In the beginning

Genesis 1: 1-27 (June 19, 2011)

1) The Text

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

2) The Context

Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It begins with two versions of the creation story, neither of them scientific but telling us why we are on earth. In the story of Adam and Eve, it tells us that we are responsible, under God, for the care of all creation. It then continues with the stories of the patriarchs: Abraham (who enters into a covenant with God), Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

3) Interpretation

This passage says much about God and his relationship to humans. Long ago, people in the Near East asked how the earth came to be. A single creation story was known throughout the region; one such, dating from at least 1700 BC, is Enuma Elish from Mesopotamia (now Iraq.) It and Genesis 1 have a similar sequence of events, so studying what the authors of the Genesis story added, and what they left out, tells us about our God.

First, “In the beginning when God created ...”: God pre-exists all creation. The whole visible world came into being as a result of divine activity. At first, there was no order to the earth; it was “a formless void” (1:2). However here, unlike in Enuma Elish, a force is present, a life-giving power. From 1:3 on, the creation story is in the form of a hymn, with a refrain, “God saw that ... [it] was good.” This ancient story is divided into seven days, or stages of creation.

On the first day, God creates light, thus overcoming the “darkness.” In the Semitic mind, God’s ability to name light and darkness shows that he controls them. To grasp Day 2, we need to appreciate that people saw the earth as covered by a huge inverted pudding bowl, the “dome”, above which were the upper waters: snow, hail and rain. The “waters” surrounded the “dry land”. On Day 3, God has vegetation created through his agent, Earth. Other peoples worshipped some kinds of vegetation; in not creating vegetation directly, God reduces the chances of Israel doing the same: they are to worship only God. On the following days, living things are created or made. People then thought plants were unable to transmit life. The Sun and the Moon, created on Day 4, are inanimate to us, but to ancient people they were beings, moving on fixed tracks on the under-side of the dome. To Israel, they are beings under God’s command. On Day 5, God creates animals of the sea and air. Even the “great sea monsters” (e.g. Leviathan) were seen as creatures of the one God, and are therefore good. They, the fish and the birds get a special blessing because people thought they did not have the same ability to reproduce as land animals. On Day 6, land animals are created. 1:24 says that God caused the earth to “bring [them] forth”; however, in 1:25, God creates them directly. The creation story was handed down orally for centuries, and varied in its telling. The author (or editor) of Genesis is not afraid to include divergent versions.

“Let us” (1:26) is like a royal we; the creation of humans is the climax of the creation story. Human is made (created) in God’s “image” (the Hebrew word implies an exact copy); but he is also a “likeness” (similarity). He rules over all creatures. Sex is of divine origin. It is because of God’s blessing that we have procreative power.

4) Thought Exercise

What does the creation story say about God’s relationship with us?

What does the creation story say about our relationship with other creatures?

Let the little children come to me

Mark 10: 13-16 (June 5, 2011)

1) The Text

13People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

2) The Context

Mark 9:33 mentions Jesus' arrival in Capernaum on the great journey from Caesarea Philippi (8:27) to Jerusalem. Mark 10:1 envisages a trip which entailed travelling down the eastern side of the Jordan and then crossing near Jericho. Mark keeps reminding us of the journey. The journey is an appropriate setting for instructing disciples (and all who are to join the Christian journey) about matters pertaining to community life. 9:33-50 has already done this in relation to leadership and responsibility. In 10:2-12 and 13-16 Mark places two anecdotes relating to family life – divorce and children.

This is not the only place where Jesus says that God's design means to provide wholeness and protection for those who are vulnerable (see 2:23-3:6). Children in the ancient world had few rights and essentially no social status. Therefore the disciples obstruct people who bring children to Jesus. Jesus blesses them, not because they conjure sweet images of cherubic innocence, but because he has concern for the vulnerable and scorned, for those ripe for exploitation.

