5. the gathering storm

8/11/2019 5. the Gathering Storm

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Lesson #5The Gathering Storm

(2: 1 3: 35)


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In Lesson #4 Jesus launched his public ministry in the wake of

John the Baptists arrest, not simply continuing Johns work, but

expanding it from Judea north to Galilee where he draws huge

crowds who witness his teaching, preaching and healing. In

Lesson #4 we learned that Jesus not onlyproclaims the gospel; he

is the gospel, the long-awaited good news.

In Lesson #4 the opening scene moves Jesus rapidly from one

encounter to another, prompting the ever-growing crowds to

react in astonishment to his words and deedswhile unclean

spirits or demons cower at his feet in fear.

All the while we sense a growing opposition to Jesus, a rumbling

beneath the surface of the text that will erupt as our story

progresses.


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As we enter Lesson #5 the inevitable conflict that we

sensed taking root in Lesson #4 ignites: surrounded

by a massive crowd, Jesus says to a paralytic, Child,

your sins are forgiven. The Scribesscholars in the

Mosaic Lawrightly point out that only God canforgive sins, triggering Jesus to heal the man

instantly, and the crowds to gape in astonishment,

saying: We have never seen anything like this!


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As our story progresses the conflict intensifies: Jesus calls Levi, a hatedJewish tax collector (and a Levite, at that!), to become one of his innercircle; Jesus banquets with tax collectors and sinners, breaking bread

with them and enjoying their company; Jesus breaks the Law by picking

grain on the Sabbath (recall the young man in Numbers 15: 32-36 who is

stoned to death for gathering wood on the Sabbath, a similar action); after

being chastised for picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus deliberately

provokes the religious leaders by healing a man with a withered hand on

the Sabbath, resulting in the Pharisees and Herodians plotting his death;

the huge crowds following Jesus continue to grow and become more

threatening; demons flee before Jesus; Jesus family arrives from Nazareth

to seize him, for they think he is out of his mind; Jesus rejects his family;

and the Scribes accuse him of being possessed by Beelzebub.

All the while people are astonished by Jesus words and actions, prompting

countless people to ask: Who is this man who can say and do such

things?


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In our first four lessons I illustrated how

Mark uses a variety of rhetorical and

stylistic devices to speed his narrativeforward and to build an increasing

sense of narrative tension. I did so

using my own translation of Marks

Greek text, emphasizing and

highlighting Marks prose style. Mark

continues using these devices through

16: 8.

Having made my point, we now turn to

the New American Bible (revised

edition) translation in The CatholicStudy Bible.


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Mark 2: 13: 35 presents a series of eight

vignettes with increasing opposition to Jesus,all of which take place at Capernaum:

Healing the paralytic (2: 112)

Calling Levi (2: 13-17)

Fasting (2: 18-22)

Picking grain of the Sabbath ( 2: 23-27)

Healing on the Sabbath (3: 1-6)

Healing large numbers (3: 7-12)

Calling other disciples (3: 13-19)

Intense opposition from Jesus family (3: 20-35)


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Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Entrance to the archaeological site of Capernaum.


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Peters house

where our first vignette

takes placeis only 37

yards from the synagogueat Capernaum!

Peters house


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Artists impression of a 1st-

century house in Palestine.

Reconstructed courtyard of a 1st-century house.


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Archaeological remains of St. Peters house today.


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So, lets turn to our story in

Mark 2: 1-12, the first of

eight vignettes thatillustrate increasing

opposition to Jesus and his

message.


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Harold Copping, Jesus Heals the Paralytic,

c. 1910.

Unable to get near Jesusbecause of the crowd, they

opened up the roof above him.

After they had broken through,

they let down the mat on which

the paralytic was lying.

(Mark 2: 4)


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But that you may know that the

Son of Man has authority to

forgive sins on earth he said to the

paralytic . . .

(Mark 2: 10)

Does Jesus address v. 10 to the Scribes

or is it a parenthetical remark addressedto Marks readers?

(You is grammatically a 2ndperson plural.)

Son of Man recalls Daniel 7: 13-14; it is

a self-referential title used only by Jesus

in referring to himself.

(Mark uses Son of Man 17 times: Matthew

uses it 29 times, Luke 29 times and John 12

times.)


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Fasting (2: 18-22)







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Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew (oil on canvas), 1599-1600.

San Luigi del Francesci, Rome.[Painted for the Contarelli Chapel where it still hangs today, this painting is placed between two

other Caravaggios, The Martyrdom of St. Matthew and The Inspiration of St. Matthew.]


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Fasting (2: 18-22)







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Likewise, no one

pours new wine intoold wineskins.

Otherwise, the wine

will burst the skins

and both the wine

and the skins are

ruined.

