The Last Week - Notes on Chapter 5

Chapter 5

• Mark 14: 12-16
• Holy Thursday is full of drama.  Final meal, praying for deliverance, betrayal by Judas, denied by Peter, abandoned by disciples, arrested, interrogated and condemned to death by the high priest. 
• REMINDER - Mark's Gospel (and Matthew and Luke who follow Mark) differs from John's.  In Mark the meal is the Passover meal.  In John Passover is on Friday so Jesus is new Passover lamb.  In John foot washing and the commandment to "love one another" is the focus, while in Mark it is Eucharist.  
• The preparation of the Passover meal reminds us of the preparations for Palm Sunday.  Jesus sends two disciples so Judas can't betray the location of the Last Supper.  Jesus knows what is happening. This doesn't have to be supernatural.  He's been hitting a hornet's nest and expects to be stung.
• Mark 14: 17-25
• There are four meanings of the Last Supper outlined in the book.
• First it's about FOOD.  Eating was Jesus way to be inclusive, but also about about real food and making sure everyone has enough in a world of God's justice.
• Second, it echoes the Feeding of the Five Thousand.  The verbs, took, blessed, broke, gave appear in both places.  The difference between Jesus and the disciples is clear.  The disciples want to tell the people to feed themselves.  Jesus wants the disciples to feed the people.  THEN Jesus walks the disciples through the process so they participate in Jesus's solution.  The food present is food enough when passed through Jesus's hands of divine justice.  
• Third, this is a Passover meal which was the Last Supper in Egypt and the first supper of freedom.  NOTE:  This meal was protection from death and food for the journey, NOT something about sin, substitution or atonement.  
• Fourth, this is about the Body and Blood and the Death of Jesus.  Standing up for Divine justice in a world that is not interested in that will get your blood violently separated from your body.  Again, this is NOT about suffering or substitution but about participation with Jesus in dying to the "normal" way of human domination and rising to the servant life of human transcendence.  
• "The Last Supper is about bread for the world, God's justice agains human injustice, a New Passover from bonding to liberation, and a participation in the path that leads through death to new life."  
• Mark 14: 26-52
• Jesus's prayer in the garden used Abba for God, the familiar Aramaic word that translates better as "papa" suggesting Jesus's intimate connection with God.  
• He prays (not surprisingly) to not go through what is coming.  His prayer ends NOT as a fatalistic resignation to the will of God but a trusting in God in the miss of the most dire time.  
• The arresting group in Mark is the Temple police.  More than just police but not quite an army.  John has 600 imperial troops.  
• One of Jesus's disciples draws a sword.  Is this more failed discipleship?  In other Gospels more details are added, but in all Jesus denounces violence.  
• Again, contrasting Mark with John is interesting.  In Mark, Jesus is very human while in John Jesus is in charge of everything.  
• Note how Mark handles the disciples here.  Judas betrays Jesus, Peter denies Jesus and the rest flee and are not heard from again until Easter!  
• The disciples are all restored to relationship and community by Jesus.  If Judas hadn't died, could he have been too?  
• Mark 14: 53-65
• Jesus's trial has become a place where historically people have come to blame "the Jews" but we need to remember:  No followers of Jesus were at his trial.  This may have not been a legal trial but an informal hearing of the collaborators AND these authorities did not represent the Jewish people but the collaborators with the Roman government.  
• The first stage centers on accusations that Jesus would destroy the Temple and build it up again.  These were not answered by Jesus and the witnesses didn't agree.
• The second stage the high priest went to get a confession from Jesus that he had claimed to be the Son of God.  REMEMBER in Mark, Jesus's mission is about the Kingdom of God and not about himself.  His response is translated as "I am" but in Greek it could also be "Am I?" which is reflected in the other Gospels which record "You say that I am." etc. 
• Jesus is convicted on a post-Easter idea, that Jesus is the Son of God… the Messiah.  
• Jesus's further response about "the Son of Man" are quotes from Daniel which talk about restoring the world to God's ways. 
• Perhaps Mark chose to use "Son of Man" because the title "Messiah" had the violent liberation of Israel associated with it and that was not what Jesus was about.  
• In Daniel, the empires of humans are symbolized by beasts while the empire of God is ruled by a human.  Empires that oppress people are like beasts while the Kingdom of God is a positive kingdom not ruled by a beast but by the Son of Man.  
• For Mark, the Kingdom has yet to be revealed in power and glory but is already here in service and humility.  It's presence is known NOW only through faith but one day it will be known by sight too!  Mark thought that would happen "within that generation" but he seems to have been off by just a little.  
• The third stage of the trial was the verdict and beginning of physical suffering.  Jesus will be given to Pilate in the morning.  
• Peter's denial takes place as another one of Mark's frames.  Peter follows Jesus to the high priests house is the first story.  Jesus being questioned and confessing his identity as Son of Man is the interrupting story.  Then Peter being questioned and denying Jesus is the end of the frame.  
• This one is obvious.  Jesus is questioned and confesses while Peter is questioned and denies him.  Important though, is that readers of this will note that for those disciples who do like Jesus there is praise.  BUT for those who do like Peter there is grace in repentance and forgiveness and FINALLY, the WORST sin is not denial or betrayal of Jesus.  "The worst sin is despair - the loss of faith that repentance will always, always obtain forgiveness.  Had Judas broken down, wept and repented, he too would have been forgiven.  But although Peter reappears in Mark, Judas never does."