Mark 9: listen

 How can adult aid to a child be decided on the child believing in Jesus (V. 42)? I think Mark was writing for the Church rather than for humankind and the consequence is confused Christianity. It’s one reason there are 45,000 Christian sects and death of a child from a different sect seems tolerated as process. Jesus’ civic influence pursues better human performance.

Quoting leader Kenneth Tipton, “[For 2023, Nomads] are “Discovering Advent in the Gospel of Mark” through the study authored by Traci Daub titled, Holy Disruption.  [In week one, citing Mark 13,] we explored the Christmas theme of waiting and were encouraged by Jesus to be proactive and WATCH.   [For week 2,] we explore the Christmas theme of Peace on Earth Good Will to All.  Week 3’s Mark Chapter 8 . . . begins with a familiar story of a miracle and ends with a rebuke and an admonition by Jesus to FOLLOW.  In Week 4, we are invited, in Mark 9, to listen.

[I read scripture with 2 principles in mind:  I perceive Genesis 1:26-28’s authorization that female and male humankind may and can choose to rule to thegood on earth and Jesus’ message that individual humans may and can pursue perfect performance -- in theGod’s image. When I perceive Christian bias in NIV, I check CJB. “Civic” expresses reliably responsible connections and transactions to thegood on earth. Humankind today benefits from 300,000 years’ development as homo sapiens, 10,000 years with grammar, 3,000 years since the Bible’s books were started, and 2,000 years since Jesus lived. Today, humankind plans to colonize a planet in a couple decades, knows the sun is a natural nuclear reactor, and has much more evidence to consider in choosing thegood.]

9:1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” [These 2,000 years later, it seems behaving to comprehend, intend, and achieve thegood facilitates happiness and hope despite a persistently worldly world. Reform seems possible if most citizens practice both Genesis 1:26-28 and Matthew 5:48.]

The Transfiguration

² After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John [Three apostles.] with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

[Copying and paraphrasing from Wikipedia today, Elijah, meaning "My God is Yahweh", was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC). In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worship of the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection, bringing fire down from the sky, and entering heaven alive "by fire." He is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets." Following his ascension, Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant, took over his role as leader of this school. The Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD," making him a harbinger of the Messiah and of the end times in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible. References to Elijah appear in Sirach, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, and Baháʼí writings.] [Again, from Wikipedia, generally, the majority of scholars see the biblical Moses as a legendary figure, while retaining the possibility that Moses or a Moses-like figure existed in the 13th century BCE. Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE; Jerome suggested his birth 3600 years ago.

The Egyptian name "Moses" is mentioned in ancient Egyptian literature. [A] treasonous ancient Egyptian priest, Osarseph, perhaps 3200 years ago, renamed himself Moses and led a successful coup against the presiding pharaoh.

Moses is considered the most important prophet in Judaism and one of the most important prophets in Christianity, Islam, the Druze faith, the Baháʼí Faith, and other Abrahamic religions. According to both the Bible and the Quran, Moses was the leader of the Israelites and lawgiver to whom the authorship, or "acquisition from heaven", of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) is attributed.

According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a time when his people, the Israelites, an enslaved minority, were increasing in population and, as a result, the Egyptian Pharaoh worried that they might ally themselves with Egypt's enemies. Moses' Hebrew mother, Jochebed, secretly hid him when Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed in order to reduce the population of the Israelites. Through Pharaoh's daughter (identified as Queen Bithia in the Midrash), the child was adopted as a foundling from the Nile and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. After killing an Egyptian slave-master who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian, where he encountered the Angel of the Lord, speaking to him from within a burning bush on Mount Horeb, which he regarded as the Mountain of God.

God sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. Moses said that he could not speak eloquently, so God allowed Aaron, his elder brother, to become his spokesperson. After the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died on Mount Nebo at the age of 120, within sight of the Promised Land.]

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) [They murmured.]

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” [We may perceive in this mysterious story the scribe’s representation of authority respecting the mystery of God. Mark wrote either what he thought or what others imposed on him. However, I know of no evidence that a voice actually came from a cloud or that that voice responsibly represented Jesus. For all I know, Jesus is theGod. I write expressing doubt in the church that canonized the Bible. I encourage humility to whatever constrains human choices and pursuit of Jesus’ civic influence.]

⁸ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. [Elijah and Moses no longer relevant? Elijah (and successor Elisha), who raised the dead, and Moses, the law receiver were rendered obsolete by Jesus. Also, the guild called “the sons of the prophets” is replaced by “the Son of Man”.]

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. [They murmured.]

¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

¹² Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? ¹³ But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.” [I tried to research what “done to him” refers to, but failed.]

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit

¹⁴ When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵ As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

¹⁶ “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” [Perhaps “disciples” refers to apostles, authorized by Jesus to act in his name.]

¹⁹ “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” [Jesus illustrates that forgiveness does not prevent frustration when there is neither remorse nor reform.]

²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” [I don’t trust Mark’s representation of Jesus:  I don’t think Jesus healed on a quid pro quo relationship. That’s a wealth and war approach rather than Jesus’ peace.]

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” [Genesis 1:26-28 says overcoming unbelief is a personal action. See James 4:17, where “sin” is intentional error. Also, the concept that belief can overcome reality is a church-principle intended to enslave the minds of contributors. It’s taxation for nothing beyond hope and comfort.]

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. [It seems clear that, relative to human being (verb), spiritualism is worse than animalism.] The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

²⁸ After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” [Confirming that the father had asked the apostles and they tried (V 18).]

²⁹ He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer [perhaps “and fasting”].” [Jesus rebuked and commanded (V 25).]

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples [apostles?]. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. [They murmured.]

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. [They murmured. Perhaps they thought one of them would be like Elisha, heir to Elijah-power.]

³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” [Do some people perceive sacrifice in order to be first? Are some who “sacrifice” delusional? Do self-proclaimed victims perceive their “sacrifices” will be rewarded? Is the appearance that someone needs help an invitation to invasion of privacy? Is the volunteer qualified to help?]

³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me [This seems clear advice to aid every child, provided you limit selection to “in Jesus name”. In other words, if you help a child for the child’s sake, you failed. That is, if the child lives in Yahweh’s name it’s OK to neglect the child. I disagree and would like to address the issue. I think adults should aid every child they can.]; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” [I think it is commendable that “the one” is not capitalized, because Jesus may represent thegood (a contraction for singularity) rather than a deity. On the other hand, Jesus may be theGod. Also, “Christ” may not represent Jesus. It is important for the individual to acquire humility toward theGod, whatever that entity may be.]

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. [His name is “Jesus” rather than “Christ”. Also, I think the “in my name” limitation is imposed by the Church for its benefit. I read, write, and speak to motivate, facilitate, and encourage believers to reform their church to accommodate Matthew 5:48 respecting Genesis 1:26-28, the civic way their church perceives it. “Civic” means for life rather than for afterdeath.] [Without a doubt, anyone who aids thegood need not be judged on why they made that choice. I advocate Jesus’ civic influence and oppose Church when it interferes, accepting that I do not know theineluctabletruth. Yet, just as I do not accept judgement by others, I do not judge others.]

Causing to Stumble

⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. [I don’t accept Mark’s limitation to children “those who believe in me”. Thanks to the recent Nomads’ 6 weeks on the Book of James, I am reminded that James’ Jesus improved the Torah and advocated female and male human to be perfect in theGod’s image. Anyone who knows thegood and does not do it, errs. Thegood care for their children.] ⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ^[44] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ^[46] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.’

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted with fire.

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

[I am grateful for the Nomads’ December 24, 2023 insights on Mark 9 reading.]

Mark 3: together comprehend and mirror Jesus' civic influence (Yeshua note)

Note: In early 2024 I learned his mom and dad in Nazareth named and called him "Yeshua", and "Jesus" is a consequence of translations from Aramaic/Hebrew to Greek, to Latin, to old English, then to Protestant English. "Christ" supports Paul, and some people believe Paul without civic objection. This discovery is wonderful and to be shared.

 [I read Bible passages to perceive ways to pursue perfect performance according to Genesis 1:26-28. It’s a neglected Mesopotamian political philosophy that says, in Jewish vernacular, that God-the-creator willed unto female and male human being, in their image, the duty to rule on earth to thegood (a word-contraction for specificity). I argue that the people who work to constrain the bad are civic citizens and are authorized by thegood to perfectly self-protect from worldly ways of living. I don’t know theineluctabletruth and opine that “civic citizens” mirror Jesus’ influence.]

3:1 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” [This argument reflects Genesis 1:26-28 duty to rule to thegood.] But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger [I doubt Jesus suffered anger, so question Mark’s writing.] and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts [Jesus perceived if not knew their hearts and was patient for them to choose reform.], said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. [I think this story is a primitive construct to argue that Jesus could perform miracles like those reported about more ancient people – raising the dead, controlling the weather and such: myths. Claims like raising someone who’s been dead 4 days invite opinion. My opinion is that such stories lessen Jesus’ civic influence to thegood. I do not want anyone to mimic me but do want to call attention to Jesus’ civic influence.]

