Mark 7:1-8; 14-15; 21-23

This passage occurs in the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, most recently September 1, 2024
 
Thought/summary for 2024:  It is easy for us to agree with Jesus here in critique of ancient Jewish food practices and customs.  But we cast the first stone too quicky.  We obsess over the food we eat; our choices about what, when and where to eat have become a marker of identity, character and even politics!  We live in a world in which we signal our environmental virtue and intestinal sophistication by ordering almond milk in a latte whose container we proceed to throw away ten minutes.  What does it mean for Jesus to say to a culture obsessed with both signaling and determining virtue based on that food - that food is not the center of our life together?  Especially coming after the weeks of Jesus being the "bread of life"?

Previous summary, 2015, far closer to my time in Seminary: 

This is a grand set of verses for Lutherans.  It shows a bunch of unclean people eating bread and learning from Jesus; it rebukes the piously proud; and intensifies the law so greatly that we all must confess our sins.  As easy and good sermon is clear.  I wonder if the challenge is helping people understand how to distinguish between the commandments of God (which Jesus does not abrogate) and the dictates of men.  To put it another way, I think we will all preach a good sermon on law, Christ and forgiveness.  But what about that thorny issue -- in the religious soup we call consumer Christian America, what is from God and what is from humanity?  And how can we tell?

Key Words:
κοινος  ("common" or "defiled", 7:2, 5 and 15 and 20 as a verb)  This word can have a range of meanings.  "Koine" Greek, for example, refers to the Greek everyone held in common.  "Koinonia" means Christian fellowship of the highest degree.  κοινος in this case means common, as in unsanctified -- common to the point of being unclean and unfit for duty. 

It is worth pointing out that Jesus does not abolish the idea of common/holy.  He disorients the previous understandings and then reorients it by including a (laundry) list of sins.

συναγονται ("gather", from συναγω, 7:1)  I love this verb!  It will come into English as "synagogue"  The image here from Mark them is a bunch of people, unclean sinners, gathering around Jesus to hear his teaching and eat bread.  There is a congregation here of sinners.  The pious are rebuked, but all recognize their guilt.

βαπτιζω ("baptize"/"wash", as noun and verb in verse 4).  The word baptize has a host of meanings in ancient Greek related to washing.  In this case, it means a ceremonial washing to cleanse something for a holy purpose.  What is worth remember here is that the baptism does not simply confer a status but prepares for use.  In the same way, our baptisms do not simply confer a status but prepare us for use.

κρατουντες ("hold", from κρατω, 7:3, 4 and 8)  This word will come into English in words like "democracy"; it means "hold" but even "seize" or "rule."  We certainly have met people who cling to the law.

παραδοσις ("handed over", 7:3,5,8,9, 13)  This word also literally means give over!  It can have a generally positive sense of tradition (that which has been handed over); it can also mean betray (again, something handed over).  The idea is that tradition is passed over from generation to the next.  And lest you think the Bible doesn't like tradition, our whole Communion ritual, Paul declares, is tradition handed over to him.  Also haunting about Holy Communion, is that it remember the night in which Jesus was "traditioned", that is "handed-over."

υποκριτης ("hypocrite", 7:6)  The root of this word is theatre, that one answers from stage.  Jesus doesn't want us to be actors of the word, but doers.

Translation:  meaning of Greek uncertain
The phrase:  εαν μη πυγμη νιψωνται
means little to the Greek translator.  It literally means "except by washing with the boxing fist."  We have no idea what ritual is described here, other than some form of washing.  Even with big complex lexicons, sometimes you just don't know what the author of 2,000 years ago meant!  Fortunately in this case, the meaning of the passage is not altered.

Where will our next pastor come from?

Beloved Pastor X retires.  Pastor X did her best to ensure a good foundation in her last years.  When she walked out the door after her last Sunday, the church's finances and building were in good shape.  No debt!!  Admittedly, attendance was down compared to pre-COVID, but it was starting to come back.  There seemed a good nucleus of young families and there was a hope that with the new developments on the edge of town, growth could occur.  Pastor X had given the denominational representative a year's notice and the leadership in the church a full four months to prepare.

