Mark 1:29-39

This passage occurs in the RCL Epiphany Season, Year B, most recently February of 2021.
 
Summary:  Wow.  What an amazing passage.  When I first learned about Saint Anthony and the monastic movement, I thought it involved leaving this world for our own spiritual gain.  Then I read that actually Saint Anthony was going into the wilderness to purge it from evil, not to get away from it.  In the same way, I wonder if Jesus' prayer is about purging the wilderness from the demons.  Everything else in this passage, even proclamation, is portrayed in the light of spiritual conflict.

To put it in a more catchy way:  When you go to proclaim, do you expect to see the minions of the devil fleeing and fighting?

Note from 2018:  When I read this passage in 2018, what struck me is that after Jesus prays, he is able to say no to the disciples and focus on the broader mission.  As a leader, I often feel tugged and pulled.  Only through prayer and conversation with God can we stay focused on the mission of our congregation as well as articulate this with passion and without fatigue and rudeness.   Simply:  Gotta so no to somethings to say yes to God's mission.

Struggle against evil:
κρατεω ("hold"; 1.31) The word here for hold is "krate-oo" which is not hold hand in a sentimental way. This is the word for power, as in democracy. This is the word for seize. This is what Herod will do to John the Baptist (arrest) and what the Chief Priests want to do to Jesus. Jesus in Mark 1 is wrestling the demons, not smiling for the home video cameras.

While I want to emphasize the power in this hold, it should not be overlooked that this healing does not take place through the spoken word, but through touch.

εφερον ("carry"; 1.32)  The people are carrying others to Jesus.  This is a lot of work!  The scene is intense with action.

ερημος ("wilderness"; 1:35) and εκβαλλω ("cast out"; 1:35-1:39):  Jesus had been cast out into the wilderness (ερημος ).  Now after he casts out demons, he goes there to pray.  Often times we think of monasticism as a wimpy and academic escape from the world, but for Jesus (and many of the first desert fathers and mothers) the movement into the wilderness means cleansing out the forces of evil.

Nature and purpose of the church:
διακονεω ("serve"; 1 31)  Peter's mother in law has been freed to serve others; our freedom comes with an opportunity to serve others too.  It comes into English (and the ELCA) as Deaconness, Diaconal ministers and deacons.

Side note on this word:  This word comes into play three times in Mark's Gospel.  Here and again in Mark 15, when Mark points out that the women were serving/attending to Jesus during his ministry.  (One good preacher even suggested Peter's mother in law was there at the cross!)  Finally, it comes in during Mark 10, when Jesus says he came to serve, not to be served.  One might argue that that in Mark 10, it is in the aorist case, suggesting that in Mark and specifically in Mark 10, the service of Jesus is to die on the cross.

επισυναγω ("gather"; 1:33) In this passage begins with Jesus leaving the synagogue. Now the people are gathering around him (syn-ago-ing!) Where is church? Where Jesus is...duh...any 2nd grader who has read AC VII knows that.  Jesus here creates the church -- outside of the building -- where the people have gathered in their pain and suffering.  Jesus has brought the church to the land where demons dwell to reclaim it!

In fact, there is a theme in this passage, whether it is of the wilderness, the town or even Peter's mother-in-law, where Jesus is reclaiming them for God's purposes.

κηρυξω ("proclaim"; 1:38)  Proclaim is a great Lutheran word.  But in this case it is not connected with the forgiveness of sins, but the expulsion of demons.  I would offer that three key elements of the church:  prayer, proclamation and service, all involve the conflict against evil rather than simply an academic escape or comfort and safety!

θεραπευω ("heal"; 1:34)  Jesus' therapy session is on!  Again here even healing is seen within the context of a struggle against evil.  There is nothing safe about Jesus work.

εξηλθεν και απηλθεν ("go out" and "go out"; 1:35)   Mark uses two words in a row here that almost mean the same thing.  Many manuscripts, in fact, simplify the Greek and only include one.  Why does Mark include two?  Perhaps to emphasize that Jesus really got out of town!  Jesus has to say no to some ministry to say yes to others.

ευθυς ("immediately"; 1:28,29,30)  This word keeps showing up in Mark's Gospel, often hidden by translators.  There is an impatience by Jesus here.  He keeps moving.  Yet, he still takes time to pray!

