Parable Of The Vineyard

12:1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard.  He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

⁶ “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.¹⁰ Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
¹¹ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹² Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

Mark observes that Jesus begins to teach in parables.  Parabolic teaching has not been a centerpiece of Mark so far.  While Luke and Matthew abound with parables, Mark seems to primarily orient his gospel around the parable of the soils.  Certainly, there are very few parables with extended narratives.  It seems that this extended parable may serve the same function as the one about the types of ground.  Just as the parable of the soils is told to interpret Jesus ministry, the parable that will follow is told to interpret the passion narrative that will follow.

An unidentified man plants a vineyard.  This is an effort with a large up front effort for a later pay-off.  Not only must the grapevines mature, the vineyard also is at risk from nature and from mischief.  The vineyard owner knowing this builds a wall around his project.  He digs out a pit where the juice of the grapes will be pressed to make wine.  Finally, he puts up a tower so that someone can be constantly on the lookout.

For whatever reason, the owner decides to go away.  Having already invested so much, it is no surprise that he finds farmers to care for his ground.  When the time for harvest arrives, he sends a servant to collect some of the fruit.  Perhaps the workers wages are paid with the fruit that is to be left behind.

The workers, however, are unwilling to part with any of the fruit of their labor.  Rather than give the servant what he has asked for they seize him, beat him and send him away with nothing.  Just verses earlier, the Jewish leaders have been asking about authority.  Clearly these vineyard workers reject the authority of the master and believe they are the ones who have authority.  They take the masters proxy and treat him like a thief who has come to take what does not belong to him.

The master behaves with an odd forbearance that strains credulity.  Another servant is sent and rejected with an emphasis that he is struck on the head.  This calls to mind the alternate meaning of the word for "head" that can also mean source.  It is clear that these tenants are striking out against not the servant but the authority that he represents.

The farmers continue to escalate against the series of messengers as they move from assault to murder.  The owner's patience is inexplicable in any human terms.  Why does he continue to send anyone other than the police as the workers essentially claim ownership over the vineyard?  Is he fair to the servants he continues to send?  Is he asking for volunteers?

The land holder continues with his unreasonable approach by finally deciding to send his son.  Why does he think that the treatment will be any different?  He convinces himself that this is a good idea by believing that the renters will respond to clear authority.

They do not.  In fact, they see the arrival of the son as their golden opportunity.  Their irrational thinking leads them to believe that they will become the vineyard's rightful owners.  Do they believe that the owner has died and the son is claiming his inheritance?  If that is the case, killing him will revert the land to those who have been present on it.  

Whatever the case, the son is killed and his body is not treated with any respect and is thrown outside the wall of the vineyard.  The rhetorical question is asked about what the vineyard owner will do.  Finally, Jesus tells us, the owner will act, kill the tenants and get some new ones.  The very action that the renters believe will make the property theirs is the one that removes it from their control and brings their demise.

This calls to mind part of Psalm 118 to Jesus who suggests that these tenants have rejected the stone that will be used by God to be the capstone to hold the span that crosses the gap between God and humanity.  Like those who have been entrusted with the vineyard, the Jewish religious leaders have shamefully treated all of God's true messengers and soon will kill even God's son in their attempt to wrest control of the world from God.

The religious leaders seem to miss most of what God is revealing, but they have 20/20 vision when it comes to the people.  They do understand that Jesus speaks the parable about them, but their fear of the crowd leaves them fuming and planning in private about how they will get Jesus.

Have Faith

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.  ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Following his brief sojourn in Jerusalem the night before, Jesus returns ready for action.  Mark tells us that on the way he was hungry.  This is the first time that the gospel has described Jesus with this human need.  The final action taken at Jesus' crucifixion in Mark is the crowd giving him a sponge with liquid.  In a way, these bookmark the story of the corruption of Jewish piety that provides neither spiritual food nor drink to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Jesus sees a fig tree in the distance.  It is green and leafy as the growing season would be just beginning in Israel in April.  Not able to discern if their are early figs present because of the leaves, Jesus is disappointed upon reaching it to find that there are no fruit present.  This was not the season for fruit, Mark tells us, so we wonder why Jesus expected any.  Does Mark want us to recall the struggles that Jesus has faced so far with the leaders of Israel in the gospel who have all of the appearance of devotion but no fruit of faith?  Jesus pronounces that no will eat of this particular fig tree and is overheard by his disciples.  This is the first record of a curse from Jesus.  Although it may be that like the demons he has driven out before, it is a miracle that is destructive to the oppressor and freeing for the ones who suffer.

