Who Has the Last Word?

 

Mark  16:1-8, the Gospel appointed for the Resurrection of Our Lord in the Year of Mark, is the most unusual of the Easter gospels in that the resurrected Lord makes no appearance, and we are left with the report of terrified and amazed women who say nothing to anyone.  Small wonder that for centuries a section of added verses (9-20) was considered the better ending to the story, an ending where Jesus does appear and the disciples, though still unbelieving, assumedly eventually do what Jesus asks of them.  It will be the preacher's task, however, on this occasion to preach what comes to us in these first 8 verses.  There is both Law and Gospel here!

(The following questions have been formulated to help unearth the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  This is important because the way the Word functions is the way the sermon will need to function as well, at least in part.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This text is filled with evidence of human weakness, and therefore, Law: the women are getting ready to anoint a dead body, they wonder how they will remove the large stone from the mouth of the tomb, they are alarmed and distressed by the presence of a divine messenger and the disappearance of the body of Jesus, and they flee the tomb, saying nothing to anyone.  Their weakness is a sure statement of Law.  The Gospel is present though too, in a hidden way.  The divine messenger assures them, "Jesus is going ahead of you. You will see him, just as he told you."  In other words, your fear will not be the last word.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We most certainly identify with the women.  Everything they do, we would do.  Everything they expect, we would expect.  Their flight at the end is exactly what we would do.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is one imperative in the text:  "Go, tell."  This is the same call that comes to us who have witnessed the power of the risen Lord in our lives.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by the text?  We can imagine a number of classic couplets for this text:  fear/faith; despair/hope; power of death/power of life.

5.  Exegetical work:  I am indebted to Thomas Boomershine and Don Juel for their encouragement to look at this text as story, as narrative.  Boomershine reminds us that the details of this story connect us to the larger narrative.  For example, the repetition of the women's names connects us to the story of Jesus' death and burial, where these same women were present. (15:40, 47).  The detail regarding the very early arising of the women (before dawn) brings us back to the darkness around the crucifixion. (15:33).  Finally, the description of the "young man" reminds us of Jesus' words that "the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of power". (14:52).  (Biblical Performance Criticism, Vol. 12, The Messiah of Peace: A Performance-Criticism Commentary on Mark's Passion-Resurrection Narrative, pp. 327-358).  Don Juel's insightful commentary makes the case for this 'non-ending' as the most authentic rendering of Mark's gospel just by virtue of the fact that the response of the women is exactly in line with the way all the other characters in this narrative behave.  The disciples all desert Jesus, Peter denies, Judas betrays, the soldiers mock, the crowds and leaders taunt. The only exception to all this is the confession by the centurion at the foot of the cross who declares Jesus a son of God.  Even that confession can be seen as less than heroic.  Juel sums it up this way:  "If we agree that the version of the Gospel in the manuscript tradition with the strongest claim to logical priority deserves to be printed in the Bible, it is this version - ending with verse 8 - that will function as canon." (A Master of Surprise: Mark Interpreted, p.110).  Juel identifies the Gospel amidst all these less-than-heroic characters, indeed insisting that our hope is in Jesus' promise, not our own faith:  "Caught up in the narrative's momentum, the last words of the messenger at the tomb impel the reader beyond the confines of the narrative:  'There you will see him, as he told you.'  There will be enlightenment and speaking; the disciples will somehow play the role for which they have been chosen... Jesus is out of the tomb; God is no longer safely behind the curtain... The possibilities of eventual enlightenment for the reader remain in the hands of the divine actor who will not be shut in - or out." (Ibid., p.120).  

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  There are innumerable models of Law/Gospel analysis using the Crossings model, the latest being a fine analysis by Chris Repp. Go to crossings.org/text-study to see them all.

Blessings on your proclamation!

A Glimpse of Christ Crucified

 

Numbers 21:4-9, the First Reading appointed for the 4th Sunday in Lent in the Year of Mark, is obviously the perfect reading to partner with John 3:14-21, the Gospel appointed for this day.  Here we have what Christians have claimed is a foreshadowing of the work of Christ.  Just as the Israelites looked to a figure on a pole to be saved from death, we look to Christ for our deliverance.  This is a classic Law/Gospel text, calling us to repentance and announcing God's mercy. The preacher is called to do the same.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes. These questions have been developed to help disclose how the Word is functioning in the text, a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The opening verses lift up Israel's sin, their speaking against God and Moses.  This is the Word functioning as Law, calling them to repentance.  The judgment against the people comes and they beg for mercy, indeed speaking words of repentance:  "We have sinned..."  Gospel is proclaimed with the announcement of God's mercy:  "Everyone who is bitten shall look at [the serpent] and live."

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is always important for us to identify with those to whom the Word is spoken and this text is no exception. We are those bitten by the snake of death, and we need to look to Christ for our life.  

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  This text does not invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's gifts.  There is therefore, no call to obedience here.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Many couplets come to mind in this vivid story: dying/alive; poisoned/given an antidote; diseased/healed.

5.  Exegetical work:  Jacob Milgrom, in his commentary on this passage, asks the question: "Why did not God simply remove the plague as He removed all the plagues of Egypt?  The answer given by tradition is that He resorted to this means in order to test Israel's obedience; only those who heeded His command to look at the snake would recover." (The JPS Torah Commentary series, Numbers, p.174).  Milgrom then goes on to lift up an intertestamental text that comments on this famous event from the Wisdom of Solomon:  "For when the terrible rage of wild animals came upon your people and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents, your wrath did not continue to the end; they were troubled for a little while as a warning, and received a symbol of deliverance to remind them of your law's command.  For the one who turned toward it was saved, not by the thing that was beheld, but by you, the Savior of all." (16:5-7).  This is so interesting, because this interpretation speaks of faith not magic.  It is the Savior who saves, not the object we behold.  Ephrem the Syrian, the 4th century Christian scholar, makes the connection for us: "Just as those who looked with bodily eyes at the sign which Moses fastened on the cross lived bodily, so too those who look with spiritual eyes at the body of the Messiah nailed and suspended on the cross and believe in him will live [spiritually]." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. III, p. 242).

Blessings on your proclamation!