Yet, the congregation is now on their third (part-time!) interim.  The one pastoral candidate whose name they were given clearly wasn't a good fit...

Sound familiar?  I've seen it again and again with vacancies in my area -- and not just in my denomination.

It isn't just your church that has trouble finding a pastor

For the last two generations (or more), mainline churches that were healthy could have confidence that after their pastor left, their denomination would provide them with candidates for ministry who were:

• Trained theologically, typically with a Master of Divinity degree
• Experienced with basics of leading worship and preaching
• Vetted for emotional and psychological health by the denomination

I acknowledge that rural, especially remote, urban and poor areas have often struggled to attract and maintain clergy.  But if the congregation (and zip code) were healthy, typically congregations would be able to find not just any clergy person, but one who fit their demographic and even political preferences.  

This is no longer the case.

There is simply not enough clergy to fill open calls

Simply put, most congregations have far more open calls than clergy.  This is true in mainline congregations; it is becoming true even in more conservative and evangelical denominations.  It is true in rural, urban and suburban contexts.  

The ELCA - my denomination - has been and will continue to retire 500-600 clergy a year for most of this decade.  We will graduate 75-100ish pastors per year.  In short, we will see a reduction in the number of pastors by 50% within 6-7 years.   Even if we close a quarter of our churches over that time, we still would see a massive number of churches without a pastor.

Politics amplifies the shortage

Denominations are often theologically mixed.  The allegiance to historical confessions has waned over time.  This means that congregations cannot be confident that a given pastor will hold the same views on the sacraments, liturgy, the particular traditions, etc., as they do or the last pastor held.  This has always been somewhat the case.  People were able to exist within big "tent" denominations; typically left of center clergy successfully ministered to typically right of center congregations.  The liturgies, social ministries and pastoral care kept people united.

What changed?  First, the denominational leadership within mainline churches has increasingly become aligned along a progressive social orientation.  Furthermore, congregations and clergy are less likely to "restrain" their political beliefs.  This means that while most congregations remain a political mixture of folks, clergy - especially new clergy - are often (stridently) progressive in an environment in which moral pressure is exerted on people to imbue their theology with politics.  This increases conflicts and burnout.  It also reduces the number of potential matches for clergy and congregations.  

Other demographic realities matter too

While politics is king in the US...lots of other factors influence the capacity of clergy to take calls.  Housing right now is expensive in most communities, demanding that most people have two incomes, especially if they are to afford child-care.  This brings up the reality of not simply having a good call, but availability of work for a spouse...who has his or her own career trajectory.

In addition, a number of women and definitely LGBTQ+ candidates feel (know!) that congregations will not accept them, even if the denomination has authorized them. 

In short, even if a denomination produced as many clergy candidates as it did 30 years ago, this would likely still produce challenges for congregations to find a match.

How are denominations responding to this?

Since we expect (mainline) denominations to supply pastors for churches, we can start here.  Why aren't denominations doing more to address this problem?  The simple (and not cynical) answer is that denominations simply lack the ability to address the issue.  

First, a pastor typically takes decades to make.  The erosion of children, youth and young adult ministries limits a quick turn around.

Second, most denominational offices spend most of their time on three things, none of which really help produce new clergy

• Dying congregations
• Misbehaving clergy
• Social issues

Third, most denominations are a cobbled together network of congregations, seminaries, social ministries and camps.  Even if a denominational leader wanted to move in X direction, getting all the pieces on board to move in sync is nearly impossible.  Can you imagine, for example, how many separate endowments exist in the Episcopal church?  My denomination, the ELCA, is such a crazy mix of interconnected pieces, they actually refer to it as an "eco-system."

In short, even when denominations want to change it, the leaders face systems that are dying, grieving and complex, confronted by too many short-term problems to address long-term opportunities.  Sometimes mid-level bodies (a diocese or synod) are more able to develop certain programs that attract, train and sustain clergy.  But generally, this has not been the focus of most mainline bodies.

How are congregations responding to this?

