Peter Krol | Knowable Word

Observation is a Means, Not an End

October 22, 2021 By Peter Krol

When it comes to OIA Bible study, observation is the method’s beginning, not the method’s end. I find people can often get distracted from this point in one of two ways.

Distraction #1: Ending with Observation

When you develop the skills of mature observation, you can start to feel like a superhero. You’ll start seeing things the people around you don’t take time to see. You learn to identify parts of speech, sentence structure, and train of thought. Skilled observation can be quite thrilling, and it tends to receive praise. This is a good thing, because careful observation of God’s word ought to be something people find praiseworthy.

But the danger is that the thrill and the praise become your food and drink. When you train your senses to observe the Scriptures closely, you will probably start finding things that nobody in your immediate circle has found before. And you can quickly form an addiction to the dopamine released in the process.

This may result in doing even more observation, getting better and better at it. People start looking to you for insight, and they ask you for the final word on any questions they have. Sometimes this delight in observation can provide an escape from the painful labor of interpretation, or the uncomfortable humility required for application. You can also avoid having to draw conclusions about anything the text might mean, or any ways it may be speaking into your culture or community, by keeping your sights trained simply on what it says.

Perhaps this distraction resonates with your own proclivity. Or maybe your struggle goes in a different direction.

Distraction #2: Failing to Make Use of Observation as a Means

Maybe you are more tempted to skip observation to get to the good stuff faster. Your understanding of “the good stuff” could be focused on either interpretation (we have to get our doctrine in order, after all) or application (what good are we if we are not practical, right?). Either way, you try not to get bogged down by grammatical minutiae or pesky questions about big picture and train of thought.

Maybe you come to the Bible under the expectation that it must move you to some specific and inspiring action steps right here and now. Or maybe you teach others, and you feel you have failed if they don’t deliver something mind-blowing and practical quickly enough. Maybe you’ve trained yourself to spend more time looking up cross-references than discovering the structure and climax or chief conclusion of the text at hand. Maybe you’ve presumed that good teachers should aspire to preach or teach 300 sermons/sessions on Romans, and so you’re constantly bouncing away from your abbreviated text in order to fill the air space with fully fleshed-out theological or ethical reflections.

Conclusion

The answer to the second distraction is to realize (and believe in your bones) that without observation, you cannot interpret or apply. At least, not in alignment with the will of God recorded in Scripture. Observation lays the foundation for all else. If your observation is poor, your interpretation won’t be any better, and your application will fall to the ground. Any power your conclusions or instructions might have comes more from your personal persuasiveness or charisma than from the Spirit of God.

The answer to the first distraction is to realize (and believe in your bones) that your purpose in Bible study is not to impress people or thrill yourself. Your purpose is to help people—beginning with yourself—know God through his Son Jesus Christ and be transformed into the image of Christ by the Spirit who inspired this text. Observation lays the foundation for all else. If observation is your end game, it’s like living your spiritual life on a cement slab in a half-acre plot, without erecting the rest of the house. You’re ready for a tempest to rise against you, but the wifi doesn’t really work.

With trained and habitual observation, we plug into the power of God found in Scripture. We’re thereby locked and loaded for productive interpretation and application to help lead people to their Creator and King.

Three Good Things About Difficult Bible Passages

October 20, 2021 By Peter Krol

L.T. Greer has a brief piece to help us when we come up against a difficult passage. Instead of yielding to the temptation to skip or ignore it, he encourages us to see how God might use it. He offers the following list of “Three Good Things About Difficult Bible Passages”:

We learn about veracity of the Bible.
We learn about our church’s relationship to the Bible.
We learn about our own biases.

See his article for an explanation of these points, which I find rather compelling and motivating.

Check it out!

2 Thessalonians: Recovering Hope

October 15, 2021 By Peter Krol

Written a matter of months after the first letter, Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonian church came in the wake of news about their discouragement amid affliction. They have suffered tremendous opposition from the local Jews (1 Thess 2:14-16, Acts 17:5-10), likely with excessive pressure to renounce Christ. The Christian movement was still trying to show itself as essentially Jewish, in full obedience to the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures, yet such pressure would be devastating. Especially when impostors abound, seeking to alarm the disciples over having missed the Day of the Lord. Paul writes into this situation to praise their success and help them regain what they have lost.

