To "Go" Where?

MARK 10:46-52

"They came to Jericho."

There is much to glean from an understanding of Jericho, as well as the timing of Jesus and his followers passing through the city.

* Jericho was located about 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem. [i]

* "Jericho was a popular resort city rebuilt by Herod the Great in the Judean desert, not far from the Jordan River crossing." [ii]

* Many of the priests and Levites (numbering over 20,000 of each), serving at the Temple in Jerusalem, resided in Jericho. [iii]

Did You Know…?

"Every priest was a Levite, but not every Levite was a priest. In the beginning, God set apart the first born in priestly service. After Moses came down from the mountain, found Israel in sin and said: 'Who is on the Lord's side?,' there was a change. The tribe of Levi from then on served as priests or were involved in helping the priests or serving in the tabernacle. After Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, the Jews lost their ability to distinguish the tribes and the Jewish Priesthood as it had been known up to that time ended." [iv]

With over 40,000 priests and Levites serving at the Temple, typically not all would be on duty at the same time. They served in rotation over 26 courses. But… at Passover, all of these priests and Levites were on temple duty. All were needed. [v] Many however would not have started for Jerusalem as of yet, although pilgrims would be already passing through the city.

Tying into the previous post To Serve Versus To Be Served, "It was the law that every male Jew over 12 years of age who lived within 15 miles of Jerusalem must attend the Passover." [vi] And numerous people well-beyond 15 miles would make the journey -- from Asia Minor, from Egypt, from Africa, from Italy, from Greece, from Mesopotamia. It was long and arduous travel.

What about those who couldn't fulfill the law? "Those who were unable to go were in the habit of lining the streets of towns and villages through which groups of Passover pilgrims must pass to bid them godspeed on their way. So then the streets of Jericho would be lined with people, and there would be more than usual, for there would be many eager and curious to catch a glimpse of this audacious young Galilaean who had pitted himself against the assembled might of orthodoxy." [vii]

The streets were lined with those unable to travel, with Passover pilgrims already on the road or preparing to be on the road, with priests and Levites readying for their journey to Jerusalem, and Jesus with his followers. Can you imagine the sheer number of people in this mix? It had to be chaotic and thrilling, simultaneously.

Alongside the road was a blind beggar -- Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus ("bar" means "son of"). As Jesus passes by, a shout comes from this man who "had to rely on the kindness of strangers" [viii] and friends, believed to be cursed by God (John 9:2). "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" The cry continues even as others around the blind man try to shush him.

Bartimaeus' cry to Jesus evokes a passage from Psalms of Solomon  -- a group of 18 psalms not part of any scriptural canon. The coming king will be the son of David. "See, O Lord, and raise up for them their king, the son of David at the time which you choose, O God, to rule over Israel your servant." [ix]

Also, what stands out in the shout heard by Jesus is it "contains the first public and unrebuked recognition of Jesus as the royal Messiah." [x] This is a big deal. And it's another reason why the people were sternly warning the beggar to keep quiet -- fearing retaliation by the authorities in the streets.

From there, it seems simple enough. Jesus calls the man over to him, then asks what the blind beggar wants. "Rabbi, let me see again." Jesus says, "Go; your faith has made you well."

End of story, right? Well,…

Remember the first healing of a blind man (MARK 8:22-26)? That man who was once blind could now see, and he went home. This particular story of blindness was the front bookend to the central section of MARK where three passion predictions were shared by Jesus, each more descriptive in their progression.

Immediately following the first healing of a blind man, Peter said to Jesus, "You are the Messiah (verse 29)." The disciples understood but… they didn't understand. This final story of blindness is the back bookend, which again symbolizes the blindness of the disciples.

Those who set their sights on power can't see clearly to enter God's kingdom. Those who have faith and trust in the Good News will have their eyes opened so they can truly see.

Yet it's not just seeing, is it? Jesus said to the man of restored sight, "Go." That meant this man could go home. That meant this man could find work and would no longer have to beg for crumbs. This meant the world to this man; he could go and do anything he wanted.

"Go."

So what does this man do? Lifted out of darkness, he walks into the Light. His faith meets action. He follows Jesus as a disciple.  

From being a blind beggar to being a disciple. From asking to receiving to being grateful to following.

Where in our own lives are we blind? Are we blind in faith? With good eyes, do we clearly see? Do we walk in darkness, even if it's occasional? Who can lift us out of that darkness?

We must have faith to ask (which can be an obstacle for folks). When we receive, we must follow-through (which takes discipline and that can be an obstacle). And to be made whole, we must have gratitude (which can be yet another obstacle). But will we allow these obstacles to stand in our way to follow Christ? To have more fulfilling, deeper relationships? To be connected -- with one another and with God? To live fully into the Good News?