Foreshadowing of Resurrection:

αναστας ("rise up"; 1.35)  This word, both in its grammar and ties to the resurrection story.

Grammar wise:  In Hebrew, when you have two verbs in a row the first one can often function like an adverb.  The verb "get up" often is used in the first of two verbs to mean "immediately" (as in Abraham "Get up and go" = "Go in a getting up kind of way" = "Go now!").  In this way, Mark could be saying Jesus got up immediately and went, indicating the frenetic pace of Jesus' ministry.

However, it literally reads 'Jesus rose very early in the morning."  In this section we have:

ηγειρεν ("raise up"; 1.31) and αναστας ("resurrect"; 1.35):  These verbs both mean to raise up or resurrect.
λιαν πρωι (1.35; these words together mean early morning):  They don't come back into Mark until chapter 16 when we get to the resurrection
θυρα ("gate"; 1.33) The word for "door" here is also gate, as in Jesus is the gate from John's Gospel.  Or as in, there was a stone at the gate of the tomb (see Mark 15 and 16!).

Mark 1:21-28

This passage occurs in the RCL Epiphany Season, Year B, most recently January of 2021.
 
Summary:  The Greek highlights Mark's excellent dramatic skills.  He uses tight language and subtle details to present the conflict of Jesus against the mysterious and powerful forces of evil.  Evil is quite powerful here:  It has invaded the synagogue; it knows more than the crowd; it is vulgar and disobedient to Jesus; its number is unknown.  Yet Jesus will vanquish it and affirm the claim of the crowd, that he is one with authority.  As Staupitz declared to Luther in the movie:  "You are too hard on yourself; the devil has been around for thousands of years.  Cling to Christ and his mercy."

Alternate thought:  I am coming back to this passage nearly a decade after I first did a Greek post on this passage.  What stood out to me this time was:  What does it mean that Jesus interprets Scripture with authority?  My sense is that we are moving away from an academic sense of authoritative interpretation of Scripture -- but what replaces it?  In our 2018 American context, do we ascribe authority to someone when they confirm our previous held biases?  How is authority related to authenticity?  Must authority be proved?  Perhaps the test of Scripture interpretation should be this passage:  If it does not drive demons out of the congregation, it has no authority.

How Mark employs Greek to add drama to the story:
1:21 and 1:22 All of the indicative verbs in this sentence have verbs in the present or imperfect, suggesting a lot of movement and continuous action.  The story continues the whirlwind pace of Mark chapter 1. 

1:23 Mark puts the word "unclean" (ακαθαρτος) last in this clause, so it reads "there was in the synagogue a man in spirit unclean." A bit of suspense because as a reader it would not be entirely surprising to find a spirit in a synagogue.  It is worth noting that the unclean spirit is not found outside the house of God, but inside the house of God! 

Also, a side note, 1:23/26  the word for unclean is "ακαθαρτος" as in the man needs a cathartic experience...

1:23 The first aorist verb is ανεκραξεν ("cry out") suggesting an abrupt change in the action after all the other present/imperfect verbs.

1.24 The phrase here in Greek that the unclean spirit uses is "What to you and to us?" This is essentially what Jesus to his mother at Cana: "What to me and to you." In other words, this is not a very kind way to talk!   A sort of "What the hell do you want?"

1.24  The spirit switches back and forth between the singular and the plural, presenting an uncomfortable ambiguity:  How many are there?  "Have you come to destroy us (ημας)?  I know (οιδα) who you are"

1.26   Interesting that even though the unclean Spirit obeys Jesus by leaving the man, it still gives off a μεγαλη (large) scream. Jesus had commanded the spirit to be silenced; this shows its disobedience!

All of this drama and even highlighting of evil's power is designed to affirm the original claim of the people, namely, that Jesus is one with εξουσια (1:22), that is power!  

The authority of Jesus, it seems, resides in a few areas.  Perhaps asking ourselves if we still believe as stewards of the word that we have this authority!

• Teaching.  The crowd believes Jesus teaching has authority (1:22).  
• Casting out demons (1:28); the disciples will be given this power (3:15; 6:7)
• Forgive sins (2:10)
  
• One could also add up-end the temple sacrifice system (11:28-33)!
  