Literary Markers

Just as with his first letter, Paul marks his sections by means of logical connector phrases and major shifts in topic. In many ways, this second letter parallels the first. After the salutation (2 Thess 1:1-2) and extended thanksgiving (2 Thess 1:3-12), Paul takes up the matters of his relationship with these people (signaled by “now concerning the coming” in 2 Thess 2:1-17) and their relationships with God and each other (signaled by “Finally, then, brothers” in 2 Thess 3:1). As with many of Paul’s other letters, 1 Thessalonians ends with a closing benediction and greeting (2 Thess 3:16-18). This letter contains a handwritten postscript (2 Thess 3:17-18) to demonstrate its authenticity, in contrast to other letters they’ve received “seeming to be from us” (2 Thess 2:2).

Salutation and thanksgiving – 2 Thess 1:1-12
Paul’s relationship with the Thessalonians – 2 Thess 2:1-17
The Thessalonians’ relationship with God and each other – 2 Thess 3:1-15
Benediction and closing – 2 Thess 3:16-18

Part 1 Walkthrough

While Paul’s first letter offered extensive thanks for their abundance of basic Christian virtue: faith, love, and hope (1 Thess 1:2-3), his thanksgiving in this second letter has a noteworthy omission:

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

Some commentators read the virtue of hope into 2 Thess 1:4 (compare with “steadfastness of hope” in 1 Thess 1:3), but I find the insinuation unpersuasive. If Paul wanted to commend them for their hope, he could easily have done so, as he did in the first letter. Instead the contrast with the first letter’s thanksgiving makes the absence of hope rather glaring. And this absence is fully consistent with the rest of the second letter’s argument, which is all about helping them to recover their hope.

Step 1 for recovering hope amid affliction: Reimagine your affliction such that your perspective on it lines up with God’s. This opposition you are under is not evidence of your unworthiness, shame, and failure. It is “evidence of the righteous judgment of God”—against those who afflict you (2 Thess 1:5-8). This affliction is your calling. It is something of which God is making you worthy (2 Thess 1:11-12). It is something that ought to inspire your hope.

Part 2 Walkthrough

Step 2 for recovering hope amid affliction: Don’t allow deception to alarm you, but allow the truth to comfort you. Many false and deceptive ideas abound regarding the coming of Jesus and the Day of the Lord. None of them ought to shake or alarm you (2 Thess 2:1-3). Paul had already taught these people what to look for (2 Thess 2:5-6)—sadly there are many details they then knew but we today do not. But the main idea is clear: God judges people, in part, by subjection them to delusions; he makes others firm and holy by his Spirit enabling them to believe the truth (2 Thess 2:11-15).

What end does Paul desire for them in light of this battle between truth and deception?

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
2 Thess 2:16-17

He wants them to remember God’s love for them, so his eternal comfort and good hope may comfort them and spur them to do and speak what is good. Your Christian life is an outflow of a firmly recovered hope.

Part 3 Walkthrough

The first outcome of a recovered hope is every good word: In particular, they will pray as those with hope (2 Thess 3:1-2). They will speak of God not as a deviant manipulator, but as a faithful supporter and protector (2 Thess 3:3). They will be directed to speak of God’s love and Christ’s steadfastness on their behalf (2 Thess 3:5).

The second outcome of a recovered hope is every good work: In particular, they will labor as those with hope (2 Thess 3:6-15). They will work hard and not succumb to the idleness of despair. They will warn and admonish those brothers who fail to live out this hope along with them. They will trust their labor is not in vain, and they will not grow weary in doing good (2 Thess 3:13). There is always hope that it is worth it.

Part 4 Walkthrough

In writing these things, Paul is not wishing more affliction upon them. He is not suggesting that a mature Christian perspective on the world is one of embracing and seeking out as much affliction or opposition as possible. No, what Paul wants more than that is for the Lord of peace himself to grant them peace (2 Thess 3:16). At all times. In every way. Such is what blossoms where the Lord plants his life-giving presence.

Paul wants them to recover their hope so they and he can remain in the work, with as few obstacles as possible, of proclaiming the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess 3:18). May this be your and my work as well, and the fruit of God’s eternal comfort and good hope available to us in Christ.

