Envy

In Mark's fifteenth chapter, verse 10, we read,

For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.

Why envy? Why does Mark feature this fault in the αρχιερειs, the chief priests, and not some other fault? Some of the insights from men:

1. Dave: the chief priests were envious because they were losing adherents.
2. Jim: they envied Jesus because Jesus had answers -- they didn't.
3. German: It was because God the Father was with Jesus. German compared the situation to the parable of the prodigal son, especially the elder, faithful son, who was envious of his father's generosity to the prodigal son. It is a good comparison, one shared by another German, Pope Benedict!
   
   And what of the elder brother? Is he not, in a certain sense, all men and women as well; perhaps particularly those who sadly distance themselves from the Church? ...Unable to think beyond the limits of natural justice, he remains trapped within envy and pride, detached from God, isolated from others and ill at ease with himself.
4. Sal: Envy goes along when pride starts to move. It is like the enemy falling through the sin of pride, compared to the Messiah who won the victory in humility.
   
   For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.
   But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it.

Questions for next time

When we dive into the fifteenth chapter of Mark's gospel, we can consider some of these questions.

1. Why does Mark immediately emphasize the time of day, early morning, in the very beginning of this section?
2. Why were the soldiers so careful to remove the purple garments from Jesus before leading him out of the Praetorium?
3. How does Pilate's questioning compare to the temptations of the enemy at the beginning of Jesus' open ministry?
4. What is the distinction of Simon of Cyrene on this day?
5. Why did Jesus stay hushed in the middle of this trial?

This is the way of the Cross. How we follow is the central question for early in the morning on Thursday.

Cyrene

One of the men we meet in Mark's gospel is Simon of Cyrene. The city of Cyrene was originally a Greek colony in the 7th century B.C., about the time of good King Josiah in Jerusalem. Later it became a Roman colony. It is near the Mediterranean coast, at an elevation of about 2000 feet, a little lower than Jerusalem, which has an elevation of about 2500 feet. Though Cyrene is not a going city now, its location on a plateau above the sea catches rainfall and even snow.

[Click the photo to view full size photo of snow on a city street about 8 miles from Cyrene's ruins.]

Many Jews lived in Cyrene. They travelled to Jerusalem to celebrate Jewish festivals, and this is how we meet Simon of Cyrene.

Peter and Jesus

We discussed the betrayal event again this morning, especially what Peter's actions mean for us in this day -- his sleeping, his denying Jesus, and later events.

1. Bob: This is the test of Peter, but he did pass the test. He must have thought, "What a coward I was!" But later on, BANG! He became the strong central apostle.
2. Sal: This is the time of building for Peter's character. God builds our character through our mistakes.
3. Joe: The Lord works it in such a manner because he knows that Peter will eventually become the man the Lord wants.
4. German: God is always ready to give us another chance.
5. Deacon Alfonsus Magnus: Peter's path is an example of God's love and mercy... especially mercy.

We discussed the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, and the unusual state of God praying as a human for strength. In this, there were additional comments:

1. German: it was like a man going off to combat, worries but determination.
2. Scott: As men, we want to work and not rely on anybody. But Jesus trusted the Father.

We also talked about Joseph, faithfully working and teaching his son, yet every day trusting his life and the life of his family to God the Father. Good.

Questions for next time

Next time we will dive deep into Mark 14:43-72. Here are some questions to consider as you read and prepare:

1. Was Jesus surprised that the betrayer Judas and the crowd nabbed him this night?
2. What was it that Jesus said that caused the high priest to tear apart his clothes and cancel his subscription the Jerusalem Slantinel?
3. Was Peter's performance under questioning by the slave girl the same as or different from Jesus' response to the questioning of the high priest?
4. If this gospel is really Peter's gospel written up by Mark in Rome, as many commentators think, then what does Peter the bold apostle gain by blabbing up this sorry moment in his history? How does it help him build up the faith of the newcomers to his flock?
5. Who was the young man mentioned in verses 51 and 52?

This Thursday morning, we will look into these and other questions concerning our Messiah and his Twelve.

Our blessing cup

We studied the psalms that Jesus sang with the Twelve on that Passover evening, especially Psalm 116, "I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD."

The Church teaches that the obedience of Jesus in this Passover is all.

The obedience of Jesus has transformed the curse of death into a blessing.

CCC 1009

And to this day, we still sing Psalm 116 on Holy Thursday, just like the Messiah and the Twelve did.

The betrayal event

This morning, we discussed the emphasis on the cup of salvation in Mark 14:22-25, and how Mark devotes so many more words to it than he devotes to the one bread. After looking through Psalms 116 and 118, and re-examining the passages before and after Mark 14:22-25, we decided that Mark was emphasizing the cup in the middle of the betrayal event, all the betrayal and abandoning and the difficult prayer in Gethsemane.

It is curious that Jesus can sing the psalms of praise, the Hallel psalms, Psalms 113-118, in the midst of such a trap. Yet that is exactly what he does, the sacrifice of praise. The stone that was rejected became the cornerstone.

German describes an example in the life of St. Vincent de Paul, concerning a similar sacrifice in the midst of abandonment and betrayal.

Questions for this morning

Here are some questions we must tackle this morning, as we dig deeper into Mark's gospel, chapter 14:

1. Why does Mark record so many of Jesus' words about the cup, vv. 23-25, but not so many about the one bread?
2. At the passover meal, it was customary to sing Hallel psalms -- Psalms 113-118. How do these psalms relate to the actions of Jesus in Mark's fourteenth chapter?
3. What does it mean, to rise?

We will discuss these and other questions this morning in Men's Bible Study.