Mark 2:13-22

 Mark 2:13-22 (NRSV)

¹³ Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

¹⁵ And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

²¹ “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”

 

Mark 2:13-22 relates a story about the call of Levi, a pronouncement story on Jesus eating with sinners, and sayings regarding fasting.

Mark 2:13-14 is a story about Jesus involving call of Levi. We can see how the disciple gathering by Jesus relates to the controversy he generated. Part of the ministry of Jesus in Galilee involves the testing and crossing of sacred boundaries in religion and culture. One cannot confine or domesticate the reign of God to any one piety or tradition.  

¹³ Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.The teaching of Jesus will contribute to the controversy he will have with the religious authorities. ¹⁴ As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, who Mark 3:16-19 does not include in the list of disciples and thus he may not have considered Levi in that group, and he said to him, “Follow me,” as Jesus said to the first disciples. Levi got up and followed him. Given the social standing of those who collected taxes among the Jewish people for the Romans, Levi may well have been ripe for a career change. The response is immediate. For him, this response represents a major career change! The point is to provide to the reader a typical or ideal Christian response.

Such a call places the mission of Jesus at odds with the prevailing religious and cultural mores of his time. Jewish contemporaries viewed tax collectors as crooked and unclean since they were the intermediaries of the Roman taxation system. Levi, as an occupant of a tax office, would have been a bottom feeder within this system. As such, he would not have profited like Zacchaeus from a taxation franchise but would have probably been a mere employee within such an operation. In this sense, Levi is in social double jeopardy. He is too low in the tax system to benefit from its graft. Yet, he receives the taint on his life and character by his association with it. To just such an outsider the invitation of Jesus to follow comes. Understandably, Levi takes him up on the offer. 

Few people make important life choices with any degree of decisiveness. We backtrack here and compromise there. We lack the courage to stand by our decisions. The result is that many of us remain in a continual state of anxiety. Thus, we may have the attitude of those without a plan for our lives. We have the day-to-day attitude of receiving whatever comes our way. We may have a fatalistic and defeatist attitude. We have no clearly defined opinion of the direction of our lives. We can then cling so strongly and stubbornly to an idea that we become fanatical. Our vacillation is a symptom that we can trace back to our fear of responsibility. Our indecision is the fruit.[1]

Is the risen Lord calling us to re-evaluate how we are spending our time, our lives, and our careers? Is he challenging us to break down and bust up the barrier between office and vocation, between what we do for a living and what we do to serve God? Is he inviting us to use our time, talents, and treasures for more than business building and wealth creation? While we certainly can serve God wherever we are, we may be at a Levi moment in our lives. We have been going along with what is familiar, but the risen Lord may call us to embark upon a path toward something greater. The greater issue is not so much career, but the call and challenge to become increasingly like Christ.

Mark 2:15-17 is a pronouncement story concerning eating with sinners. We read of how the disciple gathering by Jesus contributes to the controversy he will have with religious authorities. It may even seem like a mundane thing, yet the company Jesus keeps generates controversy. Part of the ministry of Jesus in Galilee involves testing and crossing sacred boundaries in religion and culture. He shows and teaches us as readers that one can confine or domesticate the rule of God. 