Jesus enters the Temple and drives out those who are buying and selling.  The Temple courts were open to both Gentiles and Jews.  The courts had become a marketplace where people did the business that kept the temple running.  The buying and selling likely consisted of priest-approved animals for sacrifice.  The priests had to approve an animal to be sacrificed as blemish free, so a thriving business consisted of priests (for a fee) approving animals (whether they were blemish free or not) and then being sold to religious pilgrims at a premium.

He also overturns the money changers tables.  These tables were set up for convenience so that people could bring Roman money (which was used everywhere) for Temple money which was only valid in the Temple.  A thriving Temple business grew based on selling the Temple money which was given to the Temple treasury and then sold back to other pilgrims the next day in a perpetual cycle.

Jesus anger would be very understandable.  What often is misread here is that Jesus criticism of them as robbers refers to what is going on at the tables.  But Jesus calls the Temple a "den" which is where the robber's live and count their ill-gotten gains, not where they practice their thievery.  The Temple has become the place where people go to get forgiveness for their sins so they can go out again and sin some more.  It is a tree without the fruit (of repentance).

Which is the point Mark drives home as Jesus leaves the Temple.  Those he has exposed as hypocrites are understandably angry and anxious to get their revenge, so the plotting begins.  They are thieves planning their next crime.  But, we are told they fear public action because the populace at large seems to agree with Jesus diagnosis of what ails the Temple.

On their way back into town the next day, the disciples and Jesus pass the fig tree from the previous day.  It is Peter who notices its withered condition that goes all the way to its root.

Jesus tells the disciples that with belief anything can be accomplished even throwing mountains in the sea.  There are no conditions except certain total faith, which is in its own way a significant condition.  True faith aligns itself with God's will.  Jesus is not saying that perfect belief will put a Ferrari in your driveway, but that perfect faith will remove all the obstacles that keep a person from bearing fruit even when it is not the season for figs.

The Triumphal Entry

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

¹⁰ “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

With Bartimaeus healed, Jesus and his followers begin their final approach to Jerusalem.  They arrive at Bethany where Jesus will be anointed with perfume at the house of Simon the Leper prior to the Lord's Supper.  Mark also places them at the Mount of Olives which is where Jesus will be arrested.

But with these events still to come, Jesus stops now to make preparations for his entry in Jerusalem.  He sends two disciples (oddly unnamed) into a village to find him an animal to ride as he enters the city.

He asks them to find an unridden colt which is a reference to a Hebrew Bible prophesy from Zechariah that the Messiah will come in on the foal  of a donkey.  The disciples are to take it and tell those who ask that the Lord needs it and will return it.  

The disciples go off and find the colt as promised.  And as one might imagine those around wonder why these unknown men seem to be stealing the animal.  The explanation that Jesus has offered the two disciples is enough to mollify them.

In an action that reminds us of Bartimaeus, the disciples throw their cloaks on the back of the animal for a saddle.  Others cast their cloaks on the road as Jesus passes.  It is almost as if they, like Bartimaeus, have decided that they should give everything to Jesus.  They also spread branches from the field as they cover the road to pave the way for the Christ.

The crowd that joins Jesus on his approach also shout out to him.  "Hosana" (which means "save us now") they shout.  The mob declares Jesus to be coming both in the name of the Lord and bringing the renewal of David's kingdom (the second reference to this idea as Bartimaeus has earleir referred to Jesus as Son of David).  Their shouts echo the words of Psalm 118.

