The Passion Narratives - Mark's Account

This week and next we will be looking at Mark's account of the Passion of Our Lord. He writes in a very different style from Matthew, which you should be able to notice. Some points to keep in mind about Mark in general:

• Mark writes almost like a newspaper reporter. He seems to just be reporting facts rather than spending a lot of time interpreting them. Therefore, his Gospel moves very quickly. However, the Passion is of the utmost importance to Mark and so he slows down considerably and adds layers of detail when he gets to the Passion.


• Mark presents a very human Jesus, showing him eating, drinking, resting, as well as being happy, sad, frustrated, angry, and loving.


• Scholars believe Mark was writing to a primarily Gentil audience.


• Scholars date the writing of this Gospel, the first official Gospel to be written, to somewhere between 65 and 70 C.E. (Common Era). That places it firmly in the context of the Second Jewish Revolt against the Romans, which concluded in 70 C.E. with the destruction of the Temple and the defeat of the Jewish rebellion.

So, what do you notice about the Markan account? How is it different for you from Matthew's? How is it the same? What does it tell us about Jesus and ourselves?

-Fryan

The Passion Narratives - Matthew's Account

Here is a place where you can post the things you notice about Matthew's account of the Passion narrative. As we get more into the otehr Gospel accounts, you will be able to post the similarities and the differences you notice as well, but since we've only done one so far, just limit your comments to Matthew.

Some distinguishing characteristics about Matthew's account:

• Matthew places all the blame for the crucifixion on the Jewish crowds present at the time. He has Pilate literally wash his hands of the matter, taking the blame off of him. The line, "his blood be on us and on our children," is not justification for anti-semitic remarks or actions, but unfortunately, has been used as such throughout the ages.
• Matthew is very concerned with ritual and Jewish law. See Mt. 26:5, 17-18, 30, 65; Mt. 27:26 (cf. Psalm 22:1), 62; 28:1.
• The abiding presence of God is an important theme to Matthew. See Mt. 28:20, the last line of the Gospel.
• Of all the Gospel writers, Matthew is the most concerned with the fulfillment of Hebrew scriptures.

So, what have you noticed? Or, what do you want to say about who Matthew says Jesus is and how he presents the Passion narrative?

-Fr. Ryan

Crucify Him! Crucify Him!

I have heard your cries of boredom with looking at the prayers of the prayer book so, with Lent, Holy Week, and Easter fast approaching, our next Bible Study series, beginning tonight, will focus on the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. We are going to look specifically at how each of the four Gospel authors treat this subject, paying particular attention to what sets them apart from one another. I will address questions like: why does Mark focus so much on the Crucifixion, why does John treat the death of Jesus as a pain-free and glorious thing, why does Luke's account go so much further than the others, what really happened to Judas, what sets Matthew's ending apart from the others, and why does Mark's account just stop? The idea will be that by Holy Week this year, you will have a lot deeper understanding of these important scriptures, which will allow you to engage Holy Week and a stronger, deeper spiritual way!

So, with that little teaser, here is the schedule of reading:

Feb. 7 - Matthew 26:1 - 27:26
Feb. 14 - Matther 27:27 - 28:20

Feb. 21 - ASH WEDNESDAY, no lesson this night, but we will still meet for the 7pm service

Feb. 28 - Mark 14:1 - 15:15
March 7 - Mark 15:16 - 16:8

March 14 - Luke 22:1 - 23:25
March 21 - Luke 23:26 - 24:53

March 28 - John 17:1 - 18:40
April 4 - John 19:1 - 20:31

-Fr. Ryan