My spirit cannot accommodate itself to this book. There is one sufficient reason for the small esteem in which I hold it—that Jesus Christ is neither taught in it nor recognized. ~Martin Luther
The Apocalypse of John has as many secrets as words. I am saying less than the book deserves. It is beyond all praise… ~Saint Jerome
Presuming to write on the subject of the Apocalypse is ambition, rash, and unacceptable…there never has been a book provoking more delirium, foolishness, and irrational movements, without any relationship to Jesus Christ, as if the book contained the possibility of a temptation actually demonic! ~Jacques Ellul
Martin Luther did not like the Book of Revelation. I assume for the same reasons he considered James a “straw epistle,” namely, he did not find the faith vs. works paradigm clearly exposited. Saint Jerome represents the long line of those who see Revelation as a book of mysteries, secrets, and symbolism. My favorite quote is Jacques Ellul’s. I agree: I tread dangerous ground in any attempt to explain, exegete, and interpret John’s Revelation.
Revelation is a hard book to interpret. Good and decent commentators differ. One’s so-called eschatological (or ‘End Times’) perspective often determines, a priori, one’s interpretation of Revelation. This is why I believe, Revelation is a good place to start on the subject of making broad observations before getting into the details, even before exegeting the text. The discipline of making board observations is a good first step as one begins the task of interpretation. This forces the interpreter to get to know the whole book, whether Revelation or any other NT and OT book. The tasks of exegesis or interpreting a text must be connected to the whole of the document. (See my contextual-observation method post.) Here, I will utilize an article I wrote in 1987 on the Book of Revelation. It was my first attempt at general, academic publishing. And, yes it was ambitious, rash, and unacceptable to some. Even at my oral exam for ordination, one of the questioners pulled this article out of his briefcase, placed it on the table and said, “Let’s talk about what you wrote.” Despite that questioning, I was approved for ordination; but, there were moments I didn’t think I would be.
The following is adapted from that essay. It illustrates the task and importance of making broad observations as a step in the exegetical process. (I suggest you keep your own Bible open, especially to Revelation 1.)
* * * * * * * * * * *
An analysis of Revelation 1 and its relationship to the rest of the book will aid us in hearing John’s overall message. One must take seriously that John’s message was to be given visually:
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to show His bond servant…John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw” (1:1-2).
And again in verse 11 we read: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven Churches…” Then verse 19 repeats the command: “Write therefore what you saw, namely what is and what is to take place after this.”
What did John see?
The emphasis is on what John saw. The question is: “What did John see?” Verses 4-7 contain John’s personal greeting to the seven churches; this is not necessarily what John was given as a vision. As a matter of fact, John most likely penned this part of the book after the whole was completed. Greetings were frequently done in this manner. What John is “shown” comes in verses 12-16.
In verse 11 John is commanded to write what he sees and immediately in verse 12 he says: “I turned to see…and saw…one like a son.” This vision was of the victorious Christ, the Divine Warrior Hero. John’s message revolves around this primary vision of Christ. Full essay…
This Rough Cut is adapted from my article, “John’s Apocalyptic Message: Another Look” (
His Dominion, 14: 1, Fall 1987). Bible quotes are from the NASB, unless otherwise noted.
For the full essay…
And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).
When Jesus invites us to follow Him, he promises, “I will make you become fishers of men.”
Many understand this to mean that Christians are to catch the unsaved for Christ. If you assume this interpretation of Mark 1:17 (and Matthew 4:19), the act of fishing is, then, an illustration of evangelism or a “picture of winning people to Christ.” Interpreting the “fishers of men” text in this way is based on two assumptions:
1) Fishing is a biblical metaphor for evangelizing (“fishers of men =
evangelism/witnessing”), and as such, the metaphor would have been understood, without explanation, as such by the disciples.
2) The fishing metaphor is transferable to today’s fishing context, and thus, can be utilized to call Christians to evangelize (i.e., to fulfill being “fishers of men”).
I can’t count how many times I have heard preachers, evangelists, “special speakers,” Sunday School teachers, popular Christian media celebrities, and even Bible professors say that Jesus’ words in Mark 1:17 (as well as Matthew 4:19) is a call to evangelism. In the summer of 1978, soon after my conversion, I was instructed to memorize the “fishers of men” verses as “evangelism” or “witnessing” texts.
While I completely appreciate those who have become such fishers of men, that is, have made commitments to witness and catch men for Christ, I believe we should pause long enough to consider one thing:
If fish are unsaved people, imagine evangelism from the fish’s perspective.
Something’s wrong with the metaphor
Messages on evangelism and witnessing using “the different types of fishing” are commonplace. This text and such images are utilized to enforce the Christian call to evangelize and to exemplify the various ways one can “fish” for people: Fly fishing, deep sea fishing, catching fish in nets, and using bigger nets to catch lots of fish (i.e., more people). I began to think differently about Jesus’ words, fishers of men, when a preacher once suggested, “Sometimes you have to use a club, or even throw dynamite in the water to blast the fish out. Likewise, sometimes you have to use extreme methods to win people to Christ.” At that moment, many years ago now, I knew something was wrong with this use of that particular biblical metaphor.
Not so self-evident—fishing is never good for fish
Evangelism and fishing, at first glance, seem to be a match. So when we read or hear the biblical phrase “fishers of men,” it appears to be a self-evident metaphor. Or, is it? However neatly these words fit in our stories, illustrations, and anecdotes about witnessing and evangelism, we should not simply assume that fishers of men is a self-evident metaphor to the modern reader of the Bible.
Think seriously about the “fishers of men = evangelism/witnessing” imagery. Carry it through as a metaphor. Is fishing ever good for the fish? The coming of the fisherman for fish is not good; it is not a blessing. It is dangerous, menacing, ominous, dire, and presents a very life-ending possibility. Fishermen use tricks, lures, false hope, traps, cons, and don’t forget hooks. If winning souls to Jesus is the meaning of this metaphor, then it loses its seemingly clear metaphorical nature when it is transferred to the world of Christian activities of witnessing, outreach, church growth, and evangelism. Fishing is, simply put, not good for fish. The presence of fishermen is not a good sign for them
at all. This, all by itself, suggests that we need to look elsewhere for the background that gives meaning (and interpretative depth) to the fishers of men metaphor. Full essay…
Full
“Fishers of Men” (Mark 1:17) Rough Cut exegetical essay… If you cannot download pdf files, requesting a Word file of this exegetical essay, and I will gladly send it to you.
