July 19, 2009 - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Image via Wikipedia

SCRIPTURE STUDY
PROPER 11
YEAR B
JULY 19, 2009


THE READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE

A reading from the Second Samuel [2 Samuel 7:1-14a]

When David, the king, was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent." Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."

But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.


From Psalm 89

20 "I have found David my servant;
with my holy oil have I anointed him.

21 My hand will hold him fast
and my arm will make him strong.

22 No enemy shall deceive him,
nor any wicked man bring him down.

23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and love shall be with him,
and he shall be victorious through my Name.

25 I shall make his dominion extend
from the Great Sea to the River.

26 He will say to me, 'You are my Father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.'

27 I will make him my firstborn
and higher than the kings of the earth.

28 I will keep my love for him for ever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.

29 I will establish his line for ever
and his throne as the days of heaven."

30 "If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my judgments;

31 If they break my statutes
and do not keep my commandments;

32 I will punish their transgressions with a rod
and their iniquities with the lash;

33 But I will not take my love from him,
nor let my faithfulness prove false.

34 I will not break my covenant,
nor change what has gone out of my lips.

35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness:
'I will not lie to David.

36 His line shall endure for ever
and his throne as the sun before me;

37 It shall stand fast for evermore like the moon,
the abiding witness in the sky.' "



A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians
[Ephesians 2:11-22]

Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision" -- a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands-- remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.


SCRIPTURE: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.


EXEGESIS:

VERSES 30-56: OVERVIEW

The Gospel lesson this Sunday is composed of two passages linked by their similar content –– the story of Jesus and the apostles going away to a deserted place for solitude together, but being interrupted by the crowds with their great needs (vv. 30-34) –– and the story of the crowds coming to Jesus in Gennesaret for healing (vv. 53-56). Between these two passages, Mark tells the stories of the feeding of the five thousand (vv. 35-44) and Jesus walking on the water (vv. 45-52). This is an example of a story (or stories) within a story –– a favorite genre for Mark. In this case, Mark ties together stories of Jesus' teaching and healing ministry (vv. 30-34, 53-56) with a story of his providing bread –– a story with eucharistic overtones (vv. 35-44).

These passages speak to us, because we have felt like the disciples must have felt –– hurried and harried. The needs were great; the crowds were large; and the disciples could not even find time to eat. If busyness was a problem for them, it seems even worse now. Our problem is a world in which experts have engineered out all the breathing room. Our laborsaving appliances fail to save us from laboring –– our communications technology (voicemail, for instance) creates barriers instead of bringing us together –– and our leisure is filled with chores.

Worst are the interruptions! If we could just concentrate on the task at hand, we could get the job done. If we could just plan our work and work our plan, life would be simple. If it weren't for the phone –– and the person with a question –– and the sudden requirement for a new report –– and the line of people at the counter!

And these passages speak to us, because we have felt like the people who came to Jesus. We, too, have been sick in body and sick in spirit –– in desperate need of Jesus' healing touch. We, too, have rushed around hoping to find help –– begging Jesus that we might touch even the fringe of his cloak so that we might be healed.


VERSES 30-32: THE APOSTLES GATHERED AROUND JESUS

30The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.


Mark 6:7-13 tells of Jesus sending out the Twelve two-by-two with authority over unclean spirits. They preached repentance, cast out demons, and healed the sick. In verses 14-29, Mark interrupts that story to tell of the death of John the Baptist. Now, in verses 30-34, Mark resumes the story of the Twelve, who report the results of their mission to Jesus. This is another example, then, of one of Mark's story within a story –– the story of John the Baptist set inside the story of the mission of the Twelve.

"The apostles gathered around Jesus" (v. 30). Jesus sent them out as "the twelve" (v. 7), but now Mark calls them apostles (v. 30). This is the only place in this Gospel where Mark uses the word "apostles" (except for 3:14, where the word is disputed). The word "apostles" is particularly appropriate in verse 30, because it comes from the Greek word apostello, which means "to send" –– and it was that word that Mark used in verse 7 to speak of sending out the Twelve. Apostle is "a technical term for the early Christian missionaries, (indicating) that they are official agents (...saliah)" (Perkins, 600). Such a person is considered to have the authority and stature of the person whom they represent –– in this case, Jesus.

"Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves, and rest a while" (v. 31a). Jesus sees that the apostles are weary after their busy mission tour, and invites them to a place of solitude where they can rest. Soon Jesus will have compassion on the crowd, but first he has compassion on his apostles, who have not even had time to eat. Discipleship must balance time for service with time for physical and spiritual renewal. Vincent de Paul advises, "Be careful to preserve your health. It is a trick of the devil, which he employs to deceive good souls, to incite them to do more than they are able, in order that they may no longer be able to do anything."

"For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat" (v. 32b). It is the disciples who are so busy that they have not had time even to eat. People can miss a meal now and then without harm –– but people who are too busy to eat or rest or gather their thoughts soon find the stress wearing –– debilitating.

Contrast the hunger of the disciples in this verse with that which went before (the grim feast at which Herod had the head of John the Baptist served on a platter at his debauched banquet) and what will follow (the feeding of the five thousand).


VERSES 33-34: AND HE HAD COMPASSION FOR THEM

33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion (Greek: esplanchnisthe) for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.


"Now many say them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them" (v. 33). The crowds see where the boat is going, and move in that direction to intercept Jesus.

"As (Jesus) went ashore, he saw a great crowd" (v. 34a). When Jesus arrives at his resting place, a great crowd awaits him. Jesus and the disciples have reason to be annoyed. They have not eaten (v. 31), and were in need of rest even before rowing the boat to this destination. We would expect tired, hungry men to respond with anger to this unexpected demand on their ebbing energy.

"and he had compassion (esplanchnisthe) for them" (v. 34b). Mark doesn't tell us how the disciples respond, but Jesus has compassion on the crowd, because they are "like sheep without a shepherd" (v. 34). Jesus has a sharp tongue for the self-satisfied, but a soft heart for people in need. He "seems never put off by our interruptions, by our constant need of his compassion and teaching. This text affirms his extraordinary availability" (Brueggemann, 436). It also affirms the depth of his feeling for people in need. The word translated "compassion," esplanchnisthe, is also the word for bowels –– guts, and describes a sympathetic feeling that starts in the deepest regions of a person's being.

"because they were like a sheep without a shepherd" (v. 34c). These words remind us of Moses' request for God to appoint someone to succeed him as leader of the people "so that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep without a shepherd" (Numbers 27:17). God chose Joshua, whose name is a variant of the name Jesus.

"Sheep without a shepherd" also reminds us of the words of Ezekiel the prophet, who said, "So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them" (Ezekiel 34:5-6).

Sheep need a shepherd to lead them on safe pathways, to help them to find food, to defend them against danger, to find them when they wander off, and to restore them to the fold. "Shepherd" is often used in the Bible as a metaphor:

• For faithful or unfaithful kings, priests and prophets (2 Samuel 5:2; Psalm 78:70-72; Isaiah 56:11-12; Jeremiah 3:15; 10:21; 23:1-4; 50:6).

• For God (Psalms 23:1-4; 28:9; 80:1; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10)

• For Jesus (Matthew 26:31; John 10:11-18; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25; Revelation 7:17)

• For church leaders (John 21:15; Acts 20:28ff; 1 Peter 5:2-4). (Myers, 939-940).

The words, "sheep without a shepherd" imply a rebuke on the religious leaders of Jesus' day, who have failed in their shepherd role.

And Jesus "began to teach them many things" (v. 34d). "Here the Marcan emphasis on teaching is evident.... Now, in response to a crowd probably seeking a miracle, Jesus offers teaching" (Williamson, 126). Mark gives us no sense, however, that the crowd is disappointed. As we will see shortly, they just keep coming (vv. 53-56).

Teaching (v. 34), feeding (vv. 35-44) and healing (v. 56) show Jesus' concern for people's physical and spiritual welfare, providing a model for ministry that has served the church well through the centuries. Word and sacrament constitute the core of our ministry, but bread and blankets are almost as important.


VERSES 35-55: NOT INCLUDED IN THE LECTIONARY READING

While these verses are not included in the lectionary reading, the preacher needs to be aware of them. They are comprised of two stories:

• The feeding of the five thousand (vv. 35-44).
• Jesus walking on the water (vv. 45-52).


VERSES 53-56: PEOPLE BEGAN TO BRING THE SICK ON MATS

53When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats (Greek: krabattois) to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe (Greek: kraspedou) of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed (Greek: esozonto –– from sozo –– to heal or to save).


"When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat" (v. 53). After feeding the five thousand (vv. 35-44) and walking on water (vv. 45-52), Jesus travels by boat with his disciples to Gennesaret, a fertile plain about three miles long and a mile wide between Capernaum and Tiberius on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee.