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

This passage appears in the Revised Common Lectionary, Epiphany Season, Year B, most recently 2024.

Summary

We are infected with the same demon as the Corinthians:  We use our 'freedom' for our own benefit, not the building up of the kingdom. Paul here makes two profound arguments that the world still needs to here:  True knowledge comes from God's love.  True freedom is found in serving others.  If one wants to get "muddy" you could talk about privilege!

Warm-up note on Geography

Knowing the geography of Corinth helps explain the whole eating meat to idols; in an areas about the size of 5 football fields are three markets and eight temples. The social events in downtown Corinth were meals at the temples; the meat that was bought at the markets was likely from these temples. See: A website I made on Paul's travels for more on this. 

Key Words

φυσιοι (meaning "puff up", 8:1)   The word for puff up is "physio-oo" is related to the word for "natural" but in this case derives from the word for bellows (the things you use to build up a fire).  This is interesting then -- is Paul saying that knowledge is like vanity in Ecclesiastes -- simply smoke?  Or is Paul asserting that knowledge can serve a purpose but it is not that which can sustain?   

(This word only appears 7 times in the whole NT/OT; 6 of those in 1 Cor!)

ουπω (meaning "(not) yet," 8:1)   Paul makes an interesting parallel argument here

• if anyone seems to know something, they do not yet know what it is necessary to know
• if anyone loves God, they are already known by God.  

Paul is not suggesting that knowledge about the world is bad, it is simply incomplete.  Real knowledge is derived from love. 

εγνωσται (γινωσκω, 8:2 and 8:3 and throughout!)  Τhe word for "known" here (gninoosk-oo) here is in the perfect. In other words, this verse should read "The one who loves God has already been known by God." Paul's use of the perfect here emphasizes the fact that God already knew us and we continue in a state of being known. But this is really fascinating.  What does it mean to be the state of being known by God?  And can some folks not be known by God?

ημιν (for us, as in "For us, God is one", 8:6)  This word opens us some interesting translation possibilities.  Does Paul mean that "For us, God is one" as in a) God is on our behalf b) God is one is our confession c) for us, our God is the one God, among many, who is the father?  ( I don't think c))

εξουσια (translated here as "liberty" or "freedom", 8:9).  Fascinating:  This word, in the corresponding Gospel passage for Sunday (Mark 1:21-28), is translated by the NSRV as authority in that verse.  Here it is translated as freedom!!  I am gonna have to ponder that one!!  What might it look like to translate this as privilege?

οικοδομθησεται (from οικοδομει, 8.9)  Most translations here use the word "encourage" or "strengthened" to translate "oikodome-oo."  I think "building up" is preferred; the root of the word is "home - gift."  As in, the "giving of a home through building it up."  Paul employs this word earlier to talk about love "building" up people.  I think Paul's use of this word in this context points out that are actions within the Christian community WILL build people up -- that is not the question; the question is whether we will build each other up for good or for licentiousness.  What do we make a home for in our lives?

In 8:8 Paul uses the word "abound" (perisseu-oo). Later in chapter 14, he will return to this verb, saying, "Since you want to abound..."  In chapter 14, he then tells them to hold their tongues in worship!  Again, there is enough material chapter 8 for a sermon, but this connection strengthens the point:  Paul is saying your "privilege" is not to be used for your advantage but for others.

Grammar Reflection

What level of Greek is too smooth for writing??  A few times in the New Testament, the writing is so smooth that people wonder if the words were poems for liturgical hymns.  In fact, when I read verse 6, I wonder this:

• one God the father, of whom all things and we are for him
• one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things and we are through him

The big pictures is that Paul moves on to talk about knowledge in our hearts.  But I wonder if he is weaving in hymn texts here.

John 1:43-51

This passage is found in Revised Common Lectionary for Epiphany 2, Year B (Most recently, Jan 17, 2021).  It also occurs in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 4 (Most recently Jan 14, 2018).
 
Summary:   This is a great passage, as are all passages from John's Gospel.  I want to play around with the OT imagery found in John and go out on a limb, a fig limb that is.  The first time we hear of figs is in the garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve adorn themselves, out of shame, with fig leaves.  The fig tree reminds us of human shame but also God's abundance.  It is fitting that Jesus finds a new disciple underneath a fig tree because this is where we find ourselves.  At the crossroads of sin and mercy.  It also reminds us of Jesus' purpose as the gardener:  To usher us into a new garden brought about by the cross of sin and mercy.

