Mk 14:51 – The young man who ran off naked

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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.  …

Could Jesus read and write?

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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).’

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Can we know what Jesus really said?

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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.

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Prov 3:1-12 – Wisdom’s Rewards (Sermon Notes)

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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.…

Does Proverbs teach a ‘prosperity gospel’?

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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.

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Ten Commandments for the Marketplace

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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.…

The role of the twelve disciples

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The role of the Twelve during the time of Jesus’ ministry was fourfold:

1. Disciples of their Master.  Like other Jewish disciples, they live with their master, attend to his interpretation of Scripture, and are expected to commit his teaching to memory.  Some, at least, would be expected to pass on the teaching of their rabbi.  It was unusual of Jesus to choose his disciples: usually, the disciples would choose their rabbi.

2. Extension of Jesus’ ministry.…

Christ in the Proverbs

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Daniel Doriani points out four ways in which Proverbs paints an accurate and vivid picture of our Saviour.

What follows is a summary of this article.

1. Jesus the good worker

Many Proverbs mock laziness, e.g. Prov 24:30-34; 26:14f; 20:13, and praise hard work, e.g. Prov 10:4–5; 12:9, 11, 14, 27; 16:26; 18:9.

Jesus knew that he must work while he had opportunity, Jn 9:1-5.  He worked hard, Jn 5:17, toiling through the night as he prayed , Lk 6:12, teaching his disciples, Jn 13:30–17:26, and suffering for his people, Mt 26:36–75.…

Preaching: Christ-centred, God-focused, or Trinitarian?

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I have sometimes wondered if enthusiasm for Christ-centred preaching can lead to a neglect of God-centred, or, indeed, a fully-rounded Trinitarian approach.

This is touched on by Sidney Greidanus, in chapter 5 of Preaching Christ From the Old Testament.

Greidanus agrees that ‘christological preaching’ can indeed sometimes slide into ‘Christomonism’, the preaching of Christ isolated from God.  Some, such as Wilhelm Vischer, held that

‘the theological exposition of the [Old Testament] writings within the church can be nothing other than Christology.’

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What was God doing when John was beheaded (Mk 6)?

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Ian Paul remarks that, in preaching from the account of John the Baptist’s beheading, it is tempting to take an anthropocentric approach, in which:

‘It is…a game of consequences, [with] each stage of the drama unfolding tragically but with some inevitability into the next. What happens if you are born into a family whose patriarch is a ruthless but insecure tyrant (Herod the Great) who forged a regime from nothing and was a monumental builder, but achieved this by having his own wife and two sons executed?

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