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gmark - Re: Mark 14:38 as a Key to the Markan Audience

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Subject: Kata Markon

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  • From: JFAlward AT aol.com
  • To: gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Mark 14:38 as a Key to the Markan Audience
  • Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 18:24:49 EDT


In a message dated 10/15/02 10:39:41 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
jgibson000 AT attbi.com writes:

<< http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crosstalk2/files/MK1438F.htm >>

PETER GIBSON
"…how else should Jesus' anguished words ending with "[but] not my will but
yours", be interpreted except as a prayer for divine aid to avoid putting God
to the test?

JOE ALWARD
I don't see the need to make this passage that complicated, or meaningful. I
think you may be attaching an undeserved sophistication to the Markan author,
as well as a depth of meaning to the passage that is not there, in my
opinion. I don't see why this pericope has to have anything whatever to do
with testing God. I believe the simpler explanation for "not my will but
yours" is that the author was just having Jesus imitate David's lament.

As I have suggested more than once in this forum, there is ample evidence
that some of the stories about Jesus in the Markan gospel are an example of
the type of imatatio (aemulatio)-mimesis that Dennis MacDonald described so
well in his book, "The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark," (Yale
University Press, 2000). While MacDonald suggests that Mark had Jesus
emulate Odysseus, I see a much clearer connection to the Old Testament
heroes, Elisha, Elijah, Moses, David, and Yahweh. For example, Mark seems to
have adapted the fishes and loaves story from Elisha's multiplication of the
loaves, but made Jesus better. He likewise had Jesus pass by the boat, in
imitation of the Lord's passing by Moses. There are other examples, but the
one which is relevant to your Gethsemane analysis is David's lament after
having been betrayed by his counselor:

Then the king said…"If I find favor in the LORD's eyes, he will bring me back
and let me see...his dwelling place again. But if he says, `I am not pleased
with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him." (2
Samuel 15:25-26)


Just as David expresses the hope following his betrayal that he will prevail,
but recognizes it's the Lord's decision to make, then so does Jesus express
the hope following his betrayal that his agony will be relieved, but accepts
that it is "not my will, but yours."

I am aware of your views on "parallelmania," and agree that the practice of
seeking parallels can be carried to far, but in this case I think the
parallels between David's lament and Jesus' agony at Gethsemane are too
strong to dismiss. If you wish to see a stronger case for Mark's imitatio of
David in this case, you will find it at
http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/David_and_Jesus.htm

I hope this helps.

Joseph F. Alward, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
University of the Pacific
Stockton CA




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