·
11 Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, Father of Western Monasticism, c.550 is a Christian saint, who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches , the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion and Old Catholic Churches.[3] He is a patron saint of Europe.[4]
·
14 John Keble, Priest, Tractarian, Poet, 1866
·
15 Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c.862 and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. His historical importance as bishop is overshadowed by his
reputation for posthumous miracle-working. According to tradition, the weather
on his feast day (15 July) will continue for forty days. The precise meaning
and origin of Swithun's name is unknown, but it most likely derives from the
Old English word swiþ, 'strong'.[1]
·
15 Bonaventure, Friar, Bishop, Teacher of the Faith, 1274 was an Italian medieval Franciscan, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also Cardinal Bishop of Albano.
·
16 Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury,
1099 Count of Sées, was a Norman noble and clergyman. Following the Norman conquest of England, he served as Lord Chancellor (c. 1070–1078) and as the
second bishop of Salisbury, or Old Sarum.
OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Samuel 5: 1 - 5, 9 - 10 (RCL)
2Sam 5:1 (NRSV)
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at He'bron, and said, "Look,
we are your bone and flesh. 2 For some time, while Saul was king over us, it
was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The LORD said to you: It is you
who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over
Israel." 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at He'bron; and
King David made a covenant with them at He'bron before the LORD, and they
anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At He'bron he reigned over Judah seven
years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah
thirty-three years.
9 David occupied
the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around
from the Mil'lo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD,
the God of hosts, was with him.
Ezekiel 2: 2 - 5 (Roman Catholic)
Ezekiel 2: 1 - 5 (alt. for RCL)
Ezek 2:1 (NRSV) He
said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. 2 And
when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I
heard him speaking to me. 3 He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the
people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and
their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The
descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall
say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD." 5 Whether they hear or refuse
to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been
a prophet among them. 6 And you, O mortal, do not be afraid of them, and do not
be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns surround you and you live
among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words, and do not be dismayed at
their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 You shall speak my words to
them, whether they hear or refuse to hear; for they are a rebellious house.
PSALM 48 (RCL)
Psal 48:1 (NRSV)
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our
God.
His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all
the earth,
Mount Zion, in the
far north,
the city of the
great King.
3 Within its
citadels God
has shown himself
a sure defense.
4 Then the kings
assembled,
they came on
together.
5 As soon as they
saw it, they were astounded;
they were in
panic, they took to flight;
6 trembling took
hold of them there,
pains as of a
woman in labor,
7 as when an east
wind shatters
the ships of
Tar'shish.
8 As we have
heard, so have we seen
in the city of the
LORD of hosts,
in the city of our
God,
which God
establishes forever. [Se'lah]
9 We ponder your
steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of
your temple.
10 Your name, O
God, like your praise,
reaches to the
ends of the earth.
Your right hand is
filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion
be glad,
let the towns of
Judah rejoice
because of your
judgments.
12 Walk about
Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
13 consider well
its ramparts;
go through its
citadels,
that you may tell
the next generation
14 that this is
God,
our God forever
and ever.
He will be our
guide forever.
48 Magnus Dominus (ECUSA BCP)
1 Great
is the LORD, and highly to be praised; *
in
the city of our God is his holy hill.
2 Beautiful
and lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the
hill of Zion, *
the
very center of the world and the city of the great King.
3 God
is in her citadels; *
he is
known to be her sure refuge.
4 Behold,
the kings of the earth assembled *
and
marched forward together.
5 They
looked and were astounded; *
they
retreated and fled in terror.
6 Trembling
seized them there; *
they
writhed like a woman in childbirth,
like
ships of the sea when the east wind shatters them.
7 As
we have heard, so have we seen,
in the city of the
LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; *
God
has established her for ever.
8 We
have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God, *
in
the midst of your temple.
9 Your
praise, like your Name, O God, reaches to
the world's end; *
your
right hand is full of justice.
10 Let
Mount Zion be glad
and the cities of
Judah rejoice, *
because
of your judgments.
11 Make
the circuit of Zion;
walk round about
her; *
count
the number of her towers.
12 Consider
well her bulwarks;
examine her
strongholds; *
that
you may tell those who come after.
13 This
God is our God for ever and ever; *
he
shall be our guide for evermore.
Psalm 123 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
Psal 123:1 (NRSV)
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are
enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of
servants
look to the hand
of their master,
as the eyes of a
maid
to the hand of her
mistress,
so our eyes look
to the LORD our God,
until he has mercy
upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us,
O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we have had
more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had
more than its fill
of the scorn of
those who are at ease,
of the contempt of
the proud.
