7 years later - such an insightful message and caution to humble ourselves before the Lord Jesus so he can open they eyes of our heart so we can receive our sight (HIS REVELATION) of His Powerful, Living and Life Changing WORD!
Thank you JESUS for having your son make these videos... thank you so much for obeying GOD and posting this.. you are doing great work for the KINGdom..thank you!
thanks for putting these together. Studying Mark with the Sr. Adults at our church and these videos help get us out of the minutia of individual stories and see the bigger picture of the Gospel.
Helpful -- except for calling the disciples "stupid". Put yourself in their shoes. They have no categories to understand what's happening to them. They're bewildered; Jesus is patient. They aren't "stupid", they're deeply disoriented and confused, and understandably so, because that's the goal -- or at least the necessary corollary of where Jesus is ultimately taking them. (And cf. Matthew 28:17.)
I don't think I've said anything that Mark doesn't intended for us to see. It's a harsh depiction. What else would call someone who was shown hot to do something and then needed to be shown again a few minutes later. And then still was wondering about what you showed them a few seconds after that. We're not talking history here as much as the way Mark tells his story. And in the story the disciples are depicted as a dimwitted bunch. They're unable to see what is so clearly set before them. But that's part of Mark's intent. He wants his audience to see themselves in this depiction of the disciples. Like the disciples in the story, they too have abandoned Christ's call to leave everything and follow him. We sympathize with the disciples because we see their failure in ourselves. Mark intends for Jesus' rebuke to them to be a rebuke to us.
There's nothing to suggest that Mark portrays the disciples as dimwitted, foolish, stupid, or anything of the sort. There is no rebuke here. Jesus is fully ready, able, and willing to rebuke, and when he does, there's no mistaking it. There is none of that here. Modern interpreters have foreshortened the narrative, and have the benefit of 20/20 (ha! if only) hindsight. BUT -- yes, Mark wants his readers to see themselves in this depiction, but as those who (like the disciples!) are coming to see who this Jesus really is. It isn't all taken in in a moment. (Did you check the Matthew reference?) There is far more pastoral, theological, and evangelistic mileage in reading *with* Mark's narrative, than importing categories foreign to his story. (But I have a feeling we'll have to agree to disagree! And all this isn't to take away from an otherwise finely done video. For which, thanks!)
I really appreciate that. I don't expect to change your mind either. And that's alright. I just wanted to point you to the rebuke. Mark 8:17-19 "Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loves and the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" Jesus doesn't say the word "stupid" but the tone here is certainly sarcastic. He's implying it. Why ask the question? Jesus is insinuated the answer. They have eyes and ears and yet they can't see or hear. They should be able to understand and yet they don't. Matthew is much easier on the disciples as is Luke. That's one of the reasons why I think Matthew and Luke adapted Mark ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UAk28MZMcjs.html
Yes - stern, true. Not sure about sarcastic! Try reading it in a different tone of voice; it still works! There's a similar exasperation on Jesus' part in Gesthemane, too -- towards the end of Mark 14. Exasperation, but also a clear sense of Jesus' compassionate understanding for the disciple's limitations. My sense is that these episodes are more similar that the "stupid/tore into them" characterization. Anyway! Grateful the for exchange.
We all could use more humility in not allowing our hearts be offended at the word used in this teaching: "Stupid", when Jesus himself proclaims stronger words directed at his Disciples. Words such as: PERVERSE, UNBELIEVING, DULL, EVIL, BLIND, SLOW of UNDERSTANDING, HARD HEARTED and FOOLISH, (Foolish translated to modern English equals STUPID.). You can find each of these words that JESUS spoke to his Disciples alone - right there in each of the four (4) Gospels. Remember, along with the religious people & leaders of his time, many of his other disicples stopped following him because they were offended at his teachings. God Bless You!