Churches are increasingly confronted then with an uncomfortable reality -- they simply cannot find a "major league pastor", i.e., someone in their denomination who is educated, certified and ordained...even when they can afford such a candidate!  (And again, this ignores the political reality that congregations face in terms of matching a candidate with their congregation's political temperament). 

When this happens...

• Congregations become open and hire pastors/deacons/elders/ministers of different theological traditions.
• If they are larger churches, they likely start hiring pastors from other congregations who are successful but feel stymied by the smaller church environment. 
• People begin to weaken their demand for theological education.  They accept

• Seminarians, who are given way more permission than previous generations to lead congregations during their education.
• People who will not go to Seminary, but are open to some modicum of training and will get special permission from the denomination to serve.  (In my denomination, this was invented for rural and ethnic minority congregations, but now has become approved for churches that can pay, but cannot find a clergy person).
• Fourth, they look within.  Every church has them -- people who have talent, but who have neither gone nor could go go to Seminary; or perhaps someone who is willing to go for some training, but would not be able to finish an masters degree.  The former or existing pastors in that congregation authorize or even ordain this person for ministry at that congregation.
• Fifth, they are invited into coops or multi-point parishes.  Why this could work but often doesn't is a whole other post!

All of these have happened for decades, if not centuries.  The difference is that they are becoming common, rather than a small minority.

How can I lead my congregation into this reality?

• Define core values around pastoral leadership

You might have to let go of your previous expectations that a pastor must have an MDiv, have board certification and ordination from a denomination.  Something is going to give.   For Lutherans, this is forcing a very hard conversation about our core theology, specifically certain articles of the Augsburg Confession.

Ask yourself - what do we want in a pastor?  Is a pastor the most important thing?  What is of fundamental importance for us to have moving forward?  Our building?  Our community?  A full-time pastor?  An X denomination accredited person?

• De-pastorify as much as you can

Ask yourselves now -- what have we asked clergy to do that others can do?  If you only get 1/4 time clergy or have to share clergy, what can they alone do that others cannot?

• Train-up pastors, deacons and elders

Ask yourselves -- whom can we ask to take some seminary classes to prepare for a semi-pastor or bi-vocational role?  Who might God have given gifts for congregational leadership?  For preaching?  For leading worship?

How are you called to pass on the fundamentals of the faith and the skills to lead? 

• Find partner churches 

Increasingly, churches will need to return to previous models of ministry in which there was one pastor for many churches.  But for various reasons, returning to this model is very difficult for churches.  Re-consider!

• Find partner churches, not for clergy, but clergy education

Lastly, there is a good chance that your next pastor will come from within your ranks.  However, this can create problems in terms of having clergy with too narrow of experience and not enough separation from their flock.  A better solution might be finding partner churches with whom you can raise up leaders so that people can "cross-train."  This is essentially what the whole denomination did, but given the present state within denominations, this becomes increasingly hard.

This article breaks my heart to write (and to read!)

I have a lot of grief writing this.  I loved my seminary education and graduating with a ton of young clergy.  It felt like a Hogwarts experience!  I loved growing up in a robust denomination that had lots of folks, ministries and programs.  I lament that it is dying. 

I am writing this because I had so many conversations about this over the past six months and wanted to organize my thoughts.  I also want to point people toward the painful reality that resuscitation is unlikely.  Scaling down an organization to a previous size is infinitely harder than scaling up, which is in itself, a big challenge.  If people are passionate about helping their congregation move forward, they will need to embrace a very different reality when it comes to clergy than the previous two to three generations lived with.

What about resurrection?

I do believe in resurrection.  I am not worried about the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.   I see all sorts of evidence of Reformation (and Lutheran) truths continuing to change people's lives.  I see all sorts of ministries flourishing and bearing witness to Jesus.  I also see many congregations finding ways to die with generosity and faith.  I also know that God continues to create the congregations from the margins and the seemingly most unfertile soil.