It is not surprising that Jesus' first destination is the temple.  It has the dual function of being the center of Jewish devotion but also of corrupt religious practice.  Mark tells us that Jesus looks around at everything.  And the implication may well be that he sees with the same spiritual sight that he has been trying to impart to the disciples.  He not only sees, he sees and in so doing understands the reality of the temple.  In the book of Maccabes, found in the Appocrypha (a collection of books written concerning the time between the final prophet and the coming of Jesus included in some translations of the Bible), a procession is held with branches being laid when Simon enters Jerusalem triumphantly to restore the temple.  A person with familiarity with this tradition would not at all be surprised that Jesus heads to the temple.

But, Mark tells us it was already late so Jesus returns to Bethany.  This seems like a particularly odd detail for Mark to include.  Why doesn't Jesus delay his trip so that he can arrive early in the morning?  If it is so pressing that he begins his journey when he does, why does he not stay and do his work regardless of the hour?  Were those who proclaimed his entry disappointed at his lack of action?  Could this relate to the delay the church experienced regarding Jesus triumphant return at the end of time?  All that can be done is speculate.

The Blind See

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

 Finishing his teaching on service, Jesus and the disciples arrive at Jericho.  As they leave that city, surrounded by a large crowd (other disciples, their families, hangers on?--we simply don't know), they come across a blind man begging.

The story plays on the irony that the man can't see anyone and everyone else wants to be blind to his existence.  We are told his name, Bartimaeus, which is unusual in Mark (we are only given a few names in previous healings--Simon's nameless Mother-in-law, the name of the demons that inhabit the man (Legion) and the name of the father of the girl Jesus heals (Jairus)--only here are we given the proper name of the man actually healed).  And Mark feels the need to explain the name.  This seems entirely unnecessary, as it is a simple hebrew construction where "bar" means "son of".  This seems to indicate that Mark's original readers would not have spoken Hebrew and needed to understand that the name indicated relationship.  But, it provides a pause for those who know Greek, as they realize that the fathers name means honor.  So this blind man is both Timaeus' son, but also a son of honor as he will prove as the story progresses.

But this Son of Honor is by the side of the road, begging.  Is Mark talking about the way the Gentiles have often been treated.  They are blind in need of hope, but on the outside looking in.  Though they are according to Jesus adopted sons (bar) of the Jewish tradition, they are left at the side of the road begging.  Is Jesus' last miracle not just that he heals a blind man, but also that he forces the Jews to recognize that his message extends to the Greek speaking gentile world?

Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus with a title rooted in Jewish tradition.  "Son of David," he cries, "have mercy on me."  Of all the things that Jesus has been called so far in Mark (Messiah, Son of God, Teacher, Lord) this is the first time Jesus is called son of David.  Having been introduced as son of Timaeus, it seems appropriate that he refers to Jesus as a son as well.  He is blind not only physically, but spiritually as well as he does not see Jesus as son of God.  It was common in the teaching of the day (as we will find out later) that the Messiah was to be the son of David, so this was a title of honor that had significant political and religious implications (although, Jesus will later deny this identity in a dispute in Jerusalem).

The crowd tries to shout him down.  His presence has always been a burden on the community as a blind man in that day could not fend for himself.  He was an utterly dependent person.  And the  community appears to have wanted to put on their best chamber of commerce face for Jesus and they would rather the disciples meet the mayor than the town beggar.  

But he will not stop, he can not see, but he can speak.  He is not seen, but he is heard.  "Call him," Jesus says.  This is the word used for gathering disciples, so Jesus instructs the crowd and disciples to invite him in to the community.  The group does a remarkable about face and act almost as if the calling of Bartimaeus has been their idea.  The blind man is incredibly excited and tosses away his cloak, which likely was the modern equivalent of a violin case or hat used to collect money.  So when he tosses away his cloak, Bartimaeus is leaving his old life behind.

Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants.  Unlike James and John who respond to this question with a desire for an honored place, Bartimaeus merely wants to see.  He does not want to aggrandize himself, but has a desire to be whole.  I suspect that Jesus took this to mean not only a restoration of his physical sight, but also a clarifying of his spiritual sight moving him to understand that Jesus is not merely the son of David, but also the son of God.

