Chapter 16
John (J L) Han
Jesus was crucified on Friday. Verses 2, 9 happened on the first of the week which was Sunday. Verses 1-8 describe Jesus’ resurrection.
The footnote says that most reliable manuscripts do not have verses 9-20. Some may be confused. However, just as a very good textbook [1] says such discrepancies are not important in interpreting the Bible. Indeed, similar verses appear in other parts of the Bible.
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. This passage is similar to Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
References:
[1] Robert R. Hann, “The Bible, an owner's manual” : Paulist Press, c1983.
Chapter 15
John (J L) Han
Verse 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied. Here Jesus acknowledged. Even though he was not a king in a secular sense, he is the king of jews in the sense that he was sent by God to lead jews. Verses 1-15 recorded how Jesus was tried.
Verses 16-20 describe how soldiers mocked Jesus. Verses 21-32 are about The Crucifixion of Jesus. Verses 33-41 describe the death of Jesus. Verses 42-47 recorded the burial of Jesus. Note verse 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. Note who knew the burial place. They would witness Jesus risen in the next chapter.
Chapter 14
John (J L) Han
This Chapter is quite long. I will only highlight some key points. Verses 1-9 tell the story of Jesus anointed. In verse 8, “She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.” Again Jesus predicted his death and burial.
The Passover was the most important festival in the Jewish calendar (cf. Exodus). Jesus was put to death during the Passover. This has an important symbolic meaning, He died for us so that we can be saved in God’s eye. The Lord’s supper has great symbolic meaning as well. It is a covenant between Christians and God. Part of verse 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” Covenant is a solemn word. God has two covenants: (1) the old covenant with Abraham, (2) the new covenant with all Christians. Christians have Lord’s supper to remember the covenant with God through Jesus.
Verses 27-31 tell a well known story: Peter’s 3 denials of Jesus. Peter is the most loyal disciple among the 12 yet he denied that he knew Jesus under duress. So if we rely on our flesh we might sin under pressure. Another thing is that verse 27 quoted Zechariah 13:7. Jesus predicted that Peter denied him 3 times. Such predictive power came from God.
Verses 32- 41 are known as Gethsemane, that is the place where it happened. It illustrated what Jesus did just before he was arrested. Gethsemane now represents the pain Jesus suffered. I wish to call you attention verse 36: (Jesus said) “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Here shows that Jesus is human and he knows that suffering is hard. Yet he does not want to have his will but the Father’s will. The same thing in the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), “your will be done”.
Verses 53-65 tell that Jesus was tried in front of Sanhedrin. 61 …... Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. To Jewish elders, priests, and teachers of law, Jesus’ answer in verse 62 is blasphemy. On the other hand, this is where Jesus directly claimed that he is Son of God.
Verses 66-72 realized earlier Jesus’ prediction that Peter would deny him 3 times (verses 27-31).
Chapter 13
John (J L) Han
In verses 1-2 Jesus prophesied destruction of the Jewish Temple. Many considered this fulfilled 70 A.D. when Roman army destroyed Jerusalem. Jesus’ disciples asked him about when these things might happen. In verses 5-31, Jesus actually did not refer the previous events but prophesied about apocalypse, i.e. the end of world. The things described by Jesus are really terrible. Similar prophecies also appear in Revelation. Interpretations of these are not simple. Since I assume you this being your first reading, I will not go into the details.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. This verse is interesting. If you recall Chapter 11 fig tree appeared twice (12-14, 20-21). The fig tree was found no fruit. Some interpret that fig tree represents Jewish people. Because they did not produce righteous fruits, they were cursed. Yet at the end of world Jewish people being represented by fig tree will reborn, which was thought to be re-establishment of Israel. This might be the case.
