In the first reading from Genesis, the covenant of God with Noah is expressed by the Hebrew term berith, which means covenant, compact, alliance, contract. It has a very relational aspect to it. The etymological roots of berith are probably indicated by the idea of “shackle,” “links” or “chains.” Someone was bound up by them. Thus, the notion of covenant as having a binding force to it. The rainbow is a particularly interesting image to indicate this binding relationship between God and humanity, represented by Noah and his family. The phenomenological experience of the rainbow is something that looks like it starts at some point on the earth, goes to the skies/heavens and comes back down to the earth. It is a meteorological manifestation of berith. God is bound to humanity and humanity is bound to God. Heaven is wedded to earth and earth is wedded to heaven. And it serves to remind both God and human beings—but in this case God in particular—to be in constant relationship with humanity. He will never destroy the earth again. The summons to remembrance is very Jewish and by extension Christian. One must always remember the covenant, calling it to mind, recalling the story of salvation.
The striking thing about the second reading from the first letter of Peter is the salvific aspect of God. Even in the midst of the flood—a return to the primordial waters of chaos and disorder—God saves. He does not kill. This is striking given the context in Genesis. In chapter 3 of Genesis, the “sin” of the first human beings would seem to have merited death in eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yet, in fact, they do not die. God banishes them from the garden of paradise, but he clothes them, preparing them for the life they must lead now. Cain killing his brother Abel in chapter 4 would seem to have merited Cain’s death, but God does not take his life. In fact he marks Cain and says that whoever would try to seek Cain’s life, Cain’s life would be avenged. There is an incipient mercy in these stories. The same is true in the Noah story referenced in the first letter of Peter. Though most of humanity has succumbed to the flood waters of chaos and disorder (sin), a remnant of eight survives by the mercy of God. (Eight is very significant in the New Testament context, as it could point to the eighth day—the day of resurrection, the first day of the week, the new creation.) So, again God’s mercy is on display which saved human beings represented by Noah and the others as they symbolically went through death (baptized in the waters of the flood) and came forth from that to the land of new life.
The gospel passage from Mark is quite rich in meaning. Though very short, one has to treat Mark’s account of the temptation (testing) of Jesus on its own terms without reference to the elaboration that the two other synoptic gospels give it. Many a preacher has conflated the stories. The immediacy that Mark is driving at is important. Jesus (the new Adam—human being) does what the old Adam—human being could not do. He does not give into temptation by the Satan (the Adversary, the tempter, the accuser—to use a few other New Testament terms for the diabolos-devil). He is tested and still trusts in God. The garden of paradise continues to be lived in by the New Adam—human being. So, one has the image of him “among the wild beasts”. There were rabbinic midrashim (commentaries) that saw humanity in its pre-lapsarian(before the fall) state as at one with all creation. (Indeed the great vision of Isaiah in chapter 11 of the lion laying down with the lamb is an example of this perfect state of biblical righteousness/justice that effects all creation. The human being is in right relationship with God, others, all creation and himself.) Even the angels serve the new Adam, Jesus. (See Psalm 8:5-6: “What is man that you remember him or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels….” [Angels is used in the Septuagint-the Greek translation of the Old Testament].)
There is also the underlying theme of the wilderness or desert stories of Israel for 40 years. Whereas they doubted, did not trust that God was with them, Jesus does. Thus, Jesus is sort of the restoration of the sons of Israel (the New Israel, so to speak).
The number 40 is significant because it always points to a period of preparation for something new. In this case, it points to preparation for Jesus’ public ministry which will inaugurate something new in the lives of the people: the kairos (opportune time—God’s time, not human beings’ time which is understood by the Greek wordchronos, indicating measureable time) of the in-breaking (closeness) of the kingdom of God. Just like the 40 days/nights of Noah in the ark is preparatory for the new creation story which will take effect when land is found once again.
The disposition that one must have to let the kingdom of God draw near—break in—is that of metanoia. Hence, the imperative form of the verb: metanoiete—“repent,” or better “convert,” “be transformed.” The etymology of the word is meta: beyond and nous: mind. It is a going beyond the mind; a going beyond one’s previous ways of understanding, perceiving, and seeing the world, life, God, etc. That is the fundamental disposition and orientation one must have to receive the message of the gospel—good news. God is doing something new in Jesus Christ, the new Adam/human being. The old ways will not be able to comprehend it. It is a reboot, a reset, a renewal. One has to be in a constant state of conversion and transformation—not just morally, but essentially (from one’s whole being)—to “get” the gospel.
The act of believing in the gospel is relational, not propositional. It is highly dynamic in Greek: the imperative from pisteuein—to put one’s faith/trust in. Again, this takes us back to the garden in Genesis where the first human beings did not put their faith in God, and wanted to try to control it all for themselves. Also, Israel in the wilderness: they did not put their trust/faith in God, but wanted to return to Egypt. Human beings typically settle for the pusillanimous rather than launch out in a posture oriented towards magnanimity.