·
1 Henry,
John, and Henry
Venn the younger, Priests, Evangelical
Divines, 1797, 1813 and 1873
·
6 Thomas More, Scholar, and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, Reformation Martyrs, 1535 Sir Thomas More (7 February
1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More,[1][2] was an
English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist.
·
7 Florence of Worcester Monk
and helped to write the 'Chronicon ex chronicis' dies 7 July 1140 known in Latin as Florentius, was a monk of Worcester, who played some part in the production of the Chronicon ex chronicis, a Latin world chronicle which begins
with the creation and ends in 1140.
OLD TEASTAMENT: 2 Samuel 1: 1, 17 - 27 (RCL)
2Sam 1:1 (NRSV)
After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the
Amal'ekites, David remained two days in Zik'lag.
17 David intoned
this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 (He ordered that The Song
of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of
Jash'ar.) He said:
19 Your glory, O
Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty
have fallen!
20 Tell it not in
Gath,
proclaim it not in
the streets of Ash'kelon;
or the daughters
of the Philis'tines will rejoice,
the daughters of
the uncircumcised will exult.
21 You mountains
of Gilbo'a,
let there be no
dew or rain upon you,
nor bounteous
fields!
For there the
shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of
Saul, anointed with oil no more.
22 From the blood
of the slain,
from the fat of
the mighty,
the bow of
Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of
Saul return empty.
23 Saul and
Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in
death they were not divided;
they were swifter
than eagles,
they were stronger
than lions.
24 O daughters of
Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you
with crimson, in luxury,
who put ornaments
of gold on your apparel.
25 How the mighty
have fallen
in the midst of
the battle!
Jonathan lies
slain upon your high places.
26 I am distressed
for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved
were you to me;
your love to me
was wonderful,
passing the love
of women.
27 How the mighty
have fallen,
and the weapons of
war perished!
Wisdom 1: 13 - 15, 2:
23 - 24 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
Wisdom 1:13 (NRSV)
because God did not make death,
and he does not
delight in the death of the living.
14 For he created
all things so that they might exist;
the generative
forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no
destructive poison in them,
and the dominion
of Hades is not on earth.
15 For
righteousness is immortal.
2:23 for God created
us for incorruption,
and made us in the
image of his own eternity,
24 but through the
devil's envy death entered the world,
and those who
belong to his company experience it.
PSALM 130 (RCL)
Psal 130:1 (NRSV)
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
2 Lord, hear my
voice!
Let your ears be
attentive
to the voice of my
supplications!
3 If you, O LORD,
should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could
stand?
4 But there is
forgiveness with you,
so that you may be
revered.
5 I wait for the
LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I
hope;
6 my soul waits
for the Lord
more than those
who watch for the morning,
more than those
who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope
in the LORD!
For with the LORD
there is steadfast love,
and with him is
great power to redeem.
8 It is he who
will redeem Israel
from all its
iniquities.
130 De profundis (ECUSA BCP)
1 Out
of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
let
your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If
you, Lord, were to note what is
done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For
there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore
you shall be feared.
4 I
wait for the Lord; my soul waits
for him; *
in
his word is my hope.
5 My
soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen
for the morning, *
more
than watchmen for the morning.
6 O
Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for
with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With
him there is plenteous redemption, *
and
he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
Psalm 30: 1, 3 - 5, 10
- 11a, 12b (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 30 (alt. for RCL)
Psal 30:1 (NRSV) I
will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my
foes rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I
cried to you for help,
and you have
healed me.
3 O LORD, you
brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to
life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to
the LORD, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to
his holy name.
5 For his anger is
but for a moment;
his favor is for a
lifetime.
Weeping may linger
for the night,
but joy comes with
the morning.
6 As for me, I
said in my prosperity,
""I
shall never be moved."
7 By your favor, O
LORD,
you had
established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD,
I cried,
and to the LORD I
made supplication:
9 "What
profit is there in my death,
if I go down to
the Pit?
Will the dust
praise you?
Will it tell of
your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD,
and be gracious to me!
O LORD, be my
helper!"
11 You have turned
my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off
my sackcloth
and clothed me
with joy,
12 so that my soul
may praise you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I
will give thanks to you forever.
Note: Verse numbering
in Roman Catholic bibles is one greater than the above.
30 Exaltabo te, Domine
(ECUSA BCP)
1 I
will exalt you, O Lord,
because you have
lifted me up *
and
have not let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O
Lord my God, I cried out to you, *
and
you restored me to health.
3 You
brought me up, O Lord, from the
dead; *
you
restored my life as I was going down to the grave.