Many preachers use Paul’s admonition Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you to encourage and admonish their congregations to study their Bible, to have their devotions, to join a bible study, to “come out on Wednesday nights,” attend Sunday School, and memorize Scripture. As spiritual and as good as these are, such application misses Paul’s intent in Colossians 3:16, and thus, the Church fails to hear a specific call to obedience.
What a text can mean
I have observed over the years that many preachers and Bible study leaders, including Sunday School teachers, jump right from the English words of a text to application. In order to determine the significance of a passage or text, and make appropriate application to us, one must first exegete the text in order to hear what the first audience heard.
One very good rule of interpretation needs to be resurrected:
A text cannot mean what it could not have meant to the original author or his readers.
There is no better authority on this matter than Gordon Fee who reminds us that “a text cannot mean here and now what it never could have meant there and then.” The proper control of and limits for a text’s meaning is the original intended meaning. (See Fee & Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
.) In fact Fee states:
We cannot make [the text] mean anything that pleases us, and then give the Holy Spirit “credit” for it (p 26).
A text should not be made to bear an interpretation that would have been foreign to its original, intended audience. When someone offers an interpretation you know very well could not have been possible at the time of its writing, you know it is not a word from God—no matter how spiritual it might sound.
Missing a call to obedience
This Rough Cut concerns a text typically misinterpreted and as a result misapplied. Colossians 3:16 carries a phrase that is more often than not wrongly understood and too often made to carry a contemporary meaning than could not have been possible for Paul, nor his audience. The phrase comes to us in Paul’s admonition:
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you
I am referring to Paul’s phrase word of Christ. Many popular interpretations, including numerous popular commentaries, infer that Paul is commanding that the Bible ought to dwell richly in the believer.
Now, please understand, I agree, we should get to know our Scriptures, memorization is good, and studying the Bible is an excellent pursuit. We should read, memorize, and seek to have the Bible dwell in our minds and hearts. Nonetheless, this is not what Paul meant, and as a result, we are missing a very important call to obedience. Full essay...
Full Colossians 3:16 Rough Cut exegetical essay… If you cannot download pdf files, requesting a Word file of this exegetical essay, and I will gladly send it to you.
The definition of inspiration usually speaks specifically to the words of the text, that is, each word is inspired of God. This is one reason I believe we like the words of scripture and why we lift them out and give them meaning and application as if they are inspired without their accompanying words, grammar, paragraphs, and flow of thought. A concentration on the words (each word as an independent thought) causes us to err in our interpretations of the text and, as a result, miss God’s Word to us through the text. Of course I believe each word of Scripture is inspired—but more than just the words are God-breathed.
The point of this Rough Cut is not to debate, or even define inspiration. However, we must move beyond just seeing that the words are inspired to an understanding that God inspired the structure and, even, the flow of a text. This is important, especially for those who develop sermons and Bible studies. Understanding the structure of a passage, chapter (or chapters), or even a whole book will help in understanding the author’s point (i.e., intentions) and, as well, could provide a framework for sermon points and Bible Study outlines.
Scripture was written to be heard, not read
Remember, the Scriptures were written to be heard, not read. This is important to remember. Most people in the early Church would have been 1) illiterate and unable to read, and 2) there were no printing presses and Bible Book Stores with dozens of translations to buy for the church pews or to bring home. Our Scriptures were originally read, out loud to the early church. Thus, each writer used rhetorical devices to help the hearer to follow his point and flow of thought:
- pointers for remembrance
- repeated words, phrases, concepts
- structural markers
The chiastic structure
There are many different types of structures. Here, I’d like to illustrate how the chiastic structure of a text will help to guide the process of interpretation. Simply put, a chiastic structure is an arrangement of a text that helps the hearer to catch the author’s point, emphasis, or purpose. Usually we use letters to show a chiasm is being used:
Example Example
Structure 1 Structure 2
A A
B B
C C
B C
A B
A
Identifying such a structure will help you interpret a text.
Let’s use Mark 13 as an example
Most Christians believe that Mark 13 is a little apocalypse and mainly speaks of the end of time. Although I agree that Mark 13 (as well as its parallel texts Matt 24 and Luke 21) does point to a consummation, Mark’s purpose for placing it here in his Gospel story, that is, for the original readers and, then, to each generation of the church, must be understood in order to hear God’s Word to the church. We might like the end time language and concepts—the details—nonetheless, Mark’s God-breathed structure will guide us and help us to hear the text more clearly… full essay
Full Mark 13 Rough Cut exegetical essay… If you cannot download pdf files, requesting a Word file of this exegetical essay, and I will gladly send it to you.
Missional Church thought related to social action
Everist, Norma Cook, ed. The Difficult But Indispensable Church
. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002.
Hunsberger, George R. and Craig Van Gelder, eds. The Church Between Gospel and Culture: The Emerging Mission in North America (Gospel & Our Culture)
. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.
Shenk, Wilbert R. Write the Vision: The Church Renewed
. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1995.
Other
Community Service Block Grant Act (1998), Subtitle B--Community Services Block Grant Program, Sec 675. Establishment of Block Grant Program.
Dionne, E. J. and Ming Hsu Chen, eds. Sacred Places, Civic Purposes: Should Government Help Faith-Based Charity?
Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2001.
Guinness, Os. The Gravedigger File: Papers on the Subversion of the Modern Church
. Chicago: Intervarsity Press, July 1983.
“Widows in Our Temple Courts” The Audio The paper
Christian Theology, History & Thought related to Social Action
Conchran, Clark E. “Sacramental Theology, Catholic Political Thought, and the Crisis of Institutions” a paper for the American Religious Seminar, University of Notre Dame, February 17, 1999.
Davey, Andrew. Urban Christianity and Global Order: Theological Resources for an Urban Future
. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002.
Kahl, Sigrun. “The Religious Roots of Modern Poverty Policy: Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed Protestant Traditions Compared” [draft copy]. Max Planck Institute for Study of Societies (2004).
Knighton, J. Raymond. “The Social Responsible of Evangelization Report” inLet the Earth Hear His Voice, ed. J. D. Douglas. Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1975: 710-712.
Olasky, Marvin. The Tragedy of American Compassion
. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 1992.
Guinness, Os. “Evangelicals Among Thinking People” in Let the Earth Hear His Voice, ed. J. D. Douglas. Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1975: 713-715.
Salamon, Lester M. Partners in Public Service: Government-Nonprofit Relations in the Modern Welfare State
. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.
