This course was absolutely amazing! I can't wait to see you there March 5th Dr. Tabor.

If one is spiritually grown this person will understand personally this beautiful message! ❤❤❤😂

I will bless you for being interested in the text and I will ask God to give you wisdom, knowledge, and peace.

Dr. Tabor and Derek at MythVision continue to bring the highest-level of critical scholarship that you can find - the type you'd get in graduate courses at our best universities. Thanks!!!!

Started course 2 days ago, still on lecture 1. Reading and trying to absorb everything I can. Thank you for offering this course Dr. Tabor.

Signed up and really thrilled to be able to do this. Just need to set aside enough time. Can't wait for the Q&A

So clear and darn interesting. Thank you

being lost is a part of the searching heart :)

Mark is definitely my favorite gospel.

'Secrets' are a theme in Mark - I see an almost proto-gnostic emphasis upon Mystery in Mark...of the canonical gospels, Mark and John are the thing.

After thinking and philosophizing about Christianity for most of my life, I went ahead and actually read Mark in one sitting. It's ridiculous that 2,000 years ago God came down and spent half his time on Earth casting out what he thought were "demons". This is clearly a literary product of an ancient world that has much less relevance for us today than it gets credit for.

A verse that always confused me when I was a Christian! And now it makes sense. 😌

The Kingdom is within and the secret stays a secret until one finds or has had revealed the Kingdom within.

Looking forward to March 5th!

Whatever the meaning of Mark 4: 10-12, we know , by reading 4:1, Jesus did not seek to exclude any person who wanted to understand. Teaching in parables is a device used to teach those who cannot comprehend straight talk. Jesus tells the disciples they have been given the secret of the kingdom directly but how can they expect to teach the multitude, who can only learn in parables, if they don't understand themselves. Jesus says , if you disciples can't understand them (parables) how can you teach the multitudes through parables. If you (the disciples) cannot understand then the consequences are verse 12, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they may turn, and the sins may be forgiven them.’ Basically the disciples fail to convert people if they do not know the meaning of the parables through which verse 11 says, all things are done.

Once the unwashed have "turned and forgiven", they will not only perceive the meaning of the Lord's parables, but because of their structure, they are tailormade for preservation via oral tradition.

Regarding Dr. Tabor's comments at 5:23 ; Mathew 13:15 reads - "Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should a heal them." This seems to be the same message as in Mark 4:12. So, is it actually the case that Matthew "takes this out?"

Thats genius and also more applicable to daily life for the "pure in heart". Wow. It's like psychology but..only for the elite. Crazy

To answer Mark 4: 10-12, try Matthew 13:10-17. It does have the same story and goes on to explain what Mark says. Even if we take just Mark, we can't assume his story had a completely different answer than Matthew's.

that lest they be forgiven line reminds me of a line in the book of james where he says, "This is bad news for you rich." I think they may have wanted the selfish rich to be punished. i think that's just the way they were. they weren't modern people and they identified totally with the poor, the have-nots. i took the course and I don't remember this question ever being answered--why did he want some people to not be forgiven. i still don't know what the answer to that question was supposed to be.

What if you are only hearing about this course afterwards and missed this course? Can you take it at a reduced cost as you are not able to be a part of the one of the main features, the live zoom?

This is why Mark ends his Jesus story so abruptly with a short summary (compared to the other gospels) of what happened in the next few days after the resurrection. Mark is asking his readers, "OK... now, do YOU get it?" This explains to me why Paul went into Arabia soon after his encounter with the risen Jesus: he wanted to be taught by Jesus only. "No man taught me," Paul declares, so as to have the same experience that the original 12 had. And then to verify if he "got it", presented himself to Peter for examination. Peter was satisfied that Paul had indeed been taught these "secrets" by Jesus.

I suppose the secret of the kingdom is that Jesus is the messiah whose mission is to suffer and die, which would have been contrary to what first century Jews were expecting from the messiah.

I was NEVER notified of the date of the WEBINAR. Wasted my money.

I Signed up but have not gotten a invitation to the March 5 zoom meeting

I can tell you, it's historical. The other 3 are present active prophetic.

If his parables were intended to be enigmatic, he wasn't much of a writer. They are about equal to the Aesop's fables we read and understood in public school. That is, unless I have some sort of spiritual power that grants me the power of understanding and that is highly unlikely.

I still think that when Peter calls Jesus "good" and Jesus asks, "Why do you think I'm good...?" Jesus is referring to himself as a "bad rabbi," because his disciples clearly aren't learning anything in Mark. Even all the way to his grave, they're still asking him, "So who's the mightiest again?" I wouldn't feel like a very "good" teacher either.

