Elizabeth Struthers Malbon: Women With Jesus to the End

Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, In the Company of Jesus: Characters in Mark's Gospel (Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), 60. Within the Markan story, only the women follow Jesus to the end. At Gethsemane one of the twelve betrays Jesus (14:43-45) and the remaining eleven forsake him (14:50). The women, on the other hand, witness the crucifixion -... Continue Reading →

Musings on Mark: “Who Then Is This?”

And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41, NRSV) One of the themes of the Gospel of Mark is that the disciples simply don't get what's going on. In fact, they go from not understanding Jesus... Continue Reading →

25 Jul 2018 1

Donahue and Harrington: The Suffering Just One

John R. Donahue and Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Mark, Sacra Pagina (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002), 33. Intertextually two very strong Old Testament themes merge in the Gospel of Mark. One is that Jesus is the "suffering just one" who is "tested" by God (see Mark 1:12-13), suffers opposition from enemies, and is... Continue Reading →

20 Jul 2018 0

Musings on Mark: The First Witness to the Empty Tomb

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. Mark 16:5, NRSV The ending of Mark's Gospel is famous for what it doesn't have, namely appearances of the risen Jesus to his disciples. In fact, the Gospel ends with the words,... Continue Reading →

28 Apr 2018 1

Musings on Mark: Fishers of Men

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων. Mark 1:17 I do not care for fishing. While some find it to be a relaxing hobby, I find it to be boring and tedious. Maybe it's because my dad never took me fishing or maybe it's because I prefer to... Continue Reading →

3 Sep 2017 8