July 3, 2011

Glynn Cardy

Pentecost 3     Mark 4:1-20

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‘Hard’, ‘rocky’, ‘thorny’, and ‘good’ are not the names of members of a heavy metal band. They are the Parable of the Sower’s four categories of response to Jesus. These categories are pivotal to Mark’s Gospel [i] in that they provide a means for understanding many of the different characters and stories in the whole gospel.

The first category is the ‘hard’ ground. Here the truth in Jesus doesn’t take root at all. Mark portrays the scribes, Pharisees, and Jerusalem religious leaders as never really hearing Jesus’ message but instead calling him a blasphemer from the first time they hear him (2:7) until their last (14:64).

Mark is writing around the time of the Judaeo-Roman war of 66-70 when the relationships between those Jews called Christians and those Jews faithful to the Torah and Writings were deteriorating. Eventually in the 80s the followers of Jesus would be expelled from the synagogues.

Ominously in the explanation of this parable (4:15) the character Satan is first associated with the Jewish opposition. He has developed from something of a prosecuting attorney in the Book of Job to a more sinister spirit. Later he will become a demigod. In time Satan’s supposed infiltration of Judaism will be an excuse for the Christian crimes of vilifying, persecuting, and murdering Jews.

The second category is the ‘rocky’ ground. Here the truth in Jesus sprouted but had very shallow roots. When persecution came they withered. In Mark’s Gospel the twelve male disciples are portrayed as the rocky ground. Peter [ii], James, and John, the paramount leaders, initially reacted positively to Jesus’ call (1:16-20) but when the soldiers come to arrest Jesus they all fled (14:43-50). Peter eventually denied Jesus three times (14:66-72). These men embraced the truth with enthusiasm but when the heat came on, they folded.

One of the debates about the authorship of Mark’s Gospel is why if Mark was allegedly a follower of Peter in Rome as has traditionally been maintained, [iii] does the Gospel portray Peter so negatively. 

We don’t actually know who Mark, the author of the Gospel, was. The ‘John Mark’ referred to in Acts, [iv] who is presumably the ‘Mark’ referred to in Colossians (4:10), Philemon (24), and 2 Timothy (4:11), may not be the Gospel writer Mark. Mark after all was a very common name. However, that said, this gospel’s survival was undoubtedly guaranteed by the alleged association with Peter through those early centuries when the canonical books were being determined.

The third category is the ‘thorny’ ground. Here the truth of Jesus was choked out by the love of affluence and influence. Think of Herod, who hears John the Baptist gladly but has him beheaded rather than violate an oath made before guests (6:14-29). Think of Pilate, who knew Jesus was innocent but ordered him crucified because he wanted to please the crowds (15:6-15). Think of the rich man who had obeyed all the commandments but could not bring himself to sell his possessions (10:17-22). They all glimpse the truth but in the end refuse to act on it because their concerns about reputation, authority and wealth stand in the way. Truth is choked off and dies. [v]

The last category is the ‘good’ soil. Here the truth of Jesus flourishes. Within Mark’s Gospel there are many who, mostly anonymously, come to Jesus in faith, are healed or saved by it, and then tell others. It is in this last category that most of the women in the Gospel belong.

The social roles of women in 1st century Greco-Roman society were very curtailed. Male honour in public depended on winning contests of wit, strength or rhetoric (what’s new?), and in private on asserting authority over women of their class, and men and women of lower classes. For women, however, winning public honour was virtually impossible, and any public display strongly discouraged. Women could, however, avoid shame by submitting to the authority of male superiors. 

In stark contrast to these social norms, Mark depicts unaccompanied women coming and speaking to Jesus in private – like the Syro-Phoenician woman who bested him in an argument,[vi] and the woman who poured perfume on his head. [vii] Even more shockingly Mark depicts unaccompanied women approaching Jesus in public – like the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. [viii] Mark’s Jesus ignores the social rules and welcomes those already among the ‘shamed’ – like slaves, prostitutes, and lepers. The good soil in Mark’s Gospel is unexpected found in the nuisances and nobodies.

The Parable of the Sower invites us to think about those in our society and church and where they fall in these agrarian categories of ‘hard’, ‘rocky’, ‘thorny’, and ‘good’.