Conclusion

Have you wilted under opposition for your faith in Christ? How can you regain the hope that it is worth it in the end? Reimagine your affliction so you can see and label it the way God does. Hold fast to the truth and reject the world’s delusions. Allow God’s comfort to direct you to his love, motivating you in every good work and word. Don’t give up; it will all be worth it.

Interpretive Outline

Thanksgiving to God for abundant faith and love, along with a new perspective offered on affliction – 2 Thess 1:1-12
What difference truth vs. deception makes with respect to regaining hope for the future – 2 Thess 2:1-17
The outcomes of a recovered hope, in every good word and work – 2 Thess 3:1-15
Prayers for peace and grace – 2 Thess 3:16-18

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

An Honest Look at the Scriptures

October 13, 2021 By Peter Krol

One of my greatest privileges at this blog is getting to share the space with one of my longest and closest friends, the sage essayist and mathematician, Ryan Higginbottom. Ryan also blogs at his own site A Small Work. If you haven’t been following him there, you really ought to consider it.

Ryan recently composed a wonderful piece called “The Weight and Wound of the Word,” a brief reflection on the piercing swordplay of Scripture well worth your time. Here is a taste:

While many today look to the Bible for comfort or inspiration, an honest look at the Scriptures reveals that not all of it was given for these purposes. If we randomly dip a ladle into the depths of Ezekiel, the brew that emerges is more likely to be sharp than sweet…
Some—perhaps much—of the Bible was given not for our comfort but for our discomfort. The Scriptures are profitable for reproof and correction, after all; they provoke, unsettle, and rebuke us. Far from harsh, this is a sign of God’s love. It is damaging for our souls—indeed, for our humanity—to turn against God in rebellion. The fact that he steers us away from sin and back to himself is evidence of his care.

Ryan goes on to describe some particular ways we may be prone to dulling the sharp edges of Scripture, thereby throwing ourselves in front of the Holy Spirit’s bulldozer. This is well worth your time and consideration.

Check it out!

1 Thessalonians: A Community of Faith, Love, and Hope

October 8, 2021 By Peter Krol

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church is one of his earliest known writings, likely preceded only by Galatians. As he was still cutting his teeth on this business of writing letters to churches, it shouldn’t surprise us that he’d want to ground them in the basics of church life. Do Paul’s basics line up with what you consider the basics of membership in your church?

Literary Markers

As a piece of persuasive discourse, 1 Thessalonians marks its main sections through logical connector phrases and major shifts in topic. After the salutation (1 Thess 1:1) and extended thanksgiving (1 Thess 1:2-10), Paul takes up the matters of his relationship with these people (signaled by “for you yourselves know” in 1 Thess 2:1) and their relationships with God and each other (signaled by “Finally, then, brothers” in 1 Thess 4:1). As with many of Paul’s other letters, 1 Thessalonians ends with a closing benediction and greeting (1 Thess 5:23-28).

Salutation and thanksgiving – 1 Thess 1:1-10
Paul’s relationship with the Thessalonians – 1 Thess 2:1-3:13
The Thessalonians’ relationship with God and each other – 1 Thess 4:1-5:22
Benediction and closing – 1 Thess 5:23-28

Part 1 Walkthrough

The beginning and ending of Paul’s letters typically give us the best clues as to his intentions and main point, and 1 Thessalonians is no exception. His thanksgiving for these people introduces the triple-layered theme that saturates the letter:

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess 1:2-3)

Faith, love, hope. We’re generally more familiar with these virtues in a different order from Paul’s later writing (faith, hope, love – see 1 Cor 13:13). But early in his career—and as we’ll see repeatedly throughout this letter—Paul’s thinking followed an initial pattern of faith, love, hope.

First is faith, which Paul unpacks in the opening chapter. He speaks of what “we know” (1 Thess 1:4), and then of what “you know” (1 Thess 1:5b), before waxing eloquently about this church’s faith in God, which has “gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything” (1 Thess 1:8). This church, clearly, is one characterized by its faith.

Part 2 Walkthrough

Paul recounts the history of his relationship with the Thessalonian church, but it all has a purpose. He’s not simply recording their origin story for the church’s anniversary picnic or memory book. He has a point to make. An argument.