Sider, Ronald J. The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?
Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2005.
Stockwell, Clinton, “Cathedrals of Power: Engaging the Powers in Urban North America”(80-93) in Confident Witness--Changing World: Rediscovering the Gospel in North America (Gospel and Our Culture Series)
, Craig Van Gelder, ed., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.
Sugirtharajah, R. S., ed. Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World
. 2nd ed. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1995.
Van Til, Kent. “A Biblical/Theological Case for Basic Sustenance for All.” Journal of Markets & Morality 7/2 (Fall, 2004): 441-466.
“Widows in Our Temple Courts” The Audio The paper
The Church and Social Action
Clinton Stockwell, “Cathedrals of Power: Engaging the Powers in Urban North America,” in Confident Witness--Changing World: Rediscovering the Gospel in North America, Craig Van Gelder, ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999: 80-93.
Cnaan, Ram A. The Invisible Caring Hand: American Congregations and the Provision of Welfare
. New York: New York University Press, 2002.
Cnaan, Ram A. The Newer Deal
. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.
Christian, Jayakumar. God of the Empty-Handed: Poverty, Power & the Kingdom of God
. California: MARC (World Vision), 1999.
Myers, Bryant L. Walking With the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development
. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2006.
Sider, Ronald J. Just Generosity,: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America
. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999.
Sider, Ronald J. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity
. W. Publishing Group, 1997.
Unruh, Heidi Rolland, and Ronald J. Sider. Saving Souls, Serving Society: Understanding the Faith Factor in Church-Based Social Ministry
. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
“Widows in Our Temple Courts” The Audio The paper
Bibliography for “Widows in our Temple Courts (Mark 12:38-44) continued
Church-State and the Public Square
Baggett, Jerome P. “Congregations and Civil Society: A Double-Edged Connection.” Journal of Church and State 44/3 (2002): 425-454.
Budziszewski, J. Evangelicals in the Public Square: Four Formative Voices on Political Thought and Action
. Grand Rapids: Baker 2006.
Kramnick, Isaac. “Can the Churches Save the Cities?: Faith-Based Services and the Constitution.” The American Prospect, online ed. 11/1/97 <> (accessed 10/10/06).
Neuhaus, Richard John. The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America
, 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986.
Guinness, Os. The American Hour: A Time of Reckoning and the Once and Future Role of Faith 
. New York: Free Press, 1992.
“Widows in Our Temple Courts” The Audio The paper
A year ago I was writing a paper to present at the Evangelical Theological Society’s annual conference in Washington D.C. I lived in works describing the historical setting of Mark’s gospel narrative, especially Jesus’ temple discourses. As well, I read and read books and papers on the history of how religion and state sponsored social action interrelated and progressed (or digressed) through the last few centuries, as well as the religious and theological underpinnings of even our “secular” understanding of “charity” and social action. I also plowed through numerous books and articles on how faith and social action interrelate (or don’t interrelate). The result was a paper entitled “Widows in our Temple Courts (Mk 12:38-44): The Public Advocacy Role of the Local Congregation as Christian Discipleship.” I finally am posting the recorded presentation for those who’d rather listen than read. Also, in the following I have posted my bibliography from the paper by area. Since the bibliography is somewhat long, I will split it up in sections. I hope some of this interests you. (A summary.)
“Widows in Our Temple Courts” The Audio The paper
Bibliography
The Gospel of Mark
Anderson, Chip. “Fishers of Men reconsidered: first significance, the application (Mark 1:17)” (wordsntone.com, 3/19/06).
Anderson, Chip. “Move beyond just words: God inspired structure (Mark 13)” (wordsntone.com, 3/31/05).
Anderson, Chip. “The parable of the Sower who sows: hearing more accurately (Mark 4)” (wordsntone.com, 6/13/04).
Best, Ernest. Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. JSNT Sup 4. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1981.
Danker, F. W. “Double-entendre in Mark XII 9.” Novum Testamentum 10/2 (1968): 162-163.
Derrett, J. Duncan M. “‘Eating Up the Houses of Widows’: Jesus’ Comments on Lawyers?” Novum Testamentum 14/1 (1972): 1-9.
DiCicco, Mario. “What Can One Give in Exchange for One’s Life? A Narrative-Critical Study of the Widow and Her Offering, Mark 12:41-44.” Currents in Theology and Mission 25/6 (1998): 441-449.
Evans, Craig A. Mark 8:27-16:20 (evans)
. Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 34b. Columbia: Thomas Nelson, 2001.
Fast, Lesley. “Rejection and Reinstatement (Mark 12:1-11): The Rhetoric of Represented Speech in Mark.” Neotestamentica 39/1 (2005): 111-126.
France, R. T. The Gospel of Mark: New International Commentary on the Greek Testament
. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
Gundry, Robert. Mark: A Commentary On His Apology For The Cross, Chapters 1 - 8
. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.
Hamilton, Neill Q. “Temple Cleansing and the Temple Bank.” Journal of Biblical Literature 83 (1964): 365-72.
Jensen, Darcy D. “The Widow’s Mite.” Word & World 17/3 (1997): 282-288.
Juel, Donald H. A Master of Surprise: Mark Interpreted
. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994.
Juel, Donald H. The Gospel of Mark. Nashville: Abington Press, 1999.
Malbon, Elizabeth Struthers. “Fallible Followers: Women and Men in the Gospel of Mark” in In the Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark’s Gospel
. Louisville: Knox Press, 2000: 41-69.
Malbon, Elizabeth Struthers. “The Poor Widow in Mark and Her Poor Rich Readers” in In the Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark’s Gospel. Louisville: Knox Press, 2000: 131-165.
Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus
. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1989.
Smith, Geoffrey. “A Closer Look at the Widow’s Offering: Mark 12:41-44.” JETS 40/1 (March 1997): 27-36.
Sugirtharajah, R. S., “The Widow’s Mite Revisited.” Expository Times 103/2 (1991): 42-43.
Swartley, Willard M. “The Role of Women in Mark’s Gospel: A Narrative Analysis.” Biblical Theology Bulletin, Vol. 27/1 (1997): 16-22.
Waetjen , Herman C. A Reordering of Power: A Sociopolitical Reading of Mark’s Gospel
. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989.
Watts, Rikki E. Isaiahs New Exodus in Mark (Biblical Studies Library)
. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977.
Wright, Addison G. “The Widow’s Mite: Praise or Lament?—A Matter of Context.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 44/2 (1982): 256-265.
