GOSPEL OF MARK SERIES.
During 2019, each week, I will write
a weekly post about the Gospel of Mark, as I review and explore each of
the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. If you are following
this series for the first time, you will find this series under Scripture- New
Testament- Gospel of Mark.
Click here to read the first post in the
series. I have written this series in different years (2012, 2015, 2018) with
some irregularity, but am determined to complete this series this year since I
am more than half way through this Gospel.
My goal is to understand and pray the
Gospel of Mark. I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel
through the liturgical season. In today's post we explore chapter 14:43 -52
which is called The Arrest of Jesus.
THE ARREST OF JESUS.
Jesus is ready and His testing begins
at once. Judas, one of the twelve, as
Mark repeatedly notes, comes not with disciplined solders nor with temple police
but with a mob of men armed with knives and clubs. When Judas hand Jesus over to His enemies by
a kiss of friendship, Jesus remains silent.
After Judas, the unfaithful disciple,
is introduced, no one is named in this present episode except Jesus. It appears that in this manner Mark wants to
focus our attention fixedly on the person of Jesus.
When someone makes a show of violence
to defend Jesus and cuts off the ear of the high priest’s slave, Mark does not
directly name this individual as a disciple.
Already the disciples are facings from our view. They are mentioned no further in Marks
account of the passion.
The words of Jesus, which Mark records,
draw our attention to the infidelity, malice, and violence which surround Jesus
at this moment. They do not threaten or
accuse anyone, but make clear what is really happening, as God see things. They point to the trust which Jesus feels towards
God, despite the apparent victory of evil and injustice. God foresees the evils that come to His
faithful servants as part of the achievement of His divine plan for the world,
as scripture makes clear (14:49)
What is the meaning of the young man,
whom Mark’s gospel alone mentions? Historically,
it is not at all clear who this person many have been. Its symbolic meaning may be more important.
It could be a symbol of Jesus Himself
as the one who escaped from the shroud of death (15:46) to appear in the shining
robe of resurrection (16:5). We may have
here an early symbol of Christ faith in Jesus as the one saved by God out of
death into the glory of the resurrection.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS.
.
In our journal and/or our discussion
group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:
- Name the key points that you
have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?
- Imagine that you are the
disciples- What do you see and hear and feel. What can I learn from this?
- Imagine being the one of the men arresting Jesus. What questions do I want to bring to Jesus?
- What is reading the Gospel passage with the eyes and ears of disciple mean to me?
- How does Jesus make clear His teaching to me in this passage?
- Consider a situation in your life today where the teaching of Jesus needs to be applied.
- Consider how much my faith
means to me and what does my faithfulness/unfaithfulness to my
church/parish mean to me and others?
- What are the areas in my
life I need to bring to Jesus in the light of this teaching?
- Am I willing to look into
myself with honesty and ask how much do I grasp what it means to be a true
disciple of Jesus in the light of this teaching?
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