God is always doing a new thing.  That said, I have avoided too much theological language here.  Because simply, I do not know fully what God is doing with the mainline churches.  Are the changes at work making these congregations less clerical in a good way...or speeding up the demise of low-church protestant churches?  Are these changes wiping out more progressive congregations or freeing up certain denominations to embrace fully a progressive agenda?  My gut is that rather than know what God is doing, we would simply be declaring our own preferences.  But yes, this is always fascinating to consider -- what is God putting to death and what is God bringing to life?  And what in me must die to move ahead in this new reality as I think about how to serve as a pastor, relate to other pastors and train up future leaders?

Mark 6:14-29

This passage occurs in the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, most recently for July 2021

Summary:  It is quite odd that this story appears as a lectionary text.  There are no words or teachings of Christ.  I will pair this up with Jesus feeding everyone immediately following all of this.

It is quite striking the contrast between the work of the powers in this world and the powers of Christ:  Throw a banquet for pleasuring the wealthy with sex and macabre vs feeding the poor; decapitation of the noble; recapitulation of all things, including human failings, into the cross.

Some words of juxtaposition:  Herod's meal vs Jesus' meal
Note I will also bring in Ephesians 1:3-14, which is the selected New Testament paired with this Gospel.  

ενεχω ("hold a grudge", 6:19) The word for "hold a grudge" is literally "have-in (ενεχω)" kind of like have it in for someone.  Jesus, on the other hand, has compassion (6:34)

αγιος ("holy", 6:20) There is an odd juxtaposition this week: Ephesians says we will be holy before God; here John is considered holy (αγιος) before Herod.

δειρνον ("banquet", 6:21) Herod throws a banquet here (δειρνον). The next chapter Jesus will throw a meal for his disciples and the 5,000.

μεγιστασιν χιλιαρχοις πρωτοις ("magistrates, high captains and 'the firsts', 6:21)  Mark really lay it on thick here letting us know the power and status of the guests.  Quite a contrast to the poor nameless masses whom Jesus serves.  Interestingly, the word for "groups" as in Jesus puts the people in groups is πρασια, which Liddel Scott says is "properly a bed of leeks: generally, a garden-plot."  Instead of divisions Jesus puts them into groups for planting!!

ηρεσεν ("please" from αρεσκω, 6:22)  Herod's main goal it seems, is to please himself and his guests.  Jesus goal is not to please himself but to χορταζω (satisfy!) the people.  This is a distinction worth pondering.

περιλυπος ("grieve", 6.26) Herod is deeply grieved (περιλυπος), the same word of Jesus in the Garden (I am deeply grieved).  Interesting to observe how quickly Herod goes from enjoyment to grief.  This is a reminder about a world in which pleasure becomes our main objective, for its thrills are fleeting!

αποστελλω ("send", 6:27)  Herod sends (like as in sends an apostle) to order the execution of John the Baptist.  Jesus on the other hand, sends his disciples to feed people.

αποκεφαλιζω ("behead", 6.27) Herod orders John αποκεφαλιζω (beheaded); this then presents a fascinating juxtaposition between the Ephesians 1 text and this one; Jesus ανακεφαλιοω (Eph 1:10, recapitulates, brings all things together, heads all things up) whereas all Herod can do is decapitate.

Some other minor comments:

6:14 Herod hears that Jesus' name has become known (or manifest: phaneros/φανερος). Jesus warned in 3.12 not to make known (phaneros) what had happened; and that in 4.22, things will be made known. Well, now things have been made known and the result is not good.

6:14 The word "dyanmis" (δυναμις) continues to "manifest" itself in Mark; here it is in the plural which means it should be translated miracles.

6:27 The word for executioner is "σπεκουλάτωρ" - if you pronounce this out-loud you can hear an English word:  "Speculator"  The speculator was the attendant of the Emperor who would look-out to protect the Emperor.  Nothing for a sermon here, but fascinating history of this word.  Also interesting to see how Greco-Roman Herod had become!

