame,
Twelve years of shame and frustration are resolved in a momentary touch of Jesus.
Jesus also knows “within himself,”
she becomes the model of faith for Jairus!41
The persistence of Jesus in discovering who touched him rivals the woman’s persistence in reaching Jesus.
The Greek translation indicates that Mark’s first readers in Rome were not native Hebrew or Aramaic speakers, who otherwise would not need a translation.
Jairus and the woman have only one thing in common: both are victims of desperate circumstances who have no hope apart from Jesus.
Her gender, namelessness, uncleanness, and shame—none of these will stop her from reaching Jesus.
Heretofore the crowds are amazed at Jesus’ authority (1:22; 5:20; 6:2), but in Nazareth it is Jesus who is amazed at their disbelief.
Nazareth is not mentioned in the OT, in Josephus, or in the rabbinic literature of the Mishnah and the Talmud. Outside the dozen references to it in the NT, it is first mentioned by an obscure writer, Julius Africanus, some two centuries after Jesus’ birth.
total population of five hundred—
Given the scarcity of wood and prevalence of stone in Palestine, it would not be surprising if Jesus’ trade included stonework as well as woodwork.
calling a person the son of a woman, as the Nazarenes do here, was not normal in Judaism, and was almost certainly insulting.
may even insinuate illegitimacy.
The sisters are unnamed, which, according to Jewish custom, normally meant they were married.
“repelled” by Jesus.
Mark is more willing to ascribe unapologetic humanness to Jesus than any other Gospel writer.
Mark’s Jesus walks the same road that peasants and tax-collectors walk, facing weariness (4:38), disappointment (vv. 5-6), ignorance (13:32), fear (14:34)—and even the inability to influence his own family.
No one can predict who will be insiders and outsiders, perhaps not even Jesus, “who was amazed at their lack of faith.”
The greatest obstacle to faith is not the failure of God to act but the unwillingness of the human heart to accept the God who condescends to us in only a carpenter, the son of Mary.
The sending of the Twelve appears premature and may catch us by surprise, for the record of the disciples to date has not been reassuring. Heretofore they have impeded Jesus’ mission (1:36-39), become exasperated with him (4:38; 5:31), and even opposed him (3:21).
The sending of these particular individuals—and at this stage of their understanding of Jesus—testifies to the beleaguered believers in Mark’s church, indeed to believers of every age, that the fulfillment of the word of God depends not on the perfection or merit of the missionaries but on the authoritative call and equipping of Jesus.2
It also benefited their hearers, for in the Jewish world “a matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”
The four items required of the Twelve are, in fact, identical to the belongings that God instructs the Israelites to take on their flight from Egypt: cloak, belt, sandals, and staff in hand (Exod 12:11).
These four items of clothing recall the haste and expectation of the Exodus. They suggest that the mission of the Twelve announces something as foundational and revelatory as the Exodus from Egypt, and that the disciples must be as free from encumbrances as were the Israelites, to serve their God in a new venture.
Its minimal baggage is not itself a virtue but a means for greater service and dependence on God, and its purpose is not protest but rather proclamation of God’s coming rule.
Like the Israelites fleeing Egypt (Exod 12:11), the Twelve must travel light lest worldly cares blunt the urgency of the message.
