the intent of Mk. 14:38
dixonps at juno.com
dixonps at juno.com
Wed May 30 18:17:47 EDT 2001
On Wed, 30 May 2001 13:53:38 -0500 "Jeffrey B. Gibson"
<jgibson000 at home.com> writes:
> Glenn Blank wrote:
> >
> > Hence, while there is possibly a hint of allusion to Psalm 78:38
> > in Mark 14:38c, one need not look so far afield for its relevance to
the
> > exhortation to watch: Peter's self-confidence in in v 29 against the
> > backdrop of the disciples' complacency in v 37a would provide all
> > the motivation necessary for adding v 38c to his exhortation.
>
> I wonder if this is not reading modern understandings of the human
> personality into the text.
The only arguments raised so far have come exclusively from the context.
> In any case, a datum that we have to take into account here is the
> presentation through out Mark's Gospel of how the disciples, who
> should be loyal to Jesus, keep sliding over to the side of "this
generation"
> and "those outside" who, like the wilderness generation are
characterized
> by the same sort of unfaithfulness displayed by the wilderness
generation,
> until here they end up going over completely. Moreover, Peter has
already
> shown himself at Mk 8:27-31 to thinking the "things of men" when it
comes
> to accepting "the way" God demands of all who would follow him. So
> in the light of this, the idea that the disciples on the verge of fully
doubting
> and rejecting the sufficiency of God's ways, of becoming like the
> wilderness generation, is underscored since, in Mark's story world, it
is
> what they have been giving themselves over to all along since Peter's
> "confession" (cf. the story of James and John asking for seats of
glory).
Agreed that there are two lifestyles being contrasted by Christ,
faithfulness versus unfaithfulness, but does Mark even refer to the
unfaithful generation that perished in the wilderness? If not, then what
is the basis for taking Mk 14:38 as a warning against the disciples
testing God like that wicked generation?
>
> Then there's the larger issue of whether PEIRASMOS **ever** means
> "temptation". But B-Greek readers from long ago know where I stand on
that one.
In James 1:13 it says God PEIRAZEI ... OUDENA. In Gen 22:1, however, it
says hO QEOS EPEIRASEN ABRAAM.
How can God both PEIRAZEI no one, and PEIRAZEI Abraham? Only if the the
word has two different nuances: tempting toward sin and testing for
faithfulness, respectively.
Paul Dixon
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