In verses 32-37, Jesus told his disciples that no one know when the end of world would come.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. From time to time, some, I heard even some pastors, may proclaim knew exact time Jesus will come back or the end of world will come. Clearly, they are wrong since this is against Jesus’ teaching. Jesus asked his followers to be prepared.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. This verse is interesting. If you recall Chapter 11 fig tree appeared twice (12-14, 20-21). The fig tree was found no fruit. Some interpret that fig tree represents Jewish people. Because they did not produce righteous fruits, they were cursed. Yet at the end of world Jewish people being represented by fig tree will reborn, which was thought to be re-establishment of Israel. This might be the case.
In verses 32-37, Jesus told his disciples that no one know when the end of world would come.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. From time to time, some, I heard even some pastors, may proclaim knew exact time Jesus will come back or the end of world will come. Clearly, they are wrong since this is against Jesus’ teaching. Jesus asked his followers to be prepared.
Chapter 12
John (J L) Han
Verses 1-12 are the parable of the tenants. Its meaning is not difficult to know. Tenants are Israelis. Servants are prophets. The last sent by God is His son. In verses 13-17, the Pharisees and Herodians wanted to find fault in Jesus on whether to pay tax. Jesus answered the question with great wisdom.
In verses 18-27, Jesus answered Sadducees who doubt resurrection. In verses 28-34, Jesus summarised commandments into two. There are 10 commandments. The two Jesus gave are the essence of 10 commandments. In verses 35-37, Jesus asked whose son is the Messiah. Although in name Jesus is a descendant of David, he was really conceived by the Holy Spirit. In verses 38-40, Jesus warned against teachers of law who are pious on the outside but are hypocrite in fact. In verses 41-44, Jesus praised a poor widow’s offering of two copper coins. It taught us that the exact amount of offerings is not important but one’s heart.
Chapter 11
John (J L) Han
This chapter has less to explain than the previous chapter.
Verses 1-11 are narrative.
The story of fig tree (verses 12-14, 20-21) shows the power of faith. Verses 22-24 explain more on this. Jesus said 24 “ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Then Jesus said 25 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Thus, you need to forgive others before you pray. Otherwise, your prayer may not reach God. Verses 15-17 Jesus cleansed the temple. We should learn that worship place is not meant to exchange money. A pure heart is important in worship.
Verse 26 to the end of this chapter is narrative of Jesus being questioned of his authority.
Chapter 10
John (J L) Han
Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce in verse 2 in order to test Jesus. Jesus asked them back. Then 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.’ Jesus used verses from Genesis to answer. This passage has profound implications, which I might discuss them in the future. At the moment, it is useful to note that Jesus’ teaching is higher than Moses command and is from God’s original intention.
The passage of verses 13-16 tells us that Jesus loved children. You should also read carefully “not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (in verse 15) Thus, a believer should receive God’s word with full confidence.
Verses 17-31 tell one of my favorite story in the Bible. Similar stories appear in other gospel books for example Matthew 19. Even though it is neither long nor complicated, this story contains a lot information. The man whom we know was rich ask Jesus “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” As Christians, we know that this is impossible (see also verse 27) since we are all sinners and we do not deserve to get eternal life no matter what we do. Jesus told him ““No one is good—except God alone.” Paul wrote in Romans 3:10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
Jesus is good because he is God. In verse 19, Jesus told this rich young man some commandments, which were part of Moses’ Ten Commandments. This young man said “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” He observed these in the face value. But if you understand so call Sermon on the Mountains, e.g. Matthew 5:21-48 you know that no one could have fulfilled God’s commandments. After the rich young man answered Jesus’ question on commandments with affirmative, Jesus told him “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.
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” This and the whole story tell us that we cannot save by ourselves and only God can. The central theme of Christianity is that Jesus saves us by dying on the Cross. We can be saved by accepting him as our savior. There is no other way.
Verses 32-34 repeat we have learned before.
The passage of verses 35-45 concerns Jesus disciples wanting to be great. Jesus taught them “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. So in Christianity serving is the paramount.
The last passage (from verse 46) tells Jesus healing of a blind man.