“Widows in Our Temple Courts” The Audio The paper
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place” (NASB).
Paul isn’t a twentieth-first century theologian. And, his audiences were not 21st century Americans. These are important facts to remember. We often err in getting out of the text what the author put in because we make an illegitimate correspondence between a referent (e.g., a word, concept, event, etc.) found in the text and our experience. Sadly, these illegitimate correspondences are reinforced over and over by preachers and popular Christian writers, so much so, that it is hard to undo them in the hearts and minds of the faithful, average Christians who listen to sermons each week and participate in Sunday Schools and Bible Studies. A chief example of this error can be found in how 2 Corinthians 2:14 is understood.
Since most read from the New International Version (NIV) today, let’s start there. The NIV renders Paul’s words:
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
When you hear this text and the phrase “always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ,” what comes to mind? Upon hearing this phrase, one most likely hears “victory.” Many take these words and make the correspondence to a victory parade of some sort. Some have tried to attach these words to some sort of victory parade in Roman days for a victorious Caesar or gladiator. But still, the up-to-date, contemporary visual correspondence is assumed to be a modern-day parade or victory celebration by a winning sports team or returning astronauts or, perhaps a high school band and parade after a football championship. (I have heard them all.)
Whatever the referent given to this phrase—triumphal procession (NIV)—it is mostly interpreted in a positive, up-beat, victorious manner. Something akin to the following:
We join in Christ’s victory parade and share in his conquest.
The question is, does the text and history itself sustain this positive interpretation? (Full essay . . .)
Full 2 Corinthians 2:14 Rough Cut exegetical essay . . . If you cannot download pdf files, please email me () requesting a Word file of this exegetical essay, and I will gladly send it to you.
My Rough Cuts exegetical essays have made it around the globe. Within a week of posting my first Rough Cut, hits on “Send to a Friend” [old website] rose to the top spot in most used pages. I am, of course, glad I have produced something useful and that people will want to read. A good friend said, “Rough Cuts will be your signature—and maybe another book someday.” Maybe.
I use a phrase to describe my “method of study,” contextual-observation. I am not sure, but I probably didn’t invent the concept. Nonetheless, I believe most errors in interpretation, from among our general Christian population, are related to lifting the text out of the original context and giving it a whole new meaning, not intended by the author (nor the Holy Spirit). I am not against study and research—I was a Greek professor at one time. Of course, reading good exegetical commentaries is a fine discipline as one seeks to understand a text of Scripture. But, it’s the simple, paying attention to the original context and the author’s own flow of thought (.i.e., the literacy context) we seem to have trouble with. Reading and re-reading the context, the whole book (e.g., Philippians, I & II Kings, Genesis, James, etc.) is, in my opinion, the best way to pick up the context and flow of thought—simply reading it over and over and over. Not too hard. As you become familiar with the whole content of the book, your understanding of one particular text—whether it is a verse or a paragraph—will be connected to the whole of the book. I don’t believe God is looking for inspired misunderstanding of the text of Scripture from our pulpits and in our sunday schools and bible studies; he is desirous of a faithful rendering of His Scriptures. When I taught methods of Bible study or exegesis or even Greek exegesis, I had a six-step plan for someone looking to develop a sermon or a bible study:
- Read the whole book (Romans, Isaiah, I Peter). Just read it once, all the way through in as few sittings as possible. The smaller books can be read in one sitting—Romans, for example, takes about an hour.
- Read the whole book again, noting this time, possible sections. Write them down. (Most English translations will already have paragraph divisions. This can be helpful as you do this step.)
- Read the whole book again, this time making an extended outline of the book. In your outline headings, try only to use the words from the text rather than your own interpretation.
- Read the whole book again, and give a short summary of each section. But one rule here: Make sure you use only words that are found in the text in your summary. Re-read your summary and make sure you haven’t (at this point) interpreted by putting your own concepts into the summary.
- Read the whole book again. This time, on a separate piece of paper, write down the themes, concepts, ideas, and words used over and over again throughout the book.
- Read the whole book again and make a syntactical display of the flow of thought. (I leave you with this one, unexplained…tune in later to Rough Cuts and you will see examples of this or go to my Top Ten page and order Walter Kaiser’s Toward an Exegetical Theology for an explanation.)
As you can see, you haven’t even picked up a commentary yet. But you will have read the whole book six times before you even begin to interpret or even exegete the text you want to preach or study. Remember, for most of the Church’s history and even today, it is a luxury to have all the Bible study tools and helps available to us. (If you have to choose between reading my site and reading a whole Bible book--read the Bible book!) Even though there are many good commentaries that are helpful, when we turn to them first, we trade away simply paying attention to the text and the author’s own flow of thought. This is where you should start.
This is the concluding post to The parable of the Sower who sows.
He began to teach again by the sea and such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow…
The reality painted in the parable
In the story thus far (chps 1-3), Mark has made it plain that his narrative revolves around three interrelated themes:
- Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1, 3:11; cf. 4:41);
- His Gospel (i.e., the Word about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God; 1:1, 14-15; cf. 4:11);
- His activity (i.e., His sowing the Word of the arrival of the Kingdom of God; 1:16-3:12).
This is clear from the bookend references to Jesus as the Son of God in 1:1 and 3:11. The summary of Jesus’ mission in 1:14-15 affirms this theme and, at the same time calls the reader to further understand our discipleship relationship to Jesus and our commitment to His mission:
Now after John [the Baptist] had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Mark clearly sets out his narrative of Jesus’ activity, moving from popularity to potential arrest, and even His own family thinking He had “lost His senses” (3:21). In the end, we are left with the supposed “insiders” of the Jewish world declaring Jesus to be possessed of Satan. The reality of Jesus and His mission being painted for us is, to say the least, not productive and at the worse, failing. Then we move into a series of strikingly similar parables of failure and mysterious growth (chp 4). We are disposed not to see the similarities because we isolate the parables from their place in the narrative and treat them as independent, containing their own word. But once returned to the context, these parables amplify Mark’s theme.
Furthermore, rather than concentrating on the soils as ends in themselves, they are simply the places where the Sower sows his seed—where Jesus proclaims His Word of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. One would think that the Master-Sower would be wise and know something about farming, about sowing seed. But that is not the picture painted by Jesus and recorded by Mark. No. The Sower is seen as lavishly spreading His seed, almost carelessly, in places that appear to be unproductive and produce poor results. Why is He not more careful with His seed? Why is some wasted on the beaten-down paths? Why is He spreading seed on rocky and thorny ground? He looks unwise, unskilled. He should know better than to waste His seed. Three-fourths of the places where the Sower sows His seed offer only a failed crop. But what looks like an unpromising beginning is vindicated by the three-fold, bumper crop of fruit producing “thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold” (vv 8, 20).
