Divide and Be Conquered
I apologize for the delay in my posts. My wife and I had a great time hiking part of the Camino trail in Portugal and Spain for our 20th anniversary.
Mark 3:13-19 contains the story/recap of the calling of "The Twelve." While at the surface, these words and names appear to be only a list, their purpose in Mark's gospel is far greater.
The Purpose of the List
Mark's stories of Jesus' disciples, in part, are meant not only to teach the readers about Jesus' closest followers but also serve as a model for how the early church was supposed to function. The readers of the gospel are to see themselves in the the stories of the 12 apostles.
Contrary to popular belief, the 12 should not be seen as some sort of hierarchy of super-followers of Jesus. Rather, Jesus specifically chose them to be apostles. Here the term "apostle" is meant in its simplest form of missionaries who would be sent out to expand the work of Jesus.
These 12 are special though in that they, unlike the other followers of Jesus, would leave their occupations and even families to follow Jesus. These 12 will function with Jesus as one unit in Mark until chapter 14, thus establishing a close link not only between Jesus and the gospels but also between the ministry of Jesus and the early church.
The Twelve
Jesus draws to himself a number of interesting characters. Many were fishermen from Galilee. A few that I think are worth highlighting are Matthew, Simon, and Judas.
According to Matthew 9:9, Matthew was a tax collector, who sat at the boarder of Capernaum. This tax area, referred to as a "receipt of custom" would not have been taxes paid specifically to Rome but rather more of a local tax to Herod Antipas. Regardless, he would not have been well received as a tax collector in general, but furthermore, he would have been looked at with great suspicion by those who opposed Roman rule since he was engaged in the broader Roman taxation system.
Judas is officially called Judas Iscariot. Questions arise about the word "Iscariot." It is not his last name. There is strong support in scholarship that "Iscariot," which distinguishes him from all other Judases mentioned in the Bible (Judas is merely the Greek form of Judah), means that he is a man (Ish) from Kirioth (ciriot). Thus, it could be as simple as Judas, the man from Kirioth. Others however understand "Iscariot" to be in reference to be a man (Ish) of the sword/dagger (as a group were called the Sicarii). These would have been rebels hostile to Rome who were, at times, know for the swords they would carry to assassinate Roman soldiers and sympathizers. But this is not certain.
Less convoluted is the inclusion of "Simon the Cananean." At first glance it might appear that this is a reference to Simon from Canaan, but that is not the case. Here "Cananean" is a transliteration of the Hebrew word qanai, which means "zealous/zealot." While the Zealots as a formal group committed to the overthrow of Rome did not exists for 30 or so years after Jesus, the ideas behind their zealousness for the law and the Jewish state were around in Jesus' day and certainly present by the composition of Mark.
Why does it matter?
Jesus chose quite an eclectic group to be part of his inner circle. From people who sympathized and, at least partly, participated in the Roman occupation, to others identified as those who would plot to overthrow the Imperial regime, Jesus called them all to follow him. Christ has, does, and will welcome all to himself.
In today's world, the miracle is not so much that Jesus called people like Matthew, Judas, and Simon to himself, but rather that each of them agreed to follow him. I could imagine Simon not being willing to walk alongside of that traitor Matthew, the one who was in bed with their enemy. I can envision Matthew being annoyed at that radical fundamentalist Simon who just couldn't accept the way the world was and longed for a nostalgic era from long ago. I can hear the arguments. I can hear them trying to sway Jesus to their own side of the argument.
And yet they followed. They followed because in some way they knew that following Jesus was worth it. It didn't make their differences go away, but they knew that the one they followed was bigger, more important really, than their differences.
I wonder what the church would look like today if the earliest followers of Jesus had spent all of their time arguing about Rome and Israel? I wonder if the church would have grown if Gentile inclusion was the only argument of the day? I wonder what would have happened to the church if they would have taken their eyes off the risen Christ?
Remember Mark writes his story of the disciples with his readers in mind. Mark's audience, both 2000 years ago and today, are invited to see themselves in the story. You and I are supposed to see ourselves in this story.
I wonder if the church, in the US at least, has in part taken its eyes off Christ? I wonder what things, in the Bible they are called idols, I have allowed in my life to take my eyes off the risen Christ? I wonder what I have allowed to divide me from my brothers and sisters? I wonder if the church has suffered because of it?
Don't get me wrong...the issues the world faces today are of vital importance. I do not mean to minimize them. They should be engaged, debated, and stood up for. And yet, I am reminded that Christ, who has united us to himself through the Spirit, has called all kinds of people...I mean all people to follow him. Even the ones that I can't stand on Facebook.
