Monday: Labor Day and kata Markon sneak peek
Nearly every weekday morning, hours after my early magic mug of hot & black, I think of making myself a sandwich for breakfast. Those years that Robert and I were walking and having breakfast out, someTimes at Big Mama's on the Bayou I'd have a BLT with double tomatoes and double bacon, someTimes at Cahall's I'd have a rare roast beef sandwich. Can't do it anymore because of a thing that's common especially among us elderly: carbo coma - - within ten or fifteen minutes the bread carbohydrates cause my BP instantly to drop, and so far down, 78/39 for example, that I have to collapse in bed, then sleep away my morning.
At this age, my hobby is taking a nap, preferably a morning nap after breakfast and an afternoon nap after noon dinner, but I don't always welcome having my morning wiped out, so've started trying to remember to avoid eating bread, toast, for breakfast unless I'm okay with the instantaneous morning nap.
Which brings me to this morning. First I got out the salmon/mayo salad to pile up on a slice of whole wheat bread and top off with another slice of bread for a lucious breakfast sandwich. Then I remembered: no bread, got things to do and I don't want to sleep the morning away. So, I put the sandwich fixin's back in the refrigerator and got out three eggs and a slice of cheddar. The result: three eggs fried over-medium, each topped with 1/3 slice of cheddar, a smear of mayonnaise, and a sprinkle of my NoSalt, which is zero sodium and 100% potassium against the fluid accumulation in my feet, ankles, legs that salt brings on. Picture above then: a new breakfast invention, which passed satisfactorily in place of a fried egg sandwich.
Now for my day.
In a few minutes I'll brew a second mug of hot & black to enhance this September 1 Labor Day holiday Monday morning. My main and enjoyable work this week is to continue prep for Sunday's study of Mark - - that is to say, Mark the Evangelist and the Bible book named "kata Markon" the gospel according to Mark.
All my years of doing this, I've tried to use some form of the "modern Bible criticism" approach to Bible study that I was taught in theological seminary, and that seminary professors urged us to share with our congregations, and I'm trying that again, sharing what I know. We'll read Mark One taking note of Mark's clumsy writing style and of the clever literary devices Mark uses to make his characters carry out his agenda for him.
As usual, I probably have too many handouts. Handout #1 is an Introduction to our study. Handout #2 is Mark Chapter One (NIV) so we can read aloud and watch Mark jump right into carrying out his agenda, plus note a textual issue at 1:41. Handout #3 is a paper "Is Mark a Trinitarian?". Handout #4 another paper, "Did John the Baptist Eat Locusts?". Handout #5 is "MK 1:41 Indignant/Angry or Compassionate?". Handout #6 is Mark Chapter Two (DLNT) so we can read and see some of Mark's peculiar writing details and his use of "Son of Man". Handout #7 is Mark Chapter Three (NRSV) with notes, to read if we get to it, or for folks to read at home if they wish. Handout #7 is Mark Chapter 4 with some markups, to read if we get to it, or for folks to read at home if they wish.
Dr Dan has already distributed some handouts to members of his regular Sunday school class. And I am now emailing handouts to others who email me that they'll be coming to the class, so they can read at least Intro Handout #1 and be ready to start with the rest of the class.
All this seems greatly over-organized, but it's been a while since I taught the class, and I myself have to get "up to speed" about how I used to do things so I'm comfortable with it again.
At any event, I will have a short Intro in class, and this (scroll down) is what I'm thinking of saying:
RSF&PTL
T89&c
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Quick intro to Mark
Good morning, I gave you HANDOUT #1, a printed introduction, to read beforehand so we don’t take up a lot of class Time for me to introduce Mark and his Gospel. I do still need to say this:
Studying Mark (writer and gospel) is like sitting in the audience and watching what’s happening on stage: we know what’s going on, but those on stage do not know and it can be very frustrating for us, which is what Mark intends!
We are reading Mark the way I learned Bible study in theological seminary: the gospel as a literary document, with special attention on Mark the author and how he gets his story across to his readers (that’s you).
Like all authors, Mark has an agenda. Mark’s agenda is to convince you the reader that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Son of Man, and to inspire you to proclaim Jesus.
Mark has a unique, clever feature to make his agenda succeed: it’s what scholars call the Markan Secret or Messianic Secret in which, except for the demons, nobody around Jesus realizes who and what Jesus is.
In Mark’s story, Jesus himself participates in the Secret by shushing the demons and the people whom Jesus heals, DON’T TELL, DON’T TELL, DON’T TELL, but people tell anyway, and Jesus is overwhelmed by crowds of folks who want healing.
Every Time Mark has Jesus say DON’T TELL, it’s Mark’s literary device (very subtle, very clever) of having Jesus himself tell you the reader that what the demon said is true: that Jesus is indeed the Holy One of God; and in the case of people whom Jesus healed, that Jesus has power over creation. Remember: Mark intends you the reader to become frustrated that, in spite of what they see, Jesus’ disciples never realize who and what Jesus is.
So please take HANDOUT #2, Mark chapter 1 (NIV) and I’ll start reading. I’ll pause to point out things as we read. Please be patient with me because discovering Mark, man and gospel, is what the class is about.