Jesus the Lamb

We discussed the plan of God the Father that the promised Lamb should be sacrificed in the Passover that year, recorded by Mark in his gospel. It was a promise long time coming.

Judas

Further reading is required for this unanswered question:

1. Was Judas present all the way through the Last Supper? Or did he go out before Jesus broke the bread and shared that last cup?

We did not get it sorted out this morning, though we tabbed through the book of Genesis and Isaiah for other questions.

So we have some homework for next week. Good.

Prepare for next time

We will dive into chapter 14 of Mark's gospel this Thursday morning. Here are some questions that can guide your reading.

1. Who wanted the death of Jesus to occur during the feast of unleavened bread?
2. Who wanted the death of Jesus to occur before the feast of unleavened bread?
3. Which of the Twelve wanted three hundred denarii for the poor and did not want Jesus to be anointed with the expensive Nardostachys grandiflora "spikenard" ointment?
4. Jesus had a plan for the first day of unleavened bread. How did his plan begin?
5. What is the significance of Jesus knowing who his betrayer is?

This is another area of Mark's gospel that is loaded with meaning. We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us in our quest for wisdom and insight in this section of the gospel, even helping us tackle these simple questions on Thursday morning this week.

Keep watch.

We spent a long time discussing the meaning of keeping watch. Here are some words from Sal, Len, Joe and German.

Questions for next time

We will continue into chapter 13 of Mark's gospel with some of these questions:

1. No man knows the hour, only the Father, when the Son of Man comes in the clouds with great power and glory. Is it kosher for Jesus to not know this hour and day?
2. There is another comparison to a man away from home and the behaviors of the servants while the lord of the house is away. What other parables in Mark have used a similar story?
3. Through Mark's record, Jesus admonishes us to be alert, even in the night. How is it that each member of the Church can be alert? What is the meaning of this alertness? Or, what is the meaning of sleep, about which Jesus cautions us?

On Thursday morning this week, we will walk further up and further in to this message, using questions, including this short list.

What is the sign? What is the σημειον?

The section of Mark's Gospel 13:1-31 is loaded with meaning, since it is the reply of Jesus to the Twelve, who asked, "What is the sign that these things are about to come to an end?"

The meaning of some of these words comes into view if we look over the Greek words and how the Greeks used them, and if we find that they connect to any familiar words in English. Here is a list of a few of the vocabulary terms.

1. σημειον, semeion, has a variety of uses for an ancient Greek:
   1. mark by which something is known
   2. sign
   3. signal made of flags
   4. landmark for property boundaries etc.
   5. device upon a shield, like the shield held by the Greek soldier on the ancient Greek vase, at right.
   6. watchword
   7. in reasoning, it meant proof
   8. symptom
   9. in mathematics, a geometric point in time.
   Our English word semaphore comes from this Greek root.
   
2. εγω ειμ, ego eimi, literally, "I am." In v. 6, Jesus warns against those who say this, a phrase with intense meaning for the Jews. Cf. Exodus 3 for the story of Moses and the Lord at the burning bush, where the Lord reveals his name to Moses.
   
3. πλανησουσιν, planesousin, meaning to lead astray, wander. We have an English word, planet, based on this Greek word. The planets are not fixed in the night sky; they wander. E.g., Venus is sometimes visible as a morning star, sometimes as an evening star.
   
4. σεισμοι, seismoi, meaning earthquakes. We have an English word for earthquakes: seismic.
   
5. μαρτυριον, marturion, meaning witness, testify. Our language has the word martyr from this Greek usage.
   
6. βδελυγμα, bdelugma, meaning abomination, a Greek word for which I know no connecting English words. In Greek usage, it means nauseating, filth, or coarse, beastly behaviors.
   
7. ερημωσεωσ, eremoseos, meaning desolation. In Greek usage, it is a word for isolated, "of the desert," or "in the wilds." Mark uses this concept a few times in chapter 1, for instance. English derives hermit from this Greek root.

Many people attempt to nail down the identity of the nausea from the desert that stands where it ought not stand. Could it mean King Herod from Red Edom? Could it mean Adolf Hitler, Anwar Sadat, Michael Gorbachev or the eagle atop the standard of a Roman legion? We agreed that the main lesson in this regard is quite clear, the very first words spoken by Jesus here: "Take heed that no man deceive you!"

Get ready a little bit.

This morning we discussed the action of the Holy Spirit in time of trouble, starting in Mark 13:9-11, with our own examples including this one from German.