123 Ad te levavi oculos
meos (ECUSA BCP)
1 To you
I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.
2 As the
eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her
mistress,
3 So our
eyes look to the Lord our God, *
until he show us his mercy.
4 Have
mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, *
for we have had more than enough of contempt,
5 Too
much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the derision of the proud.
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 Corinthians 12: 2 - 10 (RCL)
2
Corinthians 12: 7 - 10 (Roman Catholic)
2Cor 12:2 (NRSV) I
know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third
heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. 3 And
I know that such a person--whether in the body or out of the body I do not
know; God knows-- 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not
to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. 5 On behalf of such a one I
will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. 6
But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth.
But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen
in me or heard from me, 7 even considering the exceptional character of the
revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me
in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too
elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave
me, 9 but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am
content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for
the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
h/t Montreal
Anglican
Now in v. 2,
in humility, he speaks as though someone else had a vision: “a person in
Christ”, (but see v. 7,
“me”). It really did happen: “fourteen years ago” I had a mystical experience
which is undescribable (“in the body ...”, v. 3).
(God lives in “the third heaven”, v. 2,
or “Paradise”, v. 4.)
What I heard was like what members of Greek cults must not reveal (“things
...”). I really do have grounds for boasting, but I will not explain, lest
anyone have too exalted an idea of me (v. 6).
A “thorn ... in the flesh” (v. 7)
keeps me from “being too elated”: a chronic condition, a physical or mental
disability, a recurring illness – or opposition of one or more people. (“Satan”
was thought responsible for disease as well as sin.) At one time, I repeatedly
“appealed to the Lord” (v. 8)
but he said: the affliction will not be removed, for the power of God
is more apparent when it works through a sufferer (v. 9).
“So, I will boast ... of my weaknesses” so that the Holy Spirit, “the power of
Christ”, may be in me and work through me. So I accept my condition as it is,
“for the sake of Christ” (v. 10),
for when I feel weak, I am most effectively showing God’s power. I have been
forced to use the tactics of my critics, i.e. boasting (v. 11).
He has shown himself to be a “true apostle” (v. 12).
Verses 1,7: “revelations”: For revelations (plural), see
also Luke 1:22;
for revelation (singular), see Acts 26:19;
Romans 2:5; 8:19,
1 Corinthians 1:7, 14:6, 26;
Galatians 1:12; 2:2;
1 Peter 1:7;
Revelation 1:1, 15:4.
[ CAB]
Verse 1: “of the Lord”: Probably a genitive of origin,
so granted by the Lord. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “I know a person in Christ”: Paul speaks of
himself in the third person because he is unwilling to claim a private
religious experience as proof of an apostolic mandate. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “fourteen years ago”: NJBC believes that Letter B of 2
Corinthians (Chapters 10-13)
was written in 55 AD. On this basis, the revelation to Paul occurred in 41 AD,
i.e. roughly mid way between his conversion and his arrival in Corinth. The
precision is intended to underline the reality of the experience.
Verse 2: “third heaven”: In Jewish cosmology the number of
heavens varied: three and seven are common. For the three-heaven cosmology,
they are the earth’s atmosphere, the region of the stars, and where God dwells
and is seen as he truly is.
Verses 2,4: “caught up”: Such experiences mentioned in:
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17:
“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds
together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the
Lord forever”,
- Wisdom of Solomon 4:11:
“They were caught up so that evil might not change their understandings”
- 1 Enoch 39:3-4:
“And in those days a whirlwind carried me off from the earth, And set me
down at the end of the heavens. And there I saw another vision, the
dwelling-places of the holy, And the resting-places of the righteous”.
The agent is God. The
journey to another world is a common theme in apocalyptic literature.
[ NJBC]
Verses 3-4: Nothing else is known of this experience, unless
it is that referred to in Galatians 1:15-16 (“God
... was pleased to reveal his Son to me”) and 1 Corinthians 15:8 (“Last
of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”). [ NOAB] To me, both of these verses
refer to Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus: see Acts 9:1-20.
Verse 4: “Paradise”: The heavenly realm; often
mentioned in Jewish apocalyptic
literature. There are many references to paradise in the Apocalypse of Moses.