Key words:
ακολουθει  ("follow"; vs. 43)  This means follow.  Jesus here puts his invitation so gently.  Most times "follow me" texts are associated with the cross and temptation.  Here we simply have a friendly "come and stop by my house if you get a chance" kind of invitation!

ερχομαι & οραω (1:39; 1:46; 4:29; 11:34, 19:33; 20:8 "Come and see").  These two verbs come together a number of times in John's Gospel. A quite impressive list actually:
A) When Jesus begins his ministry
B) When the woman at the well returns to her hometown to invite others (different cognate for "come");
C) When they bring Jesus to Lazarus' tomb
D) When they find Jesus on the cross
E) When they come to the empty tomb.

John's Gospel invites us to come and see, even Jesus on the cross and finally the empty tomb.  The result of coming and seeing is believing.

συκη ("fig tree"; vs 1.48 and 50).  The Bible contains numerous references to fig trees.  Jesus preaches parables on them.  Metaphors about the end times allude to the both the weakness of the fig leaves but also the bounty of figs.  As the NET Bible notes:  "Many have speculated about what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Meditating on the Messiah who was to come? A good possibility, since the fig tree was used as shade for teaching or studying by the later rabbis (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 5:11). Also, the fig tree was symbolic for messianic peace and plenty (Mic 4:4, Zech 3:10; You shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig tree.)"

I have a more "out there" connection.  It is clear that John 1 drips with OT references.  Nathaniel calls Jesus the king of Israel.  Alone in this pericope, Jesus declares himself to the be son of Man with angels descending on him.  This calls to mind all sorts of OT passages, including Jacob's ladder.  So I venture that the fig tree here is a reference to figs in the garden of Eden.  Where do we find ourselves?  In a broken world covered by fragments of God's mercy.  God intends better than fragments; indeed, heaven's gate is reopened in Jesus Christ; the Garden's door is no longer barred by a flaming sword.

Grammar concept:  Present tense in John's Gospel.

The present tense often signifies repeated action, in contrast to the aorist tense.  The produces some very nice theological conclusions.  For example, "follow me" is in the present tense in vs 43, ακολουθω.  The idea is that we are to keep following Jesus.  It doesn't work as well in vs 43, however, with the verb "find", ευρισκω.  This is also in the present tense. Does Jesus keep finding Philipp?  It seems unlikely within the context of the story, although it makes for a very nice sermon point ;-)  Sometimes it is hard to know, when John is simply being poetic and when he is deeply theological. 

Mark 1:14-20

This passage occurs in the RCL, Year B, during the Epiphany Season (most recently Jan 2024)
 
Summary:
I am struck this time by the word repent.  What does this word really mean?  As Lutherans we often combine this word with forgiveness and dream of our Lenten sacrifices.  Yet the word in Greek literally means "new way of thinking."  While I would not want to make repentance into simply a "head" thing, I am wondering what about my worldview, my thinking, is different because I am a Christian?  Am I more hopeful?  What about my own perspective needs repenting?  What makes me hold onto the nets instead of jumping into the water?

Key words:
ευθυς  ("immediately"; 1.18,20)  The word "immediately" is used 11 times first chapter alone!  You can actually mark the tempo of Mark's Gospel by this word alone, used 40 times throughout the whole book!  It drops off quite noticeably after chapter 6, is almost non-existent in chapters 10-13 and then drops back in for the passion narrative!  As one of my profs put it:  the first eight chapters cover three years; the last eight three months, with chapter 14, 15 and 16 covering the last week!

κηρυσσω ("proclaim"; 1:14)  Mark loves this word, using it more than any other author.  This makes sense -- for Mark the disciples are a bunch of sinners who don't do much right, so at least they should proclaim what Christ has done!  This also builds off of the perfect tenses used with the verbs "arrived" and "fulfilled."  We are simply announcing what God has done.