¹⁵ As Jesus sat at dinner in Levi’s house, suggesting Levi made the invitation to dinner soon after his response to the call of Jesus, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him. We should note the importance of the inclusion of tax gatherers and sinners in the table fellowship, which guarantees participation in eschatological salvation. The participation is from God. It means the rescuing of the lost. Those who accept the message are no longer outcasts. They share in the salvation of the rule of God. The presence of salvation also relates to the removal of the barrier that separates from God.[2] ¹⁶ When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Historically, the Pharisees were interested in Jesus because their group had much in common with his mission. Both were reform movements within Judaism that challenged the temple system and the ways in which that system had served to confine the expression of their faith. As a domestically based tradition, Pharisaism was very much concerned with table practice, the serving of meals and the extension of hospitality. Mark Twain called it “being good in the worst sense of the word.” Many of us look down at others: homosexuals, drinkers, fundamentalist Christians, loud teenagers, and so on. Jesus did not do that. Jesus invites us to be understanding with others and the issues with which they struggle. We all have them. He invites us to be an example of accepting love, so that others may wish to be like us. We can note again that his table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners was part of what surrounded the ministry of Jesus with ambivalence that led to rejection and offense of his person.[3] ¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. This saying is a secular proverb that Jesus uses here to instruct the religious people of his day. There is a parallel in Gospel Fragment 1224 5:2, which says, “Those in good health don’t need a doctor.”  Some scholars think it may reflect an earlier version of the saying than we find in Mark. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Jesus does not categorically deny the validity of the Pharisees' faith. Indeed, he refers to them as "the righteous." They are not outside the project of the rule of God. In fact, Jesus characterizes them as already inside. Therefore, he is not concerned with them. His concern is to broaden the circle to include those whom the Pharisees have placed outside, to expand the table, and to call more folks to live in the present reality of the rule of God. Yes, Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (I Timothy 1:15). Jesus wants his contemporaries to see that the reality of the rule of God is near and among them, especially in those religious authorities have labeled as outsiders. We can see the rule of God in those with whom we associate around food, friends, and family. He wants his righteous contemporaries to see, know, and taste the goodness of the rule of God among us. Yet, Jesus gave offense due to those included in his table fellowship. The meals Jesus held or shared characterized his coming and the conduct of his disciples. When he accepted invitations from others, he made known his readiness to grant fellowship with him to those who issued the invitation. Others felt this to be especially scandalous in some cases because by his participation the table fellowship that he granted or accepted became a sign of the presence of the reign of God that he proclaimed and a sign of the acceptance of the other participants into the future community of salvation. The granting of acceptance of table fellowship by Jesus removed everything that separated people from God and his salvation. It meant the forgiveness of sins, so that table fellowship was a real symbol of fellowship with God and of participation in the future of the reign of God.[4]

The story arises out of the controversy Jesus had with the Judaism of his day and had continuing significance as the church in Israel continued in its struggle with Judaism. The matter of table fellowship remained a struggle within the early church, for even Cephas, who had come to Antioch, ate with Gentiles until representatives from James came into the city. He withdrew table fellowship out of his fear of those parts of the early church who thought that circumcision should still be an important Christian rite (Galatians 2:11-12).[5]

Mark 2:18-22 is a pronouncement and other sayings concerning fasting. We read of the teaching and practice of Jesus around the matter of food will generate controversy with religious authorities. To us, a matter such as food seems mundane. Yet, he is testing and crossing sacred boundaries in religion and culture. He is teaching and showing how one cannot confine or domesticate the rule of God to one piety or tradition. 

¹⁸ Now, John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” This distinguishing between the disciples of John and Jesus is interesting. It at least suggests some time later in the ministry of Jesus. However, Mark is following the pattern of many rabbinical stories that frequently connect sayings with events. In this case, the criticism of the disciples of Jesus is a way to offer implied criticism of Jesus. ¹⁹ Jesus said, in a proverbial saying, to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. Fasting and a wedding are incompatible. Guests do not fast, at least if the celebration is going on.  Tasty food, appropriate dress, and adequate wine ordinarily go with a wedding celebration. Jesus enjoyed eating, drinking, and participating in weddings. Jesus and his disciples did not fast, in contrast to the disciples of John and the Pharisees. This verse speaks of the rule of God as present. The question theologically is how such a saying relates to other sayings that suggest the rule of God is yet to come.[6] The time of his presence with his disciples is a time of eschatological joy.[7] ²⁰ The days will come when the bridegroom is no longer among them, and then they will fast on that day. The saying may not understand Jesus as the groom who has departed. Yet, as the faithful read it after Easter, it suggests Jesus is the Messianic bridegroom. It becomes like apocalyptic sayings regarding the Son of Man. The rule of God promised in apocalyptic has at least proleptically arrived in Jesus. We can read the saying, at least post-Easter, considering the eschatological understanding of the Christ event. Jesus calls people to see the rule of God as near and among them. We can see the reality of that rule even in the mundane and trivial matter of food. We will see it in how we live. Thus, if Jesus is present, fasting is not appropriate. Yet, the saying permits the return of fasting into the lives of those that follow Jesus.

Mark then includes two secular proverbs from Jesus. ²¹ “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” Jesus is inviting his contemporaries to see the reality of the rule of God among them. They can see it in the way they live. They can see, know, and taste the goodness of the rule of God. The old is Judaism, incompatible with what Jesus brings. Note that Thomas 47:3 values the old, and Luke 5:39 says, “Aged wine is fine.” Thus, we unduly limit the saying when we use it only to contrast Judaism and Christianity. These sayings about old and new serve to challenge Christians to always review their faith, and make sure that it serves its true goal, namely the following of Jesus. Such a posture demands humility and openness. It is to just such a posture that Jesus calls the people of God. Through it, the risen Lord promises that there is ample room for all to feast at the table of the grace and goodness of God.