Verse 4: “things that are not to be told”: The Greek
is arreta remata: a technical term for the formularies and
teachings in Greek mystery cults, which were not to be revealed to the
uninitiated. Daniel 12:4 says,
in a translation of the Septuaginttranslation:
“And thou, Daniel, close the words, and seal the book, to the time of the end;
until many are taught, and knowledge is increased”. [ BLXX] Revelation 10:4 says:
“I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what
the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down’”.
Verse 4: Paul was forbidden to express the unutterable.
This could simply be in conformity to the conventions of sealed revelation (see
Daniel 12:4;
Revelation 10:4; 13:2-3),
but it could also be a way of showing the irrelevance of the experience in
apostolic terms. In 1 Corinthians 14:18-19,
he writes: “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you;
nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order
to instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue”. [ NJBC] Several books, including
some in the Old Testament, speak of sealing a document until the end-times. See, for example,
Revelation 5:1.
Verse 5: “on my own behalf I will not boast”: See also
1 Corinthians 1:22-2:2:
“For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ...”. Paul deserves no credit
for these “revelations” so he will not speak of them as his own. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: “what is seen in me or heard from me”: The
only authentic test of an apostle is the extent to which he manifests Christ,
primarily in comportment ( 4:10-11)
and secondarily in speech ( 2:17; 12:19; 13:3).
[ NJBC]
Verse 7: “thorn was given me in the flesh”: The verb is
in the present subjunctive, so the condition is chronic. Some
possibilities are a chronic physical ailment (Galatians 4:13-14),
bouts of anxiety ( 11:28),
and harassment and persecution (Galatians 5:11).
The possibility which to me joins all of these is stuttering. NJBC says that this is widely
interpreted as a psychic or physical aliment, which, in Jewish tradition, was
caused by a demon or by “Satan”. The two phrases, however, are not causally
related but stand in apposition, suggesting an external personal source of
affliction – which is confirmed by the use of “thorns” in the Old Testament
(for example, in Numbers 33:55)
to mean enemies. The allusion could be to the type of persecution
evoked by the catalogues of sufferings, but the link with 11:14-15 (“...
it is not strange if his [Satan’s] ministers also disguise themselves as
ministers of righteousness ...”) suggests that Paul has in mind hostility
coming from within his own communities. [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “I appealed”: the tense of the verb in Greek
indicates that he no longer appeals to God. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: “is made perfect”: i.e. becomes effectively
present. 1 John 4:12 says
“... if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us”.
[ NJBC]
Verse 9: “dwell”: The Greek word, episkenoun,
is also used in John 1:14:
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us”. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “whenever I am weak, then I am strong”: NJBC offers powerful for
“strong”. Paul means that his apostolic weaknesses disclose the power accorded
to him for his ministry. In 3:5-6,
he says: “Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming
from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers
of a new covenant ...”.
Verses 11-13: Paul’s fool’s speech has
begun in 11:1:
“I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!”. He
repeats his justification for boasting. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “these super-apostles”: i.e. Paul’s critics,
his rivals, who claim to be superior to him., who “desire proof that Christ is
speaking in me” ( 13:3).
Verse 12: “signs and wonders and mighty works”: It seems
that, in order to judge between Paul and his rivals, the Christians of Corinth
have set up several criteria, one of which is the ability to work miracles.
Paul takes no personal credit for those he has performed: they “were performed”
(by God). “Signs and wonders” are often combined in the Old Testament (see
Exodus 7:3;
Deuteronomy 34:11;
Isaiah 8:18);
the three appear together in Acts 2:22;
2 Thessalonians 2:9 and
Hebrews 2:4.
[ NJBC]
Verse 12: A reference to apostolic miracles: in
Romans 15:19,
Paul speaks of a way Christ works through him: “by the power of signs and
wonders”. See also Galatians 3:5.
[ NOAB]
Verse 13: Recall 1 Corinthians 1:2,
where in greeting the Christians at Corinth Paul is careful to remind them that
they are not the only Christian community! Paul’s comportment in Corinth was
the same as in all other churches – except that he did not place financial
demands on them. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL:
Mark 6: 1 - 13 (RCL)
Mark 6: 1 - 6 (Roman Catholic)
Mark 6:1 (NRSV) He
left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 On
the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were
astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this
wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his
hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and
Jo'ses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And
they took offense at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not
without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their
own house." 5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid
his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their
unbelief.
Then he went about
among the villages teaching. 7 He called the twelve and began to send them out
two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He ordered them
to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in
their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 He said to
them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.