Mark 6:1-13

This passage occurs in the RCL, Year B (most recently Summer 2024)
 
To summarize: 

In recent years, Christians (in America) have often felt discouraged by the social setting in which we find ourselves.  In this passage, the Greek makes it abundantly clear that Jesus sends out his disciples into a very difficult world, one that basically rejects him.  Into this world, the disciples are sent out

A) in teams

B) to proclaim, call to repent, and heal

C) to move on from those who reject them (i.e., not live in anger, but in hope for the next interaction!). 

Sounds like good advice for the missionary church in the West today!

χειρων (from χειρ, meaning "hand", 6:2,5)  Jesus does not just preach to people, he touches their lives.  Even the disciples who go out proclaiming Christ use oil, suggesting they too touched people!  The church is a mouth-house of the word, indeed, but proclamation is not separate from getting our hands dirty!

A trifecta of words Mark words uses to show just how bad it was for Jesus:
εσκανδαλιζοντο (from σκανδαλιζω, meaning, "to take offense", 6:3):  The word comes into English as scandalized; the world was scandalized by the teachings of Jesus!  Our goal is not to make the teachings of Jesus inoffensive to the world!

ελεγεν (imperfect of λεγω, 6:4)  Jesus is repeatedly saying he has no honor!  The imperfect tense means on-going action; Jesus did not say once, but continually was telling them he had no honor.

εθαυμαζεν...απιστιαν (amaze (θαυμαζω) and unbelief (απιστια), 6:6); In spite of the fact that the crowd is amazed at Jesus' teaching, they still are reluctant to believe.  This is a great reminder that there is a long gap between people saying "I think that church is doing great stuff" or "I hear that pastor is an excellent preacher" to confessing Christ as Lord.

In short, the environment in which Jesus sends out his disciples is one where
- Jesus teaching is offense, in spite of wisdom (σοφια, 6:2) and miracles!
- Jesus repeatedly acknowledges the difficulty he is facing
- Jesus is not recognized as Lord and Savior

εδυνατο...δυναμιν (both from the word power/ability, ie, dynamite; as a plural noun meaning miracles, 6:5)   The word for "able" as in "able to cure them" is "dyna-mai" which in noun form is "dynamis," or power comes from.  For those preaching the 2nd Corinthians Text, this is the same power that Paul talks about.

οἰκία (house, 6:10)  Just a reminder that missionary work involves getting into people's homes -- the place of intimacy in their lives.  Ministry is not done from afar, in abstraction, but in people's lives!

μαρτυριον (witness, 6:11) The testimony we are to offer is not necessary against them; the Greek is ambiguous. It could actually be as witness to or for them.  Regardless, we are not supposed to exhaust our resources fighting those who do not accept Jesus.

εθεραπευον (from θεραπευω, to heal, 6.5 and 6.13) I wrote about this word in a previous blog post:
http://lectionarygreek.blogspot.com/2011/05/acts-1722-31.html
Basically, Jesus turns the Bible upside-down by actually doing the service toward people, something that did not happen in the Old Testament.  Furthermore, he sends out his people into the world to serve (therapy) the world!

Mark 5:21-43

This passage is found in the Revised Common Lectionary, year B, Pentecost Season (Most recently Summer 2021).  Also it is found in the Narrative Lectionary, Epiphany Season, Year 2. 

Summary:  This story is classic Mark:  A power struggle is at hand, between Jesus and the world, between the crowds and the religious leadership, between life and death, between despair and faith.  In the end, Jesus will serve as champion, or perhaps in a surprising way, a calm, peaceful and loving savior.  Regardless of what tact one takes in working through this passage, one should wrestle with what it means to "save."  This passage, like most in Mark, suggests a far bigger definition of save than our typical religious discourse!

Key words:
συνηχθη (aorist passive from of συναγω, meaning "gather", 5:21).  This verb has a clear English cognate:  Synagogue, where folks were gathered.  In this case we have two synagogues -- the unofficial gathering (συνηχθη) around Jesus and the synagogue (συναγωγος).  Mark lets us know that the real power is in the gathering around Jesus.

