The GospelsMark - Essay Example

The Gospels—Mark What is the meaning of the word "parable?" According to Just, the meaning of the word “parable”, as cited from Dodd is: “a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought" (5). In the lecture notes, specifically Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry), it was clearly stipulated that the meaning of the word “parable” is “to place along by the side of." In application, it means to take a "heavenly truth" and lay it alongside an "earthly example" for the purpose of communicating it to the listener” (1). 2. In addition to illustrating spiritual truth, what was the purpose of Jesus use of parables? The purposes of Jesus’ use of parables were diverse: “(1) to attract attention; (2) to stimulate inquiry; (3) to plant a seed for further digestion; and (4) to personalize the message to His disciples” (Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry) 1-2). As indicated in the lesson, parables attract the attention of others through stories where listeners were made to think and use analytical tools spurred by the stories. Further, the parables provide a food for thought that is to be evaluated and later understood. Also, there are some messages intended specifically to Jesus’ disciples and would only be understood by them through the parables. 3. There are six different suggestions as to the teaching of the parable of the sower and the seed? What are four of these suggestions? Four of the suggested teaching of the parable of the sower and the seed are as follows: (1) to teach the parable according to the perspective of a sower planting seeds in different types of grounds: by the wayside; on rocky ground; among thorns; and finally, on good ground where it becomes productive. (2) Another suggested teaching was to see the seed as analogous to the word of God and the different types of grounds were compared to different types of persons: one who does not have full attention; one who receives the word of God superficially; one who is easily distracted; and finally, one who is a true believer. (3) The third approach compares the seed to one’s profession of faith where profession must be genuine and sincere to enable the believer to be saved. (4) Finally, the fourth suggested teaching used the example of an obstetrician who would not leave the newly born child until the child manifests normal life. 4. Most critical scholars deny that the explanation of the parable of the sower and the seed is from Jesus. List four reasons presented as to why they deny the origination of this explanation. According to Smith, the possible reasons why scholars deny that the origination of the explanation of the parable of the sower and the seed is from Jesus are: (1) there could possibly be a change in intended audience. As clearly explained: “the audience for which this interpretation was intended is not the Galilean masses for whom Jesus originally formulated the parable, nor is it the band of intimate associates who lived with him daily. Rather, it was for the readers that the gospel writer had in mind in composing this cluster of pericopes. These were not Jesus contemporary Palestinian Jews but members of a Christian community a generation or more after Jesus death who were no longer familiar with the circumstances for which he had composed the parable & did not know quite what to make of it” ( (Smith par. 2). (2) there could be an implied author, possibly in the person of one of Jesus’ disciples who could have provided the interpretation or explanation of the parable where “all of the synoptic gospels record substantially the same explanation in exactly the same place -- not directly after the parable itself, but after a discussion of Jesus rationale for using parables that claims Jesus disciples were familiar with his message. The logical gap in this sequence indicates that this series of pericopes is an artificial literary composition by a particular author. The fact that two other writers reproduce this sequence despite its logical seams is good evidence that they simply copied the same text” (Smith par. 3). (3) “This interpreter treats the parable of the sower as an allegory rather than an illustration. Instead of the story making a single point it is taken as a text whose various images need clarification” (Smith par. 5). (4) There were varied performance from three disciples (Mark, Matthew and Luke) who introduced the parable and interpreted it, with Mark making more explanations that the two. 5. Discuss the textual problem involved with the location of the region of the Gerasenes. As clearly explained by Mar, the textual problem involved with the location of the region of the Gerasenes is that that location, mentioned by both Mark and Luke, could not possibly be the site where Jesus came from the shore and cleansed a man with unclean spirits. As indicated by Mar, “the Gergesa site is actually right on the ocean, although it might be just outside the general boundary of the Decapolis. its modern name (Khersa) is closer to ‘Gerasa’ than to ‘Gergsa’, and some scholars believe this is the actual city of the text” (1). 6. Marks Gospel presents more traditional Aramaic words of Jesus than any other Gospel writer. List the four passages in Marks Gospel where the writer preserves the traditional Aramaic words of Jesus. The four passages in Mark’s Gospel where the writer preserves the traditional Aramaic words of Jesus were: (1) “Mark 3:17: And James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, "Sons of Thunder"; (2) Mark 5:41: Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, "Talitha kum," which translated means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up"; (3) Mark 7:11: But you say, If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Korban, that is to say, given to God; and (4) Mark 7:34: And looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." (Smith 1). 