There is a biblical phrase ‘a hard heart’. It refers to a person or an institution that has closed itself off from any truth save its own. Some, like fundamentalist sects, use Scripture as a weapon to defend their truth and punish dissenters. The challenge to them is soften their hearts and to make themselves vulnerable to the generosity and grace of God. 

Yet ‘hard hearts’ are not the sole preserve of some fundamentalists. We too, extending the metaphor, are susceptible to the fatty food of stereotypes and quick-fried answers. Welcoming the presence and possibilities of the foreign, different, or difficult is a spiritual discipline we all need.

The ‘rocky’ ground is a challenge to us churchgoers, the inheritors of the mantle of discipleship. We go to church, sing hymns, help and care. But when we have to stand up or stand out for what we believe we can wither. The challenge is to be rooted in prayer, and use it to sustain our courage. 

By prayer I do not mean simply addressing an invisible deity. Rather I mean opening ourselves to all that is holy, including the lives and suffering of others and our own life and suffering. As the Prayerbook says, [ix] we immerse ourselves in the great compassion and let it flow through us. The strength to stand comes not through developing the muscles or the mind but by being steeped in compassion.

The ‘thorny’ ground, where the desire for affluence and influence chokes off truth, is a salient reminder of the shortcomings of our success-orientated culture. This culture, so prevalent, is in essence a heresy. It holds up the rich and powerful as models, whereas Mark’s Gospel holds up the blind, bleeding, outspoken, and ostracized.

Yet rather than pick out rich and powerful characters to vilify, as some in the media can do, we need to face ourselves. The challenge is to let go of our dreams of money and control. For the pull to have more is a very potent current. Instead we need to stand firm in the truth we find in Jesus – the truth of gift, grace, and compassion.

Lastly, there is the ‘good’ soil. We’d all like to imagine ourselves in this category. Yet Mark, instead, tells us to prepare for the unexpected, the ones outside religions’ official gates that might occasionally amble in, late and ill attired. His ‘good’ soil is those on the margins. 

The challenge to us is not to judge and not to presume. God’s angels [the word angelos means messenger] come in many guises.

I’m reminded of ‘Geoffrey’ [not his real name] who regularly attends the morning service at St Bartholomew’s. ‘Geoffrey’ is easy to please. He doesn’t need a service sheet, a welcoming smile, or a cup of tea afterwards. He doesn’t complain about the new hymn or the sermon that goes too long. He makes no demands. He simply falls asleep, soothed by the dry and padded pews, and continues in that blissful state throughout the morning. So deep is his sleep that he has no idea of the loud buzz-saw noise emanating forth. 

Now the vicar and parishioners of St Bartholomew’s, to say nothing of the choir, have tried in vain to curtail his cacophonous output. They’ve assigned minders to him, nudging him awake, but with little success. They’ve explained the problem to him, and told him that if he can’t stay awake he’ll have to leave. They’ve even tried locking him out… but the Health and Safety regulations came to his aid. ‘Geoffrey’ for his part never says a word, just imitates their concerned look, and continues faithfully attending or should I say sleeping, testing the limits of their hospitality.

Now I don’t want to romanticize ‘Geoffrey’. I don’t know whether he’s God’s snoring messenger or a ‘good’ soil type. But Mark’s Gospel tells me not to presume he isn’t.

[i] This insight comes from Mary Ann Tolbert.

[ii] Whose name in Greek means “rock”.

[iii] See http://www.ntgateway.com/gospel-and-acts/gospel-of-mark/introduction-to-marks-gospel/ for a modern update on the discussion around authorship.

[iv] Acts 12:12, 25; 15: 37-39;

[v] Some [e.g. Myers, C Binding The Strong Man New York : Orbis, 1988, p.174ff.] posit that the rocky and thorny ground also relate to Christians at the time of the Judeo-Roman war who withered in the face of opposition from Rome and renounced their faith, or to those Christians who departed from the truth of the Gospel in favour of praise, power, and prosperity. Loyalty to a greater truth is never easy when an Empire demands your compliance.

[vi] Mark 7:24-30

[vii] Mark 14:3-9

[viii] Mark 5:25-34

[ix] NZPB p.163