σωθη (aorist passive subjunctive of σωζω, meaning "save"; 5:23).  In American Christianity, the word save almost always connotes a future state, often hell, from which one is "saved."  In this πασσαγε, the word σωθη is best translated "heal", as it can be in Greek.  A few points here:
- In the Bible, saving and healing are neither distant linguistically nor conceptually.
- Salvation grows out of faith.  In both stories, faith is needed.  In the second story, Jesus supplies the faith when we have lost it.
- Salvation is necessary for living.  It proceeds it grammatically in vs 23 and in our lives!
- Salvation brings new life.  In both stories, Jesus salvation brings NEW life.
- Salvation does not simply come from the spoken word.  In the later case, Jesus speaks and the girl arises.  But in the first case, simply the touch of Jesus heals the woman.  Jesus is the incarnate word -- when we think about how to heal people, it it not only our words, but also our touch - how we embody the word makes a difference.
- Saving is also for this life; I do not mean to juxtapose the importance of ultimate salvation against earthly in-breakings of the Kingdom of God.  They are related.  We can embrace the work of our savior in this life time.  

As I said earlier, most American Christians narrowly define "salvation" as "afterlife."  While I think the authors of the NET Bible understand this point, they offer that the saving in this story, "should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the immediate context; it refers only to the woman’s healing."  Again, there is a real discomfort among Christians about talking about the work of Jesus Christ outside of life after death.  It is always seen as an either/or rather than both/end.  To put it another way, I am becoming more convinced that when people show up at church on a Sunday, they are dying.  One could argue, they are already dead.  They need to be saved, that is, encounter the living Christ and hear his word, in order to live.

ελεγεν (imperfect of λεγω, meaning "say", 5:28)  The woman is repeatedly saying to herself -- not once -- that if she touches him, she will be healed.

μαστιγος ("whip" or "illness", 5:29)   The word for "disease" here comes from the word for whip; as in Jesus was whipped.  Jesus later tells her she is healed from this.  We must wonder -- how bad had things unraveled for her (v. 26).

εξ αυτου ("of him", 5:30).  Here I beg to differ with the translation, "The power went out from him."  The Greek here does not say this.   It reads "The from him (εξ αυτου) power went."  The positioning of "of him" likely means that it modifies the noun (power) not the verb (going-out).  The translators are lumping this preposition in with the verb and missing the connection between Jesus and the power.  Furthermore, this "of/from him" (εξ αυτου) power is kind of interesting...the power that arises from him?  Again, the preposition εκ/εξ can describe all sorts of relationships that encompass movement from/out of/originating in.  The power originating in him?  The power arising out of him?  The power belonging to him?  Regardless, the power is connected to Jesus, not simply in the air!

Θυγάτηρ ("daughter", 5:34)  There is a lot of debate about what the original Greek text reads here.  At stake is the last vowel.  Does the original read Θυγάτηρ or Θυγάτερ.  The difference being nominative (-ηρ) or vocation (-ερ).  If it is vocative (which the current NA does not believe it is), then Jesus is saying "My daughter", in that the vocative ending personalizes the address.  For example, in the story of Ruth, a number of times the English translates "My daughter" when the Greek is simply "daughter + genitive ending."

• The main Greek codices are divided.
• In Matthew's Gospel this story also has divided manuscript evidence
• In Matthew's Gospel, they go with the vocative
• In Mark's Gospel, Accordance actually records 5:34 as a vocative, even though it is clearly a nominative!

It is kind of cool to think that Jesus addresses her as his daughter!

αλαλαζοντας ("wail" in prepositional form, 5:38)  Just a reminder that in Biblical times, people mourned!

"Get up".  In vss 41 and 42, two words are used to describe the young girl getting up:  either εγειρω in vs. 41 or ανεστη in vs. 42.  Both are words used for resurrection in the New Testament; the reaction of those around, εκστασει (if you sound it out in English, ecstasy!), is that of the women at the tomb in Mark 16.  Lots of foreshadowing to resurrection here.

Mark 4:35-41

This passage occurs in the RCL, Year B (Most recently Summer 2024)
 
A guest post for this post is a friend of mine, Rev. James Rowe.