4 Sing
to the Lord, you servants of his;
*
give
thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For
his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *
his
favor for a lifetime.
6 Weeping
may spend the night, *
but
joy comes in the morning.
7 While
I felt secure, I said,
“I shall never be
disturbed. *
You,
Lord, with your favor, made me as
strong as
the mountains.”
8 Then
you hid your face, *
and I
was filled with fear.
9 I
cried to you, O Lord; *
I
pleaded with the Lord, saying,
10 “What
profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
will
the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
11 Hear,
O Lord, and have mercy upon me; *
O Lord, be my helper."
12 You
have turned my wailing into dancing; *
you
have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.
13 Therefore
my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
O
Lord my God, I will give you
thanks for ever.
Lamentations 3: 23 -
33 (alt. for RCL)
Lame 3:23 (NRSV)
they are new every morning;
great is your
faithfulness.
24 "The LORD
is my portion," says my soul,
""therefore
I will hope in him."
25 The LORD is
good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that
seeks him.
26 It is good that
one should wait quietly
for the salvation
of the LORD.
27 It is good for
one to bear
the yoke in youth,
28 to sit alone in
silence
when the Lord has
imposed it,
29 to put one's
mouth to the dust
(there may yet be
hope),
30 to give one's
cheek to the smiter,
and be filled with
insults.
31 For the Lord
will not
reject forever.
32 Although he
causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the
abundance of his steadfast love;
33 for he does not
willingly afflict
or grieve anyone.
Note: This is an
alternative for Psalm 30 in the RCL
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 Corinthians 8: 7 - 15 (RCL)
2
Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13 - 15 (Roman
Catholic)
2Cor 8:7 (NRSV) Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in
speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you --so we want
you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8 I do not say
this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the
earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by
his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice:
it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even
to desire to do something-- 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may
be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is
there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has--not according to what
one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and
pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present
abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in
order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written,
"The one who
had much did not have too much,
and the one who
had little did not have too little."
h/t Montreal
Anglican
The Christians at Corinth were quarrelsome and divided at times,
even regarding baptism (1 Corinthians 1:10-17);
so v. 7 is
probably a pep talk, intended to damn his readers faintly (without
them realizing it): spiritual gifts seem to have been rare at Corinth. Note the
realism: “our love for you” not your love for us. The Macedonians
have been earnest in their giving; may the Corinthians be as genuine, by
putting their words into action. Our great example of self--giving is “Jesus”
(v. 9):
as Son, he was “rich”, being equal to the Father, but he became human (“poor”)
so that we may enjoy salvation. One’s gift should be commensurate with one’s
means (v. 12);
commitment to the cause (“eagerness”) matters. Givers should attain a “fair
balance” (v. 13):
relieving the poverty of others but not impoverishing themselves. As a
guideline, Paul quotes Exodus 16:18 (v. 15):
when God supplied manna in the desert, all had just sufficient, so the
Corinthians should avoid gross inequalities in wealth.
Author's note:
Sometimes I have material left over when I edit Comments down to fit the available space. This page presents notes that landed on the clipping room floor. Some may be useful to you. While I avoid technical language in the Comments (or explain special terms), Clippings may have unexplained jargon from time to time.
A hypertext Glossary of Terms is
integrated with Clippings. Simply click on any highlighted word in the text and
a pop-up window will appear with a definition. Bibliographic references are
also integrated in the same way.
2 Samuel 1:1,17-27
1 Samuel 30:26-31:13 and 2 Samuel
1:2-27: The usual interpretation of these
passages sees them as being from the same source: so the Amalekite is a fugitive,
seeking to ingratiate himself (2 Samuel 1:10),
and expects patronage and protection in return for bringing the crown; so he is
lying when he says that he has killed Saul at his request. This justifies his
killing at the hands of one of David’s soldiers. [ NJBC]
On the other hand, knowing that the
books of Samuel are drawn from various sources and that the editor has not
completely harmonized them, I hypothesize that the two passages are from
different sources: that they are two stories of Saul’s death. There is other
evidence in the texts to support this theory:
- David’s return to Ziklag is mentioned in 1 Samuel 30:26 and
2 Samuel 1:1.
- In 1 Samuel 31:8,
the Philistines find “Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa”, but
2 Samuel 1:20 implies
that the Philistines do not yet know of Saul’s death. In this scenario,
the Amalekite is trustworthy: he has carried the crown and armlet from
Mount Gilboa to Ziklag, a distance of some 150 km (as the crow flies).