And that argument comes to light at the very end of the section.

Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (1 Thess 3:11-13)

Here are Paul’s wishes for these people. He wants them to grow in faith, recognizing and trusting that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is the one directing them. He wants them to abound in love for one another and for all. And he wants them to have much hope as they look to the future when Jesus will establish their hearts blameless in holiness. The same three things he gave thanks for in chapter 1 are the very things he wants them to not only continue in but abound in from this day forward. You’re doing well, and keep it on going!

Going back over the section, we ought to see his description of their relationship reinforcing this trifold prayer.

First, he explains how he himself sought to help those he loved among them. He used words (1 Thess 2:1-7). He used more than words (1 Thess 2:8-12). And he gave copious thanks for worthy progress (1 Thess 2:13-16). Or viewed another way, he inspired their faith through the words of the gospel (1 Thess 2:1-7). He showed them the love of a father for his children (1 Thess 2:8-12). And he observed their stalwart hope despite all they were suffering (1 Thess 2:13-16).

Second, he defends his prolonged absence since his untimely departure from them. Paul’s heart emerges in this defense as he speaks vulnerably about his driving motivation:

We sent Timothy to establish and exhort you in your faith (1 Thess 3:2).
I sent to learn about your faith (1 Thess 3:5).
Timothy has brought good news about your faith and love (1 Thess 3:6).
We have been comforted about you through your faith (1 Thess 3:7).
We wish to see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith (1 Thess 3:10).

Why does he care so much about their faith and their love? Because they are his hope and joy (1 Thess 2:19-20). Now we really live, if you are standing fast in the Lord (1 Thess 3:8).

The history of Paul’s relationship with these people is one of witnessing their faith, love, and hope, in imitation of Paul’s own faith, love, and hope, with the intention of further inflaming both their and his continued faith, love, and hope.

Part 3 Walkthrough

Paul moves on to practical matters, expounding on what it might look like to abound in faith, love, and hope, for these folks in this place at this time.

First, he discusses sexual immorality (1 Thess 4:1-8). And the way he discusses it makes it out to be primarily a matter of faith. That is, how does your belief about God shape your sexual ethic? If you trust that God is an avenger (1 Thess 4:6), you will turn away from the passion of lust like the Gentiles who don’t know him. And if you trust that God is a giver of his Holy Spirit (1 Thess 4:8), you won’t presume he’s holding out on you but will find motivation to walk in a way that pleases him.

Second, he discusses brotherly love (1 Thess 4:9-12). Which has to do with further developing the virtue of, well, love. It is something they are already very good at but are urged to practice more and more.

Third, he discusses how to look appropriately to the future and grieve as those who have hope (1 Thess 4:13-5:11).

He sums up his instruction with the metaphor of donning armor—the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of hope for salvation (1 Thess 5:8)—before concluding with a series of highly practical requests (1 Thess 5:12-22).

Part 4 Walkthrough

In closing, Paul wishes that God would sanctify them completely. To fill them out and make them whole. To complete his work in them. To take their great success in faith, love, and hope and make it abound even more, until the day when Jesus returns to judge all and keep his own people blameless in the presence of his Father.

Conclusion

The Thessalonian church was doing a great job in these “basics” of faith, love, and hope. Yet there’s always room to grow even further into these virtues. Such is the way of Christian maturity. How is your local community doing at these foundational principles of the Christian walk? Do Paul’s basics line up with what you consider the basics of membership in your church?

Interpretive Outline

Thanksgiving to God for overflowing faith, love, and hope – 1 Thess 1:1-10
Ministry founded on faith, love, and hope – 1 Thess 2:1-3:13
Excelling still more in faith, love, and hope – 1 Thess 4:1-5:22
Asking God for more faith, love, and hope – 1 Thess 5:23-28

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

Let the Bible Speak!

October 6, 2021 By Peter Krol

I appreciate this brief word from Amy K. Hall on the need to teach what the Bible says before attempting to teach how it applies. As she writes:

Remember that the Bible is primarily there to show us who God is and what Christ has done for us, giving us a 2,000-year history of his works, revealing his character, our purpose and need, and his solution. Sometimes, people who are teaching the Bible try much too hard to be brilliant, giving us their own insights into life rather than letting the brilliance of the Bible speak for itself. Let the Bible speak! I would rather hear one halting, inexperienced speaker show me God in a text of the Bible than hear 1,000 polished pastors give me their three-point, alliterated instructions for life, which are often only loosely based on the actual text.

