Thursday, February 03, 2005

one type of event, two outcomes

this is from a short reflection paper on Mark 1:16-45 for my Gospel of Mark exegesis class... the greek words are spelled out as a result of the copy/paste and the lack of greek font for this blog.

Mark 1:16-45 includes a series of events that demonstrate the kingdom coming with power through Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mk 1:1). Jesus’ impact on the people he encounters in the first chapter of Mark reveals his authority and ability to restore. In particular, there are multiple instances where one type of event leads to two outcomes. Are the double-meanings an intentional literary technique used by Mark to show Jesus’ power or do these examples show Jesus’ power through intentional events? The two examples are Jesus’ authority in his teaching and his restoring action through healing.
Jesus’ authority (evxousi,a) is displayed in his teaching as well as his healing. The first example is Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue (Mk 1:22). Mark states that the listeners were amazed (evxeplh,ssonto) and differentiated Jesus’ teaching from the instruction of the scribes. They note that Jesus’ teaching had authority. The second example is Jesus’ healing of the man with the unclean spirit (Mk 1:27). This elicits the same response (evqambh,qhsan). The observers surprisingly refer to the action as new teaching (didach. kainh). Their use of the word “new� displays a comparison to prior actions of other teachers. Jesus’ authority associated with teaching is an example of one entity that manifests itself in two ways: word and deed (Moloney, 54).
Another example where one reference points to two outcomes is Jesus’ restoring act of the leper (lepro.j) in Mk 1:41. The man’s leprosy is healed and he is allowed to re-enter the community of Israel. He was sent away from the community according to Levitus 13-14 (Moloney, 58). The suffering is related to the condition as well as the alienation from people. Sin has the same impact. Jesus’ healing is a second example of one type of event that manifests itself in two ways: physical and relational restoration.

additional thoughts/questions:
the power of the kingdom of God is displayed in Jesus overcoming unclean spirits, diseases and taboos. Jesus' touching the man with leprosy is a major taboo of the time. he is then reconnected to the community of faith.

how does sin cut people off from the community of faith?
how does Jesus' healing (in forgiveness) restore people physically and relationally?

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