So what about the killing of the
Amalekite? I see four possibilities:
- Justice must be seen to be done. David will soon be
“the Lord’s anointed”, so killing the king must be known to be sinful.
- An Amalekite (even if he is the son of a resident
alien) who has carried the crown, could stir up trouble, giving the
Amalekites cause to usurp the throne of Israel.
- What is David to do about this man? If he appoints him
to high office, he will be a potential threat to David’s sovereignty.
- It may be a high--handed act of barbarism. David later
descended into being a despot; perhaps he began by having the Amalekite
killed.
JBC sees
vv. 1-4 (“a
man came from Saul’s camp”) and vv. 5-10 (“the
Amalekite”) as being from different sources. I see no reason for this view: the
Philistines had overrun the Israelite army, so it is likely that the battlefield
included Saul’s camp.
Verse 13: “resident alien”: a person who enjoyed certain rights but
was not a citizen of Israel. [ JBC]
Verses 14,16: “the Lord’s anointed”: David has secretly been anointed
king (see 1 Samuel 16:1-13)
but Saul has still been “the Lord’s anointed”. David calls him this in the two
stories in which David spares his life (see 1 Samuel 24:1-8 and 26:1-12).
Verse 18: “The Song of the Bow”: Some consider the author to be
David: he was a patron of the arts; he played the lyre (as 1
Samuel 16:23 tells
us) and was considered the author of Psalms. [ NOAB]
Verse 20: “uncircumcised”: Other Semitic people (to the east)
practised circumcision. [ NOAB]
The Philistines were probably invaders from Asia Minor; they did not.
Verse 27: “weapons of war perished”: Israel has lost its armour and
weaponry to the Philistines.
Psalm 130
The next psalm also includes both
personal and community--oriented verses. Psalm 22 also
starts as an individual lamentand
ends in counselling the nation.
Verse 1: “depths”: The Hebrew word is only found in four other Old
Testament texts: Isaiah 51:10 (“Was
it not you who ... made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to cross
over?”); Ezekiel 27:34 and
Psalm 69:2, 14.
[ NJBC]
Verse 3: “who could stand”: The Hebrew is similar in sound to “out
of the depths”. In Amos 7:2,
the prophet tells us “When they [the locusts] had finished eating the grass of
the land, I said, ‘O Lord GOD, forgive, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is
so small!’”. [ NJBC]
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
8:1-2 says
that the Macedonians endured “a severe ordeal of affliction ... and ... extreme
poverty”. Paul’s mission to them is described in Acts 16:9-40.
Verses 1-5: While here it is the Corinthians who are lagging in
contributing to the collection for the Jerusalem church, in 9:2 they
are an example for the churches in Macedonia. This is one of the grounds on
which scholars argue for Chapter 9being
the start of a separate letter. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “We”: In 1 Corinthians 3:9,
Paul writes “we are God's servants, working together” and in 1
Thessalonians 3:2 “we
sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for God “. So while here Paul may be
referring to himself, “we” includes those who work with him as leaders of the
missionary effort. See also Acts 19:1.
Verse 1: “the grace of God”: Given the situation outlined in
vv. 2-3,
only divine power could explain the response of the Macedonians. [ NJBC]
Verse 5: “they gave themselves”: In theological terms, their gift
had value as an expression of “love” (v. 8).
[ NJBC]
Verse 6: Titus must have brought up the matter of the collection
when he saw the response of the Corinthians. See 7:15.
[NJBC]
Verse 7: “our love for you”: 6:11-13 says
that some Corinthian Christians lack love for Paul. Many manuscripts have your
love for us. The NRSV (and other translations) offer a translation of the
more difficult (less expected) Greek phrase. A principle of modern biblical criticism is
that the more difficult text is more likely to be original: copyists tended to
smooth out text rather than to make it more difficult. [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “I do not say this as a command”: NJBC offers understand rather
than “say”. Paul gives his theological rationale in 9:7:
“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. For Paul making strong
suggestions, see also Philemon 8-9, 13-14 and
1 Corinthians 7:6.
[ NJBC]
Verse 8: “I am testing the genuineness of your love”: Paul has his
doubts. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: Paul enunciates the theological principle of 5:21 (“For
our sake he [the Father] made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that
in him we might become the righteousness of God”), of which the practical
meaning is given in 5:15:
“so that those who live might live no longer for themselves”. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “it is appropriate for you”: NJBC offers it is
expedient for you – to preserve the honour of the community. Paul
avoids direct criticism of the community. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “not only to do something but even to desire to do
something”: The Corinthians seem to have lost even the will (or intent) to
collect funds.