Chapter 9
In verse 1, Jesus told his disciples that before their death, they would see “the kingdom of God has come with power.” This referred to transfiguration in verses 2-13. The word transfiguration means the appearance is transformed (see verses 2-4). In verse 5 Peter more or less equaled Jesus with Elijah and Moses. But in verse 7, a voice from heaven announced that Jesus is Son of God and instructed others to listen to him. So Jesus’ special status was made clear. Jesus is higher than other prophets (cf. 8:27-30).
The passage of verses 14-29 is about healing of a possessed boy. Like healings earlier, for a sick to be healed, the sick or their parents needed to have faith first (verses 23-24).
In verses 30-32, Jesus again (cf. 8:31-33) predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection.
Verses 38-41 may be summarised “whoever is not against us is for us”. Here Jesus taught his disciples to focus on the work not about who did the work.
In verses 42-50, Jesus taught the importance for not causing others to stumble. Here stumble is in the spiritual sense and means to cause others to be away from truth or from God.
Chapter 8
Verses 1-10 tell that Jesus fed 4000 people. There is a similar story in Chapter 6. In verses 11-13 Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign from heaven. A sign here means a miracle. Jesus had already done many miracles earlier. But Pharisees still did not believe him. Asking a miracle here is a test of God. Matthew 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” So Jesus said Jesus said in verse Mark 8:12 “...... no signs will be given to it.” God performs miracle if there is a need, not to satisfy someone’s curiosity.
The passage of verses 14-21 concerns yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Because the disciples had forgotten to bring bread except for one loaf, when Jesus warned them “yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod” (vs.15) they thought of physical yeast. But here, as well as in many places in the gospel, Jesus used yeast metaphorically for corruption or unauthentic. Jesus here warned his disciples of corruption of his message. His disciples did not understand Jesus’ warning. Jesus had the power to feed thousands. Why would he worry about whether they had enough bread or yeast for making bread?
Verses 22-26 are about Jesus healing of a blind man. The people who brought him in thought that Jesus only touching him would cure him (verse 22). However, it turned out that Jesus did much more work. Therefore, each case of healing can be different.
Verses 27-30 revealed who Jesus truly is. Many said that Jesus is one of the prophets (verse 28). Peter said that Jesus is the Messiah. Messiah is the central figure in Judaism and Christianity (cf. Basics of Bible). Matthew 16:16 is even clearer: Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
After this Jesus began to teach his disciples that he “must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” These prophecies would turn out true later. In verses 34-38, Jesus warned his followers the price they must be ready to pay.
Chapter 7
John (J L) HanThe Torah does require not eating some food, for example not eating pork. Leviticus Chapter 11 lists many meat unclean and should not be eaten. Most Jews still observe these while most Christians do not observe them. Acts have more on this. Here we need to pay attention to verse 15 (Jesus said) “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” So eating certain food will not defile a person while what he/she said could.
The passage of Syrophoenician woman (verses 14-30) shows two things: she was humble and she had faith. Jesus tested her faith and her answer was very humble. Like we have seen in early chapters, her faith healed her daughter. She needed to come to God. But if she did not have faith, it would not cure her daughter.
Verses 31-37 tell Jesus healing a deaf and mute man.
Chapter 6
John (J L) HanVerses 1-6 record what Jesus was treated in his hometown. People there questioned his status. Jesus is Son of God but was in human form. He had an ordinary life earlier and many in his hometown did not imagine that he could do great things. One lesson here is that do not judge a person by his/her family or appearance. In addition, because these people lacked faith Jesus could perform only few miracles. Recall the role of faith played in previous chapters. Faith is essential in healings, miracles and prayers.
In verses 6 (second half) to 13 Jesus sent out 12 disciples. Verses 14-29 tell the story of Baptist John’s death. Verses 30-44 record Jesus feeding 5000. Verses 45-56 are about Jesus walking on the water. The second part of verse 52 “...their hearts were hardened.” In the Bible, the word “hardened” often means that a person (persons) becomes stubborn and does not listen to God. For example, in Exodus the Pharaoh’s heart became hardened again and again.
