TGBC 20 Jan 2021. Mark 8:1-13. Jesus feeds 4000

 

Mark 8:1-13

Disciples’ Literal New Testament

Jesus Again Multiplies Loaves And Fish To Feed 4000

8:1 In those days, there again being a large crowd, and they not having anything they might eat— having summoned the disciples, He says to them 2 “I feel-deep-feelings [of compassion] toward the crowd because it is already three days they are remaining-with Me, and they do not have anything they may eat. 3 And if I send them away to their house hungry, they will become-exhausted on the way. And some of them have come from a distance”. (an old-timer, I like that the KJV says "for divers of them came from far").

4 And His disciples responded to Him that “From where will anyone be able to fill these ones to satisfaction with bread here in a desolate-place?” 5 And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And the ones said “Seven”. 6 And He orders the crowd to fall-back on the ground [to eat]. And HAVING TAKEN the seven loaves, HAVING GIVEN THANKS (εὐχαριστήσας eucharistesas), He BROKE them, and WAS GIVING them to His disciples in order that they might be setting them before them. And they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small-fish. And having blessed them, He said to be setting these also before them. 8 And they ate and were filled-to-satisfaction. And they picked up the leftovers of fragments— seven large-baskets. 9 And there were about four-thousand men. And He sent them away.

The Pharisees Ask For a Sign. No Sign Will Be Given To This Generation

10 And immediately, having gotten into the boat with His disciples, He went to the regions of Dalmanutha. 11 And the Pharisees came out and began to debate with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. 12 And having sighed-deeply in His spirit, He says “Why is this generation seeking a sign? Truly I say to you, a sign will never be given to this generation”.

13 And having left them, having again gotten into the boat, He went to the other side.

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Sure enough, here we are, another great story finishing up the parallel sets of five comparable miracle stories in each set, did Jesus, through Mark writing forty years later, mean the first set to be for Jews and the second set for gentiles? Mark does not make Jesus' location absolutely completely clear, but it appears that the first set occurs on the western, Jewish, side of the Sea of Galilee, and the second set on the eastern side, among gentiles around the Decapolis. 

We remember, whereas it's pretty clear that the Gospel according to Matthew is written by an anonymous Jewish-Christian writer whom we call "Matthew" for members of his Jewish-Cristian church in crisis, Mark (also anonymous notwithstanding traditions about him) seems to be a gentile writing to a gentile audience. So, may we take the above dual/parallel literary scheme symbolically to indicate that Jesus came first for his Jewish brethren, then took his possibilities to the gentiles? So, in the endings, first a Jewish crowd was fed, but ultimately a gentile crowd? Would that fit Mark's agenda? Without overworking the point, you may read a dozen essays about it and find no two in full agreement, but maybe so.

At verse 6 above I've inserted Mark's NT Greek word εὐχαριστήσας, "having given thanks", to show the eucharistic nature of the occasion. Did Jesus early on make a eucharistic event of thanksgiving every time he hosted a meal for folks? Does the action throughout Mark, Take & Bless & Break & Give, repeated by Matthew and Luke, suggest that he did, and that this may have already been Jesus' practice before he instituted it at the Last Supper? A bread and fish eucharist? Wine, for scripturally traditional blood covenant, is not needed until the blood sacrifice on Calvary, so a thanksgiving meal of bread and fish, the sustenance of life? I'm good with that.

Our task as Episcopalians is not so much to find answers as it is to surface questions for contemplation and discussion. At least, that's our approach in Sunday School class.

As we progress through Mark, continue to notice his use of "and" and "immediately" as part of getting to know Mark more personally. Literarily for instance, we understand Tom Sawyer better by getting to know Mark Twain. Mark Evangelist may not be very sophisticated as a Greek writer, but he's as clever as writers can be in laying out his story. 

As we may notice in tomorrow's reading, verses 10-13 of today's lesson seem better to fit as part of tomorrow's assignment.

If you enjoyed Mark Twain's books Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you know Samuel Clemens as a clever, skillful writer even if now socially politically abominable. In my view, Mark Twain doesn't hold a candle to Mark the Evangelist. 

As I write, it's three o'clock in the morning on Wednesday, January 20, 2021: this message is brought to you by the letters J and K, and by the numbers 20 and 9 (ho anaginowskown noeito).

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Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.