3) Interpretation

This passage begins with picking up on the earlier teaching to welcome all who are a like a little child in Mark 9:36. Jesus warns his disciples that no one should place a stumbling block, that is an obstacle, before “these little ones who believe” in Jesus (9:42). Its placement at this point in Mark’s text indicates intention to emphasize the importance of welcoming outsiders and the least powerful among humankind to follow Jesus Christ.

This focus story unfolds in a three-part sequence: the opening part sets the stage for Jesus’ speech and action (10:13); the central part includes two sayings of Jesus prompted by his strong displeasure with his disciples (10:14-15); and the final part stresses Jesus’ action (10:16).

Already in the opening part, two items are quickly introduced that depict a conflict. On the one hand, some people were bringing little children to Jesus. Although the narrative is vague about the identity of the ones who bring the children (in the Greek it is simply “they were bringing”), it is clear about their purpose for doing so—“in order that he might touch them.” Less clear is the intended effect of Jesus’ touching. Is it for a blessing, or, as earlier in the Markan narrative (5:41-42 and 9:26-27), for healing? On the other hand, the narrative relates the disciples’ overhasty rebuke as a contrapuntal action. The disciples have obviously not learned the lesson of discipleship which involves welcoming the “least ones.”

The opening part sets the stage for Jesus’ strong emotional reaction and two emphatic sayings. In 10:14 the narrative describes Jesus as becoming indignant (or, as the Greek word suggests, “becoming incensed at what is wrong”) when he saw the disciples rudely rebuking the people bringing little children. This leads to two sayings of Jesus. The first one in 10:14 is specifically addressed to what the disciples have just done. Jesus’ saying includes an initial positive exhortation that makes clear what the disciples are to do (“allow the little children to come to me”), next a prohibition that indicates what they are to cease doing (“do not continue stopping them!”), and lastly the reason for both (“because of such ones is the kingdom of God”). Now for the first time Jesus directly associates the kingdom of God with little children.

Connecting the kingdom of God and children prepares for Jesus’ second saying that is solemnly introduced with the words “Truly I say to all of you.” This second saying is more general10 and shares linguistic elements with Jesus’ saying in 9:37. Both begin with Greek words that are translated “whoever,” both use the Greek word “receive,” both are concerned with a little child. Moreover, both serve as the final and culminating saying in their narrative episodes. Even more importantly, Jesus’ saying in 10:15 completes the logic begun in his earlier saying. Receiving a little child in Jesus’ name, according to 9:37, is equated with receiving Jesus himself and even God (“the one who sent me”). The theological claim appears similar to that of Matt 25:31-46—by practicing hospitality and care for the least and most vulnerable human being, one receives Jesus who on God’s behalf is in solidarity with this “least one.”

Mark 10:15 furthers the logic by inviting the follower of Jesus to enter the sphere of Jesus and God by entering the place and plight of a little child, one quite vulnerable and totally dependent on benevolent care and protection of adults. Earlier in the Markan narrative, Jesus’ disciples experienced the kingdom’s vulnerability when they were “sent out” in mission where they were dependent on the hospitality of others (see 6:7-13).

Mark 10:13-16 ends by describing Jesus’ action: after taking the little children into his arms, he blessed them by placing his hands on them. His action embodies the dynamic of God’s kingdom: welcoming and blessing the children epitomizes God’s gracious reception of the vulnerable and needy. In summary, then, this story offers readers the kingdom of God both as gift and task. On the one hand, “receiving the kingdom as a little child” implies the welcome and blessing of Jesus for us as we recognize ourselves to be as vulnerable and needy as a little child. Inclusion in God’s kingdom is sheer gift. Yet, on the other hand, the kingdom also invites responsible action on our part. By embracing a little vulnerable child we are welcoming Jesus (and thus God) and receiving the kingdom. Fowler supports this second aspect by rendering the first segment of Jesus’ saying in the following manner: “Receive the Kingdom of God when it approaches in the form of a child.”11

4) Thought Exercise

How do you see inclusion in God’s kingdom as a gift?

What responsible actions have you taken to welcome all who are like little children?