Present: Father Zuccaro, Jill Pond, Catherine Hamlin

Bible Study Sunday, June 21, 2015

Gospel of Mark Chapter 6

Present: Father Zuccaro, Jill Pond, Catherine Hamlin

recorded by Catherine Hamlin

•  Mark 6: 7-13 The mission of the Twelve.

And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave a place. And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.” So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons,and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

In the Navarre commentary on Mark 6:8-9 it states, “ The preacher should so trust in God that he is convinced that he will have everything he needs to support life, even if he himself cannot obtain it; for he should not neglect eternal things through worrying about temporal things.” (St. Bede “, In Marci Evangelium exposition, in loc.). By these instructions the Lord did not mean that the evangelists should not seek to live in any other way than by depending on what was offered them by those to whom they preached the Gospel, otherwise this very apostle ( St. Paul) would have acted contrary to this precept when he earned his living by the labours of his own hands.

Did St. Paul work for a living? This is unknown. The apostles were to depend on the graces and good will of the locals. There is a holy audacity in setting about God’s work. Even though you don’t have the resources, trust in God’s providence.

Matthew 10: 5-15. The Mission of the Twelve

These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay. Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. As you enter the house, salute it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgement for the land of Sodom and Gomor’rah than for that town.

Mark 6:1-6

“No prophet is honored in his own country

He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What might works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took office at him. And Jesus said to them,” A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.”

In other gospels, Jesus is referred to by his vocation (son of the carpenter.) With the reference to Jesus being the son of Mary this could indicate that St. Joseph was deceased.

When questions arise about scripture, start with the passage. Read and re-read the passage. The biblical commentaries are scholarly guessing.

In his own country, Jesus is questioned. The commentary on 6: 5-6 is helpful

“Jesus worked no miracles here: not because he was unable to do so, but as punishment for the unbelief of the townspeople. God wants man to use the grace offered him, so that, by cooperating with grace, he become disposed to receive further graces. As St. Augusting neatly puts it, “ He who made you without your own self, will not justify you without yourself.”

At the second coming, will Jesus be questioned by unbelievers? No, at the second coming there will be fear and awe. We will be accountable. He will come in Glory and Might and Power. We have this world to make a conversion of heart and turn to Him so that when He comes we may be saved and not condemned.

At the second coming, the Lord will look different, he will be glorified. He was not recognized after the Resurrection. There will be a total transformation at the second coming, similar to the Resurrection and the Transfiguration. Jesus will come along with undeniable events e.g. the Seven Signs. The world will not be able to deny Jesus’ coming.

Prognostications of the end of the world are the work of the devil. People making these statements claim to have revealed truths. Jesus never claimed to have a secret (as opposed to the Gnostics.)

The statement the Jesus never claimed to have a secret led to a discussion from previous Bible study meetings on the Parables where Jesus told his apostles, “I will explain to you in private.”

The question was posed, why did Jesus not explain to all, and only to the apostles? Were there explanations that did not reach the gospel accounts?

Jesus did not withhold things; however, people were trying to trip him up. Jesus’ words would be used against Him. We revisited Mark 4:10-12

“And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. And he said to them.” To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again and be forgiven.”

Jesus knows that some have hardened their hearts. Mark 4:33 “With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.”

We read together from the Navarre commentary on p.72 :

“The disciples are distinguished here from “those outside” v 11 an expression which Jews applied to Gentiles, and which Jesus here applies to those Jews who do not want to understand the signs which he performs (cf. Luke 12:41)

Later on, our Lord does give his disciples even more exact instruction about the content of the parables. But, since the Jews do not want to accept the signs he performs, in them are fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah (6:9-10). The parables, which were an expression of our Lord’s mercy, were the occasion for his condemning incredulous Jews, whose sins he cannot forgive because they do not wish to see or listen or be converted.”

Incredulous Jews do not wish to be converted. Jesus won’t refuse anything for those who have faith.

John 21:25 “ But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

The end of the world was expected soon. There were persecutions. It was an apocalyptic time.

