Dearest e-votees-
In this cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary (Year B which began on November 30 on the 1st Sunday of Advent) the bulk of our gospel lessons come from Mark.
This Sunday we overlap the reading we had on the 2nd Sunday of Advent right at the start of the gospel of Mark.
Mark doesn’t record any of the Christmas story for us (no birth, no signs, no Mary, no Joseph, no angels, no shepherds, no star, no Magi, no Slaughter of the Innoncents, no Herod, no Anna, no Simeon)—he begins his account with John the baptizer fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy and baptizing Jesus.
It is a little abrupt but straight to the point. Mark is like that. So is God, at times.
Peace,
Karl
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John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:4-11, NRSV
All four gospels include an account of Jesus being baptized. Mark is unique in that he uses the language of heaven being “torn apart”—Luke and Matthew use a different word that talks about heaven being opened. John doesn’t even mention heaven being open or torn.
The word Mark uses in the Greek that is rendered “torn apart” is skids-zoh. It is the root of our word “schizophrenic” which literally means “torn mind” or “split mind”.
The word skids-zoh appears only one other place in Mark (15:38, also in parallel verses in Luke 23:45 and Matthew 27:51). It appears at the time of Jesus’ death when the curtain in the temple is torn from top to bottom.
The temple curtain separated where God was believed to dwell from the rest of the temple and the world. Only once a year could the priest chosen by lot enter into the Most Holy Place. That was not a space with which to trifle.
When Jesus died the curtain tore from top to bottom. Who do you suppose was on top doing the tearing? Access was granted between God and humanity. Either God was let out into the world in a new way (kind of a backwards Pandora’s box) or we were granted access to God in a new way. The point is that relationship is restored with God through Jesus’ death.
When Jesus was baptized, God tore open the heavens to speak words of relationship and testimony about Jesus. When Jesus died, God tore open the obstacle between God and people renewing relationship and giving testimony about Jesus life and death and imminent resurrection.
Tearing things apart seems kind of abrupt and permanent. But Mark can be that way. And God can be that way, too. Especially when God wants to make it clear how much we are loved and that we are, in fact, in restored relationship with God.
Peter, James and John will hear these words of affirmation and relationship again atop the Mount of Transfiguration in six weeks at the end of the church season of Epiphany (which began on January 6). If God keeps repeating something in our hearing perhaps it is important.
God, thank you that you tear through every hindrance between us and you. You declare your love for us insistently. Help us to know your love. Help us to understand that through baptism into Jesus’ death and resurrection we are restored in relationship with you. Tear down anything we build up that tries to block out your message of insistent love and pure grace. Amen.
In this cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary (Year B which began on November 30 on the 1st Sunday of Advent) the bulk of our gospel lessons come from Mark.
This Sunday we overlap the reading we had on the 2nd Sunday of Advent right at the start of the gospel of Mark.
Mark doesn’t record any of the Christmas story for us (no birth, no signs, no Mary, no Joseph, no angels, no shepherds, no star, no Magi, no Slaughter of the Innoncents, no Herod, no Anna, no Simeon)—he begins his account with John the baptizer fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy and baptizing Jesus.
It is a little abrupt but straight to the point. Mark is like that. So is God, at times.
Peace,
Karl
-----------------
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
All four gospels include an account of Jesus being baptized. Mark is unique in that he uses the language of heaven being “torn apart”—Luke and Matthew use a different word that talks about heaven being opened. John doesn’t even mention heaven being open or torn.
The word Mark uses in the Greek that is rendered “torn apart” is skids-zoh. It is the root of our word “schizophrenic” which literally means “torn mind” or “split mind”.
The word skids-zoh appears only one other place in Mark (15:38, also in parallel verses in Luke 23:45 and Matthew 27:51). It appears at the time of Jesus’ death when the curtain in the temple is torn from top to bottom.
The temple curtain separated where God was believed to dwell from the rest of the temple and the world. Only once a year could the priest chosen by lot enter into the Most Holy Place. That was not a space with which to trifle.
When Jesus died the curtain tore from top to bottom. Who do you suppose was on top doing the tearing? Access was granted between God and humanity. Either God was let out into the world in a new way (kind of a backwards Pandora’s box) or we were granted access to God in a new way. The point is that relationship is restored with God through Jesus’ death.
When Jesus was baptized, God tore open the heavens to speak words of relationship and testimony about Jesus. When Jesus died, God tore open the obstacle between God and people renewing relationship and giving testimony about Jesus life and death and imminent resurrection.
Tearing things apart seems kind of abrupt and permanent. But Mark can be that way. And God can be that way, too. Especially when God wants to make it clear how much we are loved and that we are, in fact, in restored relationship with God.
Peter, James and John will hear these words of affirmation and relationship again atop the Mount of Transfiguration in six weeks at the end of the church season of Epiphany (which began on January 6). If God keeps repeating something in our hearing perhaps it is important.
God, thank you that you tear through every hindrance between us and you. You declare your love for us insistently. Help us to know your love. Help us to understand that through baptism into Jesus’ death and resurrection we are restored in relationship with you. Tear down anything we build up that tries to block out your message of insistent love and pure grace. Amen.
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