The Bible as Literature

Psalm 82 1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: 2 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? 3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." 5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; 7 nevertheless, you shall die like men, and fall like any prince." 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for to thee belong all the nations! Richard and Fr. Marc conclude their discussion of Mark with a review of chapter 16:14-30. Episode 213 Mark 16:14-30; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

In the first episode of our new show, "Tarazi Tuesdays," we are re-broadcasting a lecture presented by Fr. Paul on January 12, 2018. The talk was given during a book signing at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Arizona. The content makes for an excellent introduction to the series. Enjoy! (Episode 1)

A directive does not require understanding, agreement, or acceptance in order to be carried out. In a high performing team, once a clear decision has been handed down, people are expected to follow it--even if they disagree. Some employees may harbor distrust, but if the directive is sound, the simple act of carrying it out will foster trust and produce results. Everything hinges on adherence to the directive. In the Gospel of Mark, when the followers of Jesus “heard that he was alive and had been seen” by Mary Magdalene, “they refused to believe it,” and when they passed the message on to others, “they did not believe them either.” This refusal to believe is the culmination of betrayal, misplaced fear, and a complete lack of trust in the Lord. Still, all hope is not lost. Despite themselves—and whatever their attitude toward the message—the followers of Jesus carried out the directive given to Mary Magdalene to share the news that the Lord is alive and going into Galilee, just as he said he would. In other words, it's not who you are or what you believe--but what you do--that counts. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 16:9-13. Episode 212 Mark 16:9-13; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Sunday Dub” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Throughout the Gospel of Mark, the primacy of sowing the seed of the Bible, the folly of misplaced amazement and the sin of the fear of men are all demonstrated by means of the Lord's instruction and action. Most importantly, the teaching of Christ's death and resurrection is plainly stated. Still, somehow, Mark's message did not sink in. At the end of the story, the followers of Jesus were so afraid of what men might do to them that they betrayed and abandoned their beloved master. Failing to trust in the promise of the Lord's resurrection, they instead went searching for a body. Worst of all, when commanded to preach what Jesus had already explained in chapter 8, “They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:8) Lacking trust in the Lord's teaching, they were amazed and so afraid that they refused to sow the seed of the Gospel, as commanded. “To see what is in front of one’s nose,” George Orwell writes, “needs a constant struggle.” Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 16:1-8. Episode 211 Mark 16:1-8; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Jet Fueled Vixen” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

One of the many ways that Scripture teaches us is by testing us. In the first verse of chapter 15, Mark tells us that “the whole Council” deliberated, bound up Jesus, and delivered him to Pilate. The whole Council. During the Crucifixion, the public portrayal of Christ’s shame is inescapable. Jesus was ridiculed, abused, and finally, taunted to “come down from the Cross.” Not only his enemies, but his supposed friends abandoned him. Even those who shared his fate derided him. At that moment, whatever you might say about Jesus, he was neither prominent nor respected—by anyone. Then, suddenly, at the end of chapter 15, a member of the same Council that delivered him up to Pilate—no, not a just a member, a prominent member—appears to take him down from the Cross. Do you believe your eyes? Do you admire respectable prominence? Are you impressed by what a nice man he is? Yes, this is a test. “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” (Galatians 3:1) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:40-47. Episode 210 Mark 15:40-47; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Miami Nights - Extended Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Students of the New Testament can’t help but impose their understanding of triumph on the story of the Crucifixion. Desperate to find hope in human strength, they rush to what they see as the happy ending in Mark, minimizing the lengthy stretch of darkness, cruelty, and ridicule endured by Jesus. Why? Because in the end, we are not interested in God’s victory, but our own. We do not trust in the Lord. We want what we want for ourselves with no regard for his mission. When we leap to the end of the story, we fail to see the true victory in the Lord’s defeat: his steadfast proclamation of Scripture to the very end, his unshakable trust in his Father’s will, his hope against hope in his Father’s cause at his own expense, the centurion’s—and the world’s—conversion through his obedience to Torah, and finally, the overthrow of Caesar by means of the Lord’s teaching. In the midst of the darkness, we do not trust in these victories because our first priority is to save our own skin. We want to see Jesus win in worldly terms because we want to win. We want him to come down from the Cross, not only because it is painful and embarrassing, but because we ourselves do not want to be held accountable to Scripture; because we ourselves cannot face our own death or that of our loved ones; because we ourselves are cowards. As a result, we cling to false hopes of our own making while others suffer in our place. Hear the word of the Lord: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:33-39. Episode 209 Mark 15:23-32; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hiding Your Reality” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