Narratives and miracles in this chapter are not difficult to understand. If you have questions, post them. I will try to answer them.
Chapter 5
John (J L) HanThis chapter has only two miracles. The first one is about healing of a demon-possessed man. It is rather easy to understand. At the end verse 15 “...... they were afraid.” Why they were afraid since Jesus did a good thing？ These people were likely not Jews since they raised pigs. Jews consider pork unclean and do not eat pork. If they were Jews, they were more likely to welcome Jesus since Jews believe in miracles. Verse 17 “Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. “ Perhaps because of the above reason, these people did not welcome someone who could perform miracles.
The rest is really two miracles: one is about a sick woman and the other concerns a dead girl. The key about these miracles are faith. Verse 34 “...... Daughter, your faith has healed you.....” Jesus did not say that I healed you but your faith has healed. Often, things are not accomplished because we lack of faith. Similarly, verse 36 …... Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Chapter 4
John (J L) HanThis chapter has several parables. Parables have deep meanings that believers may understand but unbelievers cannot. The first parable of the sower (1-20) tells how people respond to gospel (Word of God). When gospel is preached, some will reject, some will accept initially but without deep commitment, some will be faithful followers. This has profound meanings.
Verses 21-24 may be regarded as two parables, but they also may be considered one related parable. The first tells his disciples to openly testify about Jesus. This sometimes means hardship even death. But true believers should not hide the fact that they believe Jesus. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. It seems a bit puzzling by the first reading. But verses 24-25 are related to the previous two verses. If one puts gift of God into usage, he/she will be given more God’s gift. On the other hand, those who do not use God’s gift will be taken away.
Parable of the weed (verses 30-34) is hard. We will skip it for now.
Verses 35-41 tells a story of Jesus calming the storm. It is a miracle hard to believe. It has meanings but we again skip it for now, only point out that Jesus has supernatural power.
Chapter 3
John (J L) Han
Verses 3:1-6 concern Jesus healing on Sabbath day. Sabbath is part of Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. In the previous Chapter, Jesus told us that he was going to change the religious rules. Sabbath is revered by most Jews who followed it to the letter. Mark 3:4 Then Jesus asked them, “What does the Law say we should do on the Sabbath day? Should we do good? Or should we do evil? Should we save life? Or should we kill?” So Jesus pointed out that the nature of Ten Commandments is good.
3:6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to make plans with the Herodians. They wanted to kill Jesus. Here Pharisees were Jews who followed Judaism to the letter. These Pharisees wanted to murder Jesus because although Jesus did good but in their mind he did not observe Sabbath strictly. This showed their wickedness.
Some incorrectly regard Sunday, the worship day of Christians, as Sabbath day. Sabbath day is the 7th day of God’s creation, as stated in Genesis 1 and Exodus 20:7 above, while Sunday is the first day of the week. Christians worship on Sunday because it is the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead.
In verses 20-30, some teachers of law attacked Jesus as being controlled by prince of demons. They used smear campaign against Jesus. Jesus rebuked them: 29 “But anyone who speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. His guilt will last forever.”.
3:6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to make plans with the Herodians. They wanted to kill Jesus. Here Pharisees were Jews who followed Judaism to the letter. These Pharisees wanted to murder Jesus because although Jesus did good but in their mind he did not observe Sabbath strictly. This showed their wickedness.
Some incorrectly regard Sunday, the worship day of Christians, as Sabbath day. Sabbath day is the 7th day of God’s creation, as stated in Genesis 1 and Exodus 20:7 above, while Sunday is the first day of the week. Christians worship on Sunday because it is the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead.
In verses 20-30, some teachers of law attacked Jesus as being controlled by prince of demons. They used smear campaign against Jesus. Jesus rebuked them: 29 “But anyone who speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. His guilt will last forever.”.