Crowds Follow Jesus

⁷ Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. ⁸ When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. ⁹ Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. [Being a man, Jesus was subject to contagion.] ¹¹ Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” ¹² But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him. [Do impure spirits obey God? I doubt enemies obey.]

Jesus Appoints the Twelve

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve [apostles] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons. ¹⁶ These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), ¹⁷ James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. [Not James son of Joseph.]

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family [associates, since mother and brothers arrive in V 31. And what about sisters?] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. [Can God stand against God? Can a Christian sect stand against Christianity? Can Christianity stand against Jesus’ civic influence? Can a body of believers stand against a Baptist church? Can an individual stand against humankind? Can freedom and liberty stand against thegood? Does theGod oppose thegood?] ²⁷ In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” [Whoever opposes thegood begs ruin.]

³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived [sisters kept at home?]. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” [In Genesis 1:26-28 God willed female and male humankind to rule on earth in “our image”. Can God usurp God’s will in order to usurp human duty? I don’t think so. Can any man define God’s will and thereby judge another man? I don’t think so. However, together, humankind may and can discern thegood on earth.]

Mark 8: appreciate Yeshua's civic influence in order to respect his aid

Note: In early 2024 I learned his mom and dad in Nazareth named and called him "Yeshua", and "Jesus" is a consequence of translations from Aramaic/Hebrew to Greek, to Latin, to old English, then to Protestant English. "Christ" supports Paul, and some people believe Paul without civic objection. This discovery is wonderful and to be shared. 

CJB emphasis in bold (online), green, red, and blue, with footnotes in blue; NIV in magenta (none); Nomads* comments in yellow; and my comments in gray.   

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Kenneth Tipton. My continually improved statement about Genesis 1:26-28 is at the end of this.

Mark 8 principal thoughts to share, appreciating Genesis 1:26-28 as the God’s word:

1.     Observing the laws of physics, the feeding of crowds is divinity school distorting Yeshua inspiring people who planned to share to those who did not.

2.     Mark claims Torah defenders wanted to “test” Yeshua. I don’t think so. I think they sought his opinion.

3.     I think representing Yeshua as being coy about signs is divinity school propaganda.

4.     I don’t think Yeshua would talk to his apostles totally in metaphor like yeast’s influence on bread.

5.     Yeshua comprehends the incident with the blind man. I do not.

6.     If Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,” being a Jew, he was not arguing salvation of souls. On the other hand, Mark was written after Paul’s ministry, so it is the product of competitive divinity schools.

7.     “Son of Man” is undoubtedly a divinity school product.

8.     I doubt Yeshua speculate about Old Testament scripture and imagined himself the fulfillment.

9.     If Yeshua spoke of consequences of people “ashamed of me” it was in the context of benefitting from his opinion about the good. Regardless, it does me no good to disregard him by calling him “Jesus” or “Christ”. I cannot deny my opinion: neither Jesus the redeemer nor Christ the savior can displace Yeshua’s civic influence to the good.

 Mark 8 CJB

8:1 It was during that time that another large crowd gathered, and they had nothing to eat. Yeshua called his talmidim to him and said to them, ² “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them off to their homes hungry, they will collapse on the way; some of them have come a long distance.” ⁴ His talmidim said to him, “How can anyone find enough bread to satisfy these people in a remote place like this?” ⁵ “How many loaves do you have?” he asked them. They answered, “Seven.” ⁶ He then told the crowd to sit down on the ground, took the seven loaves, made a b’rakhah, broke the loaves and gave them to his talmidim to serve to the people. ⁷ They also had a few fish; making a b’rakhah over them he also ordered these to be served. ⁸ The people ate their fill; and the talmidim took up the leftover pieces, seven large basketsful. ⁹ About four thousand were there. ¹⁰ After sending them away, Yeshua got into the boat with his talmidim and went off to the district of Dalmanuta.

¹¹ The P’rushim came and began arguing with him; they wanted him to give them a sign from Heaven, because they were out to trap him. ¹² With a sigh that came straight from his heart, he said, “Why does this generation want a sign? Yes! I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation!” ¹³ With that, he left them, got into the boat again and went off to the other side of the lake.

¹⁴ Now the talmidim had forgotten to bring bread and had with them in the boat only one loaf. ¹⁵ So when Yeshua said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves from the hametz of the P’rushim and the hametz of Herod,” ¹⁶ they thought he had said it because they had no bread. ¹⁷ But, aware of this, he said, “Why are you talking with each other about having no bread? Don’t you see or understand yet? Have your hearts been made like stone? ¹⁸ You have eyes — don’t you see? You have ears — don’t you hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” “Twelve,” they answered him. ²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they answered. ²¹ He said to them, “And you still don’t understand?”