(Mark 2: 22)


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vignettes with increasing opposition to Jesus,

all of which take place at Capernaum:



Fasting (2: 18-22)







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Pieter Coecke van Aelst, Disciples Pick Grain (oil on wood), c. 1502-1556.

Private Collection.


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In Judaism, Shabbat (or the

Sabbath) is the holiest day of the

week, and it has three purposes:

1. To commemorate Gods creating the

universe, and then resting on the 7th

day;

2. To commemorate the Israelites

redemption from slavery in Egypt;and

3. To foreshadow Olam Haba, the

Messianic Age.

Pious Jews consider Shabbat as a

bride or queen and honor God

by honoring her.


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I observe Shabbat because:

1. No one should be a slave to work;

2. G-d said to honor the Sabbath,therefore I do it, and by doing so I

honor Him!


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In Leviticus 24: 5-9 we

learn that only a priest may

eat the consecrated bread

in the tabernacle, and he

may only eat it in a

consecrated place.

In 1 Samuel 21: 1-8, the

priest Ahimelech gives the

consecrated bread to

David, who is an outlaw onthe run. Read the story!


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Why would

Ahimelech do that?

?


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Since Davids life was at risk, it was

proper to give him the consecrated

bread, for human need takesprecedence over ritual law. Not so

with Jesus: his disciples simply

wanted a snack!

Jesus was wrong in this case.


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What should be

Jesus punishment?


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A man was found picking up

sticks on the Sabbath? This

man shall be put to death; let

the whole community stone

him outside the camp!(Numbers 15: 32-36)


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Fasting (2: 18-22)


Healing on the Sabbath (3: 1-6)Healing large numbers (3: 7-12)




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Man with Withered Hand (glass mosiac), c. 1180.

Cathedral of Monreale, Palermo, Sicily.


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In this 5thvignette, which follows the

picking grain on the Sabbath incident,

Jesus deliberately antagonizes the

religious leaders by publically healing amanin the synagogueon the Sabbath.

The religious leaders watch Jesus closely,

anticipating his actions;

Jesus brings the man front and center, so that

everyone can see what he is about to do;

The tension builds;

Looking around at them with anger, Jesus

heals the man [met= ojrgh: = (met org),

with wrath or intense passion];

The religious leaders walk out and

immediately[take] counsel with the

Herodians [the supporters of Herod Antipas] .

. . to put him to death.


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Once again, Jesus is wrong!As I stated before, human need takes

precedence over ritual law, but the

man had a withered hand for many

years, and he will continue to have a

withered hand for many more years.

Jesus could properly heal him before

or after the Sabbathbut not on it.


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Fasting (2: 18-22)






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In vignettes 4-6 Jesus works on the

Sabbath, clearly breaking the Mosaic Law

and the traditions that develop from it.

In vignette #4 Jesus allows his disciplesto pick grain on the Sabbath, simply

because they are hungry, and he defends

their actions before the religious leaders;

In vignette #5 Jesus deliberately

antagonizes the religious leaders byhealing a man on the Sabbathin the

synagogueeven though his condition is

chronic and not life threatening; and

In vignette #6 Jesus publically heals a

very large number of people on theSabbath, deliberately intensifying his

conflict with the religious leaders.


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Jesus Heals Many!


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Fasting (2: 18-22)






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Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles (tempura on wood), early 14th

century. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow.


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Fasting (2: 18-22)




Intense opposition from Jesus family(3: 20-35)


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In vignette #8 opposition against

Jesus reaches its climax when his

own family arrives from Nazareth

to sieze him, for they say, He is

our of his mind!(3: 21).

Structurally, Jesus family arriving

at Capernaum frames the Scribesmost serious claim that Jesus is

possessed by the prince of

demons, Beelzebub.


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In this series of eight vignettes

we see opposition against Jesus

mounting, scene by scene. TheScribes plot with the Herodians

to kill Jesus, and Jesus own

family travel to Capernaum to

seize him, for they are

convinced that he is out of hismind.

By the end of Mark 3 our storys

escalating tension and conflict

totter on the edge of crisis.

What will happen next?


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1. We have seen how Mark drives his narrative forward,using a variety of rhetorical and stylistic devices. Why,in chapters 2 & 3, does Mark introduce eightvignettes, all of which portray Jesus as a radical who isrejected by the religious authorities and even his ownfamily?

2. We have seen Jesus gather his inner circle of Peter,Andrew, James and John in 1: 16-21, and we see himcall his other disciples in 3: 13-19. Why does Markisolate the calling of Levi (Matthew) and insert itseparately as the 2ndvignette in this series of 8?

3. Are Jesus disciples right in picking grain on theSabbath?

4. Why does Jesus heal the man with the withered handin the synagogueand on the Sabbath?

5. What is the motive for Jesus familyincluding hismother Marygoing to Capernaum to seize Jesus?


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Copyright 2014 by William C. Creasy

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