In this passage we hear about Jesus passing by the Sea of Galilee and calling two sets of brothers. First, we encounter “Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon.” It is said that they were “casting a net” for they were fishermen. Mark’s use of the verb ἀμφιβάλλοντας is important to note here. Ballo by itself means to throw; the prefix amphi adds the sense of “around” or “on both sides.” Although there is no direct object, English translators supply “their nets” since that’s the implication. But hearing it in Greek, it sounds like they were “casting” or “throwing back and forth,” as in “vacillating,” “tergiversating.” Join me in a discussion of Mark 1:16-20.

Notes:
βάλλω ballo - to throw, cast, put, place
Joshua 7:1
Mark 8:33; 14:29
John 10:12-13
Galatians 2:9; 11; 12-13; 4:26

Photo by Erik Mclean: https://www.pexels.com/photo/out-of-use-information-on-petrol-dispenser-11058870/
“Thirteen and 1/4” and “Ten and 1/2” performed by Madhouse.

Bonus Episode - A Test Case.

The value of the story in the gospel of John about Thomas’ doubt is that it’s an opportunity for teaching. The gospel proclamation comes to us in a word. We know that Jesus has been raised from the dead because it has been preached to us by the apostle. When we accept it, we do so based solely on the word of preaching. It is our sole reference. The gospel comes to us through this particular venue, which is according to Scripture, and when we submit to it we get the package deal. We accept not only it, but also the way it is communicated to us. We can’t say we accept the preaching and then look for other venues to support what we heard.
In this episode, we look at the story of Thomas’ disbelief in John Chapter 20 as a testing ground for Jesus’ teaching in John Chapter 5.

“Run Amok” and “A Couple of Miles” performed by The Flesh.

In Mark 1:14, John the Baptist is dismissed from the narrative with a reference to his being arrested. Mark mentions the arrest to close the preaching of John; he wants to move on to his real topic of interest: Jesus and the heralding of the gospel. When he introduced John in verse 4, he omitted the term “gospel,” suggesting that he is reserving it exclusively for the one who is coming after John, that is, Jesus.
Mark will come back to John and tell us the circumstances surrounding his arrest and eventual death, but even then it’s not for the purpose of advancing the narrative. John is only functional in the gospel in how he relates to Jesus, who is the content of the gospel. John is the forerunner. What he says may be the same as what Jesus says - and, later, Matthew will underscore this by making the words of Jesus correspond to the words of John verbatim - but in the gospel of Mark, the sole reference is Jesus, the Christ. For him, Jesus is the gospel.

Notes:
Jeremiah 40:12; 44:28
Mark 6:30
Galatians 1:11-12
Ephesians 4:20
κηρύσσων (kérussó) - to herald, proclaim
λέγων (legò) - to say, to speak
καιρὸς (kairos) - time
χρόνος (chronos) - time
μετανοέω (metanoeó) - to repent, to change one’s mind
שׁוּב - to return
πιστεύω (pisteuó) - to believe, to trust
Tarazi, Paul Nadim: New Testament An Introduction vol. 4 - Matthew and the Canon (SVS Press, 2009)

“Sing A New Song Unto Me” performed by Raphael Shaheen.
“Funky” performed by Miles Davis and Prince.
Photo: Religion Picket On Street.

In this episode we continue our reading of the Gospel of Mark, covering Chapter 1:9-14. Although Mark had introduced his work as the Gospel of Jesus, calling him “the Christ” and “the Son of God” he qualifies both of these titles, which are parallel, by the phrase, as it is written in the prophets. Mark is telling his hearers that they cannot understand Jesus as Christ/Son of God, in just any old way, but exclusively according to Scripture, and specifically its second part, the prophets. And Mark uses both Isaiah and Ezekiel as his touchstones. Mark’s expression that Jesus “comes from Nazareth of Galilee,” as well as his mention of Jordan as the location of Jesus’ baptism connects Jesus, via Isaiah, to the mission to the Gentiles. In Mark, Jesus as a teacher, the use of parables to teach, and the title Son of Man are all connected in that they have their source in Ezekiel.