1. Based on your reading, present an argument for the idea that the early church created the account of Jesus being rejected at Nazareth. In the Gospel of Mark, there were different passages that attested Jesus’ being rejected at Nazareth, to wit: (1) 6:6b-9:50 The Second Phase of Jesus Public Ministry in Galilee, where it was clearly stated that “after he is rejected at Nazareth, Jesus then sets out again to preach, heal and exorcise mostly in the region of Galilee, but with some notable exceptions” (Smith 1); and (2) “going to Nazareth, his hometown, Jesus is rejected. He remarks that a prophet has no honor in his hometown, and he cannot perform many works of power because of the unbelief of the Nazarenes” (Smith 1) found in Mark 6:1-6a. 2. How does your textbook answer the issue that "Jesus could not do any miracles in Nazareth" when He is all powerful? As can be deduced from the previous response, “"Jesus could not do any miracles in Nazareth" when He is all powerful because as indicated, since he was rejected in his own hometown, the disbelief of the people and lack of faith rendered him powerless within their midst. 3. Describe the similarities between the death of John the Baptist and Jesus. The similarities between the death of John the Baptist and Jesus lie in the participation of Herod Antipah, the Tetrarch of Galillee (Zevada). Herod, through the request of his wife’s daughter, Salome, requested the death of John the Baptist by beheading him and putting his head on a platter (Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry: Mark 6:21-28 )). At the same token, Jesus was brought to Herod “for trial because Jesus was from Galilee, Herod was afraid of the chief priests and Sanhedrin. Rather than seeking the truth from Jesus, Herod wanted him to perform a miracle for his entertainment. Jesus would not comply. Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus. Then, instead of freeing this innocent man, Herod sent him back to Pilate, who had the authority to have Jesus crucified” (Zevada 1). 4. Based on your textbook reading, discuss King Herod, who was responsible for executing John the Baptist. King Herod, in Mark 6:14-29, was shown to manifest detest of John the Baptist for having remarked that “: "John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for you to have thy brothers wife" (Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry: Mark 6:18)). Because of that, he had John the Baptist placed in prison. During a feast when he got so drunk that when he was pleased with Salome’s dance, he pledged Salome to give anything she asked for without thinking and unwary that his word need to be complied due to the number of guests present. Salome asked for John the Baptist’s head of a platter. He was then described as morally weak (Zevada 1). 5. What is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels? As indicated by Smith, the miracle of feeding the 5000 is the only miracle of nature or healing recorded in all four Gospels: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15 (Smith). 6. Where is the location of "Bethsaida?" BibleWalks, Bethsaida is “the area of BethSaida is located at the fertile delta of the upper Jordan river, when it enters to the sea of Galilee. The site is located on a hill, several hundred meters to the east of the Jordan river, and 30M higher than the valley. It is 1.5KM north of the northern shores of the sea of Galilee, and 4KM northeast to Capernaum. The ruins cover about 20 acres on the hill” (1). (BibleWalks 1). 7. How does the best Greek text translate "The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders?" As stipulated in Mark 7:1-8, Concerning the Washing of the Hands, “Exodus 30:19-21 required that the priests serving in the tabernacle wash their hands.38 a tradition that was passed down through the generations.39” (Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry: Mark 7:1-8)). Concurrently, it has been reported that the Pharisees practiced washing their hands prior to eating to signify conformity to holiness. As disclosed, “the hands became a symbolic and concrete reminder to all Jewish people of their need to strive for holiness.44” (Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry: Mark 7:1-8). 8. How does the textbook explain the description of the Syrophoenician girl as a "Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia?" From Mark 7:24-30, the description of Syrophoenician was explained by identifying the woman in terms of religion, language and race. As indicated, “the word Syrophoenician is a combination of two Greek words, Sura (Syrian) and Phoinikissa56 (Phoenician). This makes her, in all likelihood, a Gentile pagan… her language was Syrian. In those days, Phoenicia belonged administratively to Syria. (And) her race was Phoenician…descended from the Canaanites, the original inhabitants of Palestine. They were descendants of Canaan, the Son of Ham (Gen. 10:6, 15-19).57” (Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry: Mark 7:24-30)). Works Cited BibleWalks. Bethsaida. 17 September 2010. Web. 31 December 2011 . Dodd, C.H. The Parables of the Kingdom. New York: Charles Scribners Sons. 1961. Print. Just, Felix. Parables and Parabolic Images in the Gospels . 5 September 2011. Web. 31 December 2011 . Smith, Barry D. The Gospel of Mark. 29 September 2011. Web. 31 December 2011 . Smith, Gordon. The Story of Jesus: His Miracles of Nature. n.d. Web. 31 December 2011 . Smith, Mahlon H. Literary Analysis: Understanding the Sower. 10 April 2008. Web. 31 December 2011 . "Unit Two: The Good News about Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (The Galilean Ministry)." n.d. Print. Zevada, Jack. Herod Antipas – Co-Conspirator in Jesus’ Death. 2011. Web. 31 December 2011 . Read More