In the final healing of the gospel, Jesus again seems to have the ease of the early miracles.  There are not complications, just the command to go.  And not surprisingly, the son of honor joins the group to follow Jesus on the way.  His response is so different from the disciples who have on the way been arguing about who was the greatest.

Next stop, Jerusalem.

Whatever We Ask

³² They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said,“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The disciples and Jesus are on the way up to Jerusalem.  The early Christian community took the term "the way" to describe their movement.  The disicples are in shock and fear at Jesus' resolute march to the center of Jewish religious practice.  Is it because they believe what Jesus has told him about his coming death or because they know that there is a movement afoot to do harm to him there?  They walk with the dread of knowing that nothing good (in their minds) can happen the way they are going and wondering why Jesus doesn't just go somewhere else.

Jesus tells the disciples for the third time about what will happen in Jerusalem.  Each time he tells them, more detail is revealed.  Now, it is revealed that the chief priests and teachers of the law who will take him and condemn him.  The Gentiles will mock, spit on, flog and kill him.

Immediately following the stark description of what will happen, with nothing to buffer, James and John come to Jesus to ask him to do for them whatever they want.  This should come as no real surprise because after each previous prediction disciples have stuck their foot in their mouth (Peter rebukes Jesus, the disciples discuss who will be greatest).  They seem unable to understand the gravity  of what is happening.  They hold so strongly to the old definition of Messiah, that they are unable to see Jesus as anything other than the military leader who will conquer the Roman occupier and pass out the spoils of victory.

James and John misunderstand Jesus in much  the same way as many modern people do.  They view Jesus as a way to get what they want.  They are more concerned about what Jesus can do for them than what they can do for Jesus.  They are more interested in being served than in serving.

Like children, they cover their real question by asking for the less specific "whatever".  Jesus will have none of it and asks them directly what they want.  The reluctance of James and John may be like the disciple's previous ones where they have been reluctant to speak to Jesus about their true thoughts.  They know that what they want is not a part of Jesus' mission, but it is what consumes them.

"Can one of us sit on your right and left in glory?", they ask.  If Jesus had said yes, we can be sure it would have been a short time before James and John each came to Jesus privately and asked to be on the right!

Jesus asks what he intends to be rhetorical questions.  "Can you drink the cup I am drinking?"  "Can you be baptized with the baptism I am undergoing?"  Jesus asks them if they are able to suffer with him.

Like the rich man in the previous story, the disciples answer in the affirmative.  But rather than looking on the disciples with love, Jesus merely responds that they will get the cup and baptism they have asked for even though they don't have the slightest idea what it means.  Jesus refuses to do what they have really asked him to do.  He refuses to play the role of cosmic rabbit's foot.  Jesus will not do "whatever they ask" anymore than Jesus will do whatever we ask.  They need to learn that disciples do whatever God asks.

When the other disciples find out, they are furious.  Not, one would presume, at James and John's misunderstanding of Jesus but that they did not think of asking first.

Jesus takes this opportunity to differentiate between the world's use of power and authority and authority and power in God's kingdom.  Politicians use power to gain authority to exercise it over others to accomplish what they want.  It is essentially the working of selfish people to shape the world to their desires.  Jesus' disciples are to serve others and gain authority and power through their selflessness.  And it is Jesus who models this by drinking the cup, receiving the baptism, and redeeming humanity by serving the world.

Being Loved By Jesus

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again,“Children, how hard it is^[b] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

From the discussion of divorce, Jesus is placed again in a familial setting as he is asked by parents to place his hands on their children.  The theme over all of these recent passages seems to be those who are dependent on others (divorced women, children).  Jesus shows a special compassion for the least of these, but his disciples see them as just another waste of Jesus time.  They want to be about the big flashy work (miracles and crowds) and see these pestering parents as road blocks to doing great things for God.

There is that word again--rebuke.  It is the word used throughout Mark to describe the driving out of demons.  So when the disciples rebuke the people bringing the children to Jesus it is a strong response.  The important point to remember is that the last time a disciple tried to rebuke someone, it was Simon Peter trying to get Jesus to renounce his impending death.  In that case, Peter was the one who needed to be rebuked just as the disciples will need correction here.

