2:11 This saying is trustworthy:
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we deny him, he will also deny us.
2:13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.
Is this meant to console, or to warn? Does Paul mean that God will remain faithful to his gracous promises, or to his threat of judgement?
Following are the main interpretative options.…
NET – ‘But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.’
NASB – ‘But passing through their midst, He went His way.’
Bill Mounce writes:
…‘I was reminded recently of why every word choice matters. I was visiting a church where the preacher was discussing Luke 4:30, the story where people tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. The verse says, “But passing through their midst, He went His way (ἐπορεύετο)” (NASB). The preacher emphasized that Jesus had “His” own way, different from what the townspeople intended for Him.
1:6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion. 1:7 For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain. 1:8 Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled. 1:9 He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it.…
Mark is believed by many to have based his account on the testimony of Peter. However, much modern critical scholarship maintains that the internal evidence ‘hardly suggests, far less supports’ the traditional attribution. (Telford, A Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation). This is unduly sceptical, to say the least.
The usual starting point is Papias (c.AD 60-130), who cites the ‘elder’ John:
…‘Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately everything that he remembered, without however recording in order what was either said or done by Christ.’
14:51 A young man was following him, wearing only a linen cloth. They tried to arrest him, 14:52 but he ran off naked, leaving his linen cloth behind.
Who was this young man? Mark Strauss lists thirteen(!) possibilities. Here are some of the contenders:
(a) Mark himself. This is the traditional view. Cole inclines to this view, as do Lange, Hendriksen and others. This would then be Mark’s way of saying, “I was there,” without mentioning himself by name. …
The question of Jesus’ level of literacy has been explored by Chris Keith and John Nelson, among others.
Without a doubt, Jesus of Nazareth was a man of great intelligence.
Even at the age of twelve, he was debating with the religious leaders in the Temple in Jerusalem, and amazing them with his knowledge and insight (Luke 2:46-47).
However, Keith thinks that
…‘Even this portrayal of Jesus in the temple impressing educated teachers at twelve cannot automatically be taken at face value…It contrasts with the earlier portrayal of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark as someone who is rejected as a synagogue teacher by his fellow villagers in Nazareth because he is in the manual labor class (Mark 6:1-6; also Matt 13:54-58).’
This question is addressed by John Nelson, who begins by noting several factors that might suggest some distance between what Jesus actually said and what is recorded in the Gospels:
First, Jesus spoke Aramaic, but the Gospels were written in Greek. This means that we often depend (at best) upon a translation of Jesus’ original teaching.
…Second, the Gospels were written in an oral culture. This means that many of Jesus’ teachings were likely passed down verbally before they were written down.
Notes of a sermon preached at Holy Trinity, Norwich, on the morning of Sunday 11th August, 2024. It was part of a short series covering the first four chapters of the Book of Proverbs.
How would you like to live a long, healthy, and successful life?
You’ve come to the right place!
Long life. Keep God’s commands, and you will live a long and successful life, v1f
Honour. Be loving and faithful, and you will win the favour of both God and man, v3f.…
According to Britannica, the prosperity gospel is the teaching
…‘that faith—expressed through positive thoughts, positive declarations, and donations to the church—draws health, wealth, and happiness into believers’ lives. It is also referred to as the “health and wealth gospel” or “name it and claim it.” Central to this teaching are the beliefs that salvation through Jesus Christ includes liberation from not only death and eternal damnation but also poverty, sickness, and other ills. Adherents believe that God wants believers to be richly blessed in this life and that physical well-being and material riches are always God’s will for the faithful.
Sharing the concern of the Book of Proverbs for taking faith into the marketplace, Dr. Carnegie Samuel Calian has developed
“Ten Commandments for the Marketplace”
1. Treat individuals as sacred. People are more than means to another’s end.
2. Be generous. The benefits will exceed the cost in the long term.
3. Practice moderation. Obsession with winning is dehumanizing and idolatrous.
4. Disclose mistakes. Confession and restitution are necessary means to restoring ethical character.
5. Arrange priorities.…