The assigned Gospel reading for this Sunday (Lectionary 12) is the powerful story of Jesus calming the storm. By itself, it is a wonderful story. But knowing the surrounding context can be quite helpful. This story begins with the little phrase "on that day, when evening had come" (4:35a) which means that Mark has set this story as a continuation of the parables of the kingdom Jesus has just spoken (4:1-34). In addition, it also serves as the introduction to story about the Gerasene demoniac (5:1-20), the first Gentile encounter Jesus has in Mark's Gospel.  The calming of the storm can serve both as a reflection on what the kingdom is like and also as an introduction to what it means to live in that kingdom as disciples.

Mark's Gospel tends to use the disciples as foils to Jesus, people who witness the unbelievable in Christ again and again and still struggle to understand who he is and what he is up to. Mark 4:35-41 highlights that usage in a few ways. First, Jesus is referred to as "he" (αυτον) as distinct from the  disciples.  Second, when they wake up Jesus, they do not refer to him as "Lord" (κυριος) but as "Teacher" (διδασκαλος) which seems to imply that the disciples still do not know who he truly is. 

Finally, the question of the disciples ("Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" 4:41b) goes unanswered, both showing their unbelief and also giving us readers a question to ponder as Jesus will soon be casting a legion of demons into pigs and ultimately into the sea he has just overpowered with a word.

When it comes to preaching this text, it could be interesting to end the sermon with the same question: "Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey him?" We preachers tend to tie our sermons off with pretty bows and end with "amen" or some Pauline phrase, but Mark's Gospel gives us a variety of texts where the lack of conclusion opens us up to the possibility of what God is doing in the "storms" of the world and in our lives. 

Rob's response to Jim's post:
In Jim's post, he put something in parenthesis that I wanted to unpack.  He wrote, "The Greek for awake is actually 'arose'."  Indeed, the word here is εγειρω, which also means raised up or even resurrected.  Once again, a subtle foreshadowing of the unfolding mystery in Mark's Gospel.  

In this passage of Jesus calming the storm, the word μεγας (mega, meaning big) shows up three times:  a BIG storm; a BIG calm and a BIG fear.  When Jesus power is revealed, it brings both calm and fear, an ironic, if not dialectical combination of emotions.  Perhaps the bigger the demonstration, the bigger the fear!  This also points to the resurrection in Mark's Gospel, when the full revelation of Jesus power is accompanied by great calm in the tomb but also also fear in the first witnesses (φοβεω, Mark 16.8).  

One other little grammar point on fear:
Cognate Accusative:  This fancy term is when the verb and object both are from the same word, like "I rode a ride."  It is considered bad English, but is quite common in Hebrew and in NT Greek.  In this case, Mark says they "feared a big fear" (εφοβηθησαν φοβον)  The weird conjugation of an aorist passive 3rd person plural makes this tough to see.  But it is really simple:  They feared a big fear!

Mark 4:26-34

This passage occurs in the RCL "Pentecost"/"Ordinary"/"Proper" Season, Year B, most recently Summer of 2024.
 
Summary:  When I first studied this passage for preaching, I was just finishing my first year of parish ministry.  At that point, two things stood to me.  First, the motif of "death and resurrection" in the first parable and the idea of "service to the neighbor" in the second parable.   As I re-read this passage in 2012, I focused more on how this passage relates to congregational leadership and fostering faith.  In 2015 through, I propose that Jesus is the mustard seed that dies to become the tree. 

I feel confident that while Jesus is THE seed that is sown, we are the plants.  We become the tree of life for the world.  While Mark's Gospel as a whole is characterized by the struggle of people and even disciples to understand, I believe this is a word of hope from Jesus about what happens through the community of faith.

Key Words:

Some words on church growth and leadership:
βαλη (from βαλλω; "thrown", 4:26)  The most famous "sower" parable, which is found earlier in chapter 4, has a professional sower "sowing" (σπειρω) the seed.  In this parable, we simply have a man throwing the seed.  This reminds us that the sowers of the Word need not be simply authorized and trained clergy, but that God chooses the foolish and insignificant to do the work of the Kingdom! 

