BiND: Day 72
Mark, Act 2.
One of the things I noticed while reading Act 2 (from 8.27 to the end) of Mark today is the focus Mark places on the changing of power relationships and dynamics. Did you notice? There were multiple instances of children—who are not only powerless, but vulnerable and weak as well—being welcomed and even leaders in the kingdom, of “the last shall be first,” and of the disciples wrangling over who’s best (remember James and John, asking if they can sit at Jesus’ right and left hand? Remember who’s actually at Jesus’ right and left at the “end” of the story? two criminals. Interesting…), there’s the story of the rich man who keeps all the commandments but still is missing something—Jesus suggests that those who maintain the status quo, who willingly participate in a system of inequity (like the one prevalent in both Jesus’ day and ours), will have a tough time participating in God’s kingdom of equity and justice.
One of the things I find fascinating about Mark is that there are several endings—it’s practically a “choose-your-own adventure” story! The oldest (and shortest) ending stops at 16.8. The women, again, have come to the tomb and are the first to witness the resurrection, the first to see the kingdom of God in glory, the ones who meet and converse with angels. And then, for the first time in the whole book of Mark someone is TOLD to go tell people what happened (before now, Jesus has been saying “don’t tell” over and over again!)—but the women flee in
terror and amazement and say nothing because of their fear. Now, obviously, they told someone because otherwise we’d have no story today, but I just love that honesty (typical of Mark)—the women had witnessed something so incredible that they were literally speechless. Then, of course, we get the later additions to the ending, that make it seem tidier and nicely wrapped up, ending on a positive rather than fear/awe-struck—the “shorter ending” (added sometime after the 200s) says they told and then everyone told the whole world “the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.” Does that sound like the rest of Mark? It doesn’t to me, instead it makes me laugh. J The longer ending was added in the late 200s or early 300s, and even in the earliest manuscripts is marked as “secondary status”—it seems to be composed of elements from the other three gospels and even the beginning of Acts, perhaps as a way to wrap up the story in a way similar to what other communities were hearing. It’s interesting to think about the communities that would have received these writings and heard them proclaimed in their worship gatherings—what did they remember? What was most important? What did they do after hearing the word?
What did you notice as you read Mark, act 2?
photos are of kids who live in 1st century bc ruins (now in Jordan) and of the beginning of the Via Dolorosa, the way Jesus is thought to have walked from his sentencing, through Jerusalem, to his crucifixion out the other side. both photos by TCP.

















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