Chapter 2
John (J L) HanIn 2:1-12, Jesus healed a man who could not walk. Some teachers of laws thought “Only God can forgive sins!”. You may recall Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Pay attention the sins in Matthew 18:21-22 are one person against another. (You may also recall Lord’s Prayer. Search it if you do not know.) On the other hand, apparently here these teachers of laws thought that man was disabled because he sinned against God. Thus, only God can forgive and heal that man.
Another point is verse 9 says “Is it easier to say to this man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’? Or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ” Neither is easy for a mortal man. The first because we do not have such right; he did not sin against us. The second because we do not have such power. But for Jesus, neither is difficult. The third point is in verse 10, Son of Man is used. In Chapter 1, we learn that Jesus is Son of God. Now he calls himself Son of Man. Is this a contradiction? No, in fact Jesus often called himself Son of Man. Here, we see two in the Trinity, i.e., he is both man and God. Mark 10:45 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. Also Philippians
2:5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
This passage is accurate and poetic. So he is both Son of God and Son of Man. Verses 13-17 tells us that Jesus chose Levi. Notice that some teachers of law criticize Jesus for being associated with sinners. Although they are self-righteous but they are also sinners. As Romans 3:10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
So these teachers of law are also sinners but are not aware of it. In verses 18-27 Jesus indicates that he is going to make rule changes. Jews obey many rules, some come from Torah (first 5 books of Moses) while others are customs from their ancestors. Read 2:21-22 carefully. 21 “People don’t sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. If they do, the new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse. 22 People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will burst the skins. Then the wine and the wineskins will both be destroyed. No, everyone pours new wine into new wineskins.” Jesus uses clothes and wineskins as metaphor for religious rule sets. He implies that his disciples obey a different set of rules.
Introduction
John (J L) Han and Nathan Sanders
Where can I find Bible? Biblegateway (http://www.biblegateway.com/) is a possible choice. You may find in it many different versions(even other languages) and good search engine. We mainly use New International Version (NIV). NIV is the most popular version. Occasionally, we may find another version good for some verses and use that version. Kenmore Baptist Church has a single book of Mark. It uses the NIV and small in size. I encourage you to get a copy.
Some try to learn contents of the Bible by reading other books, novels, movies. This approach often does not help. Sometime it can even be misleading to wrong ideas about the Bible. If the Bible is Word of God, does God not want you, children of God, to understand His word? What we try to do is to help you get started, teach you conventions and methods, explain how mainstream Christians interpreter the Bible. Then you can understand meaning of the Bible on your own.
One book very helpful to a beginner is “The Bible, an owner's manual”[1]. This book tries to find common ground for Catholics and Protestants. It explains many technical details, such as footnotes and differences among some widely used Bible versions. It is out of print but can be found on eBay or other internet sites. An essay Basics of Bible (http://www.c4c.name/gospel/index.htm) might also be helpful.
Our plan is one chapter one week. We will try to answer your questions. Comments are also welcome.
Chapter 1
Verses 2 and 3 both use “prepare the/your way”. It is not a Way in the physical sense. In order to see the Lord, one’s heart needs to be pure. This was the reason that John the Baptist was sent before Jesus to prepare the way. The beginning of verse 2 mentions Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet who lived about 700 years before Jesus was born. The importance of prophets is explained in Basics of Bible. There are more than 50 places in the Book of Isaiah refer to Jesus.
This chapter has mentioned at least 3 miracles (also known as signs): 21-27, 29-34, 40-42. Did miracles exist? As Christians, we believe God created everything and has the power to do these miracles. Some may say if these are true repeat for me. Miracles are done by God. Humen cannot repeat miracles, otherwise they are not miracles.
References:
[1] Robert R. Hann, “The Bible, an owner's manual” : Paulist Press, c1983.
No comments:
Post a Comment