This parable paints the reality of discipleship and the disciple-sower’s shared mission in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: obstacles will arise, God will seem unwise in how He works, the mission will appear a failure, yet there is the promise that vindication will come, a plentiful harvest will eventually emerge.
But there is more to “hear”
The parable is not only about trusting in the Master-Sower and the promise of a plentiful harvest, it is also indicative of the nature of Jesus’ mission and the nature of discipleship. The disciples—those with “ears to hear”—are expected to carry on the same mission in the same way: disciples are to sow the Word of the Gospel indiscriminately, lavishly, even on ground that is shallow, rocky and thorny. Disciples are to follow the Master-Sower into places where, by all appearances seem improper and unripe for a plentiful harvest. The lamp of the light of the Gospel is not to be put under a basket (4:21). We are to hear that nothing is hidden (i.e., the mystery of the Gospel), but that it will eventually be revealed (i.e., the promise of the plentiful harvest, the victorious Kingdom of God).
Careful what you “listen to”
Following Mark’s rhetorical and narrative clues, hearing the parable of the Sower who sows and heeding the warnings should cause our ears to perk up at the restatement of “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” in 4:23. Jesus is repeating his caveat, His warning. In light of our interpretation of the parable of the Sower who sowed, we should hear the warning in 4:24-25 with a new, profound respect:
And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him” (24-25).
The command to “listen” (to “hear”) is repeated (v 24). The reference to “measure” links us back to the farming and sowing metaphors. He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly. In other words, the one who hears this parable will sow lavishly; the disciple-sower will measure out more seed to spread, carelessly, abundantly, without regard to where He is sowing. The more the disciple-sower measures out his seed, the more will be given (harvest?; reward?); and the one who does not spread seed lavishly will come up deficient, lacking (“outside?”). Perhaps, even unforgiven (see warning in v 12), for the warning is not for the “soils,” but for those who are to “hear” the parable and following the Master-Sower.
The remaining two parables
The remaining two parables in chapter 4 support this interpretation and understanding of the parable of the Sower who sows. The first follow-up parable describes the Kingdom of God like a man who casts seed (his responsibility), but yet discovers that seed sprouting and growing and producing a crop outside of his control. Mark records Jesus’ words:
And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows--how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (vv 26-29).
The nature of the Kingdom of God is further portrayed and its significance to discipleship is enhanced in the last parable in chapter 4:
And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; SO THAT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE” (vv 30-32).
This parable enlarges how we are to understand the Kingdom of God and the mission of sowing. Jesus draws upon an Old Testament text from Daniel that described the protective nature of God’s rule and how the king of Babylon’s kingdom was to parallel that same protectiveness for its citizenry. This parable of the seeming small, modest appearance of the work of the Kingdom of God parallels and is similar to the wasteful, seeming careless spread of the seed (spread of the Word). Then, like the plentiful three-fold harvest, the portrait of the Kingdom here is one of expansiveness, far-reaching. The spread of the Kingdom, although small in appearance, will eventually encompass many who will find protection, safety, and nurture within its domain.
Wasteful sowing, bad soil, and surprising harvests (Mark 5)
Keep reading. Listen to what comes next after the sowing parables. Chapter 5 offers a continuation of the “sowing” theme, that is, the spreading of the Gospel of the Kingdom through Jesus’ own activities. We leave the sowing parables with the disciples asking, “Who is this that commands the winds and the waves?” Mark leaves the question unanswered, but readers know the answer:
The One who “hushes” the elements is the Son of God, the miracle-working Teacher, the Master-Sower.
Knowing this, we are moved to the other side of the “sea” (5:1ff). This chapter contains three vignettes, highlighting Jesus’ ministry: the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (as summarized in 1:14-15). The chapter 5 stories portray the Master-Sower sowing the Gospel, and doing so in what appears to be bad, unpromising soil.
Immediately after the parables and the unanswered question of the disciples (v 41), Jesus and His disciples are confronted by a man with an unclean spirit. This man and the place where he comes from represents, no doubt, very bad soil: Gentile territory, pig farming (which is anathema to the Jews), dwelling among the dead (i.e., “among the tombs,” v 3), and demon-possessed. Nothing geographically, culturally, or demographically indicates good soil. Yet, the seed through Jesus’ presence and authority is made known and, to our surprise, there is a harvest. The man is healed, and publicly seen as “clothed in his right mind.” (Could this be a rhetorical slight to those who think Jesus both possessed and out of His mind as portrayed in 3:20-27?). The once demon-possessed man is now called to be an “insider” to “report the great things the Lord has done” (v 19); the former man of the tombs is now a sower of seed. Yet, there are “outsiders” who present obstacles to further sowing, demanding that Jesus “to leave their region” (v 17). Nonetheless, sowing continues through the new “insider” (v 20).
The remaining two stories (seed, planting, soil, and growth) are concerned with a dead child whom Jesus raises and a woman with a hemorrhage who touches Jesus in order to be healed. Both stories are encounters with things unkosher, bad soil—death and disease. Jesus, the Master-Sower, who continues His sowing activities, touches the unclean and the unclean touch Him.
Placed in the flow of Mark’s narrative flow, these accounts of Jesus’ ministry become more clear as to their purpose. They show the nature of Jesus’ mission and the activities of His sowing—that which the disciple-sowers are now called to understand and imitate.
What is its to “hear” the parable of the Sower who sows
Simply put: the one who “hears” the parable of the Sower who sows becomes a disciple-sower. We are called to waste a little seed, no, a large measure of seed on all types of ground. The “soils” are not for us to determine. We will be surprised that good soil will be found in places where seed is wasted on ground that appears bad, potentially unproductive. “Outsiders” who have harden hearts will not join in the sowing, especially any sowing on ground that looks to be infertile. “Insiders” sow in places where “outsiders” live, encountering untouchables, death, and disease, in places that are culturally and demographically challenged. “Insiders,” those who “hear” the Master-Sower’s call, will intentionally consider sowing on what appears to be bad soil as Jesus did (Mark 5). “Outsiders” will seek to protect their territories and protect their established religious and political systems that ensure their appearance as “insiders,” but, in reality, they are not. “Those who have ears to hear” respond to Jesus’ call of discipleship, namely a commitment to the Master-Sower and to imitate His sowing activities as disciple-sowers.
