November 2011

Mark Chapters 12 and 13 - Christogenea on Talkshoe 11-25-2011

In Mark chapter 11, we saw the cursing of the fig tree, which we related to the parable of the fig tree and the explanation of the fruitlessness of Christ's mission in Jerusalem. We then related how this was the final fulfillment of the dispersion of the Bad Figs of Jeremiah chapter 24, which is proven when comparing the language of Jeremiah to that of Christ concerning Jerusalem in his prophecy of its impending destruction as it is recorded in Luke chapter 21. We will discuss that at length here again next week, since it is also a subject of the latter half of Mark chapter 13. All of these prophecies and parables are part of a related theme, and so is the Parable of the Vineyard which we are about to read here in Mark chapter 12.

XII 1 And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a vat and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen, and he traveled abroad. 2 And he sent a servant to the husbandmen at the appropriate time, in order that he would receive from the husbandmen from the fruits of the vineyard, 3 and taking him they cudgeled him and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent to them another servant, and him they hit on the head and dishonored. 5 And he sent another, and him they slew, and many others, some then being cudgeled, but some being slain. 6 Yet he had one beloved son. He sent him to them last saying that ‘They shall respect my son!’ 7 But those husbandmen said to themselves that ‘This is the heir! Come, we should kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours!’ 8 And taking him they killed him and cast him outside of the vineyard. 9 So, what shall the master of the vineyard do? He shall come and destroy those husbandmen and let the vineyard out to others!

Mark Chapters 10 and 11 - Christogenea on Talkshoe 11-18-2011

X 1 And arising from there He goes into the borders of Judaea and on the other side of the Jordan, and the crowds again come together to Him, and as He is accustomed, again He taught them. 2 And the Pharisees having come forth questioned Him whether it is lawful for a man to put away a wife, trying Him. 3 Then replying He said to them: “What did Moses command you?” 4 And they said: “Moses permitted to write a letter for a bill of divorce and to put her away.” 5 Then Yahshua said to them: “For your hardness of heart he had written this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation ‘He made them male and female. 7 On account of this a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, 8 and they shall be two into one flesh.’ Therefore no longer are they two but one flesh. 9 So that which Yahweh has yoked together man must not separate!”

A certain so-called Christian Identity pastor recently stated on his Talkshoe program that Christ's words here do not condemn divorce. Yet clearly, considering the context, Christ is indeed condemning divorce. Otherwise, He would not have proceeded to quote Genesis 2:24, where it says that “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh”. It is the act of putting away which is divorce. The “bill of divorcement” is only a receipt which records the act.

Mark Chapters 8 and 9 - 11-04-2011

Discussing Mark last week I had made a radical comment concerning the blood brothers of Christ, that some of them were apostles. Here I will go over that again, because it is something which has not been discussed sufficiently, and due to a few inquiries I received, perhaps some people did not understand it.

The lists of apostles at Mark 3 and Matthew 10 agree: Simon Peter; James the son of Zebedee; John the brother of James; Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananean; and Judas Iscariot.

In Luke chapter 6 there is a James mentioned with John who must be that same brother and son of Zebedee mentioned in Matthew and Mark. Yet in Luke's list Lebbaeus Thaddaeus – who is only mentioned twice, once each in the original lists of Matthew and Mark - is not mentioned and seems to have dropped out of sight, because he is never mentioned again.

To fill out the twelve, "Judas the brother of James" is mentioned in his place. In Luke's account in Acts we see mentioned “Petros and Iohannes, and Iakobos [James] and Andreas [Andrew was Peter's brother, James and John were the sons of Zebedee], Philippos and Thomas, Bartholomaios and Maththaios, Iakobos [James] son of Alphaios, and Simon the zealot [the Cananean] and Iouda the brother of Iakobos.” The lists in Matthew and Mark being early in Christ's ministry, Lebbaeus Thaddaeus must have dropped out at some point for some reason, and Jude the brother of James filled the list out to twelve again when Luke made his lists.