{"id":1750,"date":"2012-09-20T17:10:38","date_gmt":"2012-09-20T21:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/?p=1750"},"modified":"2012-10-25T15:19:01","modified_gmt":"2012-10-25T19:19:01","slug":"jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html","title":{"rendered":"Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence: Mark 9:30-37"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/p>\n<p>  var _gaq = _gaq || [];\n  _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-35874236-1']);\n  _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);<\/p>\n<p>  (function() {\n    var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true;\n    ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js';\n    var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);\n  })();<\/p>\n<p><\/script><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/310\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"Mathew Skinner\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1260\" \/><\/p>\n<p> By <a href=\"http:\/\/odysseynetworks.org\/contributor\/matthew-l-skinner\">Matthew L. Skinner<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">If pondering Jesus\u2019 crucifixion doesn\u2019t make you uncomfortable, you probably aren\u2019t doing it right.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">I\u2019m not referring to the gore and humiliation, which makes crucifixion repulsive no matter who the victim is.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\"><strong>Watch the Video:<\/strong><em> ON Scripture: Jesus Predicts His Death<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\"><object id=\"flashObj\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" classid=\"clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http:\/\/download.macromedia.com\/pub\/shockwave\/cabs\/flash\/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/c.brightcove.com\/services\/viewer\/federated_f9?isVid=1&#038;isUI=1\" \/><param name=\"bgcolor\" value=\"#FFFFFF\" \/><param name=\"flashVars\" value=\"videoId=1848179393001&#038;playerID=961751338001&#038;playerKey=AQ~~,AAAA3-z6Izk~,70dt0G6K4XP9jJGaqwc9VohXisAPIx8D&#038;domain=embed&#038;dynamicStreaming=true\" \/><param name=\"base\" value=\"http:\/\/admin.brightcove.com\" \/><param name=\"seamlesstabbing\" value=\"false\" \/><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"swLiveConnect\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" \/><embed src=\"http:\/\/c.brightcove.com\/services\/viewer\/federated_f9?isVid=1&#038;isUI=1\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\" flashVars=\"videoId=1848179393001&#038;playerID=961751338001&#038;playerKey=AQ~~,AAAA3-z6Izk~,70dt0G6K4XP9jJGaqwc9VohXisAPIx8D&#038;domain=embed&#038;dynamicStreaming=true\" base=\"http:\/\/admin.brightcove.com\" name=\"flashObj\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" seamlesstabbing=\"false\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" allowFullScreen=\"true\" allowScriptAccess=\"always\" swLiveConnect=\"true\" pluginspage=\"http:\/\/www.macromedia.com\/shockwave\/download\/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash\"><\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>Matthew Skinner, assistant professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, discusses the Biblical text Mark 9:30-37, featured in the ON Scripture The Bible article, &#8220;Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><\/br><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Instead, my point has to do with considering the purpose or significance of Jesus\u2019 death. When you scratch at the surface of the claims Christians over the centuries have advanced about the cross &#8212; that in it we glimpse redemptive suffering, faithful obedience even unto death, sacrificial love, etc. &#8212; it doesn\u2019t take long to expose disconcerting questions. How can suffering ever be redemptive? What kind of divine Parent would demand such destructive obedience from a beloved Child? Why might an all-powerful and loving God need a sacrifice in order to express mercy?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">The questions should spur us to reject simple explanations and should make us entertain more questions, even the uncomfortable ones. Be wary of anyone who comes up with too neat and tidy a theory about exactly how Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection changes the cosmos and God\u2019s disposition toward the world. For good reason the New Testament writings include a spectrum of metaphors, language, and claims to convey the significance of the cross. They guide our reflections on Jesus\u2019 death. But no single one of these, and no single statement, can suffice.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\"><strong>Jesus, \u201cDelivered\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">In <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=214947925\">Mark 9:30-37<\/a>, Jesus foretells his death and resurrection, one of several times he does so in Mark\u2019s account. On one level, his insights make perfect sense. Jesus certainly knew that those who, like him, assail deep-seated values and powerful people inevitably end up dead. On another level, the mention of his resurrection and the specificity of some of his statements about his death (like in <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=214947964\">Mark 10:33-34<\/a>) suggest that the predictions function to reassure the Gospels\u2019 earliest readers that the fate of God\u2019s Messiah couldn\u2019t have been an accident or a defeat. Larger forces, a deeper purpose, must have been at work in it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">It was, in a way, God\u2019s own doing, according to Mark 9:31.