Lectionary Year B
July 16, 2000
Mark 6:14-29
Step III: Immediate Context
(DH) A. IMMEDIATE CONTEXT
Pre:Mk 6:6b-13
Jesus public ministry is in full swing (v. 6b). He empowers his disciples
by giving them authority over unclean spirits and sends them out in pairs
(v. 7). For this mission, they are only supposed to be equipped with bare
necessities (vv. 8-9). He gives them instructions as to where they should
stay, and what they should do if people refuse to hear their message (vv.
10-11). Finally, v. 13 reports successes of their ministry in Jesus' name.
Post:Mk 6:30-42
v. 30 seems to pick up the thread of v. 13. In v. 30, the apostles come
back from their "mission trip" and report about their deeds and teachings
to Jesus. Apparently aware of their hard work, Jesus takes them aside to
take a well-deserved break (v. 31). But they cannot slip away unnoticed,
and the people rush ahead to meet them. Jesus has compassion on them like
sheep without a shepherd and begins to teach them. As the days wanes, the
disciples want to send them away to the surrounding villages in order to
find something to eat. But Jesus tells them: "You give them soemthing to
eat!" (v. 37) The disciples do not see how, and He shows them. Looking up
to heaven, He blesses the loaves and fishes and breaks the food in order to
be distributed. (41) "And all ate and were filled (v. 42).
(DH) B. COMPOSITIONAL WHOLE
As already mentioned in Step II, the pericope of 6:14-29 seems to be a
curious interlude between the Mission of the Twelve and the Feeding of the
Five Thousand. In vv. 14 and 15, one encounters several speculations about
Jesus' identity: Herod thinks He is the resurrected John the Baptizer, the
people think He could be Elijah, possibly one of the prophets. But they do
not have an inkling about Him being the Son of God. In Mk 8:27-30, Jesus
wants to know from His disciples who the people think that He is. They
answer: Well, some say you are John the Baptist, others think you are
Elijah, or perhaps one of the prophets. Then Jesus wants to know their
opinion: "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answers: "You are the
Christ/the Messiah!" In 9:2-8, Jesus' identity is disclosed on the Mount
of Transfiguration, where Peter, James and John witness an encounter of
their Lord with Elijah and Moses. From a cloud up above they hear a voice,
revealing: "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!" Whereas Jesus'
identity only seemed to have been revealed to Himself in 1:11 ("You are my
Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased), now the disciples are
assured of who He truly is.
The section 6:17-28 does not seem to relate to the rest of Mark's gospel at
all. One might be reminded of Jezreel's schemes against Naboth in order to
gain his vineyard in 1 Kings 21 and her influencing Ahab to have Naboth
killed. Or one might be reminded of the cunning Esther who charmed
Ahasverus so that he made her queen instead of Vashti and threw a great
banquet in her honor. Thus, Herodias seems to be in good traditional
company.
v. 29., however, seems to re-connect to Mark's gospel. In a similar scene
to John's disciples taking his body and laying it in a tomb, Jesus' body is
taken by Joseph of Arimathea in 15:45-46, wrapped in a linen cloth and laid
in a tomb. The cousins John and Jesus appear to share not only blood
bonds, but also a similar life's end.
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