ευαγγελιον ("good news"; 1:14)  This word is rather difficult to interpret (always, right!) in the Gospel of Mark.  It is never really defined, but Jesus refers to its importance in connection with death (8:35) and salvation (16:15).  The Gospel opens by declaring that the whole book is about the Gospel, but it is worth us considering, especially as we head into a year of preaching from Mark's Gospel, what we consider to be our own and Mark's understanding of the Gospel.  I wrote above that in Mark's Gospels, the disciples don't do a lot right.  But yet in our story this week they drop everything they have to follow Jesus.  God's Word, however hard human hearts may be, still achieves its purpose.

μετανοεω ("repent"; 1:14)  This word sort of drops out of Mark, almost suggesting that it drops out of Jesus' own ministry as he discovers the limitations of the disciples.  Another way to think about this is to consider the Greek meaning of the word, which literally means "new mind."  Stories later in the Gospel -- Bartimaeus or the woman anointing Jesus -- show someone whose life is transformed by Jesus.  So it may not be explicit, but the repentance continues.  In Lidell-Scott's ancient (and secular) Greek lexicon, repent means to change one's mind or purpose.  We often put repentance together with sin, a fine thing, but perhaps we need to consider that repentance means often more than simply a struggle against temptation, but a paradigm shift, a transformation of our whole outlook, if not way of life and even being.  Jesus is one whose power and even charisma compel us to switch our worldview, our words and finally our actions.

I read a very fascinating book three years ago -- and I need to find the title!! -- but it was a contemporary author comparing ancient Greek notions of repentance, Judeo-Christian notions of repentance and modern notions.

The basic point was that in ancient Greece, repentance had mainly to do with saving face - recanting what one had said (external change against an external standard).  In Judeo-Christian tradition, repentance had to do with the struggle against in and the flesh (internal against an external standard).  In modern terms, repentance has more to do with being true to yourself and then expressing this (external  change against an internal standard).  I felt like the book was good, but could have been better because it got at such an important set of questions.  Are we actually willing to conform our lives anymore to any external standards or do we simply need external approval for our internal convictions?

παραδιδημι ("betray"; 1:14)  This verb will come back into Mark's Gospel when Jesus is betrayed by Judas.  We say this word each week in our communion liturgy.  This verb serves a double purpose:  It lets us know why Jesus got into ministry in the FIRST place...and the FINAL place, the real FIRST place anyway.

2020-2021 Reflection:

καταρτιζοντας (καταρτιζω, meaning "restore", 1:19)  I love this word!  It means to 'restore' in a specific sense -- like restoring nets, but also in a broader sense -- like restoring a community. 

• to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12)
• My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. (Galatians 6:1)
• Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.  (1 Corinthians 1:10)
• Then we spoke to those elders and asked them, 'Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?'   (Ezra 5:9)
• Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.  (2 Corinthians 13:11)

I think much of our efforts in ministry is the word of restoring the nets -- mending the broken lives, the broken community, the broken church.  Yet we can't lose right that in our efforts to be build the kingdom, we lose the KING!  We can't lose sight of Christ in our effort to make Christians.

How Grammar changed the world: 

Luther's Thesis # 1:  When our Lord and master Jesus Christ commanded us to repent, he willed that the whole life should be one of repentance.

Luther read the Bible in Greek and therefore discovered that Jesus' command to repent is in the present tense, suggesting an on-going nature to his command.  We are to continually repent is what Jesus said and what Luther captured in his 95 thesis.  The Latin translation did not capture this on-going nature to Jesus command and had been transformed into "do penance."  Who says Greek exegesis cannot change the world?

Mark 1:4-11

This passage occurs for the Baptism of Jesus, year B, most recently Jan 7, 2024.

The first chapter of Mark appears in various snippets in the lectionary.  I comment on the textual and theological issues of Mark 1:1-8 here.  For this passage I will look carefully at 9-11.

Γαλιλαια (Galilee, 1:9)  Jesus is coming from the north country, not the power base in Jerusalem.  It turns out that there is some controversy regarding the exact location of Jesus baptism!!  Jesus may have needed to cross through Samaria to get to the the location of the baptism. 

[If you are interested in this debate, here is a link to an interesting article.  By interesting, I mean the kind of thing that drives me nuts.  Archeologist who discovers something so he or she gets press...This person then promulgates their view that everything in Scripture was written to justify religious-political aims rather than anything that bears witness the sacred mystery revealed in Jesus.]