© Chip M. Anderson, March 2005, Words’nTone Rough Cuts
Bible quotes are from the NASB, unless otherwise noted
full Mark 4 Rough Cut...
This is part 2 of the June 25, 2007’s Rough Cut, The parable of the Sower who sows. Tomorrow, part 3 will conclude this Rough Cut.
He began to teach again by the sea and such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow…
Jesus’ ministry-activities & preaching vs. reactions
The next section of the narrative helps us see how Jesus and His message (i.e., the sowing) faired in its first, beginning stage. Quickly Jesus moves into his Galilean ministry, portrayed as a teacher-healer. Between 2:16-3:12, Mark’s storyline focuses on Jesus’ activities and audience reaction and responses. At this point it is good to visualize the reactions of his audiences:
1:16-20: A good start
His call, “come follow me,” is good enough: “Immediately they left their nets and followed him…Immediately He called them; and they left their father…and went away to follow Him” (vv 18-20).
1:21-28: A good response; spreading everywhere
Jesus teaches and the crowds “were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (v 22). He casts out demons and “They were all amazed, so they debated among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority!’” (v 27). And, Mark tells us that “Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee” (v 28).
1:29-45: Very popular
Jesus heals and continues to cast out demons. “Whole” cities gather to hear and see this new rabbi-teacher-healer (v 33). In a short while “Everyone” is looking for Him (v 37). Jesus’ popularity has risen so much that he “could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas” (v 45b). Nonetheless, the crowds keep coming to Him “from everywhere” (v 45c).
2:1-13: The good beginning takes a turn for the worse
After returning home and hearing He has arrived, “many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door” (v 2). Note Jesus is “speaking the Word” (v 2c) to them, that is the Sower is sowing His seed. Jesus forgives a paralytic. Some of the scribes in the crowd ask in their hearts, “Why does this man speak this way?”, accusing Him of blasphemy (“only God can forgive sins,” v 7). Although the crowds still seek to see and listen to Jesus, the seeds of doubt are beginning to sprout.
2:14-27: The religious leaders question everything Jesus does
The crowds continue to find Jesus appealing, but the fact that He heals lepers and eats with tax-collectors (i.e., “sows His seed”) begin to trouble the scribes of the Pharisees (the one’s originally charged with knowing the word, i.e., the seed of the Old Testament). They see Jesus sowing His seed with “the sinners and tax collectors” (i.e., bad soil?) and ask His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” (v 16). Apparently they didn’t like the soil on which Jesus was sowing His seed. Afterward, the Pharisees are disturbed that Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast (v 18). And then to make matters worse, Jesus and His disciples eat grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees point out, “why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” (v 24).
3:1-12: Those who should be sowing the Word have hardened hearts
Jesus’ popularity has ebbed away, especially among the religious leaders, to the point He knows they are just waiting to accuse Him of everything from blasphemy to law-breaking. The warm reception that began in chapter 1 has melted, finally leaving Jesus “grieved at their hardness of heart” (v 5). Soon the “Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians [who were normally their opposition and religious enemies] against Him, as to how they might destroy Him” (v 6). Yet despite the antagonism, the multitude from Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem continue to follow Jesus, and even those from “outside” Jerusalem, that is “Idumea, beyond the Jordon, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon” [places of historic-anti-YHWH sentiments, and “outsiders”].
One long section that gives us a clue for understanding
The divisions of verses and chapters, sometime forced on the text, can make us fragment the Gospel narrative into small parts, where the vignettes and individual teachings (and parables) can take on a life of their own, often lifted from the context and unrelated to the flow of the narrative. The tendency to see and read the Gospels in this fragmented way makes the individual stories and teachings disjointed and unconnected to their larger context. “Hearing” the Gospels this way can cause us to miss hearing God’s Word through the Gospel narrative.
It is important to note, Mark probably wanted his listening and reading audience to hear 1:1-3:12 as one long and related section.
1:1: “Jesus Christ, the Son of God” |----| 3:11: “You are the Son of God”
It begins with the announcement that Jesus Christ is the “Son of God” (1:1) and ends with unclean spirits (i.e., demons) acknowledging, “You are the Son of God” (3:11). We’re let in on the secret. The demons knew it. The disciples apparently did not. The crowds enjoy the spectacle of a new teaching-healing Rabbi, with new authority, sowing His seed (i.e., preaching the gospel of the Kingdom), especially among “outsiders.” And as a result, those who are supposed to be on the “inside” begin to be threatened.
Mark 4, after the parables, ends with a question that brings us back to Mark’s introductory statement (in 1:1) and the demon’s acknowledgement (in 3:11). After watching Jesus “hush” the storm and calm the waves on the sea, the disciples ask:
“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (v 41).
Mark continues his theme that he began in 1:1. Remember, as readers of the story we know what the disciples and religious leaders did not know. We know that the natural answer to the disciple’s question is
“This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God…the teacher-healer Rabbi, the Sower of the parables…”
Appointing the twelve future “sowers” and a little wasted seed
Mark 3:13-35, the section before Mark 4, introduces the chosen twelve who will make up the apostles, the sent ones, who are charged with carrying on and repeating the mission and message of Jesus (i.e., the future “sowers”). This is significant because Jesus appoints the twelve to be with Him (i.e., indicating a discipleship relationship) in order to send them out to preach (i.e., the sowing; cf. 1:14-15). Judas Iscariot, the one who betrays Jesus, is also among the chosen twelve (3:19). We know the story too well, and as a result we gloss over this as we read the names of the twelve apostles (for we know them by heart). The reference to Judas as the one “who betrays Him” is a harbinger of the parable where the sower appears to waste his seed on ground that will not produce fruit. Some of the seed Jesus sows will indeed be wasted!
“Outsiders” and “insiders”
Finally, we read that in Jesus’ own hometown and among His own family, there is disappointment, accusations, and charges of satanic possession. The groups who oppose Jesus and who are making the accusations are made up of “His own people” (3:21) and “scribes” (v 22). The “scribes” ought to have been “insiders” who were responsible for sowing (the OT Word of promise), but instead have hardened hearts, opposing the Sower and are now cast as “outsiders.” And there is no doubt, Mark has placed even Jesus’ own family (i.e., “His people”) among those who are “outsiders” who do not get—that is, understand—His mission. Mark is setting us up for the forthcoming warning that follows the parable of the Sower who sows: First he let’s us know Jesus’ own family came to “take custody of” Jesus because they thought “He had lost His senses” (v 21) and, then, in vv 31-35, he defines family:
Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
We are being prepared to hear the parable of the Sower who sows, and, as well, Jesus’ caveat, the warning and explanation to those who are supposed to be His “insiders”:
As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables…” (vv 10-11).