Where will we choose to "Go"?

NEXT

Setting the scene; a King enters Jerusalem

 

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[i] MacArthur Study Bible -- p. 1484

[ii] Living Application Bible -- p. 1757

[iii] The Gospel of Mark, Barclay -- p. 260

[iv] Wiki.answers.com

[v] The Gospel of Mark, Barclay -- p. 260

[vi] The Gospel of Mark, Barclay -- p. 260

[vii] The Gospel of Mark, Barclay -- p. 260

[viii] "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams

[ix] Psalms of Solomon 17:21

[x] HarperCollins Bible Commentary -- p. 914

The Troubling "Ransom"

MARK 10:41-45

I'm going to be straight-up as we move into this next section. Not everyone will be like-minded as it relates to verse 45. Theologians, scholars, clergy, people,… they're all over the place. That's okay. Differing opinions and thoughts help us dig deep in our understanding of Christ's teaching and message, and in our faith.

To the quick… the other ten disciples are none too happy with James and John -- seeking positions of power (which they themselves might have done had they jumped at the chance). Another teaching moment arises.

It's intriguing Jesus would incorporate "the Gentiles" in what he says. Yet the disciples can certainly relate to "rulers lord it over them" and "great ones are tyrants over them." How so?

Think back in history when the nation of Israel had been destroyed by the Babylonian empire. Many people were taken by force to Babylon. Israel experienced oppression under tyrants and rulers who lorded it over them. Books of the Old Testament -- 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings, Jeremiah, Ezekial, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah -- deal with the time leading up to the fall, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Babylonian captivity, the return and rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile.

Think back to what was happening in the first century. Israel was experiencing oppression at the hands of Rome.

Was there a correlation between these two experiences? If interpreted through a religious lens of the past, oppression happened because of Israel's unrighteousness in relation to God.

Jesus then reiterates none of them are to lord it over anyone. They are here to serve, not to be served. Therein lies greatness.

It reminds me of Jeremiah 29:7, when God says to those suffering under Babylonian rule, "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." [i]

God says, "'Be so sacrificially loving that the people around you, who don't believe what you believe, will soon be unable to imagine the place without you. They'll trust you because they see that you're not only out for yourself, but out for them, too. When they voluntarily begin to look up to you because of the attractiveness of your service and love, you'll have real influence. It will be an influence given to you by others, not taken by you from others.'" [ii]

An Aside…

In the March-April 2013 issue of New World Outlook magazine, Thomas Kemper (the General Secretary of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries) wrote an insightful commentary titled "The Theology Behind Disaster Relief, Recovery" of which I share a small portion.

John Wesley built into Methodism the conviction that all people need the grace of God to be redeemed. This has special application for church members who set out to do "good works." It is a reminder that the helpers -- the funders and the cleanup teams -- are not superior in divine favor to those being assisted. To follow Jesus in servanthood to others is to be baptized in humility. …To us, disasters are opportunities for service, inviting us to our highest levels of compassion and concern. The theology of presence requires few words.

Beautifully stated and applicable to that which Jesus spoke. "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,…"

"…and to give his life a ransom for many."

In the "traditional" viewpoint, Jesus died for our sins. He shed his blood to make a payment, a ransom. It was an atonement. And by his death, Jesus saved humanity from eternal damnation.

In the books of the Old Testament, blood was shed for the atonement of sins. This would be etched in the minds of those living in first-century Israel. As Chapter 11 of MARK reveals, sacrifice and blood were integral in regard to Temple practice.

In the central section of MARK, three passion predictions have been provided: 8:31, 9:30-32, 10:32-34. In these predictions, did Jesus say he had to die for the sins of the world? No. Jesus will die in Jerusalem at the hands of whom? The "authorities." The "chief priests, elders, and scribes." The arrow is pointed at whom? On the authorities and… on the Temple.

Some will say though, "Jesus gave the reason for his death after the third prediction. As a ransom for many." Okay. Let's consider that.

If I were to take someone who meant the world to you, kidnapped them, and if I told you money would be required to free the captive, then the payment would be considered "ransom." Yes? Let's look at Leviticus 25:51-52. Here indentured servants could buy out their redemption, their freedom, from another person's ownership. What's the connection? The word "lutron."

"The Greek word translated as 'ransom' (lutron) is used in the Bible not in the context of payment for sin, but to refer to payment made to liberate captives (often from captivity in war) or slaves (often from debt slavery). A lutron is a means of liberation from bondage." [iii] I'll have more to add about lutron later.

