The Sunday lectionary gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent in Year B is Mark 1.9–15. I have to say I am finding what the lectionary is doing with the opening chapter of Mark’s gospel is a bit odd, and would love to hear an explanation from anyone who understands it! (John 1–2 gets pretty messed around as well…)
We have already explored some of the features of Mark’s writing, with its parataxis (setting events alongside one another, ‘and…and…and…’), its compressed style, and its density of OT allusions. We will explore these again—but also see how the three different sections both relate to one another and set out some key elements of the gospel as a whole.
You can find full discussion of the text in my earlier post on the passage. In this video, I discuss all the main points made in the article—though the article gives more detail and includes all the references.
Any feedback on the video welcomed in the comments.
Thank you – very helpful. You make it easy to understand – a good teacher.
Glad it is helpful—thanks!
Thanks so much Ian. One question: I would say that the ultimate enemy is death rather than sin. I think this is more than just nuance or emphasis or vocabulary – sin and death are related but distinct. They both need to be dealt with but from Gen 3 onwards the enemy of God’s purpose is death. Do you agree, or is there another way to look at this?
Many thanks for the video which I found very helpful. On reflection I realised the benefit of the video was that it made me slow down to take it in. In reading it I probably skim read and then move on to something else.