Notes:
Isaiah 1:9
ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον - he was speaking to them the word
Mark 3:7
Ezekiel 1:1
Mark 4:33-34
ἐγένετο - it came to pass, it happened
ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις - in those days
Mark 13:24-27
ἀγαπητός - beloved
εὐθὺς - straightway, immediately
εὐθείας - straight
רוּחַ - spirit
Ezekiel 1:7, 12

“Sing A New Song Unto Me” performed by Raphael Shaheen.
“Voodoo Who” performed by The Flesh.
Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/orthodox-icon-of-jesus-christ-baptism-scene-10619928/

In Matthew 17, a boy’s father brings him to Jesus’ disciples to be healed but they cannot do it. Since the man is “from the multitude”, that is a Gentile, his son may be said to represent the second generation of the ekklesia, the Church, the primary addresses of Matthew’s Gospel. This story depicts the Gentiles in need of healing (the gospel), but prevented from hearing it because of the disciples’ “little faith.” Matthew is intentional in his word choice, changing Mark’s “having a mute spirit” to “an epileptic,” which in Greek means literally “under the influence of the moon,” or “moonstruck.” In Scripture the first reference to the moon in the creation narrative says it is “for a sign.” Thus, as a sign, it is merely a pointer to something, and not itself the reference. Matthew’s use of “epileptic” suggests that, as a Gentile, the boy was under the control of the sign, but kept from accessing the thing he really needed, which the sign merely points to: the preaching unto repentance.
Join me in a discussion of Matthew 17:14-23.
*Note that the next episode will continue our reading through the Gospel of Mark. Stay tuned!

Notes:
Genesis 1:14
Galatians 1:11-12
Matthew 12:38-39; 16:1, 4; 28:18-20

κατ’ἰδίαν (kat’idian) - apart, by themselves, privately
κατεγνωσμένος (kategnosmenos) - fully condemned
σεληνιάζεται (selēniazetai) - epileptic, literally under the influence of the moon; moonstruck
אוֹת (ōth) - sign, miracle; Greek σημεῖον (sēmeion)

προσευχῇ (proseuchē) - praying, prayer, place of prayer

Photo by Joonas kääriäinen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/clouds-under-full-moon-239107/
“Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book” performed by Dead Can Dance.

In Scripture, God’s people don’t come to him, but he comes to them via the word that he puts into the mouth of his prophets. In Mark, John the Baptist follows this Scriptural pattern by beginning his ministry outside of Judea and Jerusalem. In other words, God appears in the wilderness and his people meet him there by hearing and accepting his words via what is preached by the one he sent, who is John. Mark also tells us they “were baptized by him in the River Jordan confessing their sins” (1:5). In Scripture the Jordan represents the line of demarcation between on the one hand, the wilderness and on the other, Canaan, the land of milk and honey. After being delivered from Egypt, the sons of Israel crossed the Red Sea; before entering Canaan, they passed through the Jordan. Thus, in the gospels, baptism is associated with the Jordan, since after entering Cannan, the Israelites sinned and were cast out again into the wilderness of Babylon. This “second” crossing, as it were, of the Jordan via baptism is like acknowledgment of that sin; and their being washed via the prophetic word of John leads them not into Canaan, but into the Kingdom of God, the Jerusalem above (see Galatians 4:26). But why is John’s food said to be locusts and (wild) honey? Mark’s reference is Scriptural, specifically to the prophets Joel (1:4) and Ezekiel (3:1-3).

Join me as we continue working our way through the Gospel of Mark, 1:4-8.

“Brand New Orleans” performed by Prince.

Many biblical scholars consider Mark to be the earliest production among the four gospels.
Unlike Luke and Matthew, Mark contains no infancy narrative of Jesus. And compared to the other three, there is little by way of a post-resurrection appearance. What is there (Mark 16:8-20) seems to be compiled from the accounts in the other gospels; moreover, these verses are not found in the earliest manuscripts. When one considers how, for centuries, Jesus’ nativity and resurrection have been the main foci of Christian theology, the virtual absence of both in Mark, the first written gospel, is striking. In Mark, we are left to deal with Jesus first and foremost as teacher. The concern isn’t so much who Jesus is as what he says. Still, who he is matters. and Mark addresses it in the opening verse of his gospel scripturally, having no need to resort to philosophy or theology: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it it written in the prophets.”

With this episode, A Light To The Nations begins an exclusive focus on the Gospel of Mark. Every two weeks we will hear the text and discuss its content, particularly the terminology in the original Greek. Join me today for The Beginning Of The Gospel (Episode 58), and our discussion of Mark 1:1-3.

Notes:
“Passing Clouds” performed by Roger Limb

What does Jesus mean when he says that, for those who are willing to accept it, John the Forerunner “is the Elijah to come”? How does John function as Elijah in the Gospels? In this episode we discuss the text that is heard in the Orthodox Church on the Nativity of the Forerunner, in which John is said to go before the Lord “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17).

Koran performed by Delerium.
Photo by Brett Jordan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/page-of-book-of-malachi-in-bible-20764514/