So, did Jesus describe his death as "a ransom"? Yes. But to whom was the payment made? Well, this is enlightening. "From Origen [of Alexandria] to Gregory of Nyssa to Gregory the Great [among many others] to finally Peter the Lombard were theories upon theories. Peter the Lombard brings this idea to its most grotesque and repulsive. 'The Cross,' he said, 'was a mousetrap to catch the devil, baited with the blood of Christ.'" [iv] Now that's cold theology! The Cross was baited with the blood of Christ to trick the devil?!?

Then Anslem of Canterbury in 1097 stated this theory gave the devil too much power in the story. Jesus' life wasn't paid as a ransom to the devil; it was paid to God. And the Protestant Reformers ran with this theory. All of us have sinned against God and are guilty. Only if the perfect sacrifice is made can we (and our sins) be forgiven. That perfect sacrifice is the perfect human, Jesus. Thus, "Jesus is the substitute who satisfied God's wrath by undergoing the punishment that we all deserve." [v] "Only in the 11th century did (the atonement sacrifice) come to dominate western Christian theology." [vi]

So God requires blood?

The wrath of God, justice, the payment of debt, punishment,… the ancients understood those ideas. This was the framework from which they worked, from which they understood. Note however "sacrifice" took on a different meaning for Jesus.

To serve means to sacrifice. Those two go hand-in-hand. We give of ourselves for others. And Jesus states this at the beginning of verse 45. He came to serve. Which means he came to sacrifice of himself for others. To give his life in service to others. And yes, he offered his life up as a gift to God. A lutron for many.

Jesus knew how this was going to end if he continued on the path to Jerusalem. We are passionate for causes; we sacrifice for causes. Jesus was passionate not just for causes but for the kingdom of God, sharing the Good News with all. If he stopped here, on this path, the message would die right there. Only if he saw it through to the end, would the message continue to live and break through the Temple theology that claimed it had a monopoly on God.

Jesus was willing to put himself on the line so we could have direct access to God. That was in his message of Good News. Jesus giving of himself, willing to sacrifice himself for all of us, was an anti-Temple statement.

"For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a means of liberation for many."

Jesus was not only setting free Israel from the bondage of the covenant and sin, but he was including Gentiles among "the many." There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. [vii] What a liberating, radical grace!

Wherever you are in the thought process with verse 45, I'll share what William Barclay wrote, which I believe puts us at the table together. "It cost the life of Jesus to bring [humanity] back from their sin into the love of God. It means that the cost of our salvation was the Cross of Christ. Beyond that we cannot go, and beyond that we do not need to go. We know only that something happened on the Cross which opened for us the way to God." [viii]

NEXT

The streets of Jericho; blind faith; from beggar to disciple

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[i] Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)

[ii] Jesus The King, Keller -- p. 163

[iii] "Jesus' Death: Ransom or Sacrifice?", Borg and Crossan

[iv] The Gospel of Mark, Barclay -- pp. 258-259

[v] Speaking Christian, Borg -- p. 98

[vi] Jewish Annotated New Testament, p. 82

[vii] Galatians 3:28 (NRSV)

[viii] The Gospel of Mark, Barclay -- p. 259

To Serve versus To Be Served

MARK 10:32-34

MARK 10:35-40

"They." So that we’re on the same page, there were a lot of "they" on the road with Jesus. Passover is approaching which will bring many people to Jerusalem. To give you an idea,…

* "Weeks before the holiday, the trickles began from Asia Minor, from Egypt, from Africa, from Italy, from Greece, from Mesopotamia." [i]

* "The number of Jewish pilgrims to the Temple was computed by the governor Gesius Florus (64-66), who counted 256,500 paschal lambs at one Passover festival; allowing ten persons to one lamb, this would make 2,565,000 pilgrims (Josephus, "B. J." vi. 9)." [ii]

* A footnote to that number of pilgrims as stated by Josephus. "The numbers are certainly exaggerated (the city precincts would not have been able to accommodate so many people) and meant to emphasize Jewish religious solidarity at a time of Roman occupation." [iii]

Regardless of the validity of Josephus' estimate, the sheer number of pilgrims was significantly large. Marc * shared, "To give a modern-day example, think of Mecca today during the great Islamic festivals which attract hundreds of thousands of Muslims."

The pilgrimage has begun from around the globe. "They" approach Jerusalem, already in anticipation. On the road, Jesus teaches and shares the message of Good News. He gains more followers. The group expands, as they are in awe of this amazing Rabbi.

Understand though, "they" were also afraid. Darn-tooting. The leaders of the Establishment are none too happy with Jesus, and if anyone thinks this will go over well in Jerusalem,… brace yourselves. Nonetheless, a revolution is stirring in the hearts of humanity, especially those who are anti-Establishment.

Jesus takes his disciples aside and for the third time (this one with the most detail), he tells them about his upcoming death and resurrection.