"When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region" (v. 54). The people recognize Jesus and rush to bring sick people to him. The picture is at once awful and wonderful –– awful in that dozens or even hundreds of pitiful people converge on one place seeking Jesus' help –– wonderful in the faithful devotion of people who spare no effort to help their loved ones –– and wonderful in that all who touch even the fringe of Jesus' cloak are healed (v. 56).

"and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was" (v. 55). The mats on which the sick lie are known as krabattois –– mattresses commonly used by the poor. The poor and needy are often more receptive to Jesus than are more prosperous people. We are even more receptive when we are seriously ill.

"the fringe (kraspedou) of his cloak" (v. 56a). This fringe is probably the fringe or tassels worn by Jewish men in compliance with Torah law to remind them of God's commandments (Numbers 15:38-39; Deuteronomy 22:12) –– thereby marking Jesus as an observant Jew, concerned with obedience to Torah law. Significantly, Mark will tell us next of Pharisees and scribes who rebuke Jesus for his disciples' failure to comply with the "tradition of the elders" (7:5) –– in this case, ritual handwashing. "The reference to the fringe of Jesus' garment, then, provides a fitting transition to a passage in which he will set the divine commandment over against traditions of human beings whose hearts have strayed from God" (Marcus, 439).

"and all who touched it were healed" (v. 56b). The Greek word for healed is sozo, which also means saved. As anyone who has survived a serious illness knows, to be healed is to be saved, not only from death but from suffering and incapacitation, which can be even worse than death.


THOUGHT PROVOKERS: (Top of page)

In 1991, before the advent of the Internet, Joseph Epstein had this to say:

"Hell, I assume, will be full of newspapers,
with a fresh edition every 30 seconds,
so that no one will ever feel caught up."

Which makes me wonder, "Who needs Hell?"
We have CNN and Fox News.

* * * * * * * * * *

The treasure to be found in the quiet times alone with the Lord
can seldom be found in the rush of a too-busy day.

Herman Riffel, Learning to Hear God's Voice

* * * * * * * * * *

Most of us are working ourselves to death. At least we feel that way as we rush to our next appointment. We are consumed by our jobs, working longer hours than ever before, struggling to stay employed and to get the next promotion. Cellular phones and E-mail make it harder for us to escape. We search restlessly for the meaning of life in what we accomplish. Most of us are also caught up in a spiral of materialism and consumer spending. We want more money so we can buy more things. We may deny that our happiness depends on these purchases, but the more we have, the more we seem to want.

Robert Wuthrow, God and Mammon in America

* * * * * * * * * *

Nothing is more indicative of false timesaving than the current emphasis on speed reading. It is almost made to appear that giving adequate time to a book or to serious ideas in print smacks of retardation. An author may spend days in composing a paragraph or two in order to get at the essence of an idea or to bring out the full force of a paradox. Lingering over such a passage and allowing it to stimulate the mind is a civilizing experience. No one need apologize for savoring the full meaning of print or for combining thinking with reading. Time given to thought is the greatest timesaver of all.

Norman Cousins

* * * * * * * * * *

Jack Welch, while still serving as CEO of General Electric, said:

If someone tells me, "I'm working 90 hours a week,"
I say, "You're doing something terribly wrong.
I go skiing on the weekend.
I go out on Friday.
Make a list of 20 things that make you work 90 hours,
and ten of them have to be nonsense."

* * * * * * * * * *



BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible: Gospel of Mark (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1954)

Boring, M. Eugene, The New Testament Library, Mark, A Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006)

Brooks, James A, The New American Commentary: Mark (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991)

Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV –– Year B (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993)

Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993)

Donahue, John R. and Harrington, Daniel J., Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Mark (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2002)

Edwards, James R., The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)

France, R.T., The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)

Geddert, Timothy J., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001)

Grant, Frederick C. and Luccock, Halford E., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1951)

Hare, Douglas R. A., Westminster Bible Companion: Mark (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996)

Hurtado, Larry W., New International Biblical Commentary: Mark (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1983, 1989)

Marcus, Joel, The Anchor Bible: Mark 1-8 (New York: Doubleday, 1999)

Moule, C.F.D., The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible: The Gospel of Mark (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965)

Myers, Allen C. (ed.), The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987)

Perkins, Pheme, The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VIII (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995)

Williamson, Lamar Jr., Interpretation: Mark (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1983)

Copyright 2009, Richard Niell Donovan, SermonWriter.com