Thoughts on Mark 9:30-37

As I journal through Scripture, I want to focus on Christ's life and His teaching. The texts I will interact with will be ones I teach and preach from, but also the ones God confronts me with as I meditate and pray.

This text from Mark seems to be more Lenten than Pentecost, with its focus on Jesus' 2nd foretelling of his passion.

As opposed to his 1st pronouncement, after which Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him, this time the disciples are "too afraid to ask." (I guess Jesus' counter-rebuke -- "Get behind me, Satan!" -- scared them.) If you don't understand something, do you ask questions, or do you clam up in fear? The Christian church needs to be a community that can handle hard questions. After all, when we claim to know and teach the truth, we have the obligation to make it clear to people, i.e. "to give the meaning" (cf. Ezra 8:8). Questions are good opportunities to help people overcome doubts and confusion. But if they don't ask them, their faith will not grow.

After reaching Capernaum -- home turf -- Jesus confronts His disciples about the argument they'd been having on the road. (It's noteworthy to see how they responded to Jesus' foretelling of His death by getting into a "King of the Mountain" contest.)

Toviah Times

Greetings!

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