Archive for May 2021

2 Samuel 11-12, Psalm 111, Mark 14:43-52, Galatians 2 Mark 14:43-52: Judas arrives. And as if to tell us how deep was the betrayal, we are reminded that he was one of the twelve. To be betrayed is one thing; to be betrayed by a companion is another; to be betrayed by one sworn to loyalty to you…

2 Samuel 8-10, Psalm 110, Mark 14:32-42, Galatians 1 Mark 14:32-42: Gethsemane. Was ever any more mournful prospect, and yet, beyond all hopes, great salvation? Unlike all human-made religions, at the heart of biblical Christianity is the cross, and that means Gethsemane. Other religions must deny suffering, pretend it does not exist like the cults, rise to a…

2 Samuel 5-7, Psalm 109, Mark 14:12-31, 2 Corinthians 13 Mark 14:12-31: The Feast of Unleavened Bread becomes the occasion for a momentous new event. The arrangements are made according to Jesus’ command and prearrangement, and over the meal a prediction is made that was sure to raise the alarm in everyone’s mind: one of them will betray…

2 Samuel 3-4, Psalm 108, Mark 14:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 Mark 14:1-11: Another end is fast approaching—this time not the end of all things, or Jesus’s coming, but his crucifixion, death and resurrection, the “Christ event.” It was now “two days before the Passover.” If you are unfamiliar with the story of the Passover, or the celebrations instructed…

2 Samuel 1-2, Psalm 107, Mark 13:32-37, 2 Corinthians 2:1-12 Mark 13:32-37: Once again the practical instruction about the second coming of Jesus and the end of all things is relatively straightforward (if disconcerting): Be on your guard; stay awake. In the midst of this practical instruction, there are, though, portions which are hard to interpret. What does…

1 Samuel 29-31, Psalm 106:24-48, Mark 13:14-31, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 Mark 13:14-31: There are more quite complicated, interpretative challenges in these verses, but the essential and practical thrust is clear. “Be on your guard” (13:23). The “abomination that causes desolation” has caused much head scratching among the scholars, as has the phrase—breaking the third wall as cinematographers would…

1 Samuel 26-28, Psalm 106:1-23, Mark 13:1-13, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 Mark 13:1-13: The disciples’ pious wonder at the beauty and magnificence of the temple (13:1) leads Jesus to comment upon the temporal relative brevity of even such human religious magnificence (13:2). Not one stone left upon another. This prophecy was fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. But…

1 Samuel 24-25, Psalm 105, Mark 12:35-44, 2 Corinthians 10 Mark 12:35-44: As Jesus has been rather ruthlessly questioned by his enemies—and as he has quite brilliantly sidestepped their traps and pointed all his hearers back to spiritual truths—now Jesus turns the table on his interlocutors. Now Jesus asks some questions! First Jesus quotes from…

1 Samuel 21-23, Psalm 104, Mark 12:28-34, 2 Corinthians 9 Mark 12:28-34: Jesus continues to be tested. They are looking to trap him in his words. This time the trap that is sprung is one of theological orthodoxy. Will he find a way to summarize the law that is simple and yet accurate? If fluffs…

1 Samuel 19-20, Psalm 103, Mark 12:13-27, 2 Corinthians 8 Mark 12:13-27: Having been deeply offended by Jesus’ blunt assessment of their spiritual predicament, the religious authorities now tried to trap Jesus in his words. They come to him with two “cause celebres” at the time – the one regarding politics, the other a theological…