Do the disciples believe Jesus is going to die? The Christ has certainly made it clear this will happen. Graphically clear. And I think the disciples have that gnawing gut feeling/understanding of it. The request of James and John in the next verses gives an indication of this. But coming to terms with death and what that means for the Messiah, what that means in their "head versus gut" understanding of the Messiah,… that's something else.

Yet,… the disciples still follow.

Then comes the moment that actually made me laugh. Lord, we humbly request that you do exactly what we ask. Seriously?

Of course, I must admit I was also sadly laughing at myself for I've done the same exact thing over the course of time. Lord, I humbly request that you do exactly what I ask. Makes me want to take a step back and reflect in my own approach.

Another version of "the humble request" has a simpler, Lord, we'd like you to do something for us. Frankly, I think the first version is more in line with what we know about James and John. They come from a family where their dad, Zebedee, employs hired servants (1:20). Given their past, they have been served.

Even if you prefer what Matthew 20:20-21 revealed -- that their mother, Salome (sister of Mary, mother of Jesus), made the approach to the Christ -- it involves the brothers. In this gospel, the approach is more personal; it's a family matter. There's still something misguided and ambitious in the timing.

For certainty though, James and John didn't doubt who Jesus said he was. That comes across clearly as they continue.

The Messiah, the King, the Ruler of All,… "when you take your place on the throne, when you are in power, we want the top places in your cabinet. It doesn't matter to us who is on the right and who is on the left. We just want to be in the power positions alongside you." Another way to look at this is, "When you're in power, which means we'll also be in power, we can get our way. It'll be good to be served!" Or as Mel Brooks would say, "It's good to be the King!" [iv]

With an approach like this coming from two of his most trusted disciples, you'd think there would've been a serious "come to Jesus meeting." In this instance, it was a different type of Jesus meeting.

You have no idea what you're asking.

James and John "think" they do, but they really don't.

Jesus then speaks to them about the cup and the baptism. The cup is "a metaphor for consequences that must be accepted (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17,22), which usually merited suffering resulting from one's wrongdoing." [v] He is accepting the cup in place of others.

Regarding baptism, remember Mark 1:8? John the Baptist predicted Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. He is accepting the consequences of that baptism.

"The expression, as Jesus used it here, had nothing to do with technical baptism. What he is saying is, 'Can you bear to go through the terrible experience which I have to go through? Can you face being submerged in hatred and in pain and death, as I have to be?'" [vi]

Taking it at face value without full understanding of the consequences, James and John respond, "Yes! We absolutely know what we're asking. We're able to drink from the cup and be baptized with the baptism that you were." Or as Gene * stated, "While they didn't know what it truly involved, it was the idea of it."

It's here in which Jesus knowingly concurs. "You're right. You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized in my baptism."

Can you imagine seeing the brothers nodding their heads? "See?!? We were right!" Suffering from persecutions, even though Jesus told them they would, was the last thing on their minds.

Did You Know…?

Years later…

John faced martyrdom which some records reflect he was placed in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. Miraculously he survived this experience (if true). He was sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelation.

Older brother, James (the Greater), was eventually beheaded in Jerusalem by Herod Agrippa. Interesting tidbit, the officer who guarded and walked beside James to the place of execution was overcome by his conviction. The officer declared his new faith to the judge. In doing so, the officer knelt beside James and was executed as well. [vii]

Within the last verse, Jesus tells the two brothers, "To sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those whom it has been prepared." [viii] To be the Messiah, one would think Jesus could grant anything; however, he refutes it.

In considering these six verses as they relate to Jesus, James and John and reflecting on the past to the present, it's an attention-getter how much wealth, power, control, connections, position mean in today's world -- just like it was then. And Jesus reminds us, "That's not what the Good News is about. That's not what I am about."

The last thing I leave you with is something of imagery. This isn't necessarily apt to Jesus' reply; nevertheless, when I read "at my right" and "at my left" and knowing what is to come, I found it chilling yet stirring.

When Jesus is crucified, who is at his right and his left? The lowest of the low. Even then, he continues to be in the company of those who are deemed lesser than, unworthy. Reaching out to bring the Message. To love. To change lives. And he does so for one of those on a cross next to him -- even in the agony of death -- who comes to him like a child.

NEXT

The troubling "ransom"

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[i] www.keithhunt.com

[ii] www.jewishencyclopedia.com

[iii] Jewish Travel in Antiquity, Catherine Hezser -- p. 377

[iv] History of the World, Part I (Mel Brooks film)

[v] Jewish Annotated New Testament -- p. 82

[vi] The Gospel of Mark, Barclay -- p. 225

[vii] www.reclaimingthemind.org

[viii] NRSV, Mark 10:40

* Member of the study group