Thinking "tonight" about some lectures on following Mark, following Jesus…

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So after going to the 2nd and 

the 4th of ol' Professor's talks on Mark -

creative author after Jewish stand

against the Romans in their time of dark-

ness, at the fall of their city be-loved,

and too, their temple (called the house of God).

He says the Jewish pris'ners then were shoved

into the work of slaves who built a lot

in Rome. Things like the Colosseum, which

Mark has to help the Christian Jews in Rome

to come to terms with. Something like the pitch

of "Suffer well, for this side of our home

in 'futuristic spirit'al' abode, …

..and something else, (I need to check my notes)

How does this fit with what Robinson showed?

-  the Gospels finished all while Temple floats.

His stance towards this book acknowledges

a script for oral spoken words to be

performed before the Roman house-churches

of Jews and Gentiles, from the past, now free

to mingle, not by Jewish laws but by

the word of Christ, interpreted by Mark.

So Peter gets no look-in, mention, my

friend Prof-ess-or sees much rhetoric spark,

but cannot let rhetoric things be true.

To me this is a problem for us now.

If he's been good at using logic's new

insights with Psych's advances, he will plough

his book in places to get coin. Folk do

this in our own society at large;

so as a child of his time, he must too.

This is his major strategy, his charge

of Mark the great rhetoric author who

seems one step more creative than his "Lord".

But then that's what He said that "they" would do.

We show our willingness to "get on board"

by what we can throw out, with judgements made

to show we are a child of just our Age,

and older more mature, in its shade.

Not quite enamoured by One from the page.

This stance forgets to bridge the gaps in time,

to build a faith that's more than in "Prof's word".

It doesn't let a person in their prime

make work of heart, that's artful, can be heard

and then appreciated as more "sure",

authoritative than our guess, and true;

as only love can do - and what is more

its actions, in discipleship, ensue.

So, since the Christians in these days derive

from that same "Church of God", that was around

we must all know these works that have survived

from that time, when those folk first heard its sound

from lips that told the story, full of life,

and love, enough to turn a culture 'round.

We only need to talk about four nights

about it, I suppose that's what he's found.

But I suppose this mostly from those nights.

I wonder who had heard "Mark" told this year.

Or tried to draw from it more than "insights

that show that I have studied this!" My tears

are not just for Jerusalem, that old

old David's City, or those leaders then

who couldn't recognise Messiah's bold

clear life & words. We've done it all again!

The Church of Jesus Christ, at least those whose

traditions link them back to it, these days,

have done the same, as was done by the Jews.

We want the power, and we want displays

of loyalty to our society.

But maybe that won't bring the prophet's word.

The Word of God, to our people, to free

us (from demonic stories), as a bird!

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