"After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth."~Genesis 8:6-11

Monday, October 29, 2012

Mark


Mark, who had been the interpreter of the Apostle Peter (Geulich), was the author of the Gospel of Mark.  He wrote it between 64A.D. and 67A.D. while he was in Rome, to his fellow believers in Rome.  The letter, however, would have been copied and distributed to other churches, as it was the first written account of Jesus’ life and teachings.  Mark himself did not know Jesus, but as he was close with Peter, had the opportunity to hear all about his ministry from one of his closest disciples.  (Hence the inclusion of stories that only the three disciples closest to Jesus would have known about. i.e. the Transfiguration 9:2-13). 

The initial recipients of this letter in Rome were facing harsh persecution under Nero’s rule- and harsh is an understatement.  They were being torn to pieces by lions and burned alive, used as human torches(Tacitus). Nero had blamed them for a fire in Rome in 64A.D. that had destroyed 7 of the 10 existing districts.  (An accusation which has been declared false by most historians today.)  And was now persecuting them relentlessly as punishment.  Rulers in Rome were often power-hungry, egotistical dictators who were received as gods, but Nero topped them all as a savage, homicidal tyrant. His rule extended from 54 A.D. until his death in 68 A.D. (Adams).

Geulich, Dict. Of Jesus, 514; quote from New Bible Dict. 728
Tacitus, Cornelius, Annals XV, 44
Adams, Tim.  Class lecture, October 16, 2012.


OBSERVATION
Theme (1:41) How Jesus cares for individuals
What happened?
Jesus touched a leper.
How does Jesus feel about the man?  He has pity on him.
What else does Jesus do?
Heals him.

INTERPRETATION
What did it mean to touch a leper in that day?
It made you unclean.  It was taboo. No one did it.
What statement is Jesus making by not only touching the leper, but healing him? 
In both actions he shows how much he cares for the man.  He’s willing to cross societal boundaries, even break traditions to display his love for him.

APPLICATION
Timeless Truth?
As Christ’s representatives in the world, we ought to be willing to go against societal expectations if it means that we can better show our love for others.  Also, actions can speak more powerfully than words, and they are what truly prove your feelings/beliefs. 


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