In popular American stories, defeat is used either to amplify our sense of good vs. evil or to indulge the illusion that we, the supposed underdogs, will be victorious in the end. Consumed uncritically, these stories reinforce a self-percieved victimhood, amplify our self-righteousness, and dull our minds with false consolations about suffering, death, and loss. In the Gospel of Mark, the defeat of Jesus operates in an entirely different way. In Mark 15, the Cross is not a “jam” into which Jesus became stuck, but a stumbling-block for all those who see themselves either as victims or as the “good guys.” The defeat of Jesus is not a suspenseful plot device strategically placed to indulge our gluttony for triumph in the end. On the contrary, the Cross is our defeat. Full stop. As if to amplify this point, the biblical writer slows the story down, marking the passage of the hours to ensure that every insult is keenly felt. It is only in this state of shame and humiliating defeat, wrought by obedience, that we come to understand the difficult meaning of Psalm 22. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:23-32. Episode 208 Mark 15:23-32; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Andreas Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

In Semitic languages, the link between various words is established, not by a term’s imagined or abstract meaning, but by its mechanical structure. Certain words contain specific consonants in a particular order, and words built around those consonants not only sound connected but have a related usage. For example, a book is something that is written, so the word “book” in Arabic, sounds like the word “write,” but also sounds like the word “office,” or “library,” or “desk,” or “clerk,” or “registration,” or the “exchange of letters”—I could go on, but you get the point. Hebrew works in exactly the same way. In the Bible, our ability to see these connections in the original language is an absolute requirement. Without them, it is impossible to understand the Bible. In this week’s episode, before jumping into a discussion of Mark 15:22, Richard and Fr. Marc take time to discuss how they use the word “function” to help explain the Bible and how it relates to biblical grammar. Episode 207 Mark 51:22; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Street Party” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

In the discipline of Jiu Jitsu, when an opponent strikes you, his aggression is understood as an opportunity to use his power against him. A similar principle is found in the Bible, with a slight twist: throughout the Old Testament, the Lord uses the aggression of Israel’s enemies as an opportunity to use the enemies’ power against Israel for the sake of Israel’s instruction, so that through the application of this instruction, both Israel and the enemy can be saved. This template is applied forcefully in Mark 15. Even as Jesus is besieged by violence and corruption from all sides, Mark demonstrates how Israel, represented by Simon of Cyrene (the one who “hears” the Torah) is only able to walk according to its instruction when forced to do so by the Romans. Put another way, in Mark, Israel needs the Nations in order to fulfill the commandment of the Law. Sound familiar? If not, please take note, and reread all of St. Paul’s letters...several times. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:16-21. Episode 206 Mark 15:16-21; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “I Can Feel it Coming” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Too often, the Bible is coopted by people who seek to advance a personal agenda. Whether laying claim to a piece of land, as in the case of Manifest Destiny, or justifying slavery in the Civil War era, we Americans have a long history of mixing apples and oranges. We hear the Lord’s promise of a homeland and assume that he is talking about Native American (or Palestinian) real-estate; we are confronted with St. Paul’s teaching—that we are slaves in God’s Roman household—and instead of bowing our heads, we twist and distort his words to justify the tyranny of our plantation system. This happens over and over again, because human beings assume that if option A is wrong, option B must be right; if God is saying submit to authority, the authority must be right; or, conversely, if God is saying that the king is an antichrist, the people must be right. We neglect the most important point about the Lord’s judgement: that it is functional. It’s not that one side is justified over another, it’s that you yourself are wrong because God happens to be looking at you. That’s why, to our face, Caesar, the biblical antichrist, is also also Caesar, the governing authority, who serves at the pleasure of God. As Paul explains in Romans: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2) In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus defies taxation by neither opposing nor endorsing it; likewise, in chapter 15, he defies Ceasar by neither rejecting nor supporting the authority of Pilate. He merely submits. Why? Because for him, neither the Scribes and the Pharisees, nor the people, nor the evil spirits, nor Pilate, nor Caesar hold any power. The only power that Jesus recognizes in Mark is the authority of his Father, vested in the content of Scripture. As such, the Markan Jesus owes “nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:6-15. Episode 205 Mark 15:6-15; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “SONG” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

