Monday meander, eh?

Same as yesterday: no moon, no stars, thick, dark, wall to wall clouds sitting barely an inch above the horizon all the way around. 75°F and 95% humidity. Looking across St Andrews Bay, an early fall day on the Florida Gulf Coast. Above, I am no photographer, but that is what I see from here on 7H porch.

And here's what the National Hurricane Center sees for our week:

Scroll down is Mark 8:27-38, our gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday. I'm not, but if I were doing a group Bible study or adult Sunday school class, I would look at a couple of things about the passage.

First, Mark's version as the first of the three synoptics, with both Matthew and Luke copying from Mark, and Matthew substantially embellishing what is usually called "Peter's Confession":

The Gospel: Mark 8:27-38

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do YOU say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

and Mark continues,

Mark 9:1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”

COMPARE

Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

AND ALSO COMPARE

Luke 9:18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” 21 He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone ...

++++++++++

First I might wonder if this is part of the Markan Secret in which Mark has Jesus shushing anyone who declares that he is the Messiah or the Son of God. Why does Mark do that? Scholars have argued about it for centuries, but it's part of Mark's masterful agenda of proclaiming Christ externally to the reader by brandishing the secret inside his story, that climaxes with the Roman centurion proclaiming, "Truly, this man was God's Son," and then the terrified women fleeing from the empty tomb and telling no one, and Mark's readers by then being so stirred up with frustration at all the blind idiots who can't see what's so obvious, that we readers jump up and run out and proclaim Christ. That's what Mark is all about.

Likely, I'd mention that some distinguished NT scholars (the Jesus Seminar coded this conversation black, if they're not one of your good sources no matter, they are one of mine) say that Jesus did not initiate conversations about himself, that this passage is not from Jesus' lips but is entirely a stylized construct of the primitive Christian community reflecting what they were coming to believe. My Bible and Sunday school classes were always openminded, thinking people, so that observation would not necessarily give them heart attacks.

Nevertheless and notwithstanding, it still stands as canonized scripture, so it's there to contemplate, including that Matthew expands largely on what Mark has Peter say, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God," and on Jesus' affirming response to Peter.

++++++++

Having just been involved with others about the book Revelation of John, my other interest would light on the apocalyptic nature of the last part of our Mark reading and its parallels in Matthew and Luke:

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

27 “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

AND

Luke 9:21 He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone,(N) 22 saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

23 Then he said to them all, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit them if they gain the whole world but lose or forfeit themselves? 26 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 Indeed, truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

+++++

Not meaning to lose anyone though few to none will read this far in my Monday nonsense, but along with the Little Apocalypse at Mark 13 and its synoptic parallels, the gospel evangelists do a good job of supporting scholars who point out that, like Paul, and consistent with widespread apocalyptic expectation in the Jewish (and later Jewish Christian) communities at the Time, Jesus himself also can be seen as an apocalyptic prophet, preaching cataclysmic events and the imminent coming of the Son of Man from Daniel 7 and climaxing in his establishment of the kingdom of God on earth. The gospel evangelists present Jesus as identifying himself with that Son of Man; and in retrospect, Jesus death, resurrection, and imminent (in that day) Second Coming play convincingly into the apocalyptic theme.

I doubt that anyone will have read this far with me this morning, but it would have made a fascinating Bible study session.

And, if you are ever of a mind to be offended by what I think and write, please bear in mind that the New Testament writers, thinkers, and the early church did not have the developed Christology and creedal theology that we have today, with our doctrinal certainties; they would have been contemplating and puzzling. That's what I try to do too. I try never to let what I believe, doubt, disbelieve, or dismiss as sheer nonsense get in the way of what I'm willing to study, consider, and discuss.

Anyway, RSF&PTL

T88&c

The Gospel

Mark 8:27-38

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.