²² They came to Beit-Tzaidah. Some people brought him a blind man and begged Yeshua to touch him. ²³ Taking the blind man’s hand, he led him outside the town. He spit in his eyes, put his hands on him and asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like walking trees.” ²⁵ Then he put his hands on the blind man’s eyes again. He peered intently, and his eyesight was restored, so that he could see everything distinctly. ²⁶ Yeshua sent him home with the words, “Don’t go into town.” [Yeshua comprehends this story, and I do not.]

²⁷ Yeshua and his talmidim went on to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked his talmidim, “Who are people saying I am?” ²⁸ “Some say you are Yochanan the Immerser,” they told him, “others say Eliyahu, and still others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ “But you,” he asked, “who do you say I am?” Kefa answered, “You are the Mashiach.” ³⁰ Then Yeshua warned them not to tell anyone about him. ³¹ He began teaching them that the Son of Man had to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that after three days, he had to rise again. ³² He spoke very plainly about it. Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him. ³³ But, turning around and looking at his talmidim, he rebuked Kefa. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said, “For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective!”

³⁴ Then Yeshua called the crowd and his talmidim to him and told them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it. ³⁶ Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? ³⁷ What could a person give in exchange for his life? ³⁸ For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. [The attempt to substitute Jesus” in this passage is only 500 years old after 1100 years’ development from the Greek transliteration of Yeshua. It is alright with me for divinity schools and other persons to ignore Yeshua. However, I will no longer pretend their influence. For me, Yeshua, the civic influencer to the good, replaced doctrine of both Jesus, the redeemer of error, and Christ the blood sacrifice for antinomians. I am not elect and accept my status. Having discovered Yeshua, I will not, cannot, go back to before.]

NIV, as was on December 10, 2023

Quoting leader Kenneth Tipton, “[For 2023, Nomads] are “Discovering Advent in the Gospel of Mark” through the study authored by Traci Daub titled, Holy Disruption.  [In week one, citing Mark 13,] we explored the Christmas theme of waiting and were encouraged by Jesus to be proactive and WATCH.   [For week 2,] we explore the Christmas theme of Peace on Earth Good Will to All.  Mark Chapter 8 . . . begins with a familiar story of a miracle and ends with a rebuke and an admonition by Jesus to FOLLOW. 

[I read scripture with 2 principles in mind: Genesis 1:26-28’s message that humankind may and can choose to rule to thegood on earth and Jesus’ message that humans may and can pursue perfect performance -- in theGod’s image. When I perceive Christian bias in NIV, I check CJB. “Civic” expresses reliably responsible connections and transactions to thegood.]

^8:1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ² “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat [This year, my friend Phil Chialastri fasted 40 days. Also, provisions for 3 days might be stretched on intentions.]. ³ If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

⁵ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

⁶ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. ⁷ They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. ⁸ The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ⁹ About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, ¹⁰ he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. [A suburb of Magdala?]

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. [A disciple could have responded that the feeding of the crowd was a sign, which suggests to me that in reality Jesus inspired people who had food to share it, and everyone got their fill with leftovers. Also, Mark could not judge the Pharisees; I speculate they sincerely wanted to know Jesus’ opinion to consider for improving the Torah.] ¹² He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” [Jesus could have responded, I just fed 4000; is that a sign, rather than “no sign will be given”. I doubt Mark’s report, because I consider Jesus reliable.] ¹³ Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. [If this is west to east across the Sea of Galilee, it’s a trip.]

¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast [leaven, rising, lightener, light -- a metaphor for either enlightenment or lies] of the Pharisees and that of Herod [church and state].”

¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand [V. 8 says 4000, so he refers to an earlier event.], how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” [That he is a miracle worker? Yet I don’t think so and think this is church dogma.]

[My opinion (I don’t know the ineluctable truth) is that Jesus, in V 15, was reportedly saying that the Pharisees and Herod had not the appreciation to participate-in a miracle-demonstration. Also, in V 12, Jesus seemed to tell the Pharisees he would not negotiate with them.

This sequence, 1) feeding 5,000 with 12 basketfuls left then 4,000 with 7 leftovers; 2) then refusing to perform a test for Torah developers; 3) then decrying the attitude of the civic leader; and 4) finally chastising the disciples’ failure to understand, presents a quid pro quo. That is, you either 1) appreciate Jesus or 2) cannot learn to respect him. It affirms both 1) the concept of election, or being chosen by God to believe Jesus and 2) the human choice to appreciate the reliable good. See John 6:35-40; there, John describes election without using the term. Only Matthew and Mark use the word “election”. Election carries a risk: perceived antinomianism (not a biblical word), which can lead to a life unexamined. A life unexamined cannot be a life of good choices.]