Check it out!

Context Matters: The Man of Lawlessness

October 1, 2021 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Man of Lawlessness, otherwise known as the lawless one, who “opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess 2:4). Sometimes connected with the Beast of Revelation and the Antichrist of John’s letters, this mysterious figure appears in a rather difficult passage, which is certainly to be numbered among those writings of Paul which are hard to understand (2 Peter 3:15-16). Yet the figure has become something of a staple in Christian fiction and end-times theology. What are we to make of him?

We always need to pay attention to the context of our favorite verses and phrases. When we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not just as a code to crack—we may find it has a deeper or different meaning than we’ve assumed.

The Immediate Context

Notice how Paul explicitly introduces this character to his readers:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself…
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Please take a close look once again: “Now concerning the coming of … Jesus … and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed…”

So we may have great confidence that Paul is writing about the coming of Jesus and our being gathered together to him. There is much disagreement over what exactly those things mean, along with when and how they take place. But there ought to be no disagreement whatsoever regarding why Paul is writing about these events. That is, he wants to prevent his readers from being shaken or alarmed. He wants to correct the deception that abounds in Christian teaching and writing regarding these events. He wants to make sure his audience, the church at Thessalonica, knows what to look for before the coming of Jesus or gathering of the saints can take place. And this foreknowledge, when truthfully presented, will neither shake them up nor alarm them.

Therefore we can confidently conclude that, sadly, this passage has been used for centuries, contrary to its stated purpose, to create alarm among those who love the Lord Jesus. Whatever conclusions we may draw about the identity or timing of this Man of Lawlessness and his rebellion, any use of this text that provokes shaken minds or alarmed spirits among Christian brothers and sisters is a deception and a misuse of the text in direct violation of its context.

Let us ensure that the sensational but unclear parts of this text do not overshadow the abundantly clear comfort being offered to believers in Christ through it.

The Broader Context

And the broader context points in precisely the same direction.

Paul’s first letter begins with thanks to God for the people’s “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 1:2-3). This triple theme of faith, love, and hope can be traced through the letter as Paul’s chief focus. You are doing well in these three areas; now excel still more. (See my upcoming interpretive overview of 1 Thessalonians for more detail.)

But by the time he writes his second letter, only a few months later, something is missing. The object of his thanks is now that their “faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one” of them for one another is increasing (2 Thess 1:3). Some commentators have tried to identify the presence of hope in the following sentence (“Therefore we ourselves boast … about your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions” – 2 Thess 1:4), but it is telling that Paul now links their steadfastness not with hope—which was so prominent in the first letter—but with faith. Instead, Paul seems to remind them of the hope which was once theirs and could be yet again:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

In many ways, the brief letter of 2 Thessalonians is about regaining hope, receiving its comfort through grace. The church was once characterized by faith, love, and hope. They have continued abounding in the first two; they now need to regain the comfort of the third.

And Paul’s teaching on the Man of Lawlessness is delivered with this purpose in mind. Not to shake them up or alarm them, but to deliver to them eternal comfort and good hope through grace that they might be established in every good work and word.

Conclusion

We ought to be careful not to be seduced by sensational topics, lest we miss the express purpose for which the Lord has revealed such things to us. As Paul had said while he was with them (2 Thess 2:5): Yes, the man of lawlessness and his rebellion must come before the day of the Lord. This is not to alarm you but to comfort you, so you know you haven’t missed it.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

You Need Only Two for a Small Group

September 29, 2021 By Peter Krol

Laura Denny has some encouraging thoughts on the usefulness of studying the Bible one-on-one.