Further tension and conflict is set in motion as Jesus, the Master-Sower defines who is “inside” and who is “outside.” The preliminary qualification and dividing line is “Whoever does the will of God,” these are in “inside.” And in the parable, one’s standing is further defined: the who understands the parable of the Sower and His sowing, which is the mystery of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
And to make matters more tense, Mark actually indicates there is the potential that even the “disciples” can be “outside.” Even among His own “insiders” there is the potential for “wasted seed,” poor, unproductive soil. This is a warning to the listeners and readers of Mark’s gospel story: we need to evaluate whether we are “outsiders” or “insiders.” Insiders do the will of God; outsiders do not. Insiders, like the Master-Sower, understand and sow the Word of the Gospel of Kingdom of God; outsiders do not.
© Chip M. Anderson, March 2005, Words’nTone Rough Cuts
Bible quotes are from the NASB, unless otherwise noted
Part 3 tomorrow… full Mark 4 Rough Cut...
He began to teach again by the sea and such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow…
I have had enough, and I can’t take it anymore! If I hear one more time that the parable of the Sower in Mark 4 (and Matthew 13) is about me and my heart, or about the different types of hearts in sinners, I am going to scream!
Can you tell I am bothered a slight bit regarding this rather simplistic and erroneous interpretation and application of this all-to-familiar parable? Well, I am. And you should be, too. If for anything, this particular parable is important to get right, for it comes with a caveat, a caution:
And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, SO THAT WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY NOT HEAR AND UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN” [Isaiah 6]. And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?” (vv 9-13).
Don’t dismiss “hearing” for superficial word-play
The preacher or Bible study leader or Sunday School teacher misses the mark when we are told that this text reveals the human psychology, implying that the parable asks, “What kind of soil are you?” The Word of God from this most important parable is sacrificed upon the altar of popular sermonizing. Good exegesis, even a rough cut exegesis of this text, is dismissed for the superficial attraction to word-play: Soil is the human condition, the type of soil is the human heart. This is not only poor exegesis, it misses the word God wants us to hear and our application will move us away from obedience to the parable’s intended purpose. We miss an opportunity to further our discipleship. And reflecting on the caveat in vv 9-13, I fear what we, as Christians and a Christian community, lose.
There are plenty of verses and passages that reveal the nature of man. The parable of the Sower in Mark 4 (and Matthew 13) is not one of them. Popular, flippant interpretations of this text are worse case examples of turning a text on its head: a worse case example of spiritualizing and making an allegory out of a metaphor. This method of interpretation is all too common from the pulpit and among popular Bible studies. It is dismissive of the total parable and the Marken context, and is revealing of our own hard hearts and the misunderstanding of the nature of discipleship.
This Rough Cut will seek to re-listen to this familiar parable and hear the emphasis of its context, so we may heed Mark’s point of including the parable in his Gospel.
Mark doesn’t hide his purpose for writing
Right away, in his introductory remarks, Mark informs us of his intent, that is, why he writes and what we are to hear, to understand:
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1).
The parable of the Sower affirms Mark’s declarative, introductory statement and further helps the reader to understand the nature of discipleship and our relationship to the mission of Jesus. Just listen as Jesus commands in 4:3: “Listen to this! Behold, the Sower went out to sow.” And then, listen again as Jesus interprets his own parable: “The sower sows the word” (v 14).
This parable is about the Sower (i.e., “Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” 1: 1) and about His sowing the Word (i.e., spreading “the gospel of the kingdom of God,” 1:14-15; cf. 1:1). Although we learn about the realities of the mission field and the potential responses to the sowing of the seed, the parable in Mark 4 focuses our attention on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the arrival of the Kingdom of God (cf. 4:11), and the reality of discipleship.
First off, soil can’t be commanded to change
Jesus describes, metaphorically in parable form, four places in which His seed is sown and then gives His interpretation of those places. I refrain from calling the places “soil” at this point in order to help move the emphasis off the “soil” and on to the sowing (the point and emphasis Mark gives).
In vv 3-4, Mark records Jesus’ words: “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing…
The metaphor: “…some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up” (v 4).
Jesus’ interpretation: “These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them” (v 15)
The metaphor: “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil, and after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away” (v 5-6).
Jesus’ interpretation: “In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away” (v 16-17).
The metaphor: “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop” (v 7).
Jesus’ interpretation: “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (vv 18-19).
The metaphor: “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold” (v 8).
Jesus’ interpretation: “And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold” (v 20).
The soil in the parable is passive. It is what it is: shallow, rocky, weed/thorn infested, or good. And it should be noted that there is no command, “Soil, change what kind you are!” Nor is there any hint that Mark or Jesus is asking the question, “What kind of soil are you?” You can look all you want, but this text does not explicitly nor does it beg this question about soil or your heart or the heart of the sinner, i.e., those to be evangelized. Plainly, the text simply implies that the Sower is sowing his seed on these four soils, and he is doing so indiscriminately, lavishly, almost carelessly. All the while it looks unpromising, as if there is little potential for growth, until the end where a bountiful—three-fold—harvest is realized.
Listen! Hear!
It has already been noted, there is no command related to the soil or any command for you or those to be evangelized to change soil type. The only commands are found in verses 3 and 9:
V 3: “Listen to this!”
V 9: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
These commands are, not for the soils (i.e., those who are the objects of the sowing), but for the disciples, followers of Jesus, the Sower. Apparently “hearing” this parable is important to discipleship. The parable is framed with bookend commands to “hear” (vv 3 and 9). The disciples are commanded to listen, to hear the parable (“he who has ears to hear, let him hear”). In fact, Jesus’ caution and quote from Isaiah centers on the importance of “hearing” (vv 9-12). The Isaiah context is also worth noting: these words were given to the Israelite community, confronting their idolatry and disobedience.
