Conservative Friends Bible Study of Mark #21 Mark Chapter 11 Verse 27 - Chapter 12 Verse 01-27

Ohio Yearly Meeting SessionsContact Sharon Helms to register at [email protected].  Click here for agenda. Mark 11:27-33The Jews already had a rite of baptism, but what was different about John’s baptism was that John’s was a baptism of repentance, indicating a necessary complete transformation of the person.  A discussion ensues pertaining to an attempt of the Jewish leaders to entrap Jesus. Mark 12:1-12  The Greek word, “parabolē” (which literally means “comparison”) is explained, and the meaning of the parable of the Tenants of the Vineyard is discussed.  Mark 12:13-17 The implication of Jesus’s words, to an observant Jew, is clear. The reverential respect that belongs to God is much greater than what Caesar should get.  However, by his actual words, Jesus circumvents the trap his opponents were devising for him.The Pharisees might have been considered more “patriotic” (regarding Judaism) than the Herodians, since the Herodians, were already in the employ of the Romans., they were already much more in collaboration with the Romans. Today, in the U.S., many  perceive a mistaken equivalent importance between God and country.  At the time of Jesus, in the Roman Empire there was no distinction between the army and the police. They were one and the same. The Greek word “Ekklēsia” originally referred to the group of free men in Athens who were called upon to make important decisions regarding the city. In the New Testament, it means those who are called out of worldly thinking and worldly ways to follow Jesus. In other words, the “church". There is a brief excursion into Acts chapter 4 to underscore our “called out” status as Christians.  When is it appropriate to listen to men, or to God?Mark 12:18-27  The Sadducees (a political party within Judaism at the time of Jesus) were largely composed of the chief priest and the priests in the temple. They believed that there was no resurrection. They posed a highly contrived question to Jesus: Israel was a theocracy, with the law of Moses forming both the civil and religious law of the nation. But it had secondary status to the Roman law of the Roman Empire that had conquered Israel, the law of the conquerors.Leading out of the concept of the resurrection, there is a discussion on the kind of bodies we will receive in Heaven after we die. This results in a brief exploration of I Corinthians 15:5ff which speaks of our Heavenly bodies as being spiritual rather than physical . Greek Parabolē : comparison (translated “parable”), illustrationDoulos – slaveDiakonos – servantEarly Modern English: servant = servant or slaveLatin: servus = slave [v. also English: servitude, servile, serf, serfdom, serve time, military service]Ekklēsia – church (but originally a legislative assembly of Athenian male citizens) Ek-klē-siaRoot: -klē- = callPrefix: ek- = out ofDoxa – glory1.)radiance, splendor, brilliance2.)Hebrew: Shekinah – the manifested Presence of God3.)opinion Credits: The words to our music are from George Fox’s 19th Epistle in 1652  (page 14 in  The Epistles of George Fox ) .  The music was composed and sung by Paulette Meier.  A complete list of our podcasts,  organized into topics, is available on our website.We will be publishing video interviews with Conservative Friends on YouTube.  See our YouTube channel.  The first interview is with Susan Smith. To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit  ohioyearlymeeting.org. Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities during the week here. All are welcome! We also have several Zoom study groups.  Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups on our website.   Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Discipline.We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes.   Contact us through our website.