First of all, one-on-one Bible study opens up opportunities to study the Bible with someone who may not be able to fit into a larger group. Consider those whose schedule is not conducive to a weekly study, who may have social anxiety or concerns, or those who are housebound (like many of us experienced this past year!). If someone is new to the idea of Bible study, they also may be more likely to say yes to an invite if it’s just you, someone they’re comfortable with already.
While larger groups may have the advantage of more input and interaction, a one-on-one setting provides more opportunity—in time and attention—for asking questions and fully understanding difficult ideas and passages. I’m less afraid to admit that I came up completely blank on an answer, or that I’m really struggling to understand or agree with something I’m learning, if it’s to only one person and not a whole group. Yet I also found I’m more likely to put more thought and effort into my study and come up with more thorough answers when I know there’s only two of us in the group.

Check it out!

Mark: Can’t You See God’s King?

September 24, 2021 By Peter Krol

Though Mark’s gospel is the shortest in length, his narratives are typically more vivid than either Matthew or Luke, who recount many of the same episodes. In other words, Mark narrates fewer scenes, but each scene tends to include more detail and description than its parallels do. For example, Matthew, Luke, and Mark all tell the story of a ruler who comes to Jesus, kneels before him, and asks him to heal his dying daughter. But only Mark tells us that Jairus falls at Jesus’ feet upon seeing him (Mark 5:22). And only Mark puts the word “saved” (or “made well”) in Jairus’s mouth and, therefore, his expectation (Mark 5:23).

Some may say the devil is in the details. But St. Mark would say instead that in those details you’re more likely to see the Son of God for who he truly is.

Literary Markers

Mark adorns his narrative with such garnished beauty—as befitting the Messiah who rules heaven and earth—that definite markers of distinct sections can be difficult to recognize. Mark masterfully stitches the pieces together and transitions from one scene to the next, thereby leaving few breadcrumbs of any edible size. However, he clearly wants his reader to see Jesus in all his kingly glory, as the first disciples saw him. So he tends to employ those disciples as his chief tour guides.

What do I mean? Mark’s title for his book is clear enough: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). This book presents the first part of the great news about Jesus, known here by two titles: The Christ (Messiah, Chosen One) and the Son of God (ruling king). The book then has two major climaxes where disciples have major aha! moments regarding Jesus’ identity. First, the likely disciple: Peter recognizes Jesus as the Christ (Mark 8:29). Second, the unlikely disciple: The centurion at the foot of the cross recognizes Jesus as the Son of God (Mark 15:39). So, besides the prologue of Mark 1:1-15 and the epilogue of Mark 15:40-16:8, the book divides roughly into two halves, each culminating in a declaration of Jesus’ identity and tying everything back to the opening words in Mark 1:1.

The disciples provide even further tour guidance than this. The book’s first half is structured by the calling and training of the disciples, each section beginning with either their summoning or sending, and each section ending with a narrative summary of Jesus’ work with and through those disciples. The book’s second half is structured by Jesus’ efforts to bring his disciples along with his mission to suffer and die. Three passion predictions reveal three shifts that must take place in the disciples’ expectations. Then Jesus intimately includes the disciples, through sending, teaching, and praying, in the ministry of his week in Jerusalem. For more structural detail, refer to the documents linked at the end of this post.

Prologue Walkthrough

In the first 15 verses, we’re presented with tense anticipation for the king who has come. His messenger goes before him declaring an end to Israel’s exile, once and for all, if they would but turn aside from what they’ve been doing. When Jesus shows up, heaven itself is ripped open to declare him the beloved Son of Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42. He relives Israel’s early history in the wilderness, doing for them what they could not do for themselves, and emerging with the news that, with him, the kingdom of God has finally arrived.

The king is here!

Part 1 Walkthrough

Jesus first needs to establish his authority as king. Mark shows this through an extended chiasm (where the second half mirrors the first half but in reverse order):

Calling by sea – Mark 1:16-20
- 4 healings – Mark 1:21-45
  - Paralytic – Mark 2:1-12
- 4 controversies – Mark 2:13-3:6
Summary of ministry by sea – Mark 3:7-12

Jesus appears to have the authority to both heal and bring salvation, as exemplified in the central story of the paralytic, which is simultaneously a healing and a controversy. In that story, King Jesus is also shown to have the authority to take on (and perhaps take down) those currently in authority over God’s people.

So in the second section, Jesus lays the groundwork for his new kingdom which will end up replacing the old. He establishes his people as a new Israel (Mark 3:13-35). He gives them a new set of stories to understand what is happening (Mark 4:1-34). And he both models and praises the new kind of faith required of his citizenry (Mark 4:35-6:6). Will they see it? Will they receive him by such faith?