I read this gospel the other day, and yeah this came out to me quite interestingly... People may think it's harsh, but they forget that if God had willed, he would have guided everyone to faith and paradise. Being logical then, that idea of "God is love" Christians all the time preach from John, is just nonsensical... To begin with, God is not a human emotion, as love is. Secondly, God is fair with the people, you will find all those who got their heart sealed, did something out of their own free will to deserve that punishment. In the OT God sends a "lying" spirit to Saul if i'm not mistaken, because he trangressed? Be coherent... I personally follow the Qur'an, and i see it coherent with what came before it, and Mark is a perfect example, i don't see it confirming Paul or the Trinitarian "God is love" theology modern Christians push... at all... they made that up!! Why would God confirm made up stuff? I mean, he may inspire ideas to common men, some could argue some philosofers either got ideas from scripture or were inspired by God directly, then it is no surprise that gets confirmed, and i do believe this, i do believe in a less "epic" if you will, form of inspiration, that can happen today to any of us, and does not make us prophets nor anything... Then if the books confirms that, i have no issue, i know some might, well that's then a matter of ambiguity and you should seek other ways to prove the scripture... Personally if i'm unsure about something, then i try to get back to what i'm sure about, to the basics. So to any believer researcher, that's my advice. Don't lose the rock, least your home falls when calamity strikes. And always seek the truth, that is what God ordained, he did not give us intellect for no reason, we are meant to use it ;) (just don't confuse assuming others are fooled and you aren't with being smart... as many atheists do...) Peace to the believers.

"Antiquities of the Jews", by Flavius Josephus has made mention that Solomen also employed parable as an oratorical device. So, Jesus used this device as a secret club handshake. Is Jesus selecting his administrative cohort? If that is the case the fact may go a long way towards the gross inequity of life in the world and beyond. Fairness is such a cumbersome exercise.

Was it 2 chronicles 7;14

Why are you assuming Matthew and Luke are using Mark's writings to build their writings? Each could have been writing their stories as each experienced and remembered their own accounts in their walk with Jesus.

Why do you say it is forgotten?

If he knows the future but isn't the controller of it, he would say, don't tell them I'm the Christ because they are going to say he is, when he was never called by his name, Jesus, in the Old Testament. The Lord of Host, is named by his birthed name in Genesis. The son of God, Jesus, talks about the son of man, named by his name in Genesis, in the gospels.

Interestingly, reading Paul you would have to assume that he either isn't familiar with Jesus' parables, or doesn't think they matter. Recently I actually heard the suggestion that the messages of Jesus and Paul were intentionally different, because Jesus was for the Jews and Paul was for everyone else. I think they were different because Paul was a charlatan

Whoever was the real author of mark, and all of the other gospels of the entire JUDEO-CHRISTIAN BIBLE definitely was in the many different types of pagan GODS Religious temples priesthoods, or Greek, Roman, Egyptian, persian, etc authorities governments heirarchical system. Because those were the only types of people that had the formal higher education training to be able to write the classical literary works at that time period in history. Education was expensive. And only for the well connected circles of the selected elites priesthood, and ruling families royal bloodlines, and their interconnected circle of the wealthiest banking/trading merchants.

Jesus spoke in parables because people who seek the truth will look for answer for the parables which are all in the prophecies. He spoke in parables to find out who was using their head for divine things and who were brainwashed by religion. It was a test to see if they could actually hear what he was saying or were they blinded by religion. Isaac Newton says the same thing in his writings. So, basically, he was seeing who were under the curse or spell of religion and who were actually spiritually free. And the truth, when you seek it, will set you free! FYI the kingdom of God is those who walk in the commandments of God! They know who they are! They can see the light because they are from the light, the truth. In their spiritual city of jarusalem, aka your soul, reside the spirit of God and along with all those who have lived and have died.

Turn again? I believe Jesus knows their repentance wasn't deep enough, even if they did repent. The key therefore is to turn again and keep on doing that until you get your breakthrough into the kingdom. The violent take it by force. I got the key revelation in His mention about the judges who would be raised up in the other gospel. Mark wasn't part of it, and I had to go back to Job, Jonah, Neh. 9 and Dan. 9 with the Hand of God and being baptized in the cloud on the lunar eclispe Turn again event found in Joel.