11 If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave,
shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." 12
So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13 They cast out many
demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Perhaps as a result of rejection at home, Jesus concentrates on
rural areas. He sends out “the twelve” (v. 7)
to minister, to extend his proclaiming of God’s Kingdom in word and action;
they too will heal, mostly by exorcism (“unclean spirits”). His orders to them
(vv. 8-9)
are set in first-century Palestine; because of the urgency of the mission and
the need to trust in God, they are to subordinate material and physical
concerns to the task of preaching, as he does. They are not to waste time
seeking better accommodation (v. 10);
nor on those who refuse to listen: just move on (v. 11).
They are to do what Jesus has begun (v. 12).
The parallels are:
Verses 1-6a: These verses summarize some of the themes
developed thus far: discipleship and faith, Jesus as teacher and miracle
worker, and the misunderstanding and rejection of Jesus. In Luke, this incident
occurs at the outset of Jesus’ public ministry. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “that place”: i.e. near the western shore of
the Sea of Galilee. See 5:21:
“... to the other side ...”. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “hometown”: 3:19 says
“he went home”. Is this Nazareth or “Capernaum” (see 2:1)?
Attempting to track Jesus’ movements is interesting. 3:7 says
“Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude ...
followed him ...”
- If this is Nazareth, he (and the multitude) walk at
least 25 km (15 miles) to the sea. He then walks 25 km “home” (3:19),
and back to the sea in 4:1.
- If this is Capernaum, they walk a short distance to the
sea, the “mountain” ( 3:13)
is near Capernaum, and 3:20-35takes
place there. Capernaum is on the “sea” (Galilee) so he teaches near
Capernaum. If “home” is Capernaum, “his family” (see 3:21)
either travels from Nazareth (as part of the crowd?) or has moved to
Capernaum.
Verse 2: “synagogue”: This may be the same synagogue as
in 1:21-28 (“...
A new teaching – with authority!”) and 3:1-6(Jesus
heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath).
Verse 2: “‘Where did this man get all this? ...”:
Jesus’ astonishing teaching and the reports of his “deeds of power” (healings
and exorcisms) do not fit with his humble occupation as a “carpenter” (v. 3).
[ CAB]
Verse 3: “carpenter”: The Greek word, tekton,
can mean carpenter, woodworker, and also one who builds
with stone. Both techniques would be required for building in the highlands of
Galilee and Judea. [ BlkMk] In
the Septuagint translations
of 1 Samuel 13:19 and
Isaiah 44:12,
it refers to an ironworker or craftsman in iron. [Lorinda Hoover] One
commentator says that Origen,
writing in the third century, says that nowhere in the New Testament is Jesus
referred to as a carpenter, so “the carpenter, son of Mary” may be not be
original.
Verse 3: “son of Mary”: This may be an insult: people
were known by their father’s name, not their mother’s. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: For Jesus’ brothers and sisters, see also
Matthew 12:46-50,
Luke 8:19-20,
John 2:12, 7:3, 5;
Acts 1:14;
1 Corinthians 9:5.
It is possible that the reference may be to relatives other than siblings. [ NOAB]
Verse 3: “James” was later leader of the Jerusalem
church . This James is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:7;
Acts 12:17;
Galatians 1:19; 2:9.
Verse 3: “offence”: The Greek word is skandalizw,
a verb. The related noun is skandalon. JBC says that by the time this was
written, these words had become technical terms for the effect of Christ’s
death on Israel: see Romans 9:33;
1 Corinthians 1:23;
Galatians 5:11.
However, Paul also uses skandalon to warn against those who
create stumbling blocks to the faith, for example in Romans 14:13; 16:17.
In Matthew, this is always the sense: see Matthew 13:41 (“causes
of sin”); 16:23; 18:7.
[Lorinda Hoover]
Verse 4: A similar proverb is also in Gospel of Thomas 31:
“Jesus said, ‘No prophet is welcome on his home turf; doctors don't cure those
who know them’”. Jesus implies his place in the tradition of the “prophets”,
whose message from God is rejected by their own people. See also Matthew 13:53-58 (Jesus
teaches in the synagogue in his “hometown”). [ CAB]
Verses 5-6: Jesus requires faith on the part of those who
seek healing for themselves or for others (although there seem to be a few
exceptions, e.g John 5:13).
[ NOAB]
Verse 6: “unbelief”: By the time this was
written, apistia had come to symbolize the disbelief of
Israel. Paul uses this technical term in this sense in Romans 3:3 (“faithlessness”)
and Romans 11:30.
Verse 6: “Then he went about among the villages
teaching”: This can be taken with v. 6a or
with v. 7.