Verses 12-14: In 9:7,
Paul says: “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”.
Verse 14: “so that their abundance may be for your need”: While the
Jerusalem church is in need now, it may be the Corinthians who seek Jerusalem’s
help in the future. [ NJBC]
For the nature of the collection and the initial plan for it, see 1
Corinthians 16:1-4.
Romans 15:26 mentions
Macedonia and Achaia sharing their resources with “the saints at Jerusalem”.
The Christians of Jerusalem sought financial aid from the Gentile churches at
the First Council of the Church, held in Jerusalem, probably in 51 AD (see
Galatians 2:1-10).
Paul hopes that this gift will bridge the growing gap between Jerusalem and the
other churches: in Romans 15:30-32,
he writes: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and
by the love of the Spirit, to join me in earnest prayer to God on my behalf,
that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my ministry to
Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to
you with joy and be refreshed in your company”. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: Mark 5: 21 - 43 (RCL)
Mark 5: 21 - 24 (25 - 34)
35 - 43 (Roman Catholic)
Mark 5:21 (NRSV)
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd
gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the
synagogue named Jai'rus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and
begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come
and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24 So
he went with him.
And a large crowd
followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been
suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many
physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather
grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I
will be made well." 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in
her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power
had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who
touched my clothes?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the
crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, "Who touched me?'" 32 He
looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had
happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him
the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well;
go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
35 While he was
still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your
daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" 36 But overhearing
what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear,
only believe." 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and
John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the
synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he
had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The
child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put
them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were
with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said
to her, "Tal'itha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!"
42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve
years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly
ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something
to eat.
In the crowd pressing in on Jesus is a woman who has long suffered
from “hemorrhages” (v. 25).
She pushes through the crowd, and touches Jesus’ “cloak” (v. 27)
believing, trusting, that touching him will make her well (v. 28).
The cure is instant and complete (v. 29),
as was Jesus’ quelling of the storm ( 4:39),
of the forces of chaos; he has full power over disease, even when doing
nothing. Jesus senses, in the crush of the crowd, that someone has been healed.
She tells the “whole truth” (v. 33):
what she has done, and the result. Perhaps she is in “fear and trembling” for
making Jesus ritually unclean; perhaps in awe at the miracle.
Returning to the first story (v. 35),
Jesus and his disciples hear that the girl has died: surely no one can restore
life. As during the storm, Jesus says “Do not fear, only believe” (v. 36).
The inner circle of disciples (“Peter, James, and John”, v.37)
go with him to Jairus’ house. Jesus rebukes, and throws out, the professional
mourners (“them”, v. 39).
The disciples and the girl’s family witness her recovery. In terms of the
Kingdom, she is “not dead but sleeping” (v. 39):
physical death is only a temporary hiatus of activity (like sleeping). To
unbelievers, this is laughable. “Talitha cum” (v. 41)
are Jesus’ words in Aramaic. Again, the cure is instant and complete. The
witnesses are “overcome with amazement” (v. 42):
it really is a miracle. Jesus orders them not to tell the story yet; perhaps he
wants to wait until his own resurrection so the event will make sense to
people. Perhaps asking them to feed her foreshadows his eating with the
disciples after his resurrection.
The parallel passages
are Matthew 9:18-26 and
Luke 8:40-50.
[ NOAB] Mark is unusual here:
his version is more detailed than the others. Matthew appears to skip vv. 23-24.
Note the common points
in these stories: both those cured are female; Jairus’ daughter is 12 years old
and the woman has been ill for 12 years; Jesus calls the woman “Daughter”
(v. 34).
[ NJBC]
The differences in
grammatical construction of the two stories indicates that Mark drew them from
separate sources.
Verse 23: “made well” and “live”: In early Christian
circles, the words sozo (“make well”) and zao (“live”)
were technical terms for salvation and resurrected life, so early Christians
may have taken the raising of Jairus’ daughter as a preview or anticipation of
the resurrected life of Jesus and those who believe in him. [ NJBC] Sozo also
appears in v. 28,
in the future tense. In v. 34, sosken,
translated here as “has healed” can also be translated as has saved or has
brought you salvation. “Get up” (v. 41)
is a translation of egeirein, a word often used in the New
Testament for Jesus’ resurrection. This suggests that the story has symbolic
meaning. Aneste, translated “got up”, is also part of the New
Testament vocabulary of resurrection (see Mark 8:31, 9:9, 31; 10:34;
Acts 1:22, 2:24, 31, 32; 4:33, 10:41, 13:33, 34; 17:3, 31;
Romans 1:4).