Jesus again reiterates to the disciples that the kingdom of God is the possession of the child-like (not the childish).  Children have the graces of wonder and dependence.  These are the qualities that one must have to truly accept the gospel.  Jesus takes the children in his arms and blesses them.

This action of blessing will serve as a dramatic counterpoint to the next person who comes to Jesus and will refuse to be embraced but instead will leave.

An unidentified man comes running to Jesus and falls on his knees before him.  It brings to mind all the other people who have fallen at Jesus feet when they meet him.  On every occasion, they leave with Jesus having met their needs.

Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?, he asks.  When Jesus asks him why he calls him "good," it may be to see if this man is ready to recognize that Jesus is the son of God and thus "good" in a way that God alone can be.  We are not told that the man asks this to test Jesus, but this is the way that Pharisees and others approach Jesus with a question rather than a plea.  The question itself seems a bit of a trap as inheritances are given not something that one earns.

Jesus affirms that the man already knows the answer of what "to do," which is to keep the commandments.  Jesus then lists only those that describe how a person treats others.  It is almost as if Jesus is telling the man, if you just live right all the time and never break any commandments, you don't really need God at all.  That is what you "must do" to gain eternal life.

In what is a surprising claim to the ears of those who believe in universal sinfulness and the impossibility of keeping all of the commandments, the man avers that he has done all these things since birth.

It is then that Jesus looks at the man, perhaps remembering the children who have so recently been before them, he sees in him the braggadocio and lack of personal reflection that is a part of being young.  Whatever the case, Jesus looks at him and loves him.  And this is an important point.  This word has only been used twice before in the gospel of Mark and both times to describe how God feels about God's son Jesus.  So it would be wise to pay attention to it here--this is the first time that Jesus is said to have loved anybody particularly.

But it is not the warm gooey love of modern affection that Jesus offers.  Jesus loves him and so he demands something more.  Go sell everything and give it to the poor is not one of the ten commandments, it is moving beyond thou shalt not to thou shalt.  In a way Jesus loves the man so much that he asks him beyond a religion of prohibition to a life of love.

This is the first time that Jesus' command to follow has been prefaced by a condition.  The man must acknowledge that he is dependent not on his own scrupulous law keeping, but on God to provide when he has nothing left to rely upon.  Sadly, this is too much for him and he turns and walks away.  Jesus loved the man enough to ask him to change, but the man didn't love Jesus enough to change.  The man's face falls because he has great wealth.  Which shows the failure of the man to understand.  He can't give everything away because he has so much?  Wouldn't any person have the same problem. If you give away everything and you are rich, you have nothing.  If you give everything away and you are poor, you have nothing.  The amount you have to give is not what makes the action of giving more difficult, it is instead your attitude about what you have that presents the challenge.

How hard it is for the rich, Jesus comments.  Certainly this is not all the rich, but an attitude that is most commonly found in those with wealth.  Having resources, they mistake them for security.  They come to believe that money solves all of life's problems not just money problems.  Jesus says it is as hard as a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Leaving aside discussions that compare this to a gate in Jerusalem, Jesus almost surely seems to be again using hyperbole and humor to make a point.

Stopped by the ridiculous image, the disciples ask who then can be saved.  This is a rather interesting question as the disciples take what Jesus has said about the rich and applied it to all of humanity.  Jesus goes on to say that God is in the business of working the impossible.  This means that some camels will find a way through the needle, but one can surmise it is done only when they have been stripped of all their unnecessary baggage.

Peter, who like the rest of the disciples seems continually to be jockeying for position, exclaims that he and the others have left everything to follow.  And for a change, Jesus agrees with him.  Giving up everything they have gained everything.  Jesus does include a couple of uncomfortable cautions in his praise.  First, he suggests that the everything they will gain for following includes persecution.  Then, Jesus concludes by telling the disciples that the first will be last, which may mean the order of this world will change but it may also caution Peter and the others that just because they have been first to answer the call to follow it does not give them the special importance they seem to want so desperately. 

Til Death Do Us Part

Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.

² Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”

⁵ “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. ¹² And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

After Jesus concludes his private teaching with the disciples, he again is on the road.  The crowd once again gathers and now rather than a miracle, Jesus teaches them.

Some of the Pharisees come and ask Jesus about divorce.  This is not the first time the topic appears in Mark, earlier John the Baptist has been beheaded because of his repudiation of the divorce and remarriage of Herodias. It appears that the topic was as much of a hot potato then as it is now in many religious circles.  Will Jesus respond with scripture or will Jesus take a pragmatic approach.  "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?", they ask.  It was a time when a man could easily end a marriage and then have no responsibility for the woman he had cast aside.  Most importantly to those who ask the question, will Jesus say that divorce is wrong and then potentially end up on the wrong side of Herod and potentially meet the same judgement?

Rather than a direct reply, Jesus asks for Moses' command on the issue.  This poses the interesting question--are Moses' commands God's commands?  Or is Jesus implying that the Pharisees are more concerned with Moses' announcements than God's intention.

The Pharisees respond that Moses had established a legal process that allowed the marriage to be dissolved.  They use Deuteronomy 24:1-4 as their citation--which ironically is not a "command" about divorce.  This passage is not about the legality of divorce, but its practical implication.  A man who has divorced his wife may not remarry her after she has been married to someone else according to Moses.  The assumption is that with a legal document divorce is permitted.  This is one of the many times when Jesus turns the question he is asked back on the questioner and they reveal that they already knew the answer.

It must be kept in mind that arranged marriages that intertwined families were the order of the day.  To get a divorce was not merely to rend the nuclear family, but it was a form of disobedience to the will of the parents and thus a fracturing of the Ten Commandments.

If the Pharisees knew the answer, then one might wonder why they asked.  It may be due to a controversy of the day over the grounds that made a divorce permissible.  One rabbinic school of thought believed that divorce was only permitted when a woman had an affair.  Another rabbinic school had a long list of acceptable reasons including ruining a meal.  The Pharisees may really have wanted Jesus to tell them under what conditions divorce was an option.

But Jesus does not want to get into an argument about conditions.  He declares that Moses allowed divorce because of the hard heartedness of people.  So if divorce is legal is it God's intention?  The answer here clearly is no.  Jesus does not give a list of acceptable reasons for divorce.  Instead, he goes back to Genesis to argue that God's intention for marriage is that it be the establishing of a permanent new family situation.  The law has provision for the frailties and sinfulness of human beings, but marriage is intended by God to be permanent.  

Jesus goes on to say that no person should separate what God has joined, which seems to assign blame for the divorce not just on the parties in the marriage, but also those who are outside the marriage and for whatever reason whether it be gossip or lust or some other cause that places fracturing stress on the relationship.

The disciples who are afraid to ask Jesus about his death and resurrection, are fearless in asking Jesus about this hot button social issue when they finally get him into the privacy of the house. Jesus tells the disciples that both a man or a woman who enter into a new marriage commit adultery against their previous spouse.  

It is a rather different interpretation than many would have had during Jesus day.  First, his response assumes that women could initiate a divorce.  This was not the case in Jewish law although it was in the Roman world.  Second, he suggests that a man who remarries commits adultery against her (whether the first or second wife, we don't know).  In the Jewish world, only men could be the victim of adultery as they were the only party in the marriage that could gain or lose honor.  Jesus raises the possibility that women are equal partners in a marriage relationship. 

But with this equality comes an equal share of the responsibility.  Divorce is not God's intent but it can be initiated by either the man or the woman and either also can enter into dishonoring relationships.  It is not clear, but it may be that Jesus here is speaking against marriages where one party divorces another to pursue someone else and then marries them.

This is not an easy passage.  The concepts in it may use the same words we use for modern relationships, but they portray practices of the ancient world that may only shadow those of the modern world.  I think when faced with the question of divorce, we should give the same answer that Jesus does.  God's intention is that marriage is permanent, but we are fallen creatures in a fallen order and God's intentions are not perfectly lived out.  That is where the power of grace resides.

The Little Ones

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house,he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us.⁴¹ Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.’

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted with fire.

