A Tough Text (Part 2)

 Third Friday after Pentecost

St. Barnabas--Color: Red

Lectionary Texts:

1 Samuel 16:14-23

2 Corinthians 5:6-15

Congratulations to Nell Laton for being the first to claim the donated Book of Common Prayer. Nell, I'll email you when you can pick it up.

Today is St. Barnabas Day. We got most of the information about him in our Acts Bible Study. He was an evangelist and travel companion of Paul on the first missionary journey (Acts 13-15). There is an Epistle of Barnabas among the collection of writings called the Apostolic Fathers, although most scholars doubt that Barnabas was the actual author.

Today, I want to finish up some very inconclusive thoughts about Mark 4:10-12. Here it is again:

"When [Jesus] was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, 'to you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, but to those outside, everything comes in parables, in order that 'they may look but not perceive, and may listen but not understand, so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'"

 

Here are some options for understanding it:

1. Jesus said it. It demonstrates predestination.

 

2. Jesus never could have said this. It's a Markan mistake, a free paraphrase of Isaiah 6:10, which actually says "turn and be healed." Matthew and Luke corrected Mark on this. 

3. It should be viewed in the larger context of the Parable of the Sower immediately before it and the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower immediately after it. It's the filling in a "Markan sandwich," a standard Markan literary technique. Those who are inside (namely followers of Jesus) preach or witness to the gospel of the Kingdom of God to all who will hear. Some hear but don't understand. Some hear and reject. Some hear and accept. 

As you might expect, I go for number 3.

I think the saying is likely authentic. I won't go into criteria for determining authenticity on the sayings of Jesus. I'll just mention the one that's operative here: the criterion of embarrassment. If a saying is inconvenient for developing Christian theology, if it flies in the face of what we think it ought to say, in other words, if it is embarrassing to the later church, then it is likely authentic. Matthew and Luke saw the embarrassment of this saying and decided to leave it out. Mark would have no reason to make up a saying like this and put it in his gospel. The only reason to put it in is that Jesus actually said it. 

You may see other interpretive options. Let us know, if you do.

 

A few verses later Jesus says, "For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen." (Mark 4:22-23).

Lord Jesus,

We are thankful for your genius, your brilliance. We pray that you will help us to become better interpreters of all that you have said. We look forward to all that you have said coming to light. Amen.

 

Faithfully,

Christian