Side note on Google:  Part of Google's success as a company is their willingness to try things.  They have created a culture where people are willing to throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks.  In fact, when it comes to advertising, Google encourages companies to try as many permutations of their wording as possible to see what works.  Churches tend to be much more cautious.  These parables encourage us to try stuff, trusting in God's generosity.

ελεγεν (from λεγω; "was speaking", 4:26) The imperfect tense is used here to portray Jesus speaking; this means that Jesus likely was repeating these parables more than once! Throughout this section, Jesus speaks in the imperfect tense, suggesting that he did not simply say this word but repeated it.  In order for Jesus to get his message across, he needs to say it over and over.  To go back to Google; Jesus has to try it in many ways to get it through!

αυτοματη ("automatically", 4:28)  This is a humble reminder for all pastors that growth in the church is not a result of our own efforts, but the will of the Spirit, manifesting itself!

Some words on death and resurrection, as well as classic Lutheran themes:
καθευδη and εγειρηται (εγειρω)  ("sleep and awake", 4:27):  These words can also mean to die and to rise.  This is a reminder that those of us that sow the seed will also experience death and resurrection.  I know I have often felt crushed as a pastor by the inability of people to hear the word.  And then risen to new life through worship and the Word!  It also strongly suggests daily dying and rising to live out our vocation of sharing the Word.

χροτον...πληρυς σιτον ("grass...full grain"; "4:28")  I am going to go out here on a limb, but I think this parable shows that sanctification and justification, while of the same movement, are not entirely the same.  To be raised up (justified) does not suggest that God's work in our lives is done.  The grass, while growing, must still grow into maturity. As χροτον (grass) it could still be eaten, but it will take time in order for it to become σιτον (seed itself) that could be used for next year's harvest.  Similarly, we are reborn in Baptism and renewed in our weekly confession and forgiveness; God's Spirit still works on us, through this renewal, to transform and grow us, so that we might be of use to our neighbor.  All metaphors are imperfect, but the emphasis here is not simply on the moment of receiving faith, but growing in the soil of the Word.  As a confessional Lutheran, I would want to add that growth means more faith, which means simply becoming more dependent on God.  To put this in a sound bite:  the taller the plant...the more it needs it roots.

επελυεν (imperfect form of επιλυω, meaning "settle or explain", 4:34)  First, this word is in the imperfect, suggesting the action is not perfect; it is incomplete.  Jesus began to or Jesus was continually explaining is a better translation.  These parables take a life time to understand!  The word itself means to settle, literally to untie.  Jesus is untying the parable!

Some words I put together to think about Jesus Christ as the seed and the church as the plant:

καρποφορεω ("bear fruit", 4:28)  The point of our dying and rising is to bear fruit (Romans 7:4).  In fact, one could argue that the seed that is being sown in this case is not simply Scripture but Jesus Christ, because the verb for the maturation of the seed is "παραδοι" from paradidemi.  This word means betray, which is a word that links and moves the plot ahead in Mark's Gospel.  The Gospel writer literally writes:  "The fruit is handed over, he immediately sends the sickle!!"  Strangely, this is the only time this verb appears with the word fruit; perhaps a further suggestion that Mark is referring to Jesus as the word of God that dies for us to become the tree.

αναβαινει ("ascend"; here meaning grow; 4:32)  Jesus does not say that "once the plant has grown" he says, "growS and becomeS and makeS" all in the present tense.  The growth of the mustard plant continues on and on.  In this sense, I see the mustard plant (in the parable) as something supernatural; I offer it is the church, born by the death of Jesus Christ.

 πετεινα του ουρανου ("bird"..."bird of heaven"; 4:32)  The NET Bible suggests this phrase means "wild birds" as opposed to "domesticated birds."  Even if the NET Bible overstates its case, a few points we can make if we compare the tree to the kingdom of God to the Christian community on earth, to finally, a congregation:
* The tree does not live for itself; the Christian life is not a life lived for oneself.  This is true for an individual and for a congregation. (Vocation 101)
* To be the church is to host not simply nice people that "look like us" but all sorts of wild birds, maybe even ones harsh to the church!