If read with the former, Mark is telling us that Jesus’ rejection in his
“hometown” caused him to teach elsewhere; if read with vv. 7-13,
it marks a new period in Jesus’ Galilean ministry – one in which he shared his
preaching and healing with his disciples. [NJBC]
This dramatic and tragic
end of Jesus’ Galilean ministry foreshadows the greater rejection of Israel.
From now on, the twelve will play a more active role, in anticipation of the
mission to the Gentiles.
Verses 7-15: Jesus invites the disciples to live intimately
with him, adopting his way of life, as well as his message. Spiritual strength
comes from the community. He invites the disciples share in:
- his “authority” over malign, destructive forces
(vv. 7-9),
- in his refusal to engage in self-seeking (v. 10)
and violence (v. 11),
- his message (vv. 12, 14-15),
and
- in his sympathy for human suffering (v. 13).
[ NOAB]
Verse 7: “two by two”: There are three examples in
Acts:
- Peter and John: Acts 3:1-10; 8:14-25
- Barnabas and Saul: Acts 9:30; 12:25; 14:28
- Paul and Silas: Acts 15:40-18:14.
[ BlkMk]
Verse 8: “take nothing for their journey ...”: Because
the disciples’ task is urgent, and requires trust in God. [ NJBC] [ CAB]
Verse 8: “except a staff”: The versions in Matthew and
Luke prohibit taking a staff. Either Mark shows a moderating tendency
(something uncharacteristic of Mark) or Mark has misread the Aramaic original:
the Aramaic words for exceptand not are much
alike. [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “no bread”: Jesus himself is spiritually the
source of bread: see also 6:35-44 (Feeding
of the Five Thousand) and 8:1-9 (Feeding
of the Four Thousand).
Verse 8: “no bag, no money in their belts”: Financial
security is not permitted. A bag held much more money than a belt. [NJBC] The bag may be the knapsack, the
beggar’s bag, that Cynic preachers
carried, but such a bag was also carried by shepherds. [ BlkMk]
Verse 9: “wear sandals”: Matthew 10:10 and
Luke 10:4 prohibit
taking shoes. Perhaps an extra pair is meant, for walking barefoot in
rocky Palestine would
be difficult. [ NJBC] An extra
tunic is prohibited (v. 9). BlkMk suggests that Mark’s
version indicates that a long journey is in mind while in Luke, it is short
journeys.
Verse 9: “tunics”: chiton: a short-sleeved
inner garment of knee length, held in at the waist by a girdle. [ NOAB]
Verse 10: Do not waste time seeking better accommodation
than you initially find. Travelling missionaries depended on local hospitality.
They presented problems for local communities, as Didache 11:4-9 shows:
“But concerning the apostles and prophets, so do ye according to the ordinance
of the Gospel. Let every apostle, when he cometh to you, be received as the
Lord; but he shall not abide more than a single day, or if there be need, a
second likewise; but if he abide three days, he is a false prophet. And when he
departeth let the apostle receive nothing save bread, until he findeth shelter;
but if he ask money, he is a false prophet.” [Lightfoot ] [ NJBC]
Verse 11: When local hospitality is not offered, take
symbolic action, not violent reprisal; in so doing, you will provoke thought
among the townspeople. (Inns were a rarity.) [ NJBC] BlkMk sees this verse as
saying do not waste time evangelizing those who are not receptive.
When you have done your duty in giving warning, you are free from further
responsibility for the fate of your hearers. See also Luke 10:10-16 (“...
whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you...”); Acts 13:51 (Paul
and Barnabas are persecuted in Antioch of Pisidia); Ezekiel 38:1-9.
Verse 12: 1:14-15 says: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus
came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the
good news.’” [ NOAB] Mark’s
summary of the disciples’ preaching echoes his earlier summary of Jesus’
preaching.
Verse 13: Anointing with oil was commonly associated
with healing in antiquity. [ NJBC]
See also James 5:14;
Isaiah 1:6;
Luke 10:34 (the
good Samaritan). [ NOAB] Olive
oil was regularly used as a remedy in the ancient world. In Luke 10:34,
it is used in treating the wounds of the man who fell among bandits.
James 5:14 says
that “the elders of the church” (Greek: presbuterioi ) to pray
over the sick person and anoint him or her. Mark may already think of this act
as having a sacramental character. [ BlkMk]
Before the days of mass
media (and Internet), religious and philosophical ideas were principally
propagated by travelling missionaries. [ NJBC]
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