Hosanna!

I've been journaling through the Gospel of Mark for some time now. I write out a brief passage in my notebook and then work out my own thoughts about the passage by writing down my impressions. The goal is to see the Gospel in the text and preach it to myself. I do not use commentaries or study bible footnotes for this (though I frequently utilize these resources for other purposes).

One side-effect of this process is to keep you attuned to the context of every passage, and also to help you see the dramatic arc of Mark's account and also it's place in God's overall "plan of salvation."

I'm in chapter 11 just now, with Mark's description of the "triumphal entry." I've always wondered about what was going through Jesus' mind as he road the young donkey along its leaf-strewn path into the city. I have wondered if he considered that nearly all these people who were singing his praises that morning would desert him within the week.

But I don't really think so?

They were giving him glory, calling him their king, and talking about the re-establishment of David's kingdom. But he was out for something greater by far than David's kingdom ever was. What he had in mind, I suspect, was how the events of the coming week would initiate something that, no matter how painful for him, would result in such glory and fame for the Father as to make the terrible suffering of the cross--how terrible no man but Jesus will ever truly understand--all worthwhile.

You think of the glorious words written by the author of Hebrews:

"...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2.)

What was "the joy set before him?" The answer to that question is, I believe, the same as the answer to my other question, what was on Jesus' mind as he rode into Jerusalem that long ago day?

I suspect there are many facets to the answer, but one of them surely is this: he was thinking about the glory and praise that will come to God because of the lonely and excruciating suffering that he was riding inevitably toward? Yes, a kingdom was coming, but the kingdom of one greater even than David. Jesus would very soon be addressing this very topic, shortly before his death in Jerusalem (Mark 11:35-37):

And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.’

David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

And the point is, hosanna!

Journaling through John

I've been spending a lot of time in The Gospel of John lately. Journaling through John, I call it. Each morning I read a little, then scribble down my thoughts concerning the passage. Often I stay with a brief passage for several days, but I'm keenly aware that I can never exhaust all that there is to say or think about a passage. Whatever exegetical insights or wisdom I am able to summon up in my journal would probably not seem like much to anyone else. The point is not to impress some imaginary reader, nor is it to compile notes toward a future book or something (such thoughts, I find, are death to a fruitful journaling process). The point is simply to start each day thinking about Scripture, and it so happens that writing your thoughts down is a useful way to encourage clear thinking.

My method is pretty simple. I try to see each passage in its context. I'm pretty rigorous about that part. I try to place myself on the scene, hear the words of Jesus as if for the first time. I try to hang on to recurring themes and strands of meaning that seem to thread through the Gospel of John from start to finish. Often I copy passages down word for word; other times I try to restate them in my own words. Although I'm generally a great fan of Bible commentaries, I never consult them for the text I'm working with (well, with but one exception, as I recall). I try not to satisfy myself with easy or self-assuring applications. I do try to let the passage question me.

On that last point, let me give you an example. Toward the end of chapter 15 Jesus says that if the world hated him, it will also hate his disciples. They will be so closely associated with him that the connection will be undeniable. Those who find in Jesus their rest and peace, will find an echo of those things in his disciples. Those who find in Jesus only their own shame, will probably find in a Jesus-disciple a sense of accusation (no matter how unwarranted). Well, to let this passage question you is simply to ask yourself, is this true of me? Am I a Jesus-disciple of whom it can be said, people respond to me even as they would have responded to Jesus? Is my connection to Jesus that apparent? That real? The answer to these question are a matter for your private contemplation, but you get the point.

In time I may share here at the blog some lessons I've learned from this extended time with John's Gospel, but for now it's a part of my private world, if you will. All I can say is, the process has been very fruitful for me. To journal through the Scriptures in this way you need, most of all, time. A consistent chunk of time each day (no less than half-an-hour, I suppose). It's also helpful to use a notebook and a writing instrument that you feel very comfortable with (something special, not just a drugstore spiral-bound and ballpoint). And of course you need the Helper.