To the extent that the Old Testament repeatedly hammers the worship of idols, it's understandable why so many are quick to dismiss its relevance. These days, most people understand that the many statues of the ancient gods are just statues, hunks of stone fashioned and shaped to reflect the human imagination. In Paul's own words, “We all know that there is no such thing as an idol.” (1 Corinthians 8:4) But if we all know that this is true, Paul continues, why do the Corinthians persist in the worship of idols? In the Bible, idolatry pertains not just to power, but to the power we give ourselves through our loyalties. We choose to follow people and ideas that we believe will benefit us. When someone looks at the person or object they choose to follow, they see their needs and wants fulfilled. Likewise, when someone looks at an idol, in the absence of a written text, all they can hear is the faint echo of their own ego. For the biblical writers, to gaze affectionately at a statue is to join Narcissus by the pool, staring into the abyss of our own reflection. So powerful and attractive is this hoax, that we eagerly give authority to people and things that are ultimately harmful. We look to a strongman and feel strong, because we trust that he will smash our enemies. We look to our captor and feel safe, because we decide that following him is our safest bet. We even delude ourselves that such a person is our friend. That's why, in the Old Testament, the people of Israel repeatedly chase after other kings and other gods. It's also why, when confronted with Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, “the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council,” look not to Scripture, but to Caesar for justice. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:1-5. Episode 204 Mark 15:1-5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Immersed” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

When confronted with the failure of the Lord's disciples in Mark, it's tempting for hearers of the gospel to weigh and measure betrayal as a matter of degree. Why? Because while we may be willing to admit that we sometimes betray, even the best of us are reluctant to identify with the sin of Judas. As a consequence, we desperately want to believe that the sin of Peter's denial is somehow less scandalous; we excuse Peter because we want to excuse ourselves. But “All of us,” Isaiah exclaims, “like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon him.” (Isaiah 53:6) And again, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) And yet again, “Our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: Transgressing and denying the Lord, and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.” (Isaiah 59:12-14) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:66-72. Episode 203 Mark 14:66-72; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Vanishing” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

When we take any action—especially in rebellion—the emotional satisfaction of doing what we want whenever we want creates the illusion of freedom. But what does it mean to be free? To the extent that Scripture knows exactly how we are going to behave when we disobey its instruction, can we honestly claim that we are in control of our lives? Moreover, to what lengths will we go to maintain this illusion of control? As if to amplify the warning of the Gerasene's bondage, in Mark 14, everyone surrounding Jesus is confronted with a choice: obey Scripture or obey your chains; submit to the Lord's teaching or commit violence against it; accept the Lord's control, which is life-giving, or embrace your chains, bound to your own destruction. How, chief priests, do you solve a problem like Jesus? You may think that you're preserving your temple by attacking him, but how can you sack a temple without walls? You desperately want to believe that you've arrested him, but how can you catch a cloud and pin it down? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:53-65. Episode 202 Mark 14:53-65; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hard Boiled” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

“What then,” Paul exclaimed to the church in Rome, “Are we better than they?” Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written: “There is no one who is righteous, not even one; There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is no one who does good, not even one. “Their throat is an open grave; With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9-19) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:43-52. Episode 201 Mark 14:43-52; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Corruption” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus commands his disciples to keep watch, the biblical writer is drawing upon a broader system of terminology in Scripture that stresses vigilance at all hours--even at midnight, when most are people are sleeping--through the study of Scripture: When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches, for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life to destroy it will go into the depths of the earth. They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes. (Psalm 63:6-10) The imagery in Psalm 63, and by extension, in Mark 14, plays on the idea of keeping watch as a defense against danger, but the manner of defense is not that of a soldier standing guard at midnight, but of a studious disciple meditating upon the Lord's instruction at all times, so as to remain steadfast in the moment of truth. And he said to Peter: “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (14:37) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:32-42. Episode 200 Mark 14:32-42; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Mesmerize” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/