²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” [Again, Mark’s report implies that miracles are intended for antinomians only; unbelievers are not to know miracles happened. I do not think the God manipulates favorite people or groups using the cycle of illness and healing.] [It took 2 experiences with Jesus for the blind man to see clearly. It’s another metaphor, perhaps to express understanding Jesus’s influence. Today, December 10, 2023, I see clearly that my individual joy at Christmas is to perceive Jesus’ civic influence rather than sacrifice to save souls to heaven. It is a joy that cannot be discouraged and I seek to share.]

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

³⁰ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. [That’s Mark’s report, decades after Jesus was executed. Perhaps in actual reality Jesus said there would be no Messiah: the God is for all humankind.]

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law [that is, the Torah maintained by Israel, would not affirm Jesus as the Son of God], and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. ³² He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³ But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” [Perhaps Jesus was rejecting his own thoughts, rather than accusing Peter of being Satan.] he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” [How could Jesus accuse Peter of evil then explain that he does not understand the God, perhaps Jesus. Since God is a mystery, people may willfully call Phil Beaver “Satan”, but I doubt they do.]

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. [This sentence contradicts Jesus’ affirmation of Genesis 1:26-28, which assigns to the individual the independent responsibility for order and prosperity to life on earth and to the earth. Does “the gospel” differ from Jesus influence? And is Jesus message -- that humans can perfect personal behavior, the “Good News” (CJB)?] ³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? [Can a person perfect their behavior and lose their soul? This calls to mind the competition between James’ epistle about behavior and Paul’s argument for “election” or antinomianism.] ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? [Their life? If so, that’s a contradiction.] ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. [Since returning to UBC on October 17, 2021, I realize that the-metaphysical-Jesus supported every good decision I ever made. I will not allow the mysteries of God, the Holy Spirit, Satan, soul, worship& praise, Christ, any religious construct, or church lessen my appreciation for Jesus’ civic influence.]”

[I read to apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy. It’s primitively expressed by Semite scholars of 3900 years ago in Genesis 1:26-28; in my paraphrase:  Female-and-male-human-being may and can choose to independently and together constrain political democracy on earth: on earth, humankind has the power and authority to pursue the good and constrain the bad. Civic citizens may use the rule of law to develop statutory justice. Yeshua* affirmed these ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no power to order earth beyond humankind), Matthew 19:3-8 (civic loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (perfection), and in other direct dialogue.
The next Bible canon could and should include the law codes of Sumer and competing civilizations. Resulting insights would take the heat off Judeo-Christianity, a Christ vs Messiah** vs the God competition that obfuscates Yeshua.*** Personal and institutional divinity egregiously deludes Yeshua’s civic influence to the good. The collaborative view from Ancient Testament, Old Testament, and New Testament could accelerate mutual pursuit of human being (verb) and lessen habitual baby killings, like those happening in Israel, in Ukraine, and in the U.S. in the year 2024.

*In 4 BC, Yosef and Myriam of Nazareth begot Yeshua. 250 years beforehand, Greek translation of the Torah provided Ἰησοῦς and χριστός, both of which competed with “Yeshua”, the former during Yeshua’s life and the latter in afterdeath. By the 16^th century CE, Christianity used “Jesus Christ” to repress Yeshua. 

The person, Yeshua, said, in my paraphrase: if people don’t speak my name they can neither consider my civic influence nor share my open-heartedness; people who do not appreciate Yeshua cannot respect Yeshua. Competitive monotheism hides Yeshua’s civic influence. Churches hide Yeshua. Churches claim the Holy Bible is the word of the God yet do everything they can to negate Genesis 1:26-28: humankind is responsible to rule to the good on earth.

The God is a mystery. However, civic citizens may, can, and a few do discern Yeshua’s civic influence. Accepting Genesis 1:26-28 helps yet does not exclude the open-minded and open-hearted fellow citizen who has not discovered Yeshua, yet is due civic appreciation anyway. Appreciation requires constraint to bad actors and elimination to evil doers.

**Cyrus, 600 BC, is called a messiah in Isaiah 45:1.

***Competitive monotheism survives on war.]

The Mark 8 NIV commentary originated on December 10, 2023, before I committed to Yeshua’s civic influence then updated using CJB on July 9, 2024