εβαπτισθη (aorist form of baptize, 1:9)  The word for baptism has its own fascinating meaning, explored lots in other posts, but I want to simply offer here a reminder that it doesn't have the same ritual and theological connotations here yet.  It simply met he was washed.  More significant than any conjugation of this verb, however, is its placement within the overall story of Mark.  What happens before the Baptism doesn't matter to Mark!!  (And to Paul either, really).

present participles:  The next verse (10) has three present participles:

αναβαινων
σχιζομενους
καταβαινον

Before analyzing what each means, pay attention to the fact they are all in the present.  As participles, this means they are happening at the same time.  Jesus was coming up out of the water, the heavens were ripping and the Holy Spirit was descending into him!  It is as if Mark is drawing three harsh brushstrokes.  One up, one across and one down.  The world is changing.  The energy in Jesus cannot be contained.  A superhero is born, folks!!

The word most worth pay attention to here is the word, "σχιζομενους", literally, schism!  The heavens are being torn apart.  The next time something will get torn apart is the curtains in the temple at the end of Mark.  First, Mark posits that Jesus Baptism changes the relationship between God and humanity; second, Jesus Baptism and cross are related

εις (into, 1:10).  For the other three Gospel writers, the Spirit rests upon Jesus.  Not for Mark; the Spirit goes into Jesus! 

The next two sentences offer a jarring juxtaposition:

"My beloved son, with whom I am well pleased"

"The Spirit cast him out into the wilderness."

The love of God doesn't preclude suffering and challenge!

Matthew 2:1-12

This passage occurs in both the Revised Common Lectionary and Narrative Lectionary during the Christmas season.
 
Summary:  Don't get hung up on the meaning of the word magi and who they were.  The issue at stake is:  Who is Jesus?  The epiphany of our Lord has begun.  He is Messiah, King, and Shepherd.  Deconstruct the titles and gifts as you will; a good sermon on this text should focus on Christ's identity.  Especially interesting are the parallels between this passage of Matthew 2 and the later scenes with Herod, the chief priests, the scribes and Pilate.

Key words:
μαγοι ("magoi", meaning "magi", 2:1)  as Liddell Scott puts it:  "one of the wise men in Persia who interpreted dreams."  They were probably not kings...but they do bring royal gifts and are granted a royal audience.  They were almost certainly not Jews.  Rather than fixate on their wealth or non-wealth, I think their gentile status is a powerful point, especially in Matthew's Gospel, which spent chapter 1 in a Jewish genealogy.  Jesus is for everyone.

χριστος ("Christ", meaning "anointed", 2:4)  This is a crucial term in Matthew's Gospel.  Jesus is the anointed one, prophesied about for centuries in Judaism.  Matthew uses the term three times in chapter 1.  It will be featured in Peter's confession of faith (16:16) and will later be used in Jesus' suffering and trial (various points in 26 and 27).  In fact, almost all of these titles here for Jesus show up again in Jesus passion:

King of the Jews:  βασιλευς των Ιουδαίων (2:2)  Later in Jesus's life, this will be the accusation made against him, that he claims this (Matthew 27:11); finally, this will be put on Jesus cross (27:37).  It is worth asking -- should only Herod be scared?  No.  All of Jerusalem.  Why?  There is a political-historical reason, but I think a spiritual reason we can all connect with -- what does it actually mean if Christ is king of our life?

Leader:  ηγούμενος (2:6) who shepherds (ποιμαινω, 2:6)  Jesus will tell the people that the Shepherd is going to be struck down (26:31)

In some ways, you could probably match up the gifts of the magi with these various offices (gold for the king; incense for the Messiah; myrrh for the shepherd-leader.)  My point is not to pin down a one-to-one comparison, but rather to say that the text invites one to think about WHO is Jesus Christ.  Hence this is an epiphany text, a revelation of who Christ is.  Like all good texts about Christ's identity, it points toward his suffering and death as well.  A good sermon on this passage invites the reader to consider who Christ is as well.

Two little morsels:
θησαυρος ("thesaurus" meaning treasure, 2:11)  No great analysis, just a lovely word to know in Greek/English.
λιβανον ("Lebanon" meaning incense, 2:11)  The word for incense comes from cedar, because its bark provided the incense.  This is especially funny to me because I lived in Lebanon County where people refer to Lebanon as a type of bologna made here.