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[1] Johann Arnold, Seeking Peace (Pennsylvania: The Plough Publishing House, 1998), 140.

[2] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 332.

[3] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 335-6.

[4] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 284-5.

[5] Galatians 2:11-12 ¹¹ But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; ¹² for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.

[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 328.

[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 331.

II Corinthians 3:1-6

 II Corinthians 3:1-6 (NRSV)

 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? ² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; ³ and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

⁴ Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, ⁶ who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

 

           In II Corinthians 3:1-6, part of the introduction to an extended defense of the apostolic service (2:14-3:6), we see Paul transforming a dispute about his authority into a moment to proclaim the great confidence God has placed in ordinary people. 

As we move to 3:1-6, we see Paul transforming a dispute about his authority into a moment to proclaim the great confidence God has placed in ordinary people. The people of God are the "letter" through which the living Christ is making an appeal to the world. Paul is saying something like that here. Thus, Paul asks his readers, ¹are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Some of his readers seem to have criticized Paul for recommending himself in appropriate ways. Surely, we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? Paul is contrasting the other traveling preachers with himself, who founded the church. ² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, which all people can know and read. Emerson once wrote that what you are speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say you are. Paul is saying something like that here. Further, ³ you show that you are a letter of Christ, which identifies their true foundation, as Christians are the evidence to others of the nature of Jesus, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Paul will now assert that true apostles meet the challenging questions with confidence before God. Note the dialectic of inadequacy and adequacy, unworthiness and worthiness. ⁴ Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, ⁶ who has made us (Paul claiming claims for himself and his team as) competent to be ministers of a new covenant. The concept of “new covenant” was part of the tradition Paul received. This new covenant is not of letter (without disqualifying the Old Testament, the books are simply writings, holy and necessary) but of spirit; for the letter kills, (not disqualifying the Old Testament, but recognizing that the law increased sin and gave effect to its link to death as its consequence[1]) but the Spirit gives life. The contrast of letter and spirit is part of the Pauline contrast between what enslaves and what frees, what is visible and what is invisible. The point is not a literal verses spiritual interpretation of Scripture. What we find written kills because it enslaves one to the presumption that we find righteousness in doing the law.

If we think of the gospel, beginning in verse 6 and continuing through the next segment, Paul here distinguishes the gospel from the Old Testament ministry of the law.[2] Paul is offering his way for Christians to read the Old Testament. It witnesses to the revelation of Jesus Christ.[3] We need to understand the law from the perspective of Paul and his view of salvation history. The only master concept under which Paul could contrast and relate the law and the new reality of faith, grace, and Spirit that abrogates it is the covenant, his antithesis being that of the old covenant and the new. As Paul sees it, the law is not the timelessly valid form of the divine will or of the demand of God on us. Rather, the law is a positive historical entity, namely, Old Testament law, or in general, the whole Old Testament viewed as law.[4] If only the letter of the Jewish Law has the function of condemning, does such condemnation have a broader sphere of validity in accord with the inner link between sin and death?[5] If we think in terms of the notion of the people of God and the official church, the fellowship of the new covenant is spiritual, as indicated here, because membership in the church rests on baptism as a sign of fellowship with Christ and of membership in the body of Christ.[6] If we think of the new person from above, Irenaeus, who followed the lead of Paul here, integrated the covenant history of God with Israel into his picture of human history as a whole.[7]

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[1] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 67. 

[2] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 459.

[3] Barth, Church Dogmatics I.2, 19.2, 514.

[4] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 61, where he commends an essay by Gerhard Ebeling.

[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 69-70.

[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 478.

[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 298.

Hosea 2:14-20

 Hosea 2:14-20 (NRSV)

¹⁴ Therefore, I will now allure her,

and bring her into the wilderness,

and speak tenderly to her.

¹⁵ From there I will give her her vineyards,

and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.

There she shall respond as in the days of her youth,

as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer will you call me, “My Baal.” ¹⁷ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more. ¹⁸ I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. ¹⁹ And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. ²⁰ I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.

 

Hosea 2:14-20 is part of a segment that extends from verse 4 and ends in verse 25, relating defection and retribution, reconciliation and renewal. 

