Mark's World and Our World: A Further Introduction to Mark's Gospel Revised Common Lectionary Year B by Rev Barrie Morley

MARK THEN AND NOW 

Those dedicated and hard working people, Local Preachers in training often say that the hardest subject for them to come to terms with is Exegesis.  But it is one of the most important parts of preaching..  What is the point of simply repeating what Paul said to a new church in Ephesus in the first century when addressing a congregation in the UK 2,000 years later?   The words remain the same down the centuries, but  the world has changed, and our task is to dig out the golden nugget of eternal truth and allow congregations to 'cash' it here and now.    For example can we simply quote,  'Slaves be obedient to your masters', or 'Wives obey your husbands?' without putting those words into the context of British culture in this twenty first century?    And if we need to do more than simply quote it without question, then how many other Biblical texts and concepts need careful examination and exposition to ring bells for congregations today?

Several times a year we travel between the East Midlands and North Yorkshire.  I have come to realise that the best way for us to go, is over the mighty Humber Bridge.   The twin towers of that beautiful piece of engineering not only link Hessle with Barton on Humber, or even Yorkshire with North Lincolnshire.  They bridge two regions,  the Midlands and the North.    Just so when we prepare our sermons we stand on one bank of a river of time and ask questions like,  'Why wrote this?'  'When?'    'Under what circumstances?'   'To whom?'    Only then can we stand on the opposite bank of the river of time and begin to ask 'What kind of people will hear this today?'  'What are their "issues"?'  'How do those ancient words apply to todays world which is both different and the same?'  When we do that, we have begun to achieve an exegesis, and can then hope to share that golden nugget of truth in a way that might be helpful  to people today.

SO over the next twelve months we can dig deep into the oldest of the Gospels, the foundation for two of the others, and try to discover Mark's world, Mark's people, Mark's purpose.  Only then can we begin to think of the different people, in a different time, culture and place who will hear it today.    If we go through this process (which can be both fascinating and tedious),each time we preach or listen to a sermon, then Mark's word can come alive in our century just as much as it did in his. 

MARK'S WORLD

Many believe that this oldest of the canonical gospels was written around 80AD, probably in Rome, at a time when Jerusalem had been sacked by a Roman army and the temple reduced to ruins.  (See Dr. David Palmer's article).    This growth was mainly among Gentile people.  many of them were slaves and near the bottom of the social heap.  As the military and civil authorities began to understand that Christianity was a separate faith from Judaism, the followers of Jesus were losing the protection given them when they were seen as simply a branch of the Jewish faith.  Now the threat of persecution was in the air.  The exciting but testing atmosphere was heightened by questions about the promised return of King Jesus to reign.  Eighty years after Christ's death, and around thirty years after the earliest of Paul's letters (Thessalonians) revealed that people were on the tip toe of expectancy, Christ return to reign was still no more than a hope. 

Into these situations Mark composed his Gospel.   It seems to be aimed at those who taught new converts, (Pastors and teachers?) and evangelists who were working to spread the faith among others, and to strengthen believers in difficult times.

OUR WORLD

As we bridge the river of time from Mark's world to ours we find enough similarities to make us excited and bring his gospel to life today.

• Just as the old faith, Judaism (-see Palmer) had suffered a severe setback, so now in the Western world, Christianity has experienced decades of decline.
• HOWEVER, this provides a fallow field for evangelists to bring a Gospel which sounds 'new' that is, the Story is no longer known as it was say two generations ago.  To those who have never really heard the story before the Gospel can sound new and exciting Good News.
• Now as then there are difficulties and sometimes even dangers in following the way of Christ.   Britain is now proud to be secular, religion is often seen as being a cause of conflict and harm in society, and there are restrictions on Chistian life style and worship. (e.g. Sunday work times and worship time can be incompatible).  Christian symbols and public prayers are forbidden in certain places.  
• Disappointment and apparent delay continue as we still wait for the Kingdom of God to fully come.
• One of the most fascinating aspects of Mark's gospel is the veiled identity of Jesus.  WE are told in the first verses who Jesus is, but throughout the book the Jewish leaders do not recognise who he is, and his own disciples lack faith and misunderstand that his mission must invlove suffering.   The Messiah, (the one chopsen and anointed by God) ends up dying on a cross.  

The original manuscripts of Mark end (Ch 16: 8) not in strong faith and joy, but  with disiples 'in fear and trembling.'

    

Today as in Mark's time the Lordship and reign of Christ are not obvious.  The way of Christ involves suffering, and it takes faith to see the man on the cross as God's Annointed.

Mark wrote a Gospel, , NOT a biography of Jesus of Nazareth.  In other words he provided material for Teachers and Evangelists.  Therefore we as preachers should be able to use his work in the way he intended - to help create and nurture Christians.

With these links between Mark's gospel in HIS time and in OURS, we turn to the Gospel readings for the season of Advent.