s to the bad dispositions of some moral men who do not want to understand because they do not want to repent.
2. The Gospel of Mark is Mark's transmission of the Gospel as preached by the Apostle Peter. Or, more likely, it is the translation into Greek of a Hebrew original written by Peter. A sign of Peter's humility: the boat belonged to him, but he doesn't mention it.
3. No one is by nature, or through mere human virtue, "good soil". Only divine grace can make us ready to receive the seed of the word of God and then bear supernatural good fruit.
4. In the parable, the evil spirits are compared to birds eating seed. Perhaps to fix this image in our hearts, we could watch Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds", or think of birds that we regard as somewhat of a nuisance like... Canada Geese.
5.. Excessive desires, which may even be legitimate, within due limits, can choke the effect of the word of God and of grace.
6. For the word to bear fruit, as the nature of the "message of truth" demand,s requires that the word be understood.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Wednesday, Week 3, January 30, 2019
Some Notes on Today's Gospel
1. Since it is absolutely certain that "God wills all human beings to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth" the reference to seeing but not understanding and not being forgiven refer
s to the bad dispositions of some moral men who do not want to understand because they do not want to repent.
2. The Gospel of Mark is Mark's transmission of the Gospel as preached by the Apostle Peter. Or, more likely, it is the translation into Greek of a Hebrew original written by Peter. A sign of Peter's humility: the boat belonged to him, but he doesn't mention it.
3. No one is by nature, or through mere human virtue, "good soil". Only divine grace can make us ready to receive the seed of the word of God and then bear supernatural good fruit.
4. In the parable, the evil spirits are compared to birds eating seed. Perhaps to fix this image in our hearts, we could watch Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds", or think of birds that we regard as somewhat of a nuisance like... Canada Geese.
5.. Excessive desires, which may even be legitimate, within due limits, can choke the effect of the word of God and of grace.
6. For the word to bear fruit, as the nature of the "message of truth" demand,s requires that the word be understood.
s to the bad dispositions of some moral men who do not want to understand because they do not want to repent.
2. The Gospel of Mark is Mark's transmission of the Gospel as preached by the Apostle Peter. Or, more likely, it is the translation into Greek of a Hebrew original written by Peter. A sign of Peter's humility: the boat belonged to him, but he doesn't mention it.
3. No one is by nature, or through mere human virtue, "good soil". Only divine grace can make us ready to receive the seed of the word of God and then bear supernatural good fruit.
4. In the parable, the evil spirits are compared to birds eating seed. Perhaps to fix this image in our hearts, we could watch Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds", or think of birds that we regard as somewhat of a nuisance like... Canada Geese.
5.. Excessive desires, which may even be legitimate, within due limits, can choke the effect of the word of God and of grace.
6. For the word to bear fruit, as the nature of the "message of truth" demand,s requires that the word be understood.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Back again, with today's Gospel
How today’s Gospel should be translated:
Mark 3:31-35 Revised Standard Version (RSV) with corrections
The True Kindred of Jesus
31 And his mother and his kinfolk came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your kinfolk are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
This text gives a clue that it is not originally written in Greek, but translated into Greek from Aramaic or, more likely, Hebrew. It does not have the paragraph long, logically and elegantly composed sentences. Rather it has short uncomplicated sentences
, typical of Hebrew.
So it is fitting and reasonable to observe that Aramaic and Hebrew do not have a specific word “brother” as opposed to “cousin”, but rather a word that covers both, which we have given as “kinfolk”. Hebrew can of course communicate our “brother” by specifying that the person was born of the same mother as me, and “cousin” by stating born of my mother’s kinswoman.
“Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Whoever does God’s will, whoever “does the truth in charity” is a child of God through Faith. So they are brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus.
But “mother”? Yes. Who ever “does God’s will” is a living branch on the true Vine, Jesus Christ. They are a “good tree” that produces “good fruit”. Thus they bring about that, or contribute to the rebirth of others into the supernatural life of a regenerated child of God. So they are “mothers”.
All of us believers can carry out this good work by prayer. We should pray for the conversion and eternal salvation of all “poor sinners” and all “poor unbelievers”.
, typical of Hebrew.
So it is fitting and reasonable to observe that Aramaic and Hebrew do not have a specific word “brother” as opposed to “cousin”, but rather a word that covers both, which we have given as “kinfolk”. Hebrew can of course communicate our “brother” by specifying that the person was born of the same mother as me, and “cousin” by stating born of my mother’s kinswoman.
“Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Whoever does God’s will, whoever “does the truth in charity” is a child of God through Faith. So they are brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus.
But “mother”? Yes. Who ever “does God’s will” is a living branch on the true Vine, Jesus Christ. They are a “good tree” that produces “good fruit”. Thus they bring about that, or contribute to the rebirth of others into the supernatural life of a regenerated child of God. So they are “mothers”.
All of us believers can carry out this good work by prayer. We should pray for the conversion and eternal salvation of all “poor sinners” and all “poor unbelievers”.
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