A scholar says
that sozo can carry two meanings: salvation from natural
dangers (death, disease, mortal danger) or salvation from eternal death. To
him, Mark 5:34 is
in the former category. So he sees no need to take this as capital ‘s’Salvation.
He also point out that sometimes the word carries both meanings simultaneously,
although he does not mention Mark in this context; one might ask why not.
The connection with
resurrection is plain. Clearly we have here a foreshadowing of the
resurrection, and I believe not merely the resurrection of Jesus, but the
resurrection of the faithful. That's why the woman with the haemorrhage is
inserted in the story. For her, faith had led to her salvation (sozo)
from the disease. And then we have the connection of faith and resurrection in
the raising of the girl. So, there is a progression: faith leads to salvation
from natural death, from eternal death, and to a sharing in the resurrection of
Jesus, as foreshadowed by the resurrection of the girl. [Alan Perry]
Verse 23: “lay your hands on her”: Laying on hands was a
common symbol of healing, of a healer’s power, in ancient times in a number of
Middle Eastern cultures. It is mentioned neither in the Old Testament nor in
rabbinic writings, but the Genesis Apocryphon found
in the Qumran caves
mentions it in 20:28--29. This work did not necessarily originate in the Qumran
community; it dates from the first century BC: so it appears that laying on of
hands was performed in some divergent sects of Judaism. [ JBC]
Verse 27: “touched his cloak”: The laws in
Leviticus 12:2-8 and 15:19-30 declare
that she is unclean, and so anything she touches is also unclean. See also my
comment on v. 33.
[ CAB]
Verse 30: Jesus needs to know who has touched him,
because having faith is necessary at least in order for the healing to have the
deeper meaning of being saved.
Verse 34: “be healed of your disease”: Jesus promises
her a permanent cure from her disease. The word translated “disease” ( mastix)
has a connotation of punishment for sin: it also means scourge or whip. Mastix is
also found in the Septuaginttranslations
of Psalm 38:11 and
2 Maccabees 7:37,
and in Mark 3:10 (including
Gentiles), 5:29, 34 (a
woman, of menstrual haemorrhages). The NRSV translates it in various ways. [ JBC] [Lorinda Hoover]
Verse 37: “Peter, James, and John”: They are also
present at the Transfiguration (see 9:2)
and at Gethsemane (see 14:33).
[NJBC]
Verse 39: “not dead but sleeping”: The question arises:
was she in a coma or unconscious? Today, we would be sceptical; we would expect
a physician to be present as an expert witness; however, in the context of
Jesus’ time, this was not necessary (or even considerable): a miracle
(something beyond human understanding) is happening. Even today, for someone to
come out of a coma, or to become conscious, is (at best) uncommon. (Hypnosis is
an exception, but there the person who hypnotized her would also command her to
wake up.) Jesus has superior insight; he does what is super--natural; he heals
against all (or, at least, most) odds, and against the wisdom of those present.
The disciples learn that he is able to work miracles – to perform superhuman
acts. In my own experience, God still does this today. [ NJBC]
Verse 39: Professional mourners, hired to weep, would
only be present if the family was convinced that the daughter is dead. [ NOAB]
Verse 40: In taking Jairus’ daughter (a corpse) by the
hand, Jesus makes himself ritually unclean. Numbers 19:11-13 states:
“Those who touch the dead body of any human being shall be unclean seven days
... All who touch a corpse, the body of a human being who has died, and do not
purify themselves, defile the tabernacle of the Lord; such persons shall be cut off from Israel ...”. [ CAB]
Verse 41: “Talitha cum”: NJBC notes that the written form
of Jesus’ words would be Talitha qoumi . He says that by
Jesus’ time the final i might not have been pronounced. For
other quotations in Aramaic in Mark see 3:17, 7:11, 34, 11:9-10, 14:36 and 15:22, 34.
Verse 43: “overcome with amazement”: The key Greek words
here are existemi (“overcome”) and ekstasis (“amazement”).
The word existemi is also used in 3:21,
where Jesus’ family accuses him of insanity: “he has gone out of his mind”. [ JBC] The two Greek words are
related, as the King James Version shows. Ekstasis is
qualified by an adjective: megale, meaning great. [Lorinda
Hoover]
Verse 43b: To tell her family to give her something to
eat is a practical thing to do, but why so soon? I suggest that there is a
foreshadowing here of the Risen Christ eating: she is really alive, as he will
be.