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

As the disciples continue their journey with Jesus, Mark turns to an extended passage of Jesus' teaching.  Jesus wants to keep their movements secret, which is not unusual, but this time Mark explains why.  The secrecy is due to Jesus' desire to teach his disciples.  This suggests that teaching is best done in small settings, something that the megachurch movement needs to take seriously.

For the second time, Jesus tells his disciples of his impending death at the hands of his enemies and the coming resurrection.  They continue to be unable to understand and are afraid to ask questions.  It is easy for us who live on this side of the cross to forget how astounding Jesus' claims must have sounded.  It also is interesting that in this age where we have domesticated Jesus into a comfortable friend that the disciples were afraid to ask Jesus about what he has said.

They come to Capernaum and in a house (the place where teaching often happens--this may be Mark emphasizing that the house church was the logical extension of Jesus' ministry) the session continues.  Jesus begins by asking them what their animated conversation on the way had been about.  The disciples behave like children (as they do again and again in the gospel--and perhaps what follows is hope that childish disciples can become child-like followers) and refuse to answer since they know that their conversation about who was greatest would not make Jesus happy.  It is sadly not surprising in the least that immediately after Jesus tells them about the resurrection they don't talk about that. It is almost like they suffer from attention deficit disorder.  

Unlike in our culture, the one with authority would sit and others would stand.  And so when Jesus sits it is not only to assume the correct position of the rabbi, but also to answer the question of who is greatest among them.  Despite, the lack of an answer from the disciples, Jesus appears to know their dispute and addresses it as he continues to teach.  In the Kingdom economy, he tells them that the last and the servant will be greatest and by extension that those who argue about their right to be at the front in the line reveal their inadequacy to be there.

As an object lesson, Jesus takes a child and places him at the center of attention.  Where this child appears from is not at all clear.  Perhaps he is a child who lives in the house or maybe the disciples are not just the twelve, but also friends and family who stand just outside the frame, we do not know.  Jesus makes it clear that those who welcome the powerless and dependent welcome him and by extension welcome God who sent him.  With his arms wrapped lovingly around the child, it is hard to imagine why the disciples are afraid to ask Jesus a question or to admit the content of their conversation.

John finally does speak, but not a question (and certainly not about resurrection) but a statement that seems to show that he has missed entirely Jesus' point in embracing the child.  The disciple seems to expect that Jesus will praise him for maintaining orthodoxy.  He tells Jesus that they have stopped someone from healing (doing good!) in Jesus' name who they did not recognize as one of "us".  This pride in orthodoxy rings not only in the past, but also in the present.  What are we to make of other churches or traditions than our own?  Jesus reprimands John and tells him that anyone who does ministry in the name of Jesus is one of them whether they are in the group or not.  Then as now, this notion of other disciples seems a very dangerous idea to those who want to claim that only they have a tight claim on the gospel.

Often the line about a cup of cold water given in Jesus' name is invoked to support social ministry.  This seems a misuse of the passage (not that there is not significant support for social ministry!).  It seems instead to point to ecumenical encouragement.  The cup of cold water in Jesus' name is given not to those who are not already followers, but to "you" (the disciples).  And this cooperative ministry is a source of comfort for those ministered to as well as to those offering the help.

Jesus turns his attention again to the child and issues a stern warning.  For the disciples who are a little slow on the uptake, he explicitly identifies the child as a metaphor for those who follow.  Whoever causes them to stumble would be better off in the end if the New Jersey mafia had put their feet in concrete and dropped them in the Hudson river.  In fact whether it is your hand, foot or eye that causes you to stumble, it would be better to self mutilate than to fail as a follower.  A place of voracious worms and fire is the destination for those who refuse to recognize their shortcomings.

Jesus changes themes when he begins to speak of salt.  Salt in the ancient world was not only used to flavor foods, but also to preserve them.  Everyone faces challenges (the fire), but these struggles preserve the followers of Christ for life eternal.  Salt is valuable only as long as it does its purpose, so if something is preserved without salt it does not last.  We are to salt each other (preserve and encourage our faith) and to live at peace.  Sadly, the disciples to this point have spent most of their time arguing and tearing each other down.