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">In Mark 9:31, Jesus indicates he \u201cwill be delivered into human hands\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.commonenglishbible.com\/Explore\/PassageLookup\/tabid\/210\/Default.aspx?txtPassageLookupMini=Mark%209:31\">translation: CEB<\/a>), hands that will kill him. This statement doesn\u2019t refer exclusively to Judas, the person who will later hand him over to the authorities; rather, Jesus subtly implies that God initiates the whole process that finally results with him executed on a Roman cross.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">This is not to say that God somehow plans, engineers, or revels in Jesus\u2019 being destroyed in a particular way. But it does emphasize that Jesus will become subject to human power &#8212; a power bent, in this case, by self-preserving arrogance. He will do so without the protections afforded him by his prerogatives as God\u2019s emissary.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Jesus will participate in the human condition without any advantage. He will experience some of humanity\u2019s most insidious displays of power, getting to know the worst of our potential up close.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">And so the question lingers unanswered through time, waiting for us: Is God really OK with something like this? Couldn\u2019t God\u2019s relinquishment of Jesus be tantamount to moral negligence? After all, this is God we\u2019re talking about. Couldn\u2019t there be a neater, more peaceful solution?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Again, easy answers elude us, as maybe they should.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\"><strong>The Problem of Violence<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">This passage deserves a place, alongside other parts of the New Testament, in larger conversations about the crucifixion. But we cannot expect this passage on its own to answer all the questions about the purpose or cause of Jesus\u2019 death. The same is true for questions about the character and motivations of God.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Instead of trying to rush to the bottom of those insoluble questions, we might first direct our focus to an audacious suggestion contained here: that there even can be any larger purpose or beneficial outcome to an event as horrible as a crucifixion. Could something appearing so utterly God-forsaken on the surface actually become an instrumental piece in God\u2019s active concern for humanity? Here the New Testament repeatedly insists: Yes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Or, if we take seriously the Christian claim that God is also the one who is crucified, what happens when we consider God\u2019s willingness to suffer violence at the hands of a resistant world? God appears to be both complicit and victim at the cross, and that should catch our attention on a planet where violence is so prevalent and so often performed by people claiming to act on God\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">When violence, whether religiously motivated or not, flares up like it has in the past week, it reminds us of humankind\u2019s ferocity and our entrenched proclivities for self-preservation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">It also leads us to ask, naturally, whether God gives a whit about the human plight. Does God like violence? Or, is God finally overwhelmed by it? Or, does God intend to solve the problem of human violence through divine violence? Every religion must grapple with these questions. They cannot be avoided if we intend to persist in hope for justice and reconciliation, things that rarely come about because people suddenly decide to lay down their weapons and try something new.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">By their nature, promises keep us oriented toward the future, as we repent from past wrongs and look intently for new possibilities to emerge. But promises also become cheap, unless they mean something for the here and now.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">And this is why Mark 9:34-37, containing Jesus\u2019 words in the aftermath of his prediction, is so important as we consider these things. Jesus calls his followers to relinquish their own desires for power and acclaim. Instead, they must welcome those who are vulnerable and overlooked, represented by the child Jesus sets in their midst. It\u2019s a sign that Jesus\u2019 death and his return in nail-scarred resurrection might open the door to different ways of living, to different ways of understanding the potential of human authority.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Is this all there is to seeing an end to violence and exploitation now? No. But it\u2019s a start.<\/p>\n<p>++++++++++++++++<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\"><strong>For Further Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2022\tM. Eugene Boring, Mark: A Commentary (The New Testament Library; Westminster John Knox Press, 2006), pages 277-78<br \/>\n\u2022\tSharyn Dowd and Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, \u201cThe Significance of Jesus\u2019 Death in Mark: Narrative Context and Authorial Audience,\u201d Journal of Biblical Literature 125 (2006): 271\u201397<br \/>\n\u2022\tJ\u00fcrgen Moltmann, The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology (SCM Press, 1974)<br \/>\n\u2022\tMatthew L. Skinner, The Trial Narratives: Conflict, Power, and Identity in the New Testament (Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), pages 37-39<\/p>\n<p><\/br><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Learn more about the ON Scripture Editorial Board <a href=\"http:\/\/www.odysseynetworks.org\/on-scripture-editorial-board\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Learn more about ON Scripture <a href=\"http:\/\/www.odysseynetworks.org\/about-on-scripture\" target=\"_blank\"> Click here<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Like ON Scripture <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/ON-Scripture\/145056738910191\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Follow ON Scripture <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#%21\/OnScripture\" target=\"_blank\"> Click here <\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>ON Scripture is made possible by a generous grant from the <\/strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lillyendowment.