Come the Revolution!
(Photo krb -2019)
In the last two years of theological studies - many years ago - I studied New Testament Greek. A requirement of my course was that I complete an examination in one of the Gospels and letters of St Paul in Greek or books from the Old Testament in Hebrew. I reckoned that in this case, discretion was the better part of valour and chose New Testament Greek. I knew that there were a number of people who I could ask to work with me in this process and I chose two people who were very good tutors, one on the basics of the language and the other on its application. I also chose St Mark's Gospel. I knew that it was the first of the canonical Gospels, written in about 70 CE and that it was the shortest of the Gospels. There is nothing like having a sword of Democles in the form of a 3-hour exam hanging over one's head, so I studied pretty hard. I got a good pass thanks to my tutors and our kids who patiently listened to my rehearsal of Greek vocabulary endlessly over many months.
I have never been naive enough to believe the 'gentle Jesus meek and mild' portrayal of Jesus but any illusions I had about that image were blown out of the water through reading the Gospel of Mark in the original Greek. The first thing that struck me was the immediacy of the action. Everything is happening now and the coming into being of God's kingdom on earth which Jesus proclaims is an imminent event for which we must be ready. The image of Jesus is not quite that of a peasant revolutionary out of the Zealot mould, though some in power certainly saw him as that. More, it is of a radical reformer preaching the 'good news' of the coming kingdom of God in the world, to the poor and marginalised, a kingdom in which the first will be last and the last first.
The first glimpse that we get of the revolutionary nature of Jesus ministry is at the beginning of St Mark's Gospel chap 1 v 15. Jesus proclaims, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near: repent and believe the good news.' (NRSV). I have always thought that the English translations of this verse doesn't fully convey the impact of this verse. Then last week, the Diocese of Grafton published a paraphrase of that verse by Kurt Struckmeyer, an American writer and theologian, on its Facebook page. It reads, 'The decisive time has arrived, for the conspiracy of love is rising up to challenge the unjust systems of the world. Change your whole way of thinking and living and risk everything for this radical message of hope.' For me this understanding of that early proclamation pretty much sums St Mark's message and the message of the Advent season.
Advent blessings to all.
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