Mark 3:13-19 contains the story/recap of the calling of "The Twelve." While at the surface, these words and names appear to be only a list, their purpose in Mark's gospel is far greater.
The Purpose of the List
Mark's stories of Jesus' disciples, in part, are meant not only to teach the readers about Jesus' closest followers but also serve as a model for how the early church was supposed to function. The readers of the gospel are to see themselves in the the stories of the 12 apostles.
Contrary to popular belief, the 12 should not be seen as some sort of hierarchy of super-followers of Jesus. Rather, Jesus specifically chose them to be apostles. Here the term "apostle" is meant in its simplest form of missionaries who would be sent out to expand the work of Jesus.
These 12 are special though in that they, unlike the other followers of Jesus, would leave their occupations and even families to follow Jesus. These 12 will function with Jesus as one unit in Mark until chapter 14, thus establishing a close link not only between Jesus and the gospels but also between the ministry of Jesus and the early church.
The Twelve
Jesus draws to himself a number of interesting characters. Many were fishermen from Galilee. A few that I think are worth highlighting are Matthew, Simon, and Judas.
According to Matthew 9:9, Matthew was a tax collector, who sat at the boarder of Capernaum. This tax area, referred to as a "receipt of custom" would not have been taxes paid specifically to Rome but rather more of a local tax to Herod Antipas. Regardless, he would not have been well received as a tax collector in general, but furthermore, he would have been looked at with great suspicion by those who opposed Roman rule since he was engaged in the broader Roman taxation system.
Judas is officially called Judas Iscariot. Questions arise about the word "Iscariot." It is not his last name. There is strong support in scholarship that "Iscariot," which distinguishes him from all other Judases mentioned in the Bible (Judas is merely the Greek form of Judah), means that he is a man (Ish) from Kirioth (ciriot). Thus, it could be as simple as Judas, the man from Kirioth. Others however understand "Iscariot" to be in reference to be a man (Ish) of the sword/dagger (as a group were called the Sicarii). These would have been rebels hostile to Rome who were, at times, know for the swords they would carry to assassinate Roman soldiers and sympathizers. But this is not certain.
Less convoluted is the inclusion of "Simon the Cananean." At first glance it might appear that this is a reference to Simon from Canaan, but that is not the case. Here "Cananean" is a transliteration of the Hebrew word qanai, which means "zealous/zealot." While the Zealots as a formal group committed to the overthrow of Rome did not exists for 30 or so years after Jesus, the ideas behind their zealousness for the law and the Jewish state were around in Jesus' day and certainly present by the composition of Mark.
Why does it matter?
Jesus chose quite an eclectic group to be part of his inner circle. From people who sympathized and, at least partly, participated in the Roman occupation, to others identified as those who would plot to overthrow the Imperial regime, Jesus called them all to follow him. Christ has, does, and will welcome all to himself.
In today's world, the miracle is not so much that Jesus called people like Matthew, Judas, and Simon to himself, but rather that each of them agreed to follow him. I could imagine Simon not being willing to walk alongside of that traitor Matthew, the one who was in bed with their enemy. I can envision Matthew being annoyed at that radical fundamentalist Simon who just couldn't accept the way the world was and longed for a nostalgic era from long ago. I can hear the arguments. I can hear them trying to sway Jesus to their own side of the argument.
And yet they followed. They followed because in some way they knew that following Jesus was worth it. It didn't make their differences go away, but they knew that the one they followed was bigger, more important really, than their differences.
I wonder what the church would look like today if the earliest followers of Jesus had spent all of their time arguing about Rome and Israel? I wonder if the church would have grown if Gentile inclusion was the only argument of the day? I wonder what would have happened to the church if they would have taken their eyes off the risen Christ?
Remember Mark writes his story of the disciples with his readers in mind. Mark's audience, both 2000 years ago and today, are invited to see themselves in the story. You and I are supposed to see ourselves in this story.
I wonder if the church, in the US at least, has in part taken its eyes off Christ? I wonder what things, in the Bible they are called idols, I have allowed in my life to take my eyes off the risen Christ? I wonder what I have allowed to divide me from my brothers and sisters? I wonder if the church has suffered because of it?
Don't get me wrong...the issues the world faces today are of vital importance. I do not mean to minimize them. They should be engaged, debated, and stood up for. And yet, I am reminded that Christ, who has united us to himself through the Spirit, has called all kinds of people...I mean all people to follow him. Even the ones that I can't stand on Facebook.
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