Borders of the sea
The “sea” forms the borders in chapter 4. Mark commences this teaching pericope with “He began to teach again by the sea” (v 1) and ends it with the story of Jesus calming the “sea” (vv 35-41). Jesus begins in a boat and ends in a boat. Chapter 4 opens with Jesus in a boat, pushed off slightly from shore, as a Master-teacher, preaching to the crowds who had gathered on shore; Mark 4 ends depicting the Master-teacher commanding the elements. At the end, His disciples, who didn’t “understand” the parable (vv 10-11), see the wind and the waves obey Jesus’ command and, then, raise the question,
“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (v 41).
This helps Mark’s listening and reading audience (i.e., “us”) to know that the contents of the chapter and the parables are about Jesus, the Master-teacher, the Master-Sower, the One in control.
Put the parable in its context—the narrative flow of thought
As discussed in previous Rough Cuts, keeping the text under consideration (in this case Mark 4) in its context is of utmost importance for hearing and understanding a text. This is especially true of the Gospels. Isolating the stories, parables and teachings from their place in the narrative flow of thought can lead away from the storyteller’s intentions. Although with much that is similar, we know that each Gospel writer was selective of the topics, stories, vignettes, and teachings for each of their Gospels. We also know that, although there is some basic historic-chronological order to each of the Gospels, the writers also choose where and when the vignettes and teachings appear in his narrative flow.
Simple word studies are not sufficient, especially within a Gospel narrative. Exegeses of the text (i.e., the parable) must include particular attention to narrative flow (which is inspired by the way) and the text’s juxtaposition to other texts in order to hear God’s Word through the text. The author gives us markers—rhetorical clues—to help us know his intention and to hear his particular emphasis. Catching these clues will shed amazing light on the text and offer fresh ways to hear—hopefully—the original intentions of the writer.
We start with the obvious: Mark begins his story with a thematic assertion, a declaration:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (v 1).
As mentioned above, this declarative statement underscores Mark’s intention for writing. Unlike the other synoptic Gospel-writers (Matthew and Luke), Mark cuts to the chase, leaving out the birth and genealogical settings of Jesus’ entrance into the world. A theological statement (i.e., “it is written”) and Jesus’ baptism follow this poignant opening declaration. This gospel of Jesus Christ is somehow connected to God’s purpose and is a fulfillment of God’s promise to show up (in person). Mark briefly mentions the wilderness story, probably to further connect his Gospel to the Isaiah reference of a “voice crying in the wilderness” quoted above (cf. v 3). In verse 14, Mark begins a ministry thread with a summary announcement:
“The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (v 14c).
Mark starts his narrative with a declaration that what we are about to read concerns the beginning of the Gospel (v 1). And then, prior to beginning his section on Jesus’ ministry, Mark offers a summary of Jesus’ preaching and mission. This is the obvious: Mark’s Gospel narrative is about the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a description of what Jesus preached (i.e., the content of His Gospel and its accompanying activities).
© Chip M. Anderson, March 2005, Words’nTone Rough Cuts
Bible quotes are from the NASB, unless otherwise noted
Part 2 tomorrow… full Mark 4 Rough Cut...
I had a great experience presenting my paper on Mark 12 to my peers at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Washington DC. With gratitude and appreciation I acknowledge the hard work and the example of dedication of my friends and colleagues in the network of Community Action Agencies in the state of Connecticut, and especially those who I have had the privilege of serving with at TEAM, Inc. in Derby, CT and NEON, Inc. in Norwalk, CT. Their commitment and dedication in the fight against poverty and helping people toward self-sufficiency have been a part of my own spiritual journey. If any passion is detected in these pages (i.e., the paper), it is the result of listening, watching, and learning from my colleagues in Community Action.
Widows in Our Courts (Mark 12:38-44): The Public Advocacy Role of the Local Congregation as Christian Discipleship
A devolution in how society cares for its poor and vulnerable populations is shifting the roles and responsibilities back toward religious communities. Whether this tack is for practical reasons such as the lack of government resources, or the shallowness of social capital in the public square (both of which are true), or because the postmodern climate promotes a dislocation with secularized culture that results in an openness to spirituality, Americans overwhelmingly support the role of religion in addressing the issues of poverty and care for the poor.
The acceptance of religion’s advocacy and social action in the public square is not necessarily for spiritual or truth reasons, but is very much practical. The church is looked upon favorably as partners because of the social capital, resources, and concepts of reciprocity inherent within the church’s cultural location that both benefits the poor and relieves the burden on government and “the public” to provide for the poor.
The devolution taking place also involves a tension, namely a deep-seated American cultural resistance to promoting religious change in others. This acceptance of religion as partners in social action has limitations, namely it is acceptable to benefit the public square with its inherent social capital (and some of its religious moral dimensions and principles of reciprocity), but not to shop for members or promote conversion.
The Church’s experience, because it is a spiritual entity with earthly social dimensions, is formed by and a result of the tension between its social and cultural location and its actualization of biblical patterns of discipleship. Within today’s political and social location, the local congregation is presented with a timely opportunity to fulfill its responsibility toward the poor. The Mark 12:38-44 story calls us to incorporate an advocacy role into our patterns of discipleship that move the church into the public square as purveyors of and partners in social action.
The scene in Mark 12:38-44 is a powerful slice of life that is now part of redemptive history and, as well, the written word of God to be responded to by those who have ears to hear.
In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.” And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
The woman in this text is not just a widow; she is a poor widow, which strengthens her identification with a group of people that were to have special protection and provision by those who rule, serve as priests, and own property as prescribed in the Torah and reinforced through prophetic voice. “In the OT, widows, along with the fatherless and aliens, were the most vulnerable and dependent class of people in the land.”
The social and cultural location of today’s social and political realities present the church with great opportunities in the public square to fulfill its role as advocates of the poor. We, however, should be mindful of the reprimand Os Guinness puts forth in his The Gravedigger File:
It may be true that there are more Christians in America than ever before and that they have never had so much money at their disposal, such powerful technologies to use, such positions of influence to fill, or such a global opportunity in which to respond. But the signs are that the opportunity will be squandered and that much of American Christendom is more modern and more American than it is decisively Christian.
It is lamentable to see the widows in our courts amid such wealth and resources (i.e., church-based social capital, human and financial). We, too, fail to notice there is tragedy happening today right before our own eyes. Church discipleship, shaped by the poor widow vs. duplicitous scribes story, should reflect the kingly proverb:
Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all the unfortunate.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy
(Proverbs 31:8-9).
The full Widows in Our Courts paper
“Widows in Our Temple Courts (Mark 12:38-44) audio