Dr. Luke's record of the Lord's εξοδον, his Exodus

We concluded last week's discussion by looking into the question of Jesus following his interaction with IRS man Zacchaeus by the parable of the wicked king and his ten "minas." What did Jesus accomplish with this pair of teachings, side by side?

This week we will look into the answer: his mission in Jerusalem. Here are a few questions to think over:

1. 
   Jesus sees his place of torture and execution, Jerusalem, and he weeps, for Jerusalem? Not for himself? What is the subject of his sorrow in vv. 41-44?
2. Was Jesus actually in the line of David, king of Israel?
3. Has God ever raised praise from the very stones of Earth?
4. Previously many times Jesus admonished people not to blab about him, and he definitely discouraged people from proclaiming him a king... but not this time. Why is that?
5. At Mass, when do we repeat the exclamation of Jesus as Lord? What does that signify, geospatially?
6. Who was worse: the money-changing merchants in the Temple or the scribes and Pharisees everywhere else? How were the two groups similar?
7. In v. 48, Dr. Luke writes that the people hung upon Jesus' words. How does Luke back up that concept with the beginning story of Ch. 20?
8. Did Jesus ever reveal the source of his authority?
9. Does Jesus show salt in this beginning of his Jerusalem mission?

This exodus from Jerusalem is the center of all history. We do well to look into it and thereby find our feet, steady and sure, ready to become doers of the Word.

Questions to make a beginning.

There are a zillion questions we could ask of this first chapter in Matthew's gospel, but here are a few that will suffice for now:

1. Was Mary a virgin at the time of conception?


2. Why were Abraham and David specially mentioned in the genealogy?


3. What does Matthew mention the exile to Babylon but not the slavery in Egypt?


4. In the birth of the Messiah,
   
   • the Infinite is in a womb,
     
   • He that contains all things is carried, as unborn, by a woman;
     
   • the Virgin bears, and continues a virgin.
   How did the Spirit frame that Temple?


5. Did Joseph exhibit out of control behaviors in this time period, which many suppose to be a grievous predicament for an unmarried man?


6. Why didn't the angel appear to Joseph in a dream earlier, just as Gabriel had come to Mary before conception?


7. Where in the New Testament is Mary again commended into a new home, as the angel does in v. 20?

Let's begin here on Thursday morning.

Questions for next time

Some questions to think about in Mark 11.

1. Mark mentions the people who welcome Jesus to Jerusalem. Are these people of Jerusalem the first to mark him as Son of David?
2. Prophet Zechariah mentions the merchants in the house of the Lord. How does Jesus fulfill that prophecy?
3. The Lord gave Isaiah a word, "...my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed." (Isaiah:56:1). How else does that word to Isaiah relate to the happenings on these first two days of Jesus in Jerusalem?
4. Cephas points out the withered tree to Jesus. Why does Jesus use this as a moment to teach about faith?

There are a lot of questions to think over here in chapter 11 of Mark's gospel, and we will tackle them early on Thursday morning.

Notes and results from July 16, Mark 1

Our section of study was Mark's gospel chapter 1.

To set this first chapter of Mark into perspective, we also read John's gospel, chapter 1. The men made comments about Mark 1 compared to John 1, a few of which were:

1. Both gospels use the word "beginning."
   
2. Baptism of Jesus is in both.
   
3. In both, Jesus calls the first few of the disciples.
   
4. Neither cover the birth of the Messiah like Matthew and Luke.
   
5. John does not mention any healings yet, but Mark mentions several, including leprosy.
   
6. Mark details how-what-where-when information, but John discusses the meaning of the Word, especially in the first 18 verses.
   

We discussed several Greek words in the original text.

1. εξομολογουμενοι, confessing, which contains Greek roots we might recognize
   
   
   1. εξ, ex-, meaning out of
      
   2. ομο, homo-, meaning same as
      
   3. λογο, logo, meaning word
   
   
2. σχιζομενουs, being rent: notice the fragment σχιζ, which stands out as the root of our English word schism.
   
3. φωνη, voice, which is a root for our English words phone, phonetic etc.
   

We also discussed the Greek word in Mark 1:41, σπλαγχνισθειs, which literally means intestines, but which translates as compassion. Some of the men did not enjoy thinking about intestines. :) However, this word is only translated as real intestines in one place in the New Testament, and all other times as compassion. Philippians 2:1 contains another famous use of the word. We compared it to the English word balls which means one thing anatomically, but in many contexts means courage or gumption.

As a result of Jesus having compassion on the leper, He was forced to head for the hills with his men. He could not go openly into cities but had to rest up out in the lonely, desert places. This invites comparison to David, who also had to escape several times to the wild, desert places like Adullam.

Mark's gospel, chapter 1

We are studying Mark's gospel. We just finished several months' study through the story of David in 1st Samuel and 2nd Samuel.