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Lilly Endowment<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lillyendowment.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lillyendowment.org\/images\/logo_theendowment.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"51\" height=\"52\" \/><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/br><br \/>\n<\/br><br \/>\n<\/br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Matthew L. Skinner If pondering Jesus\u2019 crucifixion doesn\u2019t make you uncomfortable, you probably aren\u2019t doing it right. I\u2019m not referring to the gore and humiliation, which makes crucifixion repulsive no matter who the victim is. Watch the Video: ON Scripture: Jesus Predicts His Death Matthew Skinner, assistant professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":465,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[444,445,440,82,240,246,229,47,446],"class_list":["post-1750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-scripture","tag-jesus-predicts-his-death","tag-jesuss-death","tag-luther-seminary","tag-matthew-skinner","tag-odyssey-networks","tag-on-scripture-the-bible","tag-resurrection","tag-the-bible","tag-the-future-of-death"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence: Mark 9:30-37 - ON Scripture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence: Mark 9:30-37 - ON Scripture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Matthew L. Skinner If pondering Jesus\u2019 crucifixion doesn\u2019t make you uncomfortable, you probably aren\u2019t doing it right. I\u2019m not referring to the gore and humiliation, which makes crucifixion repulsive no matter who the victim is. Watch the Video: ON Scripture: Jesus Predicts His Death Matthew Skinner, assistant professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary,&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ON Scripture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-09-20T21:10:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-10-25T19:19:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner1-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence: Mark 9:30-37 - ON Scripture","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence: Mark 9:30-37 - ON Scripture","og_description":"By Matthew L. Skinner If pondering Jesus\u2019 crucifixion doesn\u2019t make you uncomfortable, you probably aren\u2019t doing it right. I\u2019m not referring to the gore and humiliation, which makes crucifixion repulsive no matter who the victim is. Watch the Video: ON Scripture: Jesus Predicts His Death Matthew Skinner, assistant professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary,&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html","og_site_name":"ON Scripture","article_published_time":"2012-09-20T21:10:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-10-25T19:19:01+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner1-150x150.jpg"}],"author":"Odyssey Networks","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html","name":"Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence: Mark 9:30-37 - ON Scripture","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner1-150x150.jpg","datePublished":"2012-09-20T21:10:38+00:00","dateModified":"2012-10-25T19:19:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/378ff98df1bd7df2dbc812937bbae6fa"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner1-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2012\/03\/Mathew-Skinner1-150x150.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2012\/09\/jesus-death-and-the-future-of-violence-mark-930-37.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Jesus\u2019 Death and the Future of Violence: Mark 9:30-37"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/","name":"ON Scripture","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Odyssey Networks","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/378ff98df1bd7df2dbc812937bbae6fa","name":"Odyssey Networks","description":"Odyssey is the nation's largest multi-faith media coalition with over 100 members, including faith groups, organizations and individuals. Our stories explore a wide range of issues including peace, tolerance, social justice and the environment. Our Mission: To use electronic media to enrich spiritual life and build bridges of understanding among people of faith. Our Method: Telling stories of faith in action. Stories changing the world. Odyssey Networks is a service of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc., established in 1987.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.odysseynetworks.org"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/author\/yyuce"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/465"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1750"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1863,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1750\/revisions\/1863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}