In Hosea 2: 14-15, we have the conclusion of the internal dialogue the prophet envisions occurring within the being of the Lord. ¹⁴ Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. This speaks of restored relationships. The leading of Israel into the wilderness could mean either the enterprise of making a special people had failed or that there will be a new beginning.  The idea is that of speaking intimately is that of courtship. ¹⁵ From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. Verses 16-25 make greater sense at a national level. The promises here have no relationship to any change in Israel. The Lord will punish her for the festival days of the Baals, offering incense to them, wearing jewelry, and went after lovers, while forgetting the Lord. ¹⁶ On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer will you call me, “My Baal.” ¹⁷ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and Israel shall mention their names no more. ¹⁸ I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. All of this suggests an eschatological formula.  The transformation of nature and achievement is for universal harmony. ¹⁹ In addition, I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. ²⁰ I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord. The prophet speaks of the covenant of peace. The beneficiaries of the covenant are the children.  A covenant like this has its nearest account in Gen 9:8-11. Paul refers to the verse in Romans 9:24ff, appealing to the election concept of the people of God as he finds this prophetic promised fulfilled in the emergence of the Gentile Christian missionary churches.^[1]

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[1] Systematic Theology Volume 3, 443, referring to Wilckens, Romer, II, 205f. 

Psalm 103:1-13, 22

 Psalm 103:1-13, 22 (NRSV)

Of David.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name.

² Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and do not forget all his benefits—

³ who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 

⁶ The Lord works vindication

and justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹ He will not always accuse,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

¹² as far as the east is from the west,

so far he removes our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion for his children,

so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Psalm 103:22 (NRSV)

²² Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

 

Psalm 103 is a hymn. This psalm seems to come from the period of exile. The psalmist expresses a personal experience that had led him through adversity and suffering caused by sin to the enjoyment of the grace of God. He glorifies the rule of God by pointing to great persons in the past. The poet has connected his personal experience with the biblical testimony. The psalm is a meditation on the goodness of God and the forgiving love of god framed. The hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” has its basis in this psalm.

Psalm 103:1-2 are the opening song, a call to bless the Lord. He encourages his soul, and therefore himself,[1] ¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits or acts of kindness. These verses state the theme. He experiences both the distance and holiness of God on the one hand and the nearness and love of God on the other. The exhortation to his own soul shows a desire to experience God directly.

Psalm 103:3-5 are a personal experience of divine grace. ³ who forgives all your iniquity, He begins with forgiveness of sin, because separating from God is the worst that could happen. As he continues, who heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, ⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that the Lord will renew your youth like the eagle’s. Thus, he first is thankful for the grace of God in his own life, seen clearly in times of darkness, as sin, illness, and death. His joy comes out of the confidence that God will also love him in the future.

Psalm 103:6-13 shows the grace of God in history and tradition. Personal experience becomes the way to understand the saving history of God. ⁶ The Lord works vindication and justice for all who experience oppression. The righteousness of God is the key to understanding past events. The Lord ⁷ made known theways of the Lord to Moses, the acts of the Lord to the people of Israel. Thus, a succession of gracious acts reveals the righteousness of God. In Israel, Moses declares the righteous will of God and therefore sees that the catastrophes in its history are the effect and expression of divine judgment.[2] ⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The history of the people is proof of the grace of God. See Exodus 34:6-7. The prayer of the biblical person cries out for the Lord to be gracious. Here is the basis of that prayer. The inclination of the Lord is good and favor toward humanity, even if we do not serve this favor, but deserve its opposite.[3] The theological question of the essence and attributes of God in this passage becomes that of the attributes that characterize the working of God.[4] The attributes of the essence of God disclose themselves in revelatory action as the attribute of divine love.[5] In the established formula with which ancient Israel summed up the divine attribute of patience has a fixed place alongside grace, mercy, and righteousness.[6] Thus, the Lord ⁹ will not always accuse, nor will the Lord keep anger forever. The Lord ¹⁰does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. In verses 9-10, grace shatters the experience of sin. In verses 11-13, see Isaiah 55:8-9, illustrating the greatness of divine grace, images of heaven and earth and fatherly love. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. Hosea also adopted the thought of divine fatherhood, alternating features of fatherly and motherly care.[7]

²² Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. These places are infinitely many and not identical with created space. Rather, he thinks of special places within this space, for a rivalry exists between these places and other places.[8] He concludes as he began: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

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[1] Barth, Church Dogmatics III.2 [46.4] 405.

[2] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 495.

[3] Barth, Church Dogmatics II.1 [30.1] 356.

[4] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 360.

[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 432.

[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 439.

[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 260.

[8] Church Dogmatics II.1 [31.1] 479.