I love how Jesus supposedly loves everyone that is willing to follow his commandments. And follow in the way of his own supposedly blameless pure loving example footsteps. But according to the writers that actually wrote the books that are in the bible itself. Say that Jesus taught in parables because he didn't want us to be able to easily understand his parables teachings. Because it would allow us to be able to be saved. And be admitted into the new heavenly home. If Jesus and GOD really does love us so much, then why would Jesus and GOD not want us to clearly/easily understand how to get to go to heaven. Then inspires/leaves us a book called the bible that takes a highest college level of education thought processes/analytical skills prowess. AKA PhD holding professors. To be able to even start to psychiatrically scientifically analyze the bible to even be able to start to figure out its riddles. That contains 66 different specially selected, so called words inspired by the true GOD that created the very existence itself that we're existing in. But yet knowing that it wasn't even permitted for common people to be able to be taught how to be able to learn how to read or write in antiquity. And was punishable by death if you taught the mysteries schools teachings to anyone else that wasn't chosen to be initiated into the mysteries schools. Therefore meaning if you are poor, and can't read and fully understand everything about jesuses parables teachings as good as a professionally trained college teacher ourselves. Then we're not worthy of being saved at all. And being joyfully invited into the new heavenly peaceful blissful new Jerusalem eternity. In reality These PhD professors of the Divinity training programs can't even fully agree amongst themselves about the very diverse history of the bible. Let alone its eternal rewards or punishment programs. In essence, meaning that all of us naively uneducated poorest, greatly suffering people deserve to go to hell to be horribly punished for eternity. Even now if we poor people don't have enough $ to pay for the chances to be taught by professionally trained, licensed PhD divinity schools professors. Then us and all of our babies still deserve to be horribly punished, and sadisticly tortured for eternity. But yet " GOD AND JESUS LOVES US ". What kind of loving eternal GOD supposedly takes immense pleasure in non chalantly allowing, watching its beloved created creatures to not be able to easily figure out how to keep from going to hell for eternity. Who really wrote the books of the Judeo-Christian bible? What was their intentions? HOW COULD WE REPENT? IF WE COULDN'T, OR CAN'T EVEN READ VERY WELL? To at least be able to try to figure out what GOD wants us to do while we're alive. Apparently If us and our babies can't afford an education, then we're worthy of going to a terribly punishing flaming hell for eternity. The final versions of the English language bible that we have today, is a totally made up version of Jesuses true life and teachings. The bible doesn't even have the real stories about Jesuses actual family members. That knew him personally for all of his life. Or some of the other earliest closest associates that traveled with him on his teaching mission. Jesus was a Jew/Jewish rabbi/raboni spiritual teacher. The PhD scholars point out that jesuses own family members didn't think that Jesus was a GOD. They considered him to be a wise human teacher/councilor of how we should at least try to treat each other, and each others babies. Instead of the constant evilness and harm that he saw going on all around the various cultures in the world at that time. Humans were slaughtering each other over almost any types of reasons everywhere, at that time in history. And we still are. Christian believers are still currently addicted to the spiritual messages about the bible, that the major Christian church leaders in the world are still telling us what, how, who, which way that we must believe in. And how we're supposed to act in our lives. Unless Christians become brave enough to become inquisitively sceptically, critically, analytical evaluators of what the PhD trained bible scholars are saying about the bible. Then they'll continue to be easily mislead by the major churches pastors, Popes, preachers, etc. P. s. They want you to keep sending your $ to them. I wonder why?

Why did these men all die these tragic deaths preaching Jesus as the Son of God. Are you going to say they were all in on a plot to promote Jesus that they would all be willing to die for Him.

Mark does not say that the 'inner circle" never get it. He deliberately and brilliantly projects this question into the unrecorded future at Galilee where they will meet after the resurrection. The implication is that they can't or won't really get it until the reality of the resurrection is upon them because it is a reality that ordinary human consciousness can't process and is a reality into which they will have to follow him, that is, they too will have to lay down their lives for the Kingdom. And by the way, Mark does not say that everyone totally abandoned him. He says that Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James (and Jesus), are watching the crucifixion. And they also go to the tomb. Mark, unlike James Tabor, is a believer and preacher of the Gospel. Mark's Gospel is as profound and apocalyptic and "mysterious" as that of John.

Emanuel: el=God Emanu: Wiith (amoung) "us"=understood. The key to understanding Mark is in Yesuha's name. This can be very clearly understood as the principle of "self-evidence". The evidence is self-presenting or "self-evident". If you do not understand Jesus name and YHVH#s you can not understand "I am-that I am" either. God is self-evident.

If Jesus didn't speak in parables and those responsible for the crucifixion turned to Him and repented instead of rejecting Him then the crucifixion doesn't happen. Jesus fled when an attempt was made to make Him king. Why would He do that? If He allowed Himself to become a king what are the odds He is still crucified? The crucifixion requires rejection. Repentance, redemption and kingship come after the cross. Everything in it's proper season.

The secret is that Jesus is God incarnate.

JESUS IS NOT REAL!!

Mark was written as a summary of Matthew. This is all moot.

They only knocked on door

If you understood you would be proven before you born three times three times over three times seen self as the forth in heaven and five stand as one . If me isn't you said the man not men or when say trust in scholars educated guesser pretenders of understanding deceiving self and others pretenders of known to be All proclaimed three times over before you born

You play figured it out question none pretend to be known and fools speaking saying nothing impressing others pretend to understand

Unknown ears deaf blind to what's before your face.