The question was posed, why did Jesus not write down his teachings. Perhaps he was illiterate. At any rate, that is why we have the Evangelists.

We discussed translations of the Bible. Father shared that in seminary he learned some Greek and Latin. The Douhay-Rheims Bible has been looked upon with disdain in some circles because it is a double translation ( Greek to Latin, Latin to English).

The question was asked, who were the Herods?

There were 4 Herods

Herod the Great : he was in power at the time of Jesus’ birth and is known for the Magi and the massacre of the infants.

Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. He beheaded John the Baptist. He married his brother’s wife. He abused the Lord during his passion (Luke 23: 7-11) “ And when he (Pilate) learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then clothing him in gorgeous apparel, he sent him back to Pilate.”

Herod Agrippa was the nephew of Herod Antipas. He executed James the Greater and imprisoned St. Peter.

Herod Agrippa II

St. Paul pleaded his case against Herod Agrippa II

The Herods were Jewish Temporal Rulers, regional Kings. They were “Puppet Kings.” Pilate was a Roman governor. Caiphas was the high priest.

Ignatian Bible commentary says, : Herod the Great, ruler of Palestine. He was part of a non-Jewish (Edomite) family that held political favor with Rome. Herod was appointed “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate in BC 40…As a ruler, he was extremely harsh and inflexible. He enjoyed little favor with the Jews since he remained loyal to the Roman emperor and was not a rightful Davidic leader.

Jesus walks on water

Mark 6:45-52

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went into the hills to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass them by, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

The question was asked about the passage “ he meant to pass them by.”

Jesus wants the apostles to call out to him. Jesus is there. It is a lesson in faith. Similar to the saying, “Have faith in your faith”

From the Navarre Bible commentary, “ He wishes to teach us that even when we are in very pressurized and difficult situations, he is nearby, ready to help us; but he expects us to make an effort.”
Turn to the Lord. Persevere in prayer.

We discussed the passage “ For they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”

In the Douay-Rheims bible, the passage reads “ For they understood not concerning the loaves; for their heart was blinded.”

We expect the apostles to be saints from the start. It takes Pentecost to transform them They were simple men , they were fishermen. The hardening was circumstantial, not intentional.

From the Navarre commentary on Mark 6:52

Their hearts and minds are still hardened; they fail to grasp the full import of what Jesus is teaching them through his actions - that he is the Son of God. Jesus is patient and understanding with their defects, even when they fail to grasp what he says when he speaks about his own passion (Luke 18:34) Our Lord will give them further miracles and further teaching to enlighten their minde, and later, he will send the Holy Spirit to teach them all things and remind them of everything he said. (cf John 14:26) St Bede the venerable comments on the whole episode (Mk 6:45-52) in this way : “In a mystical sense, the disciples efforts to row against the wind point to the efforts the Holy Church must make against the waves of the enemy world and the outpourings of evil spirits in order to reach the haven of its heavenly home. It is rightly said that the boat was out on the sea and he alone on the land, because the Church has never been so intense3ly persecuted by the Gentiles that it seemed as if the Redeemer had abandoned it completely. But the Lord sees his disciples struggling, and to sustain them he looks at them compassionately and sometimes frees them from peril by clearly coming to their aid.”

The question was asked about Jonah which was mentioned in the Navarre commentary on Mark 8:12. We looked at Matthew 12: 38-41

The sign of Jonah

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nin’eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

From the Ignition Study Bible, “Jesus teaching and experiences recall the ministry of the prophet Jonah. Jonah prefigures Jesus in 2 ways : (1) His three days in the whale foreshadow Jesus’ Resurrection on the third day (2) he prefigures Jesus as a prophet to the Gentiles. As Jonah preached to Nineveh in Assyria, so Jesus ministers to Gentiles and commissions the international spread of the gospel. “

The questions was asked if there exists some type of compilation of the chronological life of Christ as derived from the gospels. Or if there is a summary of all the prefigurations of Jesus in the Old Testament.

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