A Light to the Nations

A Light 66.Inclusio.“Isn’t this where…we came in?”If you’ve ever listened to Pink Floyd’s the Wall, you will notice that the album closes with the same piece of music that it opens with. Similarly, another Pink Floyd album, Dark Side of the Moon, begins and ends with the sound of a heartbeat. In literature, when a word or motif appears at the beginning and at the end of a work, scholars call it  inclusio (a Latin phrase meaning “enclosure”). The evangelist Mark employs this literary device in his Gospel. Galilee is mentioned early on as the place where Jesus comes from; and it is to Galilee that his disciples are directed to go, if they want to see him, after his resurrection. The purpose of inclusio is usually to bracket off a section of the work in order to zero in on it. In Mark, “Galilee” bookends the entirety of the Gospel, and the message this conveys to the hearer is powerful and unmissable.In this episode, we look at Mark 1:35-39 and how it anticipates “literarily” the ending of the Gospel in Chapter 16. That ending, in turn, sends the hearer back to the beginning of the Gospel to hear the story again. 

In the gospel of John, the call of Andrew, the apostle with the Greek name, precedes the call of Simon, whose name is derived from Aramaic. For this reason, Andrew is referred to as the “First-Called.” In the narrative, Andrew goes and tells his brother that they have found the Christ. The same pattern is repeated in the call of Phillip - a classic Greek name - who goes and finds Nathanael, who is explicitly identified as “an Israelite.” In this, John seems to be reversing the Scriptural sequence of “Jew first, then Greek” (Romans 2:9-10).Tune in to this bonus episode of A Light to the Nations as we discuss the importance of Andrew as “first called” and how it relates to calling Jesus “the Lamb of God.”Notes:The Rise of Scripture by Paul Nadim Tarazi (OCABS Press, St. Paul, MN, 2017).“Ruff Enuff” performed by Prince featuring MonoNeon. 

On November 21 in the Holy Orthodox Church the feast day of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the Temple is celebrated. The epistle reading assigned for this feast is Hebrews 9:1-7, which speaks of the regulations for worship under the first covenant and describes the two parts of the tabernacle, called the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. In that text, the author of Hebrews emphasizes that the tabernacle had to be prepared before sacrifices could be offered. On this feast day, that preparation is applied to Mary, the Theotokos. When we speak of her being prepared, we don’t want to understand that this somehow qualified her to be the mother of Jesus. Mary is depicted in the Gospels as highly favored and full of grace. If her preparation somehow makes her worthy, that diminishes the grace and her election becomes a reward, something owed to her. The preparation is for Mary’s benefit, not God’s. Notes: Hebrews 9:1-7Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28κατασκευάζω (kataskeuazó) - to prepare thoroughly πρόθεσις (prosthesis) - presence, presentation “Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book” performed by Dead Can Dance.

This episode looks at the remembrance in the Orthodox Church of Archangel Michael, the Chief Commander of the Bodiless Powers, in light of the reading at Vespers from Joshua Chapter 5. The victory granted to Joshua and the children of Israel is based on their adherence to the commandments of the Lord. The sword drawn in the hand of the supreme commander of the army of the Lord is not merely an instrument of war, but something more dreadful. Scripturally speaking, it is the Lord’s judgment.  Notes:Joshua 5:13-15Exodus 3:1-5Genesis 3:24Ephesians 6:11-17“Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book” performed by Dead Can Dance.“Koran” performed by Delirium.

In the previous passage, verses 21-28, the direction of movement was out. Here, it is in - from the synagogue (representing Judaism of the diaspora) to the “house” of Simon (representing the temple, thus the Judaism of Jerusalem).  And in that house, Jesus does exactly what he had done to the demon-possessed man - he brings healing through the gospel. This parallel is meant to show that the Jews in Jerusalem are in no different a position than those in diaspora: both need the gospel. Join me in a discussion of Mark 1:28-34.Notes:2 Samuel 7:5-7Galatians 1:1, 15-16; 2:9εὐθὺς (evthys) - immediately οἶκος (oikos) - houseστῦλοι (styli) - pillars δοκέo (dokeio) - to seem, to appear soπενθερὰ (penthera) - mother-in-lawhttps://www.ocabspress.org/new-testament-products/vol-41-mark-part-1“Rumeta” performed by 3rd Eye Girl.Photo by Tim Mossholder: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-and-white-concrete-building-3690734/