For the next suggested Bible Study passage, I suggest
reading in the Gospel According to Mark, through the end of Chapter 2. Why do you suppose that the author gives no
explanation regarding why Simon, Andrew, James and John decided to follow
Jesus? This section of the Gospel
centers on stories of Jesus' early proclamation of "the kingdom of
God," on his teaching "with authority," and on various healings. As he was casting out demons, he commanded
them to remain silent about his identity--why do you think he did so? Why would
Jesus choose to live in Capernaum, rather than in Nazareth? Chapter 2 features the healing of a paralytic
man who was lowered through the roof of Jesus' house by the man's friends. Can you remember times when others have
"carried" you in times of need, or when you have helped others who
seemed helpless? Do you think Jesus
disapproved of fasting or avoiding work during the Sabbath? If not, what was his attitude toward such
things?
In Jesus' time, Nazareth would have had a population of about 500. and indeed, in the New Testament, Nazareth is depicted as an obscure backwater. In the Gospel of John, people who hear of Jesus of Nazareth ask themselves, "What good could come from Nazareth?" (John 1:46) from-http://www.sacred-destinations.com My parents owned a store in the middle of town(Sussex) and lots of people have known us since I was 2. In a small town, your always known as someones child or ,if your one of the youngest like me, somebody's little sister. It is hard to"come into your own" when it seems that your not taken seriously or appreciated for yourself. It's something I struggled with for a long time! Fasting in the OT has the connotation of mourning and deprivation ( The absence, loss, or withholding of something needed.) Jesus knew his time was limited and he had a lot to get done. 19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. I love verse 22. Jesus came with new ideas and a new Life; that cannot be contained in an old heart with old ways, it cant handle it. We need to be made new to be able to fully accept and understand all that is given, so we can expand!
ReplyDeleteGreat comment! I guess if Nazareth had a population of only 500 or so, it would be hard to be thought of in a new way; on the other hand, it might have been an easier place in which to get away from crowds. In the early part of Mark's gospel, Jesus seems to be harassed by crowds wherever he goes. Until Jesus and his chosen disciples withdraw way up north to the Phonecian cities of Tyre and Sidon, the crowds frustrate every attempt to find a bit of privacy in which to teach the apostles. If Jesus doesn't think it's appropriate to fast while he is present, when would it be appropriate to fast now, if ever? What does Jesus think of the Sabbath?
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