In the third section, Jesus doesn’t simply sit back and watch; he gets his hands dirty by training and discipling his people into the kind of followers he wants them to be. He takes them through the same sequence of events twice (feed a multitude, cross the sea, argue with Pharisees, discuss matters of bread, and heal malfunctioning senses – Mark 6:33-7:37, 8:1-26) in hopes that they themselves will acquire eyes that can see and ears that can hear (Mark 8:18-21). When he heals the blind man (Mark 8:22-26), we must see the living parable playing out in the disciples’ own lives. Do you see anything? It takes two tries? Who do people say that I am? But who do you say that I am?

Part 1 then climaxes with Peter’s glorious confession: You are the Christ. (The Chosen One.)

Ah, yes. He sees! But does he see fully? Does he understand what that means? What sort of Chosen One will this Jesus be?

Part 2 Walkthrough

Jesus now shifts from his basic identity to a fuller exposition of it: “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and … be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly.” (Mark 8:31-32). But Peter will have none of it. So Jesus now takes them through three cycles of training to reverse their expectation. Each cycle has the following pattern:

Prediction of Jesus’ suffering.
Misunderstanding on the part of the disciples.
Clarification of what discipleship really means.
Illustration of the principle.

The three cycles (Mark 8:31-9:29, 9:30-10:31, 10:32-52) result in the following three reversals of expectations: The living must die. The first must be last. The great must serve.

The second section of Part 2 is terribly easy to misread if we fail to follow the book’s argument to this point. Jesus has been talking all along about the new kingdom he’s brought to replace the old one. Now the time has come; the revolution will be televised. Chapters 11 and 12 have the explicit purpose of indicting Israel’s current management. This fig tree will not produce figs, so when Jesus curses it, it will wither and die. Then through the temple controversies and all the way to the widow’s meager mite, the witnesses have testified and the evidence is indisputable: This grand system must come down (Mark 13:1-2). But Jesus will not leave his people in the dark. He explains the signs that will mark this coming doom, and he prepares the fainthearted for the inevitable blame they will receive for it (Mark 13:3-36). Then he goes and picks his final fight to get the whole thing moving (Mark 14:1-11).

The third section (which has many parallels to the second section) shows Jesus doing all that he has said. The living one dies. The first of all puts himself last. The great one serves sinners and gives his life as a ransom for many.

In the end, they will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62). But first they want to see the Christ and have missed their chance (Mark 15:32). They wish to see Elijah, but failed to notice him back in chapter 1 (Mark 15:36). And the least likely, the Roman centurion, sees the way Jesus dies and proclaims him to be the Son of God (Mark 15:39).

Epilogue Walkthrough

Mark reminds us that others can also see the truth. Some women saw him from a distance (Mark 15:40). One member of the ruling council was, in fact, looking for the kingdom of God and found it in Jesus (Mark 15:43). The ladies then see the tomb of Jesus empty except for a young man dressed in white, who tells them that their king is not here (Mark 16:5).

But don’t worry. You’ll see him again, just as he told you (Mark 16:7).

Conclusion

Can’t you see that Jesus is God’s chosen king, that you might follow him, even to the death?

Interpretive Outline

The king is here! – Mark 1:1-15
The king’s credentials – Mark 1:16-8:30
- The king establishes his authority – Mark 1:16-3:12
- The king assembles his people – Mark 3:13-6:6
- The king helps his people to see him – Mark 6:7-8:30
The king’s pain – Mark 8:31-15:39
- The king reverses expectations – Mark 8:31-10:52
- The king overthrows the establishment – Mark 11:1-14:12
- The king sacrifices himself – Mark 14:13-15:39
The king is not here! – Mark 15:40-16:8

Here are links for much more detailed observational and interpretive outlines of Mark’s gospel.

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

Why Obadiah is Important for the Church

September 22, 2021 By Peter Krol

James Street wrote a marvelous piece overviewing the brief prophecy of Obadiah and explaining why it is important for us to continue studying and teaching today. He